Purpose of the Law (3) - Restraining Wickedness

The prophet Habakkuk also understood the purpose of the law.

Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted (Hab 1:3, 4).

When God’s law is ignored, strife and violence abound. Without God’s law, justice is perverted and the wicked prevail. God’s law reduces strife and violence, even in a society that has rejected God.

The consequence of our failure to understand the purpose of the law is prophesied in Proverbs.

Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them. Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it fully (Prov 28:4,5).

When God’s people forsake his law, wicked people benefit. In the last century Christians have rejected God’s law. The result is evil run rampant. Our failure to understand justice, has allowed lawlessness to prevail.

The law deals with people who do not respect their neighbours. Nothing more, nothing less.

Technorati Tags : Purpose, Law, Wickedness