Magnificent Torah

The law of the Lord is perfect.
  The law of the Lord is perfect.
    The Lord’s Instruction is perfect.
      The instructions of the Lord are perfect.
        The revelation of God is whole.

Reviving the soul.
  Refreshing the soul.
    Reviving one’s very being.
      Reviving the soul.
        And pulls our lives together.


The testimony of the Lord is sure.
  The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy.
    The Lord’s laws are faithful.
      The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy.
         The signposts of God are clear .

Making wise the simple.
  Making wise the simple.
    Making naive people wise.
      Making wise the simple.
        And point out the right road.

   
Psalm 19:7 ESV, NIV, CEB, NLT, & MSG 

The Torah, God's instructions, God's directions, the revelation for how to live from God; is magnificent.  It will revive and refresh you.  It will pull your life together.  It is trustworthy and clear.  It will make you wise.

James calls it the perfect law of liberty or the law that gives freedom.  Unfortunately, we often think of legalism when we think of law and James gives us this freedom insight.  James gives us the revelation that the law is all about freedom.

The instructions or directions, the Jewish word is Torah; of God, is glorious.  The laws of God impart wisdom.  Wisdom does not mean intellectual snobbery, but godliness.  

The heart of the whole revealed instructions of God is to love God and then love your neighbor as you love yourself.  The Torah or command or instruction of Jesus is love.  It's not about following rules or law to get close to God, but by the covenant through Jesus blood, we are welcomed into God's presence and becoming lovers of God, loved by God, and in Christ loving the world.

From his passion, as a worshiper, who can see God's glory in creation; David extols the magnificence of God's Torah.  "Thank you for showing us the way of wisdom", David sings. 

So, some people might be asking, "as Christians, do we follow the whole Bible; or is the Old Testament backdrop and history with prophecy of the end to be studied also?"  The answer is yes.  John J. Parsons covers the question of, "should Christians be Torah observant?", here.