Mensa Otabil - God's Statutes and Commandments
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Psalm 19, verse 8: The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The Bible uses different words to describe God’s word, demonstrating how the word of God works in our lives. It states here that the word of God is the statute, and the statutes of the Lord rejoice our heart.
What does a statute mean? A statute is a fixed declaration, something that is written; it’s fixed and doesn’t change. God does not leave us to our emotions when we need guidance. Today he says one thing; next time he says something else. His words are statutes; they are fixed so that when we’re going through the changing scenes of life, there is something solid in our lives, and that is the word of God. The statutes of the Lord teach us how to please Him, how to do the will of God. He has made His will and His ways clear to us through His statutes, and His statutes help to make our lives meaningful because they are His fixed guiding posts for life.
When we’re going through difficulty and are perplexed by the events of life, God’s fixed statutes tell us that all things will work out according to His purpose for our lives. We know that no matter what’s going on and what we can’t figure out, God is working out a purpose. Why? Because His statutes are fixed; they don’t change. He says that He has good thoughts toward us. These are the fixed opinions that God has of us, and they are established in His word. That is what makes our heart rejoice. We can be confident that although we don’t fully understand what’s happening, God’s statutes tell us that it will all turn out all right. Then it says the commandment of the Lord is pure; it enlightens the heart.
God’s word is also a command. Why does the Bible say it’s a command? It’s not subject to debate. So when God says, «Thou shalt not,» you cannot say, «May I?» No, «Thou shalt not» means «Thou shalt not.» There is no debate about it. When we make the word of God flexible, it hurts us. The word of God is a command from God; it’s not subject to your opinion or how you feel about it. You may ignore it or decide not to obey it, but it doesn’t change God. He’s not going to accommodate His word to you; you have to accommodate yourself to His word. His word is fixed; it is the statute. His word is a commandment; it’s an order, and that is how He wants us to order our lives. In our lives, we must have things that are fixed and that are ordered.
For example, on Earth, we have what we call true north. True north is the magnetic field at the North Pole, and that’s what guides every other direction we have in life. Without that fixed true north, we would not be able to determine our direction in life. God’s word is our true north; it’s our fixed guidance system, and by it, we can make the right choices and decisions in our lives. When we obey it, the passages enlighten our eyes; it opens our eyes.
Sometimes you may feel lost and unsure of your next turn, but when you read the word of God, it opens your eyes-you just know what to do. You may struggle with it, but you know what to do; you’re not guessing about whether you should do this or not, because God’s word is clear on many matters in our lives. That is what opens our eyes, enlightens us, and helps us see our way clearly in the journey of life. I pray that this specific revelation of God through His word, the Bible, will help you navigate all the difficult parts of your life.
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, your word enlightens me. Thank you for the joy of knowing that you are with me always. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.