<–Lead by Example.                                               Strangeness and Fictions.–>

The longest chapter in the Bible…Psalm 119…as I read it again today, it struck me that, while it is a prayer, with several different components, including praise, thanksgiving, and petition, it is also a love song, the expressed object of love and delight being… the Law.

In our New Covenant age, even with good biblical teaching about the purpose, value, and even Jesus’ view, of the Law, we may find such expressions of love for the Law strange.  Because way deep down, even if we’re not anti-nomians, we’re often thinking, ‘Ah, who needs that?  What are you, a legalist?  A Pharisee?’

But when people in the church talk about love, I’ll take my cue from the Son of David, who taught that Love is the fulfilment of the Law, Matt.22:36-40 (Paul also states this twice quite clearly in Romans 13, as does James in ch.2 of his epistle), and from David himself, who declares in many different iterations, ‘Oh how I love your law!  It is my meditation all the day.’ Ps.119:97 (see also esp. vv. 113, 163).

One might argue that loving God, loving neighbour, and loving the church itself first requires psalmist-level zeal for God’s Law and His Word: that is the definition, even definer, and measure of love.  Love does the godly thing–the right thing.

[Return to Table of Contents.]                                  Strangeness and Fictions.–>