Psalm 19 Sermon PART 2 — The Law of the Lord

spoken word sermon, austere liturgical, European Reformed church style

+ Show full styles

[SECTION THREE — The Six Statements]
[Cello note sustained]
[Preacher — patient, deliberate]

The second movement of the psalm 
turns from the wordless heavens 
to the worded Torah.

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

Six statements.
Each with three parts.
The name for God's word.
Its quality.
What it does to the one who receives it.

Notice the precision of this structure.
This is not poetry as decoration.
This is theological precision in poetic form.

David is teaching us 
that the word of God 
does what no other word can do.
It converts.
It makes wise.
It rejoices.
It enlightens.
It endures.
It is righteous.

[SECTION FOUR — What the Law Reveals]
[Cello note steady]
[Preacher — measured, careful]

But here, dear brothers and sisters,
I must again say something difficult.

The humanist reading of these verses 
treats the law of the Lord 
as a kind of moral guidance 
that helps human beings 
become their best selves.
A wise teaching tradition.
A pathway to flourishing.
The Bible as a manual for living well.

This is not what the psalm says.
This is not what Israel meant by Torah.
This is not what the Christian Church 
has confessed about scripture 
at its theologically serious moments.

The law of the Lord 
does not bring us salvation 
because it shows us 
how to make ourselves righteous.
The law of the Lord 
brings us to the recognition 
that we are not righteous 
and cannot make ourselves so.

The perfection of the law 
is precisely what condemns us.
The purity of the commandment 
is precisely what enlightens us 
to see how impure we are.
The truth of the judgments 
is precisely what convicts us 
of the falseness 
that has marked our days.

The law converts the soul, yes.
But it converts the soul 
by destroying the soul's confidence 
in its own goodness.
The law makes wise the simple,
but the wisdom it gives 
is the wisdom 
of knowing how little wisdom we actually possess.
The law rejoices the heart,
but it rejoices the heart 
only of the one 
who has come to despair 
of his own resources.

This is the Reformation's recovery 
of what the law of the Lord actually does.
And it is a recovery 
that every generation of the Church 
must make again 
because every generation 
is tempted 
to turn the law of the Lord 
back into a humanist project 
of self-improvement.

[SECTION FIVE — Sweeter Than Honey]
[Cello note slightly warmer]
[Preacher — measured, theological]

The psalmist then writes:

More to be desired are they than gold,
yea, than much fine gold.
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Hear this carefully.

The one who finds the law of the Lord 
sweeter than honey 
is not the one who finds it 
an aid to his self-fulfillment.
The one who finds it sweeter than honey 
is the one 
who has been brought, through the law,
to the point of receiving the gospel.

Because once the law has done its proper work — 
once it has destroyed our confidence 
in our own goodness, 
brought us to the recognition of our actual condition, 
and driven us to cry out for mercy — 
then we are ready to hear 
that the word of the Lord 
includes also the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And in the light of the gospel 
the law itself becomes sweet,
because it has done its proper work 
of bringing us to Christ.

The honey-sweetness of the law 
is for those 
who have received the gospel.
Apart from the gospel 
the law remains bitter — 
the bitterness of conviction, 
of judgment, 
of the impossibility 
of human righteousness apart from grace.

In Christ 
the law becomes what the psalm describes.
Outside Christ 
the same law remains 
what Paul described in Romans seven — 
the very commandment 
that was ordained to life 
proved to be unto death.

This is the unity of the Bible's witness 
on this point.
And it is the unity 
that the humanist reading of the psalm 
cannot preserve.

[end]

4345/7500

[intro] [Twentieth-Century Continental Reformed Sermon] [Basel cathedral or prison acoustic] [Single sustained low cello note] [Faint stone-and-wood ambient] [Preacher — continuing, German-accented baritone, dialectical] [SECTION THREE — The Six Statements] [Cello note sustained] [Preacher — patient, deliberate] The second movement of the psalm turns from the wordless heavens to the worded Torah. The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. Six statements. Each with three parts. The name for God's word. Its quality. What it does to the one who receives it. Notice the precision of this structure. This is not poetry as decoration. This is theological precision in poetic form. David is teaching us that the word of God does what no other word can do. It converts. It makes wise. It rejoices. It enlightens. It endures. It is righteous. [SECTION FOUR — What the Law Reveals] [Cello note steady] [Preacher — measured, careful] But here, dear brothers and sisters, I must again say something difficult. The humanist reading of these verses treats the law of the Lord as a kind of moral guidance that helps human beings become their best selves. A wise teaching tradition. A pathway to flourishing. The Bible as a manual for living well. This is not what the psalm says. This is not what Israel meant by Torah. This is not what the Christian Church has confessed about scripture at its theologically serious moments. The law of the Lord does not bring us salvation because it shows us how to make ourselves righteous. The law of the Lord brings us to the recognition that we are not righteous and cannot make ourselves so. The perfection of the law is precisely what condemns us. The purity of the commandment is precisely what enlightens us to see how impure we are. The truth of the judgments is precisely what convicts us of the falseness that has marked our days. The law converts the soul, yes. But it converts the soul by destroying the soul's confidence in its own goodness. The law makes wise the simple, but the wisdom it gives is the wisdom of knowing how little wisdom we actually possess. The law rejoices the heart, but it rejoices the heart only of the one who has come to despair of his own resources. This is the Reformation's recovery of what the law of the Lord actually does. And it is a recovery that every generation of the Church must make again because every generation is tempted to turn the law of the Lord back into a humanist project of self-improvement. [SECTION FIVE — Sweeter Than Honey] [Cello note slightly warmer] [Preacher — measured, theological] The psalmist then writes: More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Hear this carefully. The one who finds the law of the Lord sweeter than honey is not the one who finds it an aid to his self-fulfillment. The one who finds it sweeter than honey is the one who has been brought, through the law, to the point of receiving the gospel. Because once the law has done its proper work — once it has destroyed our confidence in our own goodness, brought us to the recognition of our actual condition, and driven us to cry out for mercy — then we are ready to hear that the word of the Lord includes also the gospel of Jesus Christ. And in the light of the gospel the law itself becomes sweet, because it has done its proper work of bringing us to Christ. The honey-sweetness of the law is for those who have received the gospel. Apart from the gospel the law remains bitter — the bitterness of conviction, of judgment, of the impossibility of human righteousness apart from grace. In Christ the law becomes what the psalm describes. Outside Christ the same law remains what Paul described in Romans seven — the very commandment that was ordained to life proved to be unto death. This is the unity of the Bible's witness on this point. And it is the unity that the humanist reading of the psalm cannot preserve. [end]

0/500