The Law - Our Best Friend

Psalm 1:1 continued...

Blessed is the man

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers…

The happy man does not find his primary source of instruction from men—but from God. He turns away from the counsel of the wicked—but toward the infallible counsel of the Spirit.

If we are to appropriate the words of the Psalmist and distance ourselves from the likes of scoffers, sinners and such—we must master the art of identifying these folk—which is a more meticulous task than one might imagine. If the impression is left from this verse that the sinner referenced is always easy to spot—the reader is mistaken. The instinct of evil is to find hiding places and to charade. And sometimes it occupies the best motives of the redeemed, (i.e. Jesus directing his rebuke of Satan at His lead disciple Peter) making this enterprise particularly difficult.

Psychologists and counselors divide relationship offenders into two categories: aggressors and passive-aggressors. Aggressors are the outwardly abusive types. Passive aggressors offend in more creative, secret and subtle ways. Our archenemy has mastered the latter so well that if donning an appearance, he would likely worm quietly into our closest circle of friends—and we, dangerously unaware.

Public vagrants are conspicuous—but the wolf in sheep’s clothing is all the more poisonous—more likely found in pews of churches than stools at bars or pubs. To make matters worse, these persons are versed in the Law, but tend to distort it—turning it away from its essence and toward their own private agenda or religious obsessions. These persons are religious—and proud; carry an air of righteousness, casting their judgment in spiritual language, but fail to practice justice or administer mercy. They quietly take personal credit for the accomplishments of others. They heap burdens on the already burdened, but fail to relieve it. They join the morality police yet are not skilled in grace. Making matters even worse, the worst enemy of the gospel in our life is only sometimes external—but also situated in our own skin. We can be and most often are our own worst and cruel enemy.

The best alternative friend for the listener then, according to the Psalmist, is the Word itself. The Word both confronts the sin and provides a path for restorative love and prosperity. It comforts the distressed and heals the wounded.

Our objective then is to quiet the counsel and influence of men and harken to the perfections and promises of the law. We must turn up the volume and influence of God’s gospel over our lives and measure the influence of men altogether against the authoritative voice of the Word. 

If we knew how great a friend the Word is to us--we would run to it more often, delight in it more consistently and bare its fruit more prosperously.