Even When They Don’t Want To! – The Purpose of the Law

Even When They Don’t Want To!

Psalm 81:13-15

“Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways! I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes. Those who hate the LORD would cringe toward him, and their fate would last forever.”

Blessed in spite of themselves.

The NASB translates verse 15, “Those who hate the LORD would feign obedience” to Him. When God’s people are faithful in keeping His Law, and thus know the blessings of obedience and manifest the life of love for God and neighbor for which they have been redeemed (Eph. 2.8-10), God does something really interesting among their enemies. Those who hate God, and hate His people, find that they are better off obeying the Law of God than rebelling against it. And while their hearts may remain in complete rebellion against God, on the outside, at least, they are obeying God’s Law because they recognize it’s in their own best interest to do so. This is at least a partial explanation for the continuation of so much of God’s Law in the laws of our nation today. Whereas increasing numbers of Americans have turned away from God and faith in Jesus Christ, few of those who have are advocating removal of laws against stealing, murder, perjury, and so forth. They will argue until they’re blue in the face that the source of these laws is common sense or anything other than the Law of God, but it’s just not so. They may hate God, but the presence of His people, still somewhat faithful, means that God continues to honor His Law, and even to bless those who merely feign obedience to it. God intends to bless sinners even while they rebel against Him (Ps. 52.1), and He uses His Law for this purpose.

What would our society be like if every law on the books that had its source in the Law of God were removed?

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“In the Gates” is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001,2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.