I’m thankful to God for his gracious gift of his law. Here are some things that God has used to help me view God’s law as more than duty but delight.

Sanctification begun in our hearts by the Holy Spirit changes our attitude. Instead of being hostile to God’s law, we begin to delight in it. “For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,” (Romans 7:22, ESV)

WE find that “his commands are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3), but rather “holy, righteous and good” (Romans 7:12). This radical and dramatic change in our attitude toward God’s commands is a gift of His grace, brought about solely by the mighty working of His Holy Spirit within us. We play no more part in this initial act of sanctification than we do in our justification. As Paul said, “All this is from God.”

J Bridges, Transforming Grace: Living Confidently in God’s Unfailing Love, NavPress Publishing Group, Colorado Springs, 2009, p. 130.

 

Here’s one that I found helpful from the commentary that church is using for our sermon series in Deuteronomy.

God’s commandment is not too difficult, nor is it beyond your reach. The law is not among those things that the humble person does not bother with. “O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.” (Psalm 131:1, ESV) or that even the wise person find beyond their understanding “Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand:” (Proverbs 30:18, ESV) It is not, therefore, impossibly idealistic, impracticable, unachievable… The idea that God deliberately made the law so exacting that nobody would ever be able to live by it belongs to a distorted theology that tries unnecessarily to gild the gospel by denigrating the law. The frequent claims by various psalmist to have lived according to God’s law are neither exaggerated or exceptional. They arise from the natural assumption that ordinary people can indeed live in a way that is broadly pleasing to God and faithful to God’s law, and that they can do so a matter of joy and delight. This is neither self righteousness nor a claim to sinless perfection, for the same psalmist are equally quick to confess their sins and failings, fully realising that only the grace that could forgive and cleanse them would likewise enable them to live again in covenant obedience. Obedient to the law in the OT, as has been stressed repeatedly, was not the means of achieving salvation but the response to a salvation that was already experienced.

CJH Wright, Deuteronomy, Baker Academic, Div of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, 2012, p. 290.