Year 2, Day 55: Nehemiah 8

The Law

As I was reading through the passage on Nehemiah 8 – the reading of the Law – I was struck by the people’s natural desire to weep when they read the Law.  And that got me thinking about a very traditional Lutheran concept.  {But just because it is Lutheran in origin doesn’t mean any other Christian will disagree with this one.}  The concept of which I am making reference is Luther’s Three Uses of the Law.

Here they are, for all the world to see:

1. The Bouncer: outward discipline might be maintained against wild, disobedient men
2. The Mirror: people should be made aware of their sinfulness
3. The Guide: after spiritual “regeneration” people would have access to rules to direct their whole life

The bouncer idea is the idea that without rules and regulations society would devolve into a free-for-all of human selfishness.  For anyone who has read the book “Lord of the Flies” this is the point of the book.  Without regulations and the structure of civilization, people do as they please and they do according to what feels right to them at the time.  Without structure, humanity devolves into each of us running around doing whatever we please and whatever we can get away with.  The point of the Law is to establish order.

And this brings us to where it might reduce people to tears.  A few days ago I had the privilege of watching a good bit of parenting.  A little one year old boy was having fun opening a cabinet door.  When the boy started to crawl inside, the grandmother said “No.”  She then told the boy to close the door.  The boy started to cry.  It wasn’t that there was anything in the cabinet that was of any particular fun.  The boy cried simply because somebody else’s will was being asserted over his own.  This is what society does and this is especially what the Law does.  The Law asserts God’s will over our will.  And we cry when we realize all the things that might be fun which are now prohibited from our doing.

The mirror idea is the second use of the Law, and if you thought the bouncer idea can make a person cry then get really ready to cry.  The idea of the mirror is that when we hold up the Law to our life we understand how filthy we actually are.  Compared to what God desires for our life, the way we actually live is full of corruption and spiritual filth.  Our true nature as fallen human beings is exposed.  Our desire to do things our way corrupts us when we actually do them in spite of being told not to.

We discover just how far we are from God.  We discover just how much we deserve condemnation.  We discover just how much salvation is out of our grasp.  And we are led to tears.  We can do nothing but cry because we realize only too late that we have already screwed up and it is beyond our grasp to bring any kind of fixing to the problem.  There is nothing left to do but cry.

Well, we can cry – and realize the importance of Christ.  With Christ, we can have hope.  With Christ, there is forgiveness.  We can have a new life – spiritually regenerated by Him.  Once we are regenerated, the third use of the Law comes into play.

But for today, let’s focus on the first two uses of the law.  Can there be any wonder that any one of these ancient Hebrew people cried when they came face-to-face with the Law?  They heard God saying “No” to their sinful desires.  They heard God explaining how they had already screwed up.  There was every reason to weep.

But Don’t Cry

Yet, the call went out to not weep.  The day was holy to the Lord.  Yes, we are sinners.  But in spite of our sinfulness we are still to focus on the glory of the Lord.  Our depravity is nothing compared to God’s holiness.  Even when we are convicted in our sin there is reason to give praise.  God is holy enough to call us to repentance and call us His own people in spite of our sins.

This is a great chapter to read in the middle of the season of Lent.  Yes, we are sinners.  Yes, we are a messed up race on this planet.  But we are in a relationship with a holy God.  Let’s give Him some of that glory today.

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