Epiphany
February 15, 2017
Scripture Reading: Psalm 119:33-40
Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes,
and I will observe it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it.
Turn my heart to your decrees,
and not to selfish gain. –Psalm 119:33-36
What is the backstory behind the Lord’s statutes? Every law has a backstory. Laws about murder weave through every culture throughout history. Others may reflect the selfish desire of a powerful politician—remember the bridge to nowhere*? The Lord’s laws are not arbitrary checklists of things to do to get into heaven. They do not exist to define the limits of our behavior, so we can invest our time trying to get around them for selfish motivations.
The Lord’s laws reflect God’s desire for us to experience life to the fullest in the confidence of God’s loving guidance. The laws laid out in the Bible reflect backstories of the times and places according to their origins in oral and written history. Some ancient backstories are as relevant today as they were in the beginning as some things in the human condition seem to remain constants. Others speak to truths, like eating healthily, about which behavior changes with advancements in knowledge about food storage or its impact on our bodies. We must be diligent as we seek to live our lives within God’s vision to study the backstories.
We also must be diligent not to rewire God’s statutes to meet our selfish gains.
Prayer: Lord, help us to Do our best to present ourselves to you as one approved by you, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth**. Amen.
*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravina_Island_Bridge
Derived from 2 Timothy 2:15