Psalm 119:32 (NIV) I run in the path of your commands for you have set my heart free. I think the tendency is to think of commands (laws) as binding and restrictive, but they are meant to give freedom. When the boundaries are well defined I can run freely within then, and I am not frozen in one place out of fear of overstepping an invisible line. To have no laws, no guides for living, is terrifying, because then it’s all up the individual, and individuals in our Greek-minded world tend to look out for self first. The commands in Torah are not to restrict, but to set apart. That’s what holy means. Holy is set apart, different. When God says to be holy like He is holy, He isn’t asking us to live in a commune, He’s asking us to be different from the world around us. And that’s what His commands, His Torah, do. I was listening to a commentary by Skip Moen and he told a story of a young missionary or minister in England. This man lived within walking distance of a church, a synagogue, and a mosque. He noticed that whenever there were young men who were disillusioned with life and searching for… satisfaction, I guess… they almost always turned to Islam. Why? Because Muslims are different. They are set apart by the way they live. They have boundaries written out in the Koran. They live according to a very distinct set of guidelines that regulate how they dress, how they act, what they eat, how they worship, etc. These men were looking for something different, and Islam offered it to them. We naturally desire these things, because God is a god of order. Imagine if God’s people, Israel and the followers of His Way, were set apart (different from the world) the way that God commands, by living by Torah but also by reflecting the heart and love of God! Yes, we live in the world, but it should be clear by our actions where the world ends and where we begin. Perhaps then, given the choice, these lost ones would choose to find hope and peace in the love, rule, and reign of Yeshua – because it is set apart, because it is different, because it offers freedom from the world’s chaos. God provides commands for living that free us from constantly asking what we should do next. It’s there. laws that bring peace and rest and laws that set out hearts free to truly live.
2 Corinthians 10:13 But we will not boast of authority we do not have. Our goal is to stay within the boundaries of God’s plan for us, and this plan includes our working there with you. The part I thought was interesting in this verse is where it says that Paul’s goal is to stay within the boundaries of God’s plan for him. I wonder how many times I’ve wandered outside those boundaries. I have the best of intentions, but if it’s not God’s plan then it’s still not the best place or thing for me. I also like how Paul knows what God’s plan includes. Right now I feel a little lost sometimes. Or maybe I’m thinking too hard and God’s plan is much simpler – to bring Himself glory. It’s an interesting thought.