The Rule of God’s Law: First Things (15)

Click here to watch a brief video introducing this week’s study. This week’s video is the same as for lesson 2.

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.” Deuteronomy 6.6

Because we cannot truly benefit from the rule of God’s Law unless we first internalize that Law, loving and delighting in God’s Law with all our heart, mind, and conscience, we need to consider in more detail just what this involves. We need to be sure we understand and are putting into practice those disciplines that will allow us to shape our hearts to delight in God’s Law, our minds to understanding it, and our consciences to prefer the Law of God over all other courses of action.

We begin this further exploration by looking in more detail as to what it means to have the Law of God in our heart.

The heart is the most important component of the soul; from it, Solomon explained, flow all the issues of life (Prov. 4.23). The rule of God’s Law, unto holiness and righteousness and goodness (Rom. 7.12), must begin in the heart. If the Law is not in our hearts, if we do not delight in the Law so that it shapes our affections to love God and our neighbor, then we will not be inclined to keep the Law and, thus, will forfeit all the benefits outlined in it.

Moses commanded the people of Israel to “set your hearts” on all the words of the Law of God (Deut. 32.46). It’s not enough merely to learn the content of the Law, nor even to carry out its commands in our daily lives. This is the way of legalism, which strives to know and practice the letter of the Law but has no regard for its spirit.

Setting our hearts on the Law of God certainly means that we will need to understand its content. And it will also mean that we obey the Law in our words and works, as expressions of the inward work of the Spirit, transforming us increasingly into the image of Jesus Christ (1 Jn. 2.1-6; 2 Cor. 3.12-18). But setting our hearts on the Law is an action we must take, allowing the Law to expose and shape our affections, so that we desire what we are learning and carry out the teaching of the Law with hearts full of gratitude, joy, and love.

The place to begin in setting your heart on the Law of God is by resting in the Spirit of God, pleading with Him and listening for Him as He searches the deep recesses of our hearts to reveal the state and need of our affections with respect to God and His Law (Ps. 139.23, 24). This is not a one-time experience; rather, we must learn to take refuge in God’s Spirit and wait upon Him, day by day, as He exposes our deepest affections and turns and shapes them to desire the Law of God from the depths of our hearts.

Next steps – Preparation: As you pray through the Ten Commandments today, pause over each one, and listen for the moving of God’s Spirit as He illuminates the condition or your heart with respect to each of the Commandments. Repent where necessary, and seek the counsel of the Lord for overcoming evil with good in your heart (Rom. 12.21).

T. M. Moore

The Law of God is the soil which, fertilized by the rest of God’s Word and watered by His Spirit, brings forth the fruit of the Christian life. If you’d like to understand this process better, and how to make best use of the Law in your walk with and work for the Lord, order the book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, from our online store.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.