Daily Devotions

When we think of the word “law,” it usually doesn’t conjure up thoughts of happiness and delight. Yet in Psalm 1, the one who is happy (or blessed) delights in God’s law and even spends day and night meditating on it. What kind of law would make someone do that?

In our society, when we say “law,” we mean legal decrees created by our government to regulate how we live as a society. Our laws are enforced through threats of punishment, which society calls “justice.” This is why we have the saying, “do the crime, do the time.”

In the ancient Middle East, people understood “law” very differently. Rather than being a governmental decree to regulate society, ancient Middle Eastern law was a reflection of the king’s wisdom and way of life, for himself and for his people.

This was also true for the people of Old Testament Israel. Since the Lord was also king over his people, his law was a reflection of his wisdom and way of life. That meant that to follow God’s law was to live life the way God lives life. This is what Jesus meant several hundred years later when he said, “If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.” (John 13:14–15) Jesus, the true king of Israel, is inviting his disciples to live life as he lives life, as a servant.

What happens when we follow King Jesus and live in his way of life? Psalm 1 says that we become like trees constantly fed by streams of water, producing fruit at just the right time. And when tough times come, we don’t wither; instead we flourish, regardless of the situation. This is what the New Testament followers of Jesus called “joy.”

Questions for reflection: