{"id":45015,"date":"2026-02-02T01:26:47","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T08:26:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.boundless.org\/?p=45015"},"modified":"2026-01-26T16:07:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T23:07:54","slug":"how-the-wisdom-of-gods-commands-is-boundless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.boundless.org\/relationships\/how-the-wisdom-of-gods-commands-is-boundless\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Wisdom of God\u2019s Commands Is Boundless"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soon after we landed on the name Boundless <\/em>\u2013 after weeks of brainstorming what we would call this new thing \u2013 <\/em>I came across Psalm 119:96<\/a> in my devotional reading: \u201cTo all perfection I see a limit, but your commands are boundless.\u201d (NIV)<\/p>\n

I remember thinking it was striking that one of the only times the word \u201cboundless\u201d is used in an English translation of the Bible is in the context of God\u2019s commands. We don\u2019t tend to think of commands as \u201cboundless.\u201d Where the word boundless<\/em> implies concepts like limitless, wide open, free<\/em>, or abundant<\/em>, commands<\/em> implies limitations, constraints<\/em>, or control <\/em>over the one commanded.<\/p>\n

A theme in the commentaries I read on this passage is that worldly perfection based in finite human understanding has limits, but God’s laws in His wisdom are infinite. As Boundless comes to an end, I see this as a valuable opportunity to reflect on God\u2019s boundless commands \u2014 His guiding truth that has been the source of any wisdom coming from Boundless over the past 27 years \u2014 and that will, as verse 90 of Psalm 119 testifies, \u201cendure to all generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

True freedom found in obedience<\/h4>\n

In his book \u201cPsalms by the Day,\u201d Alec Motyer provides his own translation of the Hebrew in Psalm 119:96<\/a> as, \u201cI see that there is a limit to all that is finite; your commandment is exceedingly wide\u201d and observes that \u201cOnly Yahweh\u2019s word is wide enough to secure true freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

While he doesn\u2019t use the word boundless<\/em>, his commentary on the passage is inspiring. Instead of seeing God\u2019s commandment as limiting and controlling, Motyer says \u201cit is the \u2018place\u2019 where I can enjoy true freedom, transcending human finitude.\u201d He continues by explaining this true freedom comes from \u201cliving according to what James calls \u2018the perfect law, the law of liberty\u2019 (James 1:25<\/a>).\u201d He says that the law of liberty James describes is \u2018perfect\u2019 in that \u201cit is perfectly designed to match our true, real nature\u201d and that it brings us \u2018liberty\u2019 \u201cbecause obedience triggers the image of God in us so that we are what we were always meant to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is a powerful truth at work as we trust God\u2019s boundless commands. What we may see as limitations or constraints are actually freedom when they align us with the way God designed us. There are many ways we could consider the application of this truth \u2014 to work, to media use, or managing money \u2014 but in this space, I want to focus on one that has been a thread throughout the life of Boundless: men and commitment to marriage.<\/p>\n

God\u2019s boundless design for marriage<\/h4>\n

In Genesis 2:24<\/a>, we see one of the first revelations of God\u2019s design for His creation: \u201cTherefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.\u201d The apostle Paul references this passage to show the profound mystery of the relationship between Christ and the church, but also to command men to \u201clove your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her\u201d (Ephesians 5:25, ESV<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Just before this focus on marriage, Paul had written, \u201cBut sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you,\u201d continuing, \u201cFor you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God\u201d (Ephesians 5:3,5, ESV<\/a>).<\/p>\n

In God\u2019s wisdom, he calls a man to walk in purity, to leave his parents, and to hold fast to a wife that he will then love sacrificially as Christ loved the church. This call to purity, commitment, and sacrificial love, however, can strike a man in his self-interest as significantly limiting and counter to his good.<\/p>\n

Many influential voices to young men affirm their self-interests and criticize any constraints on their pursuit of pleasure, especially the sacrificial commitment of marriage. Some men even argue that there are no benefits for them in marriage. According to uber-influential Andrew Tate, \u201cthere is zero advantage to marriage in the Western world for a man.\u201d He says, \u201cThere is zero statistical advantage. If you use your mind, if you use your head instead of your heart, and you look at the advantages to getting married, there are absolutely none.\u201d<\/p>\n

But God\u2019s design is good. His commands are boundless. Those who trust in Him find true freedom in living according to His perfect law. And so they trust that God\u2019s design for marriage is truly good.<\/p>\n

I appreciate how sociologist Brad Wilcox boldly counters claims like Andrew Tate\u2019s in his book \u201cGet Married.\u201d His statistics and anecdotes provide one of the best contemporary counters to the common “ball and chain” myth by showing that sacrifice and commitment in marriage actually lead to greater freedom and happiness in the long run. Even if Brad Wilcox had not provided so much evidence of God\u2019s good design, men could still trust God\u2019s boundless commandment as it transcends our finite understanding and ability.<\/p>\n

When Boundless first started, I was eager to guide young men beyond the dead-ends and detours that had marked my path to marriage. In fact, that was my motivation to produce \u201cThe Guy\u2019s Guide to Marrying Well<\/a>\u201d so many years ago. Twenty-seven years later, I can see more clearly the goodness and deep joy that come from God\u2019s design for sacrificial love and commitment in marriage. I could not have scripted a richer life than what God has produced from the life-shaping covenant of marriage to Candice.<\/p>\n

Trusting God\u2019s design across generations<\/h4>\n

One of my greatest joys was watching our son Harrison get married last year. On his path to marriage, he experienced the awkward challenges that come with taking initiative, disappointments when his interest wasn\u2019t reciprocated, and the mystery of relating to a woman (Proverbs 30:18-19<\/a>). But he did not experience the detours and dead-ends I did, because he trusted God\u2019s good design all along the way.<\/p>\n

Watching him and his new wife Naomi celebrate their union and build their lives together, I can see they truly married well. They weren\u2019t just lucky in love. They enjoyed the fruit of trusting God\u2019s commands \u2014 His good design for purity, for the binding marital commitment, and for sacrificial love.<\/p>\n

My prayer for anyone who has valued Boundless over the years is that you\u2019ll grow even more in trusting God\u2019s boundless commands in every area of your life, and that you\u2019ll have much joy in the fruit He produces as you hope in Him.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 Steve Watters. All rights reserved.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are many ways to consider the application of God\u2019s limitless wisdom \u2014 in work, media use, managing money. 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