Guardrails & Rumble Strips
When I started driving, I realized the value of guardrails. There were several roads in Kentucky, where I grew up, where the guardrails prevented bad wrecks. Some of them were keeping the drivers from going off a huge cliff. It’s one thing to hit a guard rail and do moderate damage to your vehicle, but the guardrails have also saved many lives.
In the past several years the builders of roads have been placing rumble strips on the shoulder. This is to alert the driver that they are outside of their lane of traffic. The strips cause noise and vibration throughout the vehicle alerting the drive. I think they were specifically designed for people who fall asleep at the wheel.
When Jesus is teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, he made some statements about the law, and I thought of guardrails and rumble strips. Check this out…
17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 5:17-19 NLT)
Jesus reminds me that He didn’t come to destroy the law but fulfill the law or accomplish the very purpose of the law. I see the law and guardrails and rumble strips meant to keep me in my lane of life. The law of God is for protection and preservation of our lives. I would argue that the traffic laws are also for our protection and preservation of our lives.
The religious leaders and teachers often got carried away with interpretation of the law and made it even more cumbersome to follow. Jesus called them out. The 10 Commandments were a good idea when Moses brought them down from the mountain and they are still a good idea in our society today.
I have often resented some laws because I didn’t really want to operate inside of their boundaries. As I’ve aged and hopefully become wiser, I see the value of the law – both the law of the land and the Law written in the Old Testament.
Pressing On!
Dwayne