Reflections on God's Gift of Law--Lent Day 8 (Week 2)

Lent Day 8: Thursday February 25

Theme for the Week: God’s Gift of the Ten Commandments

Passage for the Day:

Romans 3:19-20

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. ²⁰ For “no human being will be justified in his sight” by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

Reflection:

In this passage we hear of what Martin Luther would later refer to as the second use of the Law. As Saint Paul writes, “through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.” What this means is that God’s Law helps us to see and understand the ways in which we have abused our relationship with God, the ways in which we have hurt ourselves or others, and the ways in which we have failed to help other people. God’s Law is a such gift to us because is shows us the ways in which we have missed the mark. The Law helps us to recognize that we are sinners and that by ourselves we are unable to stop sinning. This recognition of our sinfulness is what drives us to need and want the Gospel--the Good News that Jesus died for us. Before we can really appreciate this Good News, we need the Law to hold a mirror to our faces and show us how we have done things we should not have done and failed to do things that we should have.

Prayer Themes: Pray that God would help me to realize that, on my own, I will never be able to be the person God wants me to be. Thank God for the gift of Jesus, who willing died to save me from my own failings. Thank God that Jesus died so that I can be reconciled to God in spite of all of the things that I have done wrong.

Reflections on God's Gift of Law--Lent Day 7 (Week 2)

God' Law: What is it and what does it mean for our lives?

This morning we begin the second week in Lent, and we will begin daily reflections on a new topic. This week we will be thinking about the role of the Ten Commandments in our lives. Descriptions of the Ten Commandments can be found in two places in the Bible: Exodus 20:1-17 and 5:6-21. There are also numerous references to Law (of which the Ten Commandments are a core part) in both the Old and New Testaments. During the next week, we will be reflecting on different Biblical passages which describe the Law and the role of the Law in our lives.

Week 2 Lenten Devotions

Lent Day 7: Wednesday February 24

Theme for the Week: God’s Gift of the Ten Commandments

Passage for the Day:

Psalm 19: 7-10

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect,

reviving the soul;

the decrees of the Lord are sure,

making wise the simple;

⁸ the precepts of the Lord are right,

rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the Lord is clear,

enlightening the eyes;

⁹ the fear of the Lord is pure,

enduring forever;

the ordinances of the Lord are true

and righteous altogether.

¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold,

even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey,

and drippings of the honeycomb.

Reflection:

God gave the gift of the Law in the form of the Ten Commandments to God’s people, after they had been freed from slavery in Egypt and while they were wandering in the desert. This gift from God marked the people as God’s very own. God gave the Law to help people order their lives and to help them live as God’s people. The first three commandments described how the people were to live in relation to God and the last seven, how they were to live in relation to other people. In a world not marred by sin, life under God’s Law would be perfect. The Law as gift orders our lives and shows us how to live as God’s people. As the psalmist, envisioning a perfect world, says: God’s Law is more desirable than fine gold and sweeter than honey.

Thinking of the Law as a gift that marks us as God’s people, rather than as a set of burdensome regulations, re-frames the role of the Ten Commandments in our lives.

Prayer Themes: Pray that I am may be able to see God’s Law in the Ten Commandments as a gift that marks me as one of God’s Chosen ones, rather than as a restriction or impediment to how I live my life. Pray that God would use God’s Law to help to order my life and help me to act as God’s hands in the world.