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Posts Tagged ‘law’

The Divine Standard

June 28th, 2010 No comments

Psalm 119:161-168 (163)

161 Rulers persecute me without cause,
but my heart trembles at your word.

162 I rejoice in your promise
like one who finds great spoil.

163 I hate and abhor falsehood
but I love your law.

164 Seven times a day I praise you
for your righteous laws.

165 Great peace have they who love your law,
and nothing can make them stumble.

166 I wait for your salvation, O LORD,
and I follow your commands.

167 I obey your statutes,
for I love them greatly.

168 I obey your precepts and your statutes,
for all my ways are known to you.

Some people don’t like going by the rule book.  The Psalmist tried to express his exasperation regarding this when he said, “Princes have persecuted me without a cause.”  Today we may shake our head in exasperation when we see someone making a left turn from the right lane of a four lane road.   We are disgusted when we see someone throwing trash from their car onto the side of the road as they drive by.  We may be angered during a board game when an opponent keeps coming up with their own “rules”.

A cubit may have meant one thing for Noah and another for his son.  If a cubit was the distance from the tip of the finger to the elbow then the length would vary depending on who you talk to last.  This is the reason that various countries developed a standard for weight and measurement which over time became accepted globally.  People realized that only when everybody followed the same set of rules could a sense of equity be determined.

This fact is one of the main reasons there is so much conflict in the world today.  Even though many have agreed to an international standard of weight and measurement for trade, they cannot seem to agree on a standard for moral conduct.  God has given us the rule book that must be followed if we hope to be delivered from sin, know the saving grace of Jesus Christ, and have a hope of eternal life.

Dr. Gayle Woods

Categories: News

Hand in Hand

June 28th, 2010 No comments

Psalm 119:97-104 (97)

97 Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.

98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are ever with me.

99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.

100 I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.

101 I have kept my feet from every evil path
so that I might obey your word.

102 I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.

103 How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104 I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.

I remember well times in the past walking hand in hand with my little boys.  Whether it was in a crowded mall, or across a busy boulevard I would hold out my hand and they would grasp it as well headed toward our destination.  I could telegraph to them my intentions by putting pressure on one side of their hand or the other, by twisting the wrist one way or another.  They could sense when it was time to speed up or slow down simply by the pressure of my hand surrounding theirs.  I also remember well the times when they felt secure. It was during these times when they would start to twist their hand and try to slip out of my grasp.  In those times they no longer wanted my guidance.  A little boy was standing with his father near the Grand Canyon. “Let me take your hand,” said the boy to his father. “No, let me take yours,” replied the wise father. So God says He will take our hand.  Although we may be spiritually sluggish and slow to grasp the Father’s hand we can only be secure when we feel his Divine grasp and know that we are on the path he has prepared for us.  By being sensitive to the Spirit, and observant students of His guidebook we can be sure that our feet will not slip.  He has given us the Word of God which is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path (Psa. 119:105).

Dr. Gayle Woods

Categories: News