Psalm 19

Scripture

Psalm 19:7

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

Observation

In this psalm David extols God and His rules that he places around those that He loves. This idea in of itself is very interesting as most people view rules as restrictive to their freedom, but David asserts that they are worthy of praise and recognition. 

Understanding 

Recently I have been observing classrooms as a part of the credential process to become a teacher. While this has been extremely entertaining and helps me gain a better understanding of classroom management, it for the most part is the same no matter what classroom one goes to (do not tell any of the teachers that I said that). The only thing that varies is the teachers’ respective relationships with the students. That being said their advice on classroom management is the same: introduce the expectations early and reinforce the expectations continually. They argue (and I agree) that this gets the most of the students, respect-wise and simply efficiency-wise. 

I think what David puts forth here, is an extension of that idea. God doesn’t place “laws” and “statutes” around us to hinder us, but rather to get the most out of us. If He didn’t care He would simply let us do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. This idea shows complacency on the part of the leader, and God is not that kind of God or leader. We need to step away from this notion that rules limit us. Because they don’t! Rules build us into better people, better Christ-followers, and isn’t that what we want?

Life Application

Next time you hear the prompting of the Holy Spirit in a way that you feel is a rule, remember that these rules do not hinder us. In the same vein, rules are not an excuse to not love, they are the reason to love. It is with this, that we better understand the nature of our God, and therefore understand the nature of how to live.

-Allison Khan