God's Law is Perfect

Justice, Law, History Ezra Seeks God's Law Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5)    Psalm 19: 9-14 The Message 7-9 The revelation of God is whole     and pulls our lives together. The signposts of God are clear     and point out the right road. The life-maps of God are right,     showing the way to joy. The directions of God are plain     and easy on the eyes. God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold,     with a lifetime guarantee. The decisions of God are accurate     down to the nth degree. 10 God’s Word is better than a diamond,     better than a diamond set between emeralds. You’ll like it better than strawberries in spring,     better than red, ripe strawberries. 11-14 There’s more: God’s Word warns us of danger     and directs us to hidden treasure. Otherwise, how will we find our way?     Or know when we play the fool? Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh!     Keep me from stupid sins,     from thinking I can take over your work; Then I can start this day sun-washed,     scrubbed clean of the grime of sin. These are the words in my mouth;     these are what I chew on and pray. Accept them when I place them     on the morning altar, O God, my Altar-Rock,     God, Priest-of-My-Altar. For Reflection No matter how hard we try to legislate behavior, our efforts are always imperfect. So imperfect that at times the innocent are found guilty, and the guilty are set free. Our laws can be used to accomplish justice, but they can also be applied maliciously. Our laws do not necessarily seek the truth. Our laws are adjudicated based on meeting the letter of the law. Our laws are hardly restorative. Instead, our laws seek retribution and, in some cases, vengeance. God's law, however, is restorative and filled with hope. God's law was the basis of Jewish identity. The law is also the basis of our Christian identity. Pray Pray and let the Holy Spirit guide your life. Pray for the courage to keep God's law in the center of your moral and ethical behavior. Pray for the courage to confront fear and prejudice within ourselves. Finally, pray and know that each day begins with a clean slate. Forward to a friend