Psalm 19:7-14

The Law of the Lord

We are all familiar with “Natural Law” (think gravity, e.g.) and “Criminal Law” (think speed limits, e.g.). Disregarding either can damage our wellbeing. But what is this “Law of the Lord” which the Psalmist lauds?

It is Law that comes not from nature or government but from God. We see it codified in the Ten Commandments revealed to Moses and summarized by Jesus (Matt. 22: 37-40) in the “Greatest” and “Second” Commandments to love God and neighbor.

As we imperil ourselves by violating natural or criminal law, so we risk damaging our lives by failing to obey the Law of God, the revealed reliable roadmap to human health and wholeness. Gifted with the Law and assured of its truth and its many benefits (7-9: renewal of spirit; wisdom; joy; enlightenment), we may well follow the Psalmist’s honest self-examination (11-13) with our own, asking in these Lenten days how far we have missed the mark of sacrificial love and seeking the grace to improve our aim.

                                                                                                                  —Francis Fike

Exodus 20:1-17

Today’s reading takes us to Sinai, where we stand with our spiritual forebears to hear a word from the Lord. Having led Israel out of slavery in Egypt, God gives them a vision of community through Ten Commandments that will shape their life and identity.

In a similar way, the season of Lent beckons us to embark on an exodus of our own. Like Israel, we must leave Egypt to encounter God’s words anew. Here, in the Lenten wilderness, we dust off the tablets, sift through the layers of meaning, and ask ourselves difficult questions about how we too might be shaped by God’s commandments.

What we find is a God who is passionate about relationship—the one God seeks with us and the one hoped for among God’s children. The two are interrelated. Like a spiritual Möbius Strip, our inner life affects who we are on the outside. Loving God with our whole being naturally overflows to love for neighbor. As a result, our lives are directed towards meeting the needs of our fellow human beings.

But what does that mean amid the complexities of contemporary life? Is it simply about following a list of rules that restrain us from doing harm—the “Thou shalt not”? Or, is it also about seeking God’s justice to safeguard the dignity and well-being of our neighbors, whether they reside next door, across the border, or a world away?

—Beverly Zell