Love Letters

And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin." Exodus 34:6, 7 (NIV)

I would never characterize the Ten Commandments listed in Exodus 20 and the rules outlined in the following chapters as love letters. There is nothing warm and fuzzy or dreamy about them, attributes we usually associate with that kind of romantic gesture. But after I became a parent, I realized just how "loving" rules can be. Reading the verses above reinforced how love-filled the set of laws really is.

What struck me first was that God Himself delivered these laws to Moses. In Exodus 34:28, we learn that Moses was with God on the mountain for forty days and nights. That kind of experience is unimaginable to me. God cared for us so much that He was willing to be face-to-face with humanity in the person of Moses for over a month. God meticulously laid out the standards of behavior for mankind in person. He didn't show Moses in a dream or leave Him a note or even appear in an object, like He did with the burning bush to Abraham, but appeared as Himself, in all His transforming power. He did this because He loved, and still loves, us. He chose to breach His own etiquette of using other people or objects and came by Himself, as Himself. The power of God's love showed up right there on a mountaintop.

These laws struck me as love when I became a parent because I found out firsthand that love in the form of guidance and discipline is the toughest and truest form of itself. The simple act of taking a beloved object away from a child or any other form of chastisement to demonstrate discipline or safety is one of the hardest things to do. But we do it because we love those we are charged with raising, whether they are our children or in our care for another reason. God's love started when He created us, and did not end when we were forced to leave Eden. That is when we could truly understand the breadth of His love. He didn't let our sin go unnoticed, and for our own good, set us out. The fact that He cares enough to give us guidelines for living, even starting in Paradise, proves that His ultimate purpose in creating us is to love us, just as a parent sets rules out of love for their children.

So the next time you study Exodus or any other book where God's law is set down, read it as a love letter to you, His child that He protects, and not as a list of do's and don'ts. His purpose in giving law is not to limit, but to allow us to fully and freely enjoy all that He intends for our lives.

God, remind me that Your law is for my protection and ultimate happiness. You don't set rules arbitrarily, but give them out of love. Help me to obey all Your precepts so that I may enjoy the life You have given me. Amen.

Nikki Hamsher