Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to observe your righteous ordinances. – Psalm 119:105-106 (NRSV)

Rachel prayed in a closet. Rachel only wore skirts and dresses, never pants. And Rachel never listened to hip hop, despite the fact that it was the late ‘90s and the genre was everywhere. Why? God’s righteous ordinances. In middle school, I knew lots of people who lived out their religion the way Rachel did. (However, literally praying with her parents in a closet every day did make Rachel unique).

Verses 105 and 106 of Psalm 119 work in concert. While 106 tells us to observe God’s decrees, 105 makes clear why: we need light. God’s instructions are meant to illuminate our journeys and guide our feet. They can enlighten our moral discernment and help our spiritual lives shine.

Implicit in this metaphor is the recognition that, in order for light to be effective, it has to be used with discretion. It can’t be that our interpretation of the Bible shines so brightly that everything else gets cast in darkness. It can’t be that our sense of God’s ordinances glows with an intensity that overwhelms any other truth. Light’s great, but too much can be blinding.

This extends to our relationship with any rules, really. Yes, I can sit on my high horse and rag on Rachel’s rules, but I’ve got bright, blinding rules, too. I’ve got my own don’ts, nevers, and musts. Whether it’s scriptural rules or our inviolable norms about what counts as “sacred music,” whether it’s God’s ordinances or our implacable opinions about what opinions are acceptable, we’ve all got to ask ourselves: Is this “light” brightening our path forward, or is it forcing us into a standstill?

Prayer
God of lamps, light, and fire—show us the way. Then, help us live it. Amen.

About the Author
Tony Coleman is Pastor at First Congregational UCC in Memphis, TN.