Scripture: Psalm 40:8 – “I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” (NRSVue)
The Bible is not as straight forward as some may think. It has been described as an instruction manual for life, but while there is much wisdom and truth to be found within it, there are also contradictions. To some, these contradictions are proof that the Bible cannot be trusted. I disagree. Many of the contradictions are representations of different voices weighing in on unclear problems. Will Jerusalem be destroyed by its enemies, or will it be saved? Should Christians follow the Jewish laws or should they find salvation in faith alone? Is bad fortune in life a sign of God’s disapproval? Does God want animal sacrifice or for people to be kind and just?
Behind these internal Biblical debates is the fact that life is often too complicated to reduce to one point of view or another, no matter how deeply felt that point of view is. There are often gradations and trade-offs. And it takes the development of an internal compass to figure things out. You cannot just do what other people say, even if those people are in the Bible.
Psalm 40 weighs in on the “sacrifice vs. justice” debate on the side of justice. The psalmist sees faith as more than just following the rules. Instead, God’s law is written on his heart. He feels God’s will within him and that faith in God is directing him in ways that others do not see.
As Christians, we are taught that we are sinful, and we cannot be trusted to do what it right. But sometimes in life, you do know better. Sometimes your experience does not match what authorities or experts have to say, not because they are necessarily wrong or malicious, but because they are not you. For millennia, religious leaders have demanded obedience because they believe that deviation leads to destruction. But not everything in the tradition is perfect. In the psalmist’s time, the priests and their rules of sacrifice had to be obeyed if one wanted to be considered a faithful Jew. But many people saw God as more than sacrifice, more than just following the rules. They needed more, they needed to live their life the way God was leading them.
If you look inside yourself, you will often find what God is telling you to do. You need to temper those feelings by listening to others, because sometimes our own emotions get in the way. But listening to others is not abdicating your own decisions. Sometimes following God can make you seem weird. It can make you an outcast. But even the Bible shows us that weirdos and outcasts can make the biggest differences, especially in expressing God’s hope for the world. After all, Jesus did not always follow the rules, but he knew God’s truth and helped others to find it.
Prayer: God, help me see what you have written in my heart today and give me the courage to follow it to you. Amen.
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