What are the basic laws of this spiritual universe? And what are the conditions that we need to cultivate and respect for the spiritual life to produce its fruits? There’s one long psalm, the longest psalm actually, it’s Psalm 118. This is a psalm which celebrates the laws of God, it celebrates them with real joy of what it is like to discover these laws within yourself, and then to learn how to respect them.
They are happy, whose life is blameless, who follow God’s law. How shall the young remain sinless? By obeying your Word. I take delight in your statutes, I will not forget your Word. I will run the way of your commands. You give freedom to my heart. (Ps 119:1, 9, 33, 44-45)
How surprising this is for many people to hear about this language of God’s laws and commandments and to see it related to joy, and well-being and freedom. So this is a very different understanding of laws and commands that we have come to hold. When we hear about religious laws, or religious rules and regulations we don’t think of them in terms of joy and freedom, but as something narrow, narrow-minded, restrictive, exclusive, like building walls against people telling some people they can’t come to communion or other people they can’t get married, and so on. Of course the church’s laws are sometimes confused with divine laws. And this is a very important point, which the church has always recognised.
