The Object of God's Law
By J. O. Corliss
ALL law is the recorded will of its creator; and the will of the lawmaker, expressed in the law, reflects the cast of moral disposition which prompted the material substance of the law. This is most clearly observable in legislative bodies where venal characters are largely in the majority, because results appear so strangely in contrast with better moral sentiment. But in any event the rule is an infallible one, because it is determined by the exact order of natural agencies. The results seen in earthly lawmaking are but the performance of that which the Saviour of men declared to be a logical sequence. He said that every "tree is known by its fruit." In making an application of this illustrative picture to His audience of moral degenerates, He sharply said: "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things." Matt. 12: 33-35. This universal rule of cause and effect must apply wherever intelligence reigns, of whatever order. By this rule, too, the highest grade of moral mentality must produce expressions of goodness the most thorough and perfect of all. From the very fact that such measurement of mind is reckoned as exact when applied to man, whose progenitor was made in God's image, it must also hold good when traced back to the source of all intellectual power, tainted tho that mind faculty may appear in its latest analysis. Stated in other words, to be just and righteous, God must willingly submit to any rule of character measurement by which He would estimate the standing of those to be judged by Him. Moreover, if words are to count in the moral balance (Matt. 12: 37), then God's sign of quality must be found in the words He has spoken. Since no mortal eye has ever looked upon God (John 1: 18), how else are men to know God except by His words? If not by these, the future of the human race is indeed hopeless; for we are told that to know God is eternal life. But God's audible utterances have seldom been heard by bodies of men. Of the four recorded occasions of the kind, the first one was made memorable by the oral delivery of the law of Ten Commandments, to the house of Israel, the lineal descendants of Abraham. Deut. 4: 12, 13. The second was when Christ had come to earth as the "Seed" of Abraham (Gal. 3: 16, 29), in behalf of man's salvation, and lingered on the bank of Jordan, after His baptism. Matt. 3: 17. Twice more (Mark 9: 7; John 12: 28) the voice of God was heard commending His Son in the work He was doing for lost humanity. All of these expressions in the New Testament proclaim one sentiment alone, that of God's tender regard for His only-begotten Son. But the single occurrence recorded in the Old Testament, when Jehovah's voice was actually heard by mortals, was for a different purpose. In this case an entire nation, just liberated from heathen serfdom, was assembled at Sinai's base to be taught at first hand the principles of heavenly government among men. The Chief Magistrate Himself—even Jehovah—had assumed that task, because the instruction to be imparted was of a nature too exalted to be entrusted to another. The people to be thus educated, tho the children of definite promises (Ps. 105: 42), had, in a large measure, lost the knowledge of their would-be Benefactor. The time, however, had fully come when they should learn to know Him—to recognize His "gentleness," the greatness of "His loving-kindness," and the infinite extent of His "mercy" and "grace," all of which would contribute to that people's present greatness, and eventually confer upon them the boon of eternal life. Ps. 18: 35; 107: 43; John 17: 3. These people had been alienated from God's life because of sin, and their foolish hearts were therefore darkened. Like their progenitor Adam when first molded from the earthly element, they lacked that necessary ultimate breathing of God, by which to receive the divine impress of God's character image. But God is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever (Heb. 13: 8); His "goings forth" have been uniform from the "days of eternity." Micah 5: 2. With Him "is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1: 17. This well-established fact reveals that God has ever had a single well-defined plan in behalf of man's highest good. His very act of making man in His own image in the beginning (Gen. 1: 26), clearly discloses what this one only design has continually been. To be in God's "image," however, is to have a mind in accordance with His, one able to think along the same lines, and thus be in complete harmony with the will of Heaven. This proposition is clearly displayed in the life record of Christ. He is divinely reported to be in the "image of God." 2 Cor. 4: 4; Col. 1: 15. But Christ said of Himself, "I and My Father are one." John 10: 30. Explaining this statement, He further said, "The Father is in Me, and I in Him." Verse 38. This last statement must therefore be taken as the secret of Christ's likeness to the Father. The indwelling of God, in His case, was the permanent sojourn within of the mind or will of Jehovah. This is evident from the following allusion to His earthly residence: "Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of Me, I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy law is within My heart." Ps. 40: 7, 8. This very prophetic utterance is quoted in Heb. 10: 7-10, and applied to Christ in His earthly mission. To Dwell Also in the Heart
The law of God being the expression of His unchanging will, the indwelling of which makes one's heart and mind pulsate in unison with the seat of life in the Great Eternal, it is plain why the semi-heathen Israelites were ranged beneath Sinai's heights to hear spoken by the infinite Master Himself His unceasing wish and official dispensation. Not only were these commandments to be heard, but provision was made whereby they were to have a permanent dwelling in the heart. To this end they were to be diligently taught to the children, and talked about under all conditions of life. They were, moreover, to be written upon the door-posts of the nation's houses, and thus engage the attention of every one entering their doorways. Deut. 6: 6-9. To do this was to show unstinted love for the one only God, their Creator and Redeemer. That this was the design of the law delivered on Sinai, the Saviour has offered abundant proof. When approached with the question as to which was the greatest or most important command of the law, the divine Master replied: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matt. 22: 37-40. Hence, if one would have love for God, his mind must be in harmony with all—that is, every part—of the law of God, since all these are attached to and depend upon love. Indeed, the keeping of God's commandments is made the test, or measurement, of every man's love for God. Thus the "beloved disciple" says, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments." Then, lest any should mistake, and portray one's love for God as something distinct and separate from keeping His commandments, the apostle adds, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not grievous." 1 John 5: 2, 3. Therefore one may safely regard God's commandments as the reflect of His holy character, since whatever He has personally6expressed must have come from the innermost recesses of His being. This would constitute His law the transcript of His mind, the bent of which being merciful, gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth (Ex. 34: 6), the attributes of divine character must of necessity be thrown back, as from a mirror, through the spoken law, the image of Him from whose heart the words came forth. The Commandments Are Truth
This, too, is the conclusion of one who was a man after God's own heart. 1 Sam. 13: 14. His testimony is this, and it is well worth remembering: "Thou art near, O Lord; and all Thy commandments are truth." Ps. 119: 151. An analysis of this brief statement will reveal much of interest. The psalmist says that all of God's commandments are truth. The word here rendered "truth" is from emeth, which means right, sure, true. Expressed otherwise the word signifies stability or fixedness. This is the quality of truth. Examine it critically as one may, and it remains steadfast, something to be depended upon. The law, therefore, is found to be as eternal as its Author, and as unchangeable. Why should it be otherwise? To alter it in the least would depreciate its completeness, and thus destroy its holy character. Besides, it would then in no wise represent the character of its First Cause. As given on Sinai, it represents God; and if received into the heart, it will convert a soul into the image of Him of whose likeness it is a word picture. The righteousness of God is an everlasting totality. Referring to this the psalmist says, "My tongue shall speak of Thy Word: for all Thy commandments are righteousness." Ps. 119: 142, 172. Thus what is said of God's character is said also of His law, revealing that it is of the same nature as Jehovah Himself. The law of God is slighted by many, and maligned by some, simply because the nature and object of the law of God are not comprehended. Could all such pray as earnestly and sincerely as did the shepherd king of old, "Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law" (Ps. 119: 18), their attitude doubtless would change materially, and their testimony then would be heard: "Give me understanding, and I shall keep Thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart."