A Stream of Tears

“My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.” ~Psalm 119:136

What makes you weep? For some people it’s a particularly heartwarming scene in a movie. For others it’s the climactic moment in a score of music. For others still it’s a moving piece of artwork that expresses something beyond words. I wonder what makes you weep.

For the psalmist, it’s lawlessness. Think about this: the psalmist is so in love with and confident in the benefit of obeying God’s commandments (the entirety of Psalm 119 is a love song to the statutes of the Lord) that when he observes people disobeying God, his eyes shed streams of tears. I doubt I’ve ever felt such affection for God’s testimonies that the violation of them has left me in tears. 

It’s easy to consider how we might increase our lament over the violation of God’s law in the world. The redefinition of marriage, the murder of unborn children, the wicked treatment of our fellow man through atrocities like slavery, displacement, and even genocide. It should be enough to make our eyes shed streams of tears — perhaps not literally, but certainly our hearts should grieve the violation of God’s law and the self-harm done by those made in God’s image.

But what about closer to home? I don’t mean the United States — although many of these things are happening in our back yard — I mean within our own homes. Even within our own hearts. Do we grieve over our own sin? Do we lament our own proclivity to pride, anger, fear of man, greed, and censoriousness? Do we love God’s law, His rules, statutes, testimonies, and commandments to the extent that when we break them our eyes shed streams of tears? Do our sins make us weep?

Friends, love for God’s law and a deep desire to obey His commandments was the posture of King David, the man after God’s own heart. It was the practice of Jesus, the One who fully pleased the Father. It is the expectation of those who are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as it reflects a heart that loves the Savior who gave us this law. Of course, the desire in some to keep God’s commandments apart from faith comes from a legalistic heart. But love for doing what God requires of us is not legalism any more than it is when a child obeys her father and mother with joy and love in her heart. 

And remember, it’s only the gospel of Jesus that makes true love for God’s law and grateful obedience to it possible. We don’t shed streams of tears out of perfectionistic tendencies, but out of grief we sinned against our Heavenly Father — the One who loves us at the cost of His own Son. So believe in Him, walk by the Spirit, and make no provision for the flesh. Instead, love God’s law, pursue grateful obedience to it, and weep over your own sins before you shed tears over those of others. And don’t forget, while we shed streams of tears over our sin, He provides streams of mercy that they might be forgiven in Christ. 

Rev. Kyle Lockhart, Pastor