Gospel Reflections #1195: What we are called for?

Psalm 119:126, 127 ‘It is time for the Lord to act, for people are setting aside your law. Therefore, I love your commandments more than gold, more than pure gold.’

This expresses the cry of a believer who, amidst the prevalence of the world’s absurdities and betrayals of faith, calls for God’s judgement (intervention) whilst at the same time reaffirming a deep love for God’s teachings.

David feels the limitations of his own power in the face of a world overrun by evil, and pleads for God Himself to carry out the ‘Final Judgement’ or ‘intervention of justice’.

The ‘people’ referred to here are not merely those who break the rules, but the arrogant who openly disregard God’s word and seek to render it null and void.

Here lies a sense of crisis as God’s order is on the verge of collapse.

The conjunction ‘therefore’ is of great importance here.

Normally, if everyone around you ceases to obey the law, you tend to be swept along with the tide.

David, however, is the opposite.

It embodies a strong, paradoxical resolve: ‘Precisely because the world has cast aside God’s teachings, I shall cherish them all the more.’

Whilst the people of the world pursue material wealth and their own interests (gold and silver) and disregard God’s law, David confesses that ‘God’s teachings are the purest gold, the most valuable thing in life’.

This passage teaches us two important attitudes as we live in the modern world.

① When the world’s morals and values drift away from the teachings of the Bible, rather than compromising out of fear of isolation, we are led to a faith that thrives in adversity—a faith that declares, ‘Now is the time to stand firm in God’s Word.’

② Rather than seeking revenge or succumbing to despair in the face of an unjust reality, we are called to exercise patience, believing that there is ‘a time for God to act’ and entrusting our judgement to His hands.

We have been granted free will.

Free will is the ability to choose for ourselves whether to stand on God’s side or not.

We do not have the strength to live in defiance of the world’s absurd realities, but through our free will we can choose to stand on God’s side.

The Holy Spirit works through this expression of our will, guiding us so that we may stand firm like David amidst the world’s absurd realities.

All we can do is exercise our free will.

No, even that is something God is guiding us to do.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.