Preached by Michael Cheuk
March 15, 2009, Third Sunday in Lent, Year B
Psalm 19
Over a week ago, a new superhero movie called the Watchmen hit the silver screens all across the country. It is based on a limited comic book series of the same name that appeared in 1986. As far as superheroes go, the Watchmen are pretty new, and from time to time, writers invent new superheroes with new superpowers, cool outfits, and funky names. This week, I’ve been thinking about a new superhero possibility named “Righteous.” Her super-strength is that she embodies “God’s Law.” What do you think? Will it make it big in Hollywood? Probably not, because I suspect if “Righteous” were to fit into the stereotype that many people have about God’s law, then this superhero would be cold, unforgiving, judgmental, and her main superpower is that she can suck all the fun out of any party! When people see her coming down the street, they duck for cover and turn the other way hoping that she won’t notice them to point out their faults and failings. No one likes a self-righteous person, much less a self-righteous superhero.
In this characterization, I know I have grossly exaggerated one reaction that some people might have about God’s law. But I do think laws, rules and regulations can get a bad rap in our society and culture. We hear stories about the legislative branch of our government writing complicated and convoluted laws that very people can understand. We hear about all the rules and regulations that are imposed on businesses that actually make doing business more difficult. We feel that some laws place unnecessary constraints upon our own freedom. And these feelings are not limited to adults. In our youth meetings, we’ve been discussing about how to relate to our parents. One night, I asked the youth this question: “If you could create the perfect parent, what characteristics would be on the top of your list?” Our youth responded: The perfect parent lets me do whatever I want to do; the perfect parent fully accepts and loves me, is lenient and fun, and lends me money.” Reading a list like that, it almost gives the impression that our some of you parents out there are dictators!
As I’ve said, laws, rules and regulations can get a bad rap. That’s why it is somewhat surprising to read Psalm 19 this morning and hear the glowing words that David the psalm writer used to express his attitude toward God’s Law. David begins this psalm by exulting in the glory and splendor of God’s creation. I remember the time I spent as a Baptist Collegiate Ministry summer missionary in Melbourne, Australia. While it was summer in the United States, it was winter Down Under. One night I looked up and I was blown away by the stars that shimmered and shined on that clear winter night. I could actually see a whole, hazy band of stars that arched across the sky as I was looking into the heart of the Milky Way galaxy. I could also see the “Crux,” a cross-shaped constellation that is commonly known as the Southern Cross. That sight inspired me so much that when I returned to my host home that night, I wrote a song called “Lord of the Southern Cross.” So I can imagine David looking up at the Palestinian night sky one night and the sight inspired him so much that he went home and wrote a psalm: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.”
When confronted by the glory and splendor of creation, we humans have different ways to respond to it. Modern science assumes that nature follows certain laws, that there is only one particular “way” in which nature operates, and that it’s possible for human reason to uncover these laws. When I was taking science courses like physics, biology and chemistry, I was always amazed by the elegant simplicity of the laws of physics like “F=ma.” I was awe-struck by the power and energy that were created through nuclear fusion, a reaction that takes place in our sun and in all stars to radiate heat, light and electromagnetic energy. I was intrigued by the orbits of the planets and how astronomers could calculate their position and speed in our solar system. From a theological perspective, Christians take a step of faith as revealed by Scripture to claim also that these laws are woven into the fabric of the universe by our creator God. We human beings can discover these beautiful patterns of nature and describe their regularity and orderliness through what we call “the laws of nature.” Likewise, we also believe that God has woven into the fabric of human existence laws that define and promote human flourishing. According to David, those laws, those precepts, statutes and commands of God are perfect, trustworthy, right, radiant, pure, sure, and altogether righteous. As you can tell, David just couldn’t say enough wonderful things about God’s law.
The same cannot be said for many of us who are steeped in the mindset of individual human autonomy. Many see God’s law as something that constrains our freedom. But without laws and boundaries, I think our lives would actually be less free. Without laws to govern road traffic, do you think we would be more free to reach our destination without an accident? Without rules to govern the game of basketball, do you think we would be more free to enjoy the game, or even to become a better player? Do you think our lives would be more fulfilling if everyone in society totally ignored God’s laws against murder, adultery, stealing, lying and coveting? Do you think we would experience less hardship and pain if people felt free to cheat us, steal from us, and lie to us? Can children grow up to become mature, well-adjusted adults if in childhood, their parents never set any boundaries to determine what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior? Can a society exist if everyone did what was right in his or her own eyes?
I think from David’s perspective, the answers to all those rhetorical questions is a big, unambiguous “No.” No, without laws to govern traffic, athletic games, human society and behavior, our lives would be “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short,” to use the famous phrase coined by the philosopher Thomas Hobbes. But David was asserting that life does not have to be like that. David was saying that in the same way that the heavens display permanent, unchanging beauty, the law of God is a permanent, unchanging perfection in which human beings can find ultimate fulfillment and righteousness. That’s why they are more precious than pure gold and sweeter than honey. God’s law is what makes our enjoyment of material riches and sensory pleasures possible in the first place.
I find it interesting that in this psalm, David sang about the glory of God’s law first at the grand level of the grandeur of the cosmos. Then, he sang about the glory of God’s law as applied on the human level of the individual soul, heart, and eyes. Finally, David prayed to God for the work of God’s law in the minutest reaches of the human psyche. Journeying in God’s law is not just about the surface actions that everyone can see. As important as it is for us to do the right things and not do the wrong things, God wants to help us to rightly order our desires and our loves so that our hearts beat according to the rhythm and beat of our Lord. The most important thing about obeying God’s law is to first love God as our first love. If we do that, the rest of our loves and desires will be ordered rightly and not become our idols. Therefore, it is not enough to just refrain from stealing; we must also not covet things that are not ours. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that it is not enough to refrain from murder, but that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. It is also not enough to refrain from committing adultery, but that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Jesus wants our hearts and our minds as well as our actions to be right with God. In our psalm this morning, David too was acutely aware that while God’s law is perfect and righteous, the human heart and inner will is imperfect and messed up. David was aware that not only can human beings unable to perfectly obey God’s law, human beings can’t even discern their own errors. We are so good at hiding from others and even from ourselves our own failings, our own short comings, our own sins. That’s why David prayed that God might forgive his hidden faults as well as his willful sins so that they may not take over his life and rule over him.
During this season of Lent, it is important for all of us to reflect on the glory and perfection of God’s law and to realize just how far short we come to meeting God’s standards. And it doesn’t matter if we have committed a BIG violation or if we have only committed subtle infractions. The fact is, we all have broken God’s law, and we are all powerless to make ourselves right in the eyes of God. That is the bad news that we all have to face. But the good news is that God has sent His Son Jesus Christ to be the fulfillment of God’s law. Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” And through Jesus’ teachings, His death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead, Jesus has paved the way for us fallen human beings to receive God’s forgiveness so that in Christ, we can be blameless and innocent of great transgression. In Christ, the perfect law of God no longer condemns us. As the apostle Paul has written in Romans 8:1-2: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”
Because Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of God’s law in His words and in His deeds, perhaps I can paraphrase verses seven to ten of Psalm 19 in this way:
Jesus is perfect, reviving the soul. The words of Jesus are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The teachings of Jesus are right, giving joy to the heart. The healings of Jesus are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The holiness of Jesus is pure, enduring forever. The saving acts of Jesus are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
Journeying in God’s law is really journeying with Christ down a path that leads to a life that God meant for us to live. And so, though I may talk about a new superhero who embodies “God’s Law,” what I really want to do is to introduce you to an old friend, Jesus Christ. Christ wants to be your journey companion to teach and help you avoid the pitfalls and minefields of life. Christ is perfect and Christ is beautiful and Christ so wants you to live a life that is abundant and free, filled with purpose and meaning. Christ not only wants to transform our actions and behaviors, Christ’s Spirit wants to permeate deep within us to transform our deepest desires and motivations so that our hearts will desire the same things that God desires for us and for His creation. And so today, let us pray with David the last verse of Psalm 19: May the words of our mouths and the meditation of our heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, our Rock and Redeemer. Amen.
