“RULES WERE NOT MADE TO BE BROKEN”
When I as young boy I was very good (for the most part) at keeping the rules set out for me by my parents. When I was a young teenager, a friend of the family made a comment about rules that I disagreed with in an emotional and antagonistic response. I spouted out a catchy phrase that I had heard on the television, “Rules are made to be broken”. I cannot recall the context or the program that I heard that from, I just parroted the comment. This sadly is the case with too many Christians today in that we think that some rules pertain to us and other’s don’t, or that they can be overlooked since we can rely on the blood of Christ to forgive those sins as a catch-all for our sinful behavior. Furthermore, it seems that all to often, we parrot what we hear in the media instead of thinking through what we hear and ingesting it before invoking opinions, speech or action. If we are honest with ourselves, we often know THAT but not always WHY regarding what we believe in the Bible and in relation to what we believe about politics, morality and life in general.
There are two kinds of rules: Man’s rules and God’s rules. Man’s rules are good in as much as they are in line with God’s rules. Rules such as China’s past “One Child” law ought to never have been kept or obeyed as it mandated murder through abortion. That specific man made law was in direct conflict with God’s law which mandates preservation and value of innocent life…and God’s Commandment “not to murder” (Exodus 20:13).
This morning, in my quiet time, I read Psalm 119:7 which says, “I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules.” This passage made me think back to that time as a young elementary school boy when I spouted out the foolish statement that “rules were made to be broken”. I didn’t know why I said it but thankfully caught myself after I said it in in a great deal of shame and embarrassment. I realized, even at that young age that my response was not thought out but simply an emotional outburst, that it wasn't true, and that I had nothing to back up such a foolish statement.
The friend of our family who I said that to thankfully and quickly rebuked and corrected me in my erroneous statement that “rules were NOT made to broken”. I listened to his correction and was rather embarrassed for two reasons. First, I was raised to know and think better than that, but I still parroted an emotional response that I knew was wrong. I knew that I heard on the TV or “boob tube” as we called it back then for good reason was plain and simply wrong.
The second reason I was so embarrassed was that in my heart and mind, I knew that to break rules was morally, logically and biblically wrong. I knew that God gave us rules for a reason, and that the government laws were rules. I also know that my home had rules that by no means were to be broken. When they were, my mother gave us consequences without question. I also thought about what the world would be like if we all broke the rules, including God’s rules. It rather frightened me because I knew that rules kept society in the rails' Rules keep bad guys in check and good guys in charge of keeping us safe. (That was back in the 1970’s). Looking at todays world, we all have very good reason to be afraid of the foolish thinking that rules were made to broken. Why? Because everyone can now see that a lawless society is a godless, dangerous and miserable society to live in. No society can exist, stay alive and thrive without rules.
In closing, I wan tot zoom out a bit on the greater passage as found in Psalm 119:1-8, which says, “Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! you have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules. I will keep your statues; do not utterly forsake me!”
In this passage God makes clear that: A thirst to appropriate the Word cleanse us. We should all “THIRST to appropriate the Bible which instructs us and through the blood of Christ, and and a want to be cleaned by the blood of Christ through confession daily. And verse six takes home the central point that, “Then I would not be ashamed”. Shame always follows transgression. Shame is good in that it convicts us through the “Moral Law” which is written on all men and women’s hearts. "Even Gentiles, who do not have God's written law, show that they know his law when they instively obey it, even without hearing it. They demonstrate that God's law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right" (NLT). I don't normally use the NLT, but in this situation, it communicates what Scripture is saying well. In the end, to bring us in line with the God of the universe through Jesus Christ and the ways he has provided us (rules), we need to accept that rules were made to be kept in most cases, not to be broken. And in order to avoid shame in our spirit and soul, we must be vigilant and constant in obeying the Word of God and what He tells us is right and wrong. If we do that, we will obey our parents, follow governmental laws on earth, respect authority in whole, and reject the foolish notion that “laws were made to be broken”.
