Legal Revival

Psalms 119:159 (KJV) Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O LORD, according to thy lovingkindness.

(Proverbs 28 also read)

This whole section of Psalm 119 reflects the relationship between loving the law and God reaching out and restoring us.  It’s a constant conflict, especially for those of us who have been raised in the reformation ideas of grace and faith.  But notice here what happens in this verse.

First of all, the Psalmist writes about how he loves God’s law.  Here the synonym is “precepts”.  From there he asked God to “quicken” him.  I think a good way to think of this is that phrase that we often use “the quick and the dead”.  It means those who are alive and so here the Psalmist is calling upon God to make him alive.

The second point here is that he doesn’t say quicken me according to the law but according to God’s loving kindness.  This is that awesome Hebrew word chesed.  It speaks of mercy forgiveness and, yes, Grace.

So?  In the Old Testament you see the balance between the word of God and His standards and the love of God and His willingness to forgive.  I find that a great balance from my own life.