Mensa Otabil - The Law of the Lord (10/25/2025)
Psalm 19 verse 7: The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. Psalm 19 makes a distinction between God’s works and God’s word, showing a transition from general revelation- the heavens declaring the glory of the Lord — to the law and commandments of the Lord speaking to us. This is special or specific revelation; God is now specifically speaking words to us.
When you look at the psalm, the distinction between the heavens speaking to us and God’s word speaking to us is also shown by the name of God used in the two descriptions. When the psalm talks about God and the heavens declaring the glory of God, the word used is «Elohim.» But when it starts talking about the law of the Lord, it doesn’t refer to God as «Elohim» but as «the Lord.» In your Bibles, it will be capital L-O-R-D. In Hebrew, it is a four-letter name that we normally call Jehovah or Lord, but it is God’s personal name. So, we move from general knowledge of God to a personal knowledge of God; that’s what it’s saying.
The law of the Lord converts us. The scriptures are described as the perfect revelation of the Lord; it is perfect, meaning that it is sufficient. There is perfection; it is complete-there is nothing left out that God wants us to know about Him that He has not put in His law. In that sense, it is perfect: it is a complete revelation of God. As we embrace this perfect revelation of God, the passage states it converts us.
What does that mean? It means that it changes us, it makes us better people; it helps us to grow, improve, and become the people that God wants us to be. So, God moves from general revelation to special revelation, and the way to have special revelation is to have the law of the Lord, which is perfect and changes us.
The word of God uses another term: it says the word of the Lord is also His testimony. It states the testimony of the Lord is sure, and it makes us wise. What does that mean? It means the scriptures testify of God. The testimony of God is God’s evidence to us; it is like going to a law court where someone presents a witness statement to support a fact. That is what the word of God does; it is God’s statement-His witness statement of Himself to us to support who He is.
When we read the Bible, we receive God’s own testimony of Himself and God’s law about Himself. When we encounter the testimony of the Lord, it says it makes wise the simple. Isn’t that amazing? The word of God can take simple people and make them brilliant. Jesus chose common fishermen and turned them into world changers. That is the greatness of God’s word: it can take you from where you are, change you, convert you, and make you a wise person. It makes you a brilliant person, helping you to think properly and process your ideas correctly.
When you encounter God’s special revelation, you are encountering God Himself-beyond His creation to His words. That is the evidence that God gives us; His word is superior to His creation because His word is He Himself directly speaking to us.
Let’s pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, Your word is perfect and reliable. Thank You for revealing Yourself to me. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.