The Perfect Law of Liberty
"Blessed
is the man whom Thou
chastenest, O LORD, and teachest
him out of Thy law."
chastenest, O LORD, and teachest
him out of Thy law."
-Psalm
94:12 [KJV]
We
may observe in the words before us, that the Lord puts chastening
before teaching. Is there not something remarkable in this? Why
should chastening precede teaching? For this reason. We have no ear
to hear except so far as we are chastened. It was so with the
prodigal. Until he was brought to his right mind by strokes of
hunger, he did not think of his father's house; he had no heart to
return; but a mighty famine sent him home. So it is with God's
children; as long as they are allowed to wander in their
backslidings, they have no heart to return. But let the rod come; let
them be driven home by stripes; then they have an ear
to listen, while God teaches them to profit, instructs them by His
blessed Spirit, and speaks into their heart those lessons which are
for their eternal good. "And
teachest him out of thy law."
"The
law" in the Scriptures has a
very wide signification; it means, in the original, instruction. The
word is Torah,
which signifies "teaching," or "direction." Thus
the word "law" is not confined to the law of Moses given in
thunder and lightning upon Mount Sinai; but it includes also the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ—"the
perfect law of liberty;" "the
law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus;"
that law which was in the heart of the Redeemer, when He
said, "I
come to do Thy
will, O God; yea, Thy
law is within My
heart."
Now,
as the Lord teaches His children "out of the law,"
strictly so called, so He teaches them "out of" THE GOSPEL;
and to my mind, there is something exceedingly sweet and expressive
in the words "out of the law." It seems to convey,
not only that the law is a treasure-house of wrath, but that the
gospel also is a treasure-house of mercy. And as those who know
most of the law are only taught "out of the law,"
and not the whole of the law, only a few drops, as it were, out of
the inexhaustible wrath of God; so out of the heavenly treasure-house
of the gospel, "the perfect law of liberty,"
it is but a little of grace and mercy that in this life can be known.
As Christ said to His disciples in promising the Spirit: "He
shall take of Mine,
and shall shew it unto you." He cannot take "all,"
and shew it unto them; for none could live under the sight. The
Spirit, therefore, takes of the things of Christ, and shews here a
little, and there a little; some little blessedness here, and some
little blessedness there; a suitable promise, a gracious testimony, a
comforting text, an encouraging word, a sight of atoning blood, a
smile of His countenance, a view of His Person, a discovery of His
righteousness, or a glimpse of His love. This is taking of the things
of Christ, and revealing them to the soul. And thus, the man whom the
Lord takes in hand, He teaches "out of" the gospel
by making Christ experimentally known, and revealing His dying love.
And thus He teaches each and all out of His law — both the law from
Sinai, and the law from Zion.
-Gospel
report by preacher J.C. Philpot (1802–1869 A.D.)
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