Have you ever felt “beaten down” by the Bible?
“With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of Your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.” -Psalm 119:13-14
I once heard that in Australia (and a few other places) they have a concept called “Tall Poppy Syndrome.” The idea is that people who stand out too much or upset the status quo should be “cut down to size.”
Have you ever seen the Bible used like that, not just as a set of rules, but as a ruler to measure people and beat them down?
Certainly, the Law of God serves the needed purpose of bringing conviction, but while that is sometimes necessary, it’s never God’s first choice for His children. The Psalmist “delights” in God’s laws (“rules”, “testimonies”) because he knows that they are like a ruler, and that God’s desired purpose for that ruler is not that it would be used to cut His people down, but build them up!
As followers of Jesus, we are “being built into a spiritual house together” (1 Peter 2:5) for God’s glory, and the commands of God are there for the Master Builder to use as He shapes us for His purposes. The Law is for our joy and our good, not to hurt us, but to help us rise up into the fullness of who God created us to be.
God wants to use the Law not to beat you down, but to build you up in Christ.
Receive it!
