"Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long" (Psalm 119:97).
When we teach our children the alphabet we start with the song, “ABCDEFG, HIJK.…” When they get to school they learn lesson such as, “A is for apple; B is for ball.…” In the Bible there is an interesting alphabetical song: Psalm 119. It has 22 sections, one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each section has eight verses and each verse begins with the same letter. There are 176 verses in all.
Every verse in this alphabetical psalm celebrates the law of God. Verses 97–104 each begin with the letter M (in Hebrew, Mem). This could even be done in English, for instance, verse 97: My love is for Your law …; 98: My enemies fear my wisdom …; 99: More insight have I …; 99: More understanding have I …; etc.
Can you imagine such a song about God’s law becoming popular in our culture? Indeed, can you imagine such a song being a favorite in today’s church? Somehow we have fallen a long way from the mindset of the Bible; we have strayed far from the biblical world and life view. Jesus came not to destroy the law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17), and so great was His regard for God’s law that He never departed from it.
The Protestant Reformers distinguished three central purposes of the law of God. First, the law was given to show our need for a Savior. This is the redemptive use of the law. Second, the law was given to show us how to live in a way pleasing to God. This is the moral use of the law. Third, the law was given to guide society. This is the civil use of the law, the law as implemented in society to restrain crime.
Notice the incredible benefits of studying God’s law, which we shall do this month in Deuteronomy. The law will make us wiser than our enemies (Psalm 119:98). It will give us more insight than that of our teachers (v. 99). It will enable us to outstrip our elders in understanding (v. 100). It will guard us from evil (vv. 101, 104). When we acquire a taste for it, the law will seem sweeter and more delightful than honey (v. 103). Finally, verse 102 says that if we study the law, God will personally teach us.
Do these benefits seem wonderful to you? If so, then prepare yourself for a delightful study of God’s marvelous law during the month of June. Today, take some time to prepare your heart through prayer for this study about God's law.
