House Rules Rule

Psalm 19:7-11

“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.

The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.

The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.

They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey,

than honey from the honeycomb.

By them your servant is warned;

in keeping them there is great reward.”

Two weekends ago, we had the pleasure of traveling to St. Louis to visit our daughter and son-in-law. As is often the case when visiting them, after the dinner dishes are done and the baby is soundly asleep, the adults begin to ponder what card game will take up the balance of the evening. Upon refreshing our memories of how the chosen game is played, a disagreement arose with respect to a detail of the game. After some good-natured but definitely two-sided debate clearly running down household lines, our daughter firmly and at a volume overcoming the banter called out “House rules!” At that point, if one has any honor at all, one realizes that debate must end.

In Psalm 19, David praises God’s “house rules”. He does not merely acknowledge God’s law, reluctantly accepting it as a necessary limit on his and our lives. No, he embraces them with beautifully descriptive words of praise.

Sweeter than honey gives the implication of making everything it touches better. The most valuable commodity in the culture of David’s day was gold, and he says God’s law is even more valuable than that. In the contrast of light (good) and dark (bad), God’s directives for humankind are not only on the side of light, but “radiant” in that place. In a human world where nothing is “perfect”, David uses this title to describe God’s law. The term “flawless” must come to mind.

David also praises the value and usefulness of the law of God. In a world that can sometimes drag us down, focusing on following God’s commandments can “revive the soul.” Wisdom is an elusive trait, but adhering to God’s rules makes even a simple person wise. In contrast to merely accepting God’s directives for him with reluctance, David states they bring joy to the heart. In a human condition where little can be depended upon, David calls God’s code “true” and “righteous”, making it like an anchor to hold onto. Finally, in a very tangible way, David says God’s commands are useful for warning, and rewards come to those who keep them.

Of all the characters we meet in God’s word, David would be one likely to bristle at God’s law. He was a glorious king of Israel with all the power and prestige that came with it. What he said or did was generally not questioned. The story of Bathsheba and Uriah describes one of the most arrogant and self-serving sins recorded by anyone in the Bible. Still, David praised God’s law in so many descriptive ways in Ps. 19.

In our sinful human condition, we don’t like rules. We don’t like how they make us feel constricted. We bristle at the assumption that we will act wrongly if specific guidelines are not provided. Mostly, we just don’t like the loss of control. But, we reluctantly accept the boundaries placed upon us for the better good of all.

When it comes to God’s perfect law, however, David saw things differently. He not only accepted God’s commandments but wholeheartedly embraced them as critical to a right relationship with his Creator and others around him. He saw God’s expectations not as hindrances to a content life, but rather a crucial part of “living the best life” while here on earth.

We live in a very different time than King David, however, our tendency to oppose God and his rules for our lives is the same going back to Adam’s fall. It would do us well to embrace David’s attitude toward God’s commandments. We are blessed to have God’s word where beautifully written poetry like David’s in Psalm 19 and 119 steer us toward loving God’s commandments and doing our best to abide by them. God’s “house rules” are infinitely valuable in a world where there is little of great value.

May we be able to confess with David in Psalm 119:111-112:

“Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.

My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.”