To Encourage You

Psalm 19:7a “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul”

Psalm 19 provides us with a view of the various aspects of God’s Word and the benefits of the Word related to those aspects.  For example, God’s Word is called a law, i.e., “the law of the Lord.” We are all very familiar with the laws of men. There are laws regarding the things we are to do and the things we are not to do to keep on good terms with the government. For example, there are laws regulating how we are to drive.  We know we must file our federal income taxes by April 15.  That’s the law.  There are laws against improperly filing or cheating on those taxes.  In spite of the thousands of laws on the books, there are constantly new ones being promulgated to regulate our actions.  They are intended to control the evil behavior of man, and because that evil runs so deep, new ways to control that behavior seem always to be necessary.  Yet some laws, perhaps many, are unjust.  There have been laws that were meant to oppress blacks.  There were laws that prohibited women from voting.  There are currently laws that make it legal to kill babies in the womb.  These laws are all flawed. Some have been changed as a result, and others still need to be.  But what about God’s law?  What’s its character?  Does it need be corrected? Does it fall short of what is necessary? Does it have flaws?  Well, Psalm 19 tells us that it is “perfect.” That means it is flawless, without error, and complete.   How to live in a way that pleases the divine Judge of the universe is laid out perfectly in God’s Word. Nothing more is needed. Nothing else has to be added.  And unlike human laws that have the power to regulate human behavior but not the heart of man, God’s law has the power to “revive the soul.”  That word “revive” is elsewhere translated “restore,” or “convert.”  It carries with it the idea of turning one’s inner man, one’s soul, back to what was intended for us in the first place.  Sin has brought great harm to the soul.  Our thinking is flawed because of sin, and likewise our behavior and our ability to glorify God.  There is only one way that these flaws can be made right. There’s only one way that we can be restored to the condition God intended for us before sin entered the human race.  This restoration, this revival, is made possible only through hearing and responding to the Law of the Lord.  It alone is flawless. It alone shows us what is wrong with us, what God intends for us, and that what He intends for us can actually be realized in our lives if we will place our faith in His Son.  Without Him we are spiritually dead.  But faith that gives life, that revives the soul, comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).  Do you know of anything on the face of the earth that is indeed “perfect?”  There is only one thing that bears this attribute: the law of God.  And because of its perfection, it has the power to convert, revive, and restore the soul of man.  May God gives us the wisdom to read, study, and meditate on the precious perfection of the Law of the Lord. As we do this, it will bring life to our souls and there is nothing else in all the world that has such power.