A world-acclaimed literary figure, Herrmann Hesse, I believe it was, once declared that he had renounced all belief and practice of the Judaeo-Christian faith because of its “thou shalt nots.” This would seem to be a very brave and forthright stance to take, but it betrays in fact a very shallow understanding of biblical religion. There are indeed frequently occurring commands and prohibitions in Scripture. There are the Ten Commandments for starters—ten very forthright injunctions. There are also subtler, implied commands such as the Beatitudes. In declaring the humble blessed, for instance, Jesus was gently encouraging people to be humble. When one stops to wonder why these orders were given in the first place, one must conclude that clearly they were promulgated for the welfare of God’s people. One has to think of the stiff commands a father or a mother will impose upon a child. This is done patently out of sheer love for the child—tough love, as it is sometimes spoken of these days. A good analogy might be the banister on a staircase or the railing at the edge of a cliff. These are restrictive indeed: they restrict a person’s possibility of falling to his great harm.
There is in Scripture a sharp awareness of the love dimension inherent in all of God’s commands leveled on his people. God gives his commands to those he loves. The Jews have always had a keen appreciation of this fact. Jewish veneration of the Torah (Law) is legendary. It is a matter of boasting that whereas God could have entrusted the Law to any nation on earth, in fact he conferred this honor—of receiving the Law—upon the Jews at Sinai. Psalm 119, the longest psalm in the psalter, is one great instance of this. It is an encomium of God’s love for his people shining through every one of his commands. Hence the Psalmist’s enthusiasm—one might also say—his reverence for God’s decrees. They are understood as liberating, not as confining.
Happy those whose way is blameless
Who walk by the teaching of the Lord.
Happy those who observe God’s decrees…
To ponder all your commands,
I will praise you with sincere heart. (Ps 119:1-2, 6-7)
© Magnificat December 2004
