Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.
Those who love God's law are given great peace, and nothing makes them stumble, turns them aside, causes them to fall away, or gives them offense. To be offended in this sense is to be caused to stumble. This peace is the peace of Christ, received from Him and born of truth, consisting in harmony with God. It comes only through His grace and life-giving power implanted in the heart, filling it with love for God and for one another, moving it to praise and thanksgiving, and casting out the evil passions that cause strife and dissension. That love grows by receiving the law in Christ as one's own guiding principle, and by studying, contemplating, meditating upon, valuing, and practicing His Word, which lifts the heart above natural desires and temptations and forms a pure character that is not easily offended.
Promise of Peace
Great peace is given to those who love God's law, and nothing causes them to stumble, turns them aside, makes them fall away, or takes offense. Loving and honoring God by keeping His commandments brings His blessing, and through Christ alone and through obedience to the Word this love forms a pure, good character and keeps from stumbling into sin. In Christ the law becomes the believer's own guiding principle and idea, lifting the person above natural desires and tendencies and temptations that lead to sin. Those who love the law receive this great peace from Christ, and its requirements are not burdensome or arbitrary, for every law expresses mercy, love, and saving power, bringing life, salvation, happiness, and peace.
The word rendered offend means to cause to stumble. This peace is the peace of Christ, received from Christ and born of truth, consisting in harmony with God. It comes only through Christ's grace and life-giving power implanted in the heart. That implanted grace fills the heart with love for God and for one another and moves it to praise and thanksgiving, while casting out the evil passions that cause strife and dissension.
This peace stands in contrast with the lack of peace belonging to the wicked. Sinners are at enmity with their Maker and therefore at enmity with one another, and the world is at enmity with God's law. Love for the law stands against the desire to cast off its restraint, which brings misery and unrest, while keeping it makes service to God a pleasure and an expression of love for Him. True abiding peace cannot be manufactured by men, and human plans for purifying and uplifting individuals or society fail to produce it because they do not reach the heart. Only Christ's grace can create and keep it, changing life from thorn and brier and desert into fir tree and myrtle tree blossoming as the rose.
Law They Love
The psalm that holds this promise exalts God's law throughout, presenting His testimonies as delight and counsel and His word as a lamp and a light. Within that setting the promise belongs together with hoping in His salvation, obeying His commandments, and loving His testimonies deeply. That law is the rule of life, laying out the principles of righteousness and drawing a clear line between right and wrong and between truth and error.
It is perfect, sure, right, and pure, turning the soul, giving wisdom to the simple, bringing joy to the heart, enlightening the eyes, warning of danger, and bringing great reward to those who keep it. His words give light and understanding to those who study and meditate upon His statutes and come to realize their value. Its requirements are not burdensome, arbitrary, or irksome service, for every law is an expression of mercy and love and saving power. Willing obedience to truth brings peace and rest, and keeping the commandments brings life, salvation, happiness, and peace with a great reward. Breaking even one commandment is disloyalty to God, and obedience is essential to happiness.
Loving the law makes serving God a pleasure and an expression of love for Him. That love stands against the desire to cast off the restraint of the law, and His gracious commands also direct His people to deal with others in compassion and mercy. Bold and defiant wickedness against His holy law will certainly cause the Lord to arise to punish it. His forbearance under continual insult to His holy commandments is very great and marvelous, for His long-suffering holds back His own attributes as omnipotence exerted over Himself. He has borne long with ever-increasing defiance against the laws given to govern the human beings He created, and while bearing long He gives continual light to those who remain obedient. He sees life becoming intolerable through cruelty because men have changed His laws.
Loving Law Daily
Love for the law grows by receiving the law in Christ until it becomes one's own guiding principle and idea, lifting the life above natural desires, tendencies, and temptations that lead to sin. It grows through studying, contemplating, and meditating upon the precious statutes, realizing their value, and through studying the Word and practicing its teachings, which brings walking with God in great peace of mind. God's words give light and understanding to those who thus meditate on His statutes and recognize their worth.
When received in this way, this love in Christ lifts the person above the pull of nature toward sin and keeps from stumbling into sin. When truth dwells in the heart it sanctifies the life, making a person less irritable and more like Christ, who lived to bless and save others rather than to please Himself. Through Christ alone and through obedience to the Word, this love forms a pure, good character and keeps from stumbling.
This is especially urged upon youth to place themselves in living connection with Christ and return to loyalty to God in obeying all His commandments, for loving and honoring God by keeping His commandments brings God's blessing. Such loyalty preserves youthful vigor from being wasted and avoids the mortification and disappointment that surely come to high hopes when will and way are not submitted to the Lord. Those who love the law are not made to stumble by what opposes them, even when they see the divine precepts thrown aside and obstinacy, rebellion, scorn, contempt, and apostasy increasing.
Instead of being swept away by prevailing apostasy or cowardly refraining from vindicating the law, their reverence for the law increases. They love the commandments above gold, esteem all precepts concerning all things to be right, and hate every false way. Love for God's law is accompanied by great peace and a life not easily offended, keeping its lovers from being offended, stumbling, taking offense, or being turned aside.
Those who love God's law are given great peace, and nothing makes them stumble, turns them aside, causes them to fall away, or gives them offense. To be offended in this sense is to be caused to stumble. This peace is the peace of Christ, received from Him and born of truth, consisting in harmony with God. It comes only through His grace and life-giving power implanted in the heart, filling it with love for God and for one another, moving it to praise and thanksgiving, and casting out the evil passions that cause strife and dissension. That love grows by receiving the law in Christ as one's own guiding principle, and by studying, contemplating, meditating upon, valuing, and practicing His Word, which lifts the heart above natural desires and temptations and forms a pure character that is not easily offended.
Promise of Peace
Great peace is given to those who love God's law, and nothing causes them to stumble, turns them aside, makes them fall away, or takes offense. Loving and honoring God by keeping His commandments brings His blessing, and through Christ alone and through obedience to the Word this love forms a pure, good character and keeps from stumbling into sin. In Christ the law becomes the believer's own guiding principle and idea, lifting the person above natural desires and tendencies and temptations that lead to sin. Those who love the law receive this great peace from Christ, and its requirements are not burdensome or arbitrary, for every law expresses mercy, love, and saving power, bringing life, salvation, happiness, and peace.
The word rendered offend means to cause to stumble. This peace is the peace of Christ, received from Christ and born of truth, consisting in harmony with God. It comes only through Christ's grace and life-giving power implanted in the heart. That implanted grace fills the heart with love for God and for one another and moves it to praise and thanksgiving, while casting out the evil passions that cause strife and dissension.
This peace stands in contrast with the lack of peace belonging to the wicked. Sinners are at enmity with their Maker and therefore at enmity with one another, and the world is at enmity with God's law. Love for the law stands against the desire to cast off its restraint, which brings misery and unrest, while keeping it makes service to God a pleasure and an expression of love for Him. True abiding peace cannot be manufactured by men, and human plans for purifying and uplifting individuals or society fail to produce it because they do not reach the heart. Only Christ's grace can create and keep it, changing life from thorn and brier and desert into fir tree and myrtle tree blossoming as the rose.
Law They Love
The psalm that holds this promise exalts God's law throughout, presenting His testimonies as delight and counsel and His word as a lamp and a light. Within that setting the promise belongs together with hoping in His salvation, obeying His commandments, and loving His testimonies deeply. That law is the rule of life, laying out the principles of righteousness and drawing a clear line between right and wrong and between truth and error.
It is perfect, sure, right, and pure, turning the soul, giving wisdom to the simple, bringing joy to the heart, enlightening the eyes, warning of danger, and bringing great reward to those who keep it. His words give light and understanding to those who study and meditate upon His statutes and come to realize their value. Its requirements are not burdensome, arbitrary, or irksome service, for every law is an expression of mercy and love and saving power. Willing obedience to truth brings peace and rest, and keeping the commandments brings life, salvation, happiness, and peace with a great reward. Breaking even one commandment is disloyalty to God, and obedience is essential to happiness.
Loving the law makes serving God a pleasure and an expression of love for Him. That love stands against the desire to cast off the restraint of the law, and His gracious commands also direct His people to deal with others in compassion and mercy. Bold and defiant wickedness against His holy law will certainly cause the Lord to arise to punish it. His forbearance under continual insult to His holy commandments is very great and marvelous, for His long-suffering holds back His own attributes as omnipotence exerted over Himself. He has borne long with ever-increasing defiance against the laws given to govern the human beings He created, and while bearing long He gives continual light to those who remain obedient. He sees life becoming intolerable through cruelty because men have changed His laws.
Loving Law Daily
Love for the law grows by receiving the law in Christ until it becomes one's own guiding principle and idea, lifting the life above natural desires, tendencies, and temptations that lead to sin. It grows through studying, contemplating, and meditating upon the precious statutes, realizing their value, and through studying the Word and practicing its teachings, which brings walking with God in great peace of mind. God's words give light and understanding to those who thus meditate on His statutes and recognize their worth.
When received in this way, this love in Christ lifts the person above the pull of nature toward sin and keeps from stumbling into sin. When truth dwells in the heart it sanctifies the life, making a person less irritable and more like Christ, who lived to bless and save others rather than to please Himself. Through Christ alone and through obedience to the Word, this love forms a pure, good character and keeps from stumbling.
This is especially urged upon youth to place themselves in living connection with Christ and return to loyalty to God in obeying all His commandments, for loving and honoring God by keeping His commandments brings God's blessing. Such loyalty preserves youthful vigor from being wasted and avoids the mortification and disappointment that surely come to high hopes when will and way are not submitted to the Lord. Those who love the law are not made to stumble by what opposes them, even when they see the divine precepts thrown aside and obstinacy, rebellion, scorn, contempt, and apostasy increasing.
Instead of being swept away by prevailing apostasy or cowardly refraining from vindicating the law, their reverence for the law increases. They love the commandments above gold, esteem all precepts concerning all things to be right, and hate every false way. Love for God's law is accompanied by great peace and a life not easily offended, keeping its lovers from being offended, stumbling, taking offense, or being turned aside.