Rules in this House

Rules in this House

Most young people go through some stage of a type of rebellion. It’s rooted deep within us to reject the rules of authority, and rarely does good reasoning have anything to do with it. I can recall my older brother Brian sneaking in from a late night and when he was caught one of the stern phrases that was given: “there are rules in this house!” There are in every house. That’s exactly why he was at someone else’s house– the rules there weren’t restricting behaviors he wanted to engage in.

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor detest His correction;
12 For whom the Lord loves He corrects,
Just as a father the son in whom he delights.“ -Proverbs 3:11-12

We would do well to acknowledge our childish tendency to flee rules and abandon it for the wisdom of loving the correction of a wise and loving Father. My two young children cannot understand why they are not allowed to play unsupervised in the ditch near the road, eat candy for breakfast, or watch cartoons, but they are children. Why is it that we hear a difficult teaching from God’s word and our first reaction is to reject it and go somewhere else that allows me more freedom– it might very well that immaturity and rebellion is at play.

I think many students of the Bible have a fundamental misunderstanding of the intention and function of God’s law. Many think that God’s law serves as a set of tedious obligations that make God happy.  Paul was emphatic while in Athens:

“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.”  -Acts 17:24-25

God doesn’t rely on us for fulfillment, but is the one who fills. God created his law, not because he needed something from us, but we needed it from him. God’s rules and restrictions are not a curse or a punishment, but rather a guide and protection. Like parents for young children, our Heavenly Father is setting limits so that we might be steered toward a better life for our own good.

I Love You,

Jonathan