An unofficial theme of the events of the last couple of weeks of our nation’s history is, “We are a nation of laws, not of men.” The phrase was used repeatedly from the rioters’ crazy antics of civil disobedience to the inauguration of new leadership.
No one is sure exactly where the phrase was first introduced into our national vocabulary. However, it is attributed to President John Quincy Adams. As one of our founding fathers and the first Vice president and the second President, his legal mind guided many of our founding documents that continue to guide our nations’ existence and prosperity. There is no indication of when or where he said the phrase, just that it sounds like something he would say.
This repeating theme caused me to wonder just how many laws does the United States have? I was startled by what I found, that’s a number one knows!
I found interesting facts such as that all of our federal laws were contained in a single volume in 1927. In the 1980s, fifty works included more than 23,000 pages of regulations. Consider this, in 2013, more than 20,000 laws were governing the ownership and use of guns. And finally, the laws directing the work of the I.R.S. contain over 3.4 million words.
To be an admirable and re-electable federal legislator, he or she feels compelled to sponsor and get approved a new law. Otherwise, they might be seen as ineffective or lazy, or worse, useless. One of the problems is that while Congress has been tasked with writing our governing laws, they were not charged with eliminating the old useless ones.
One additional thought here, enact a law; you also create a crime. It may surprise us to discover the number of crimes our lawmakers themselves commit. And then there is the rest of us who have no idea of the crimes we might be committing during the day. It might be just as accurate to say, “we are a nation of criminals.” No! Not really. (But, maybe.)
There is a contrast, I think, which would be judicious for us to compare, the Law of God. God’s expectations and guidance for humans to live with Him and with each other are just ten in number; we call them Commandments. For over four thousand years, not a single one has been added or adjusted. They have, however, been condensed into two we call “The Great Commandment.”
Mark 12:29-31
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (CSV)
In my, occasionally humble, opinion if we could keep focused on these two, we might not need so many others of our own making.
P.S. I wrote the above this morning. It’s now late afternoon, and I have returned to add a more personal final word. We are indeed a nation of laws and not a nation of the personal whims of an individual or individuals with influence. My heart longs for more than a “nation of laws” but a Kingdom established by the Law Giver.
P.P.S. It’s now past dinner, and I have to add a final-final thought. Being governed by laws is far better than being governed by the preferential whims of the privilege. But, it not as secure, peaceful, or prosperous as being governed by our Creator. The first two options are birthed while dining on “the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” The second is birthed by living under “The Tree of Life.” Our “nation of laws” has my pledge of allegiance, but it is the Kingdom of God that has my passion and hope. I reside in a wonderful nation of laws, but I live in the wonder-filled Kingdom of God.
Baldwin Heirlooms 