WHY SHOULD I?

A Sermon by Bill McDonald from Psalm 19:7-12

August 24, 2008

 

Psalm 19

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.

11  Moreover by them is your servant warned;

       in keeping them there is great reward.

12  But who can detect their errors?

       Clear me from hidden faults.

13  Keep back your servant also from the insolent;

       do not let them have dominion over me.

     Then I shall be blameless,

       and innocent of great transgression.

14  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

       be acceptable to you,

            O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

 

Pulling in to New York City, a caravan of five cars packed with youth and sponsors, our lead driver, the only one who had studied the map of the city and knew where the hotel was located, had to move to a different toll booth to go through the Lincoln Tunnel because he was pulling a U-Haul.  He got stuck there as the rest of us breezed through the booths wondering what to do now.  He came on the CB radio saying, “You’re on your own now!”  But the driver of the last car in our caravan, Skip, sped around us and announced on the radio, “Follow me!”  I was driving the number two car and, maybe because I was 22 and more than a tad bit rebellious, I immediately thought, “Why should I follow him?”  Did Skip know anymore about the hotel than I did?  Did he know where we were going to pop out when we emerged from the darkness of the tight tunnel into the havoc of the Big Apple’s crowded, lane-less streets?  Could his radio pick up our leader’s transmissions underground when all mine got in the tunnel was static?  Skip was ready to lead.  But the question in my mind was, “Why should I follow?”

 

So on this Sunday when our theme is “He Leadeth Me,” when we sing that God guides us, the question remains, why should we let God lead?  Why should we follow God’s laws?  After all, we disregard laws all the time.  It’s 2am and you are sitting at a red light on an empty street.  Are you really going to sit there with not another car in sight?  It is against the law to run a red light!  In Lexington the law is that your automobile must be completely through an intersection before the yellow light turns red.  But the tradition is that if the car in front of you makes it through on reddish orange, you are allowed to go through in his draft!  We know the law, but why follow it?  From the 12th floor balcony of our hotel in Mexico City Julie and I watched a fascinating show in the busy intersection below.  It seems that in Mexico City, even though they have stoplights and stop signs, you lose face if you actually come to a complete stop at an intersection.  So drivers will do almost anything to keep from stopping.  We watched amazed as cars eased into oncoming lanes or up onto the sidewalk.  Brakes squealed and horns honked and pedestrians scattered as cars wound their way through the hazards ahead of them, wheels always rolling.  They knew the laws—but why obey them?

 

Psalm 19 is a hymn of praise for the Hebraic code, celebrating the laws of God as given by Moses.  Many of those laws have little meaning for us today:

Exodus 23:19  “Do not cook a young sheep in its mother’s milk.”  Sounds fair but irrelevant.

Exodus 31:14  “Whoever works on the Sabbath is to be put to death.”  Walmart would be very short on staff…but so would churches!

Leviticus 7:23  “No fat of cattle, sheep or goats is to be eaten.”  Tell that to the fast food industry.

Leviticus 11:20  “All winged insects are unclean, except those that hop.”  You figure that one out.

Exodus 22:28  “Do not curse a leader of your people…especially if that leader is your minister.”  Okay, I added that last part.

 

Antiquated laws.  Jesus changed our thinking from the Hebraic code of law to Christ’s code of love, teaching us that God wants actions, not rituals, mercy instead of sacrifice.  So instead of dietary or purity laws, we are to love God and love neighbor, have compassion for the poor, forgive those who offend us...all the teachings of Christ.  In a nutshell correct belief, correct attitude, correct action, those are the laws of God as given to us through Christ Jesus.

 

But still the question remains, why should we?  Why should we follow God’s lead through Christ?  The psalmist comes back to relevance then, telling us that we should follow God’s laws because of what they produce in our lives.

 

“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.”  The Good News Bible translates that last phrase as “it gives new strength.”  And these days we are looking for renewal and strength.  Fitness centers are full at ungodly hours of the morning, runners are pounding the pavement before dawn, self-help books crowd the shelves of Joseph-Beth, seminars on CD teach us management techniques and personal relationship building while we drive or jet to the next stop.  But, no matter how good, these solutions are all so flawed; none of them perfect.  They don’t turn us into pillars of strength, confident leaders, secure persons.  But if we follow God’s lead, keep God’s laws, we have added strength, strength to survive great calamities, to live through tough times, to face the unknown and the unspeakable with courage and trust, to break the grip of sin.  Follow where God leads.

 

“The decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple.”  The driver of the 18-wheeler had misjudged the height of an underpass and had jammed his truck stuck tight under the bridge, unable to move.  Some who gathered at the scene suggested that the driver cut off the top of his trailer with a blowtorch.  Others suggested that a tow truck could pull him out even though it would destroy the trailer.  But one wise man said, “Just let half the air out of your tires and you can drive the truck right out.”  We aren’t always smart enough to see the answers to life’s puzzles, but we can be sure that God is wise enough to give us standards that will answer all our needs in life.  Follow the Lord.

 

“The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.”  Jesus was always teaching about forgiveness, one of the hardest laws to follow.  But we ought to pay attention because we are going to need to be forgiven one day.  We all mess up.  A young man was sitting in a concert hall listening to a soloist perform.  She really wasn’t very good.  So he turned to the man seated next to him and whispered behind his hand, “What a terrible voice, pathetic.  Do you know who she is?”  “Yes,” was the answer, “she’s my wife.”  Trying to save the situation, the young man said, “Oh, I beg your pardon.  Of course the problem isn’t in her voice, really, it’s in the awful stuff that she was given to sing.  I wonder who wrote that terrible music.”  “I did,” was the answer.  No matter how tough to follow, the psalmist would say that God’s law is always right and following it will bring happiness, rejoicing the heart.  Remember the parable Jesus told in Matthew 18:21-35?  The servant owed his master millions of dollars and couldn’t pay.  But his master had compassion on him and forgave his debt entirely.  What a gift!  That should have made the guy deliriously happy.  But when the forgiven servant saw another servant who owed him a few dollars, he had the second servant thrown in jail because he couldn’t pay.  His master had just demonstrated a great lesson for though he was out millions, he was happy to be compassionate.  His heart was satisfied and free.  But, even though the servant had been forgiven a huge debt, he wasn’t happy.  He was bitter and vindictive.  And his bitterness finally landed him in prison, a prison of his own making.  If we have God’s laws in our hearts, if we have Christ’s spirit in our lives, we will be happy, because life will seem right.  If we don’t follow God’s lead, no matter what we do, everything will always seem wrong.

 

Verse 11 sums it up by saying “By [God’s laws] your servant is warned, in keeping them there is great reward.”  Notice what the psalm didn’t say.  It didn’t say that we have a great reward for keeping God’s laws.  We are not rewarded for being good, for obeying God.  There are no brownie points given, no treats at the end of class.  We haven’t won God’s love by keeping God’s laws—God already loves us completely, couldn’t love us any more, loves us even while we are abject sinners.  There is no reward for keeping God’s laws.  But, as the psalmist says, there is great reward in keeping God’s laws.  The godly way of life brings rewards in the living of it.  Living the Christian life is its own reward.  Strength, wisdom, happiness are not the end products of doing God’s will; they are the by-products.  These rewards happen as you live within the context of God’s will, as you follow God’s lead.

 

Why should I follow?  Skip was the first car from our caravan to hit the light of day on the other side of the tunnel.  Thinking he knew where the hotel was, he immediately turned right and wound up in the bus station in an area marked, “Buses only.”  He shouted into the radio, “Don’t follow me!”  So don’t follow Skip—and don’t follow me or any mortal.  Follow God’s lead.  Because it brings us everything we are really looking for in life.  “God leads me.”  Now, there is a blessed thought.