Every human in their life is given two things. One is usually received before the other, but both are used for the very same purpose and both originate from the same source. One of these things is a picture, and what I mean by a picture is this: It is to have a situation or  image, or a feeling placed before you that forces you to think of eternity. For example, a Sherpa once climbed Mt Everest and saw the most beautiful sunset he’d ever seen. He asked himself, “Who made this?! Whoever it was, I must meet Him!” Also, you would notice this with young men and women. When a man first notices a woman he says, “God, You must have created this,” or “I must get to know her!” We eventually notice that we all experience sweet desire and that 1)We didn’t give it to ourselves, 2) We cannot get rid of it, and 3) It is often very strong. With the painting it can be easier to see that it originated in someone else’s mind, but not all see. Everyone receives the picture, but not all see the originator.

Some receive the picture first, but sometimes it comes second. Other times, the law is what is realized first. The law is the road that you are placed on that gives you direction. You did not build the road, and you know your fathers didn’t build it. Most everybody agrees that the road must be traveled on and that leaving the road can lead to danger, but they tend to put little regard to where it came from. What I mean is this: Everybody agrees that there is a thing such as decent behavior, and that the rules we are given help us uphold that decent behavior. Many times when we hear rules, we automatically think about the great world we are missing out on. In other words, rules = cruel confinement. However, the real purpose of rules is to prevent out-of-control desire, not to prevent desire itself!

See this illustration: Some children are taught “DO NOT cross the street” before they even go outside. Other children are taught this after they have entered the street already. One child has received the law before the picture or desire; the other has experienced the desire first. A lot of people find that it is harder to see the originator’s heart when you have first received the rules and not the picture. This often times leads to rebellion by hearing the law but not trusting the law maker’s heart. After all, children always miss the point whenever they see more playground they aren’t allowed to play in.

The whole point of roads (or laws) and pictures (or desires) is so that we may see God. The law was given in order for us to see His heart, and the picture the same. But why would someone want to receive the rules first before the picture? Isn’t it easier to see God in a painting then by reading his rules? This answer is simple: If you want to cook dinner for your friends, you don’t serve them uncooked ingredients. The ingredients by themselves taste terrible. You must first cook the ingredients together by following the instructions before serving it. Your friends will love you for this. We must follow the rules BEFORE we can take delight in the fullness of pleasure.

Most people begin with a picture in their eyes without roads at their feet, putting them at a false start immediately. C.S. Lewis describes these people saying, “They were like lazy schoolboys attempting eloquence before learning grammar.” Because of this, the Lord showed us a very valuable lesson. If you want to build a great nation then you must begin rightly. If you begin by first giving the picture, then all of the people will worship the picture and forget that you even created it! The Lord knew what He was doing when He built Israel by setting their feet on a road (law) before the picture (the cross) was given. Jesus said, “If the feet have been placed right then the hands and the head will be soon to follow. It wont work the other way.”

God’s rules are descriptions of reality. If a person is not taught or refuses to see the difference between right and wrong behavior first, they will never see the immense value of the cross. Everybody believes there should be rules of conduct (unless they’re insane), but for some reason we all tend to break them at some point or another. When we read of God’s laws we are literally grasping the character and personality of God. His divine nature was put into them and so the world was also. And while we fail many times to conduct ourselves rightly, it is the Lord who remains consistent. He wrote the rules and paved the road that would eventually lead us, lest we stray from it, to the greatest picture, the greatest song, the greatest story, the greatest masterpiece of all time…the cross of Christ.