The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. – Psalm 19:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (May 15, 2019): Psalm 19

Emmanuel Kant wrote that “two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe… the starry heavens above and the moral law within.’ Both describe a law that we should not transgress. The stars are writing a story of the laws of God in their movement and their history that we are just now beginning to understand. The stars themselves go through a life-cycle that takes them from birth to death. They complete a journey in the heavens all governed by the laws that have guided them throughout the length of their lives. Galaxies are guided in their paths, sometimes colliding with each other in their dance, but always according to the rules that they unfailingly follow. The sun still rises in the east and sets in the west. The moon follows the same path. Maybe, if they could, they would disregard the laws that govern them and move somewhere else. But if that were to happen, then all beauty would disappear, and life on this planet would end.

In the same way, David remarks that God’s moral law is perfect. If we dare to follow his law, they are life-giving. The challenge is that, unlike the sun and the moon, we have a choice as to whether or not we follow the law that is set out in front of us. Sometimes, we try to convince ourselves that life exists away from God’s law; that all that God wants to do is rain on our parade. But the truth is that if we are willing to follow the laws of God, the results are beauty and life.

David understands that. God law, like the laws of nature, have been created to safeguard our lives. But these laws are not automatic. Unlike the laws of the heavens, which cause the stars to move through the steps of their beautiful dance without the ability to choose differently, we have to make the conscious choice to follow God’s perfect law. Our natural inclination is to follow the way that leads to death instead of that which leads to life. But often, we also have to struggle with God to know what it is that his law demands from us. God does not want us to follow the easy, but rather to choose what is hard because it is also good. The struggle is worth it, because David is right, and the law of God is perfect, and it always leads us into beauty and life.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 20 & 21