Wise – Uses of the Law: Make Known the Character of God (6)

Wise

Uses of the Law: Make Known the Character of God (6)

“Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to is as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?” Deuteronomy 4:6, 7

The wisdom of God is revealed in His Law; by obeying that Law, God’s people display wisdom to the surrounding world—God’s wisdom, not theirs.

The wisdom of God is manifest in His Law on practically every page, as He reveals simple matters of neighbor-love that are intended to allow His people to flourish and prosper. The fact that the Law of God continues to shape the protocols of human society, in nations and communities all over the world, demonstrates both its enduring wisdom and the wisdom of Him Who gave it. Nations and peoples may not acknowledge the divine provenance of the laws by which they live, but this does not negate the fact of it.

Wisdom is simply “skill in living,” knowing how to co-exist in such a way as to reflect the communion, love, interdependence, and respect of the Persons of the divine Godhead. As the Trinity is one, existing in perfect unity and love, so God desires for His people to have the knowledge and skill—wisdom—to enjoy that unity and love in their own experience. His Law and all His Word provide the revelation we need to understand and refract the character of God and His wisdom to one another.

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Bookstore, then Church Issues.

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