Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made.

And it was ordained by angels through an intermediary. Now an

intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not. For if a law

had been given which could make alive, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.

But the scripture consigned all things to sin

that what was promised to faith in Jesus Christ

might be given to those who believe.

I think St Paul's mind is more like Rudyard Kipling's elephants child than it is like Tennyson's

noble 600 or Charge of the Light Brigade.

Remember that poem?

Tennyson says of the noble 600.

There's not to make reply, there's not to reason why,

reason why, there's but to do and die.

Row the 600.

A great point.

And many of us are tempted to live like that. We understand so little about life and see, it seems just a little tip of the iceberg of God's purpose in what's going

on around us that we want to say ours is not the reason why ours is but to do and die. What's the use? Give up thinking, don't try to figure anything out, get on with the business of what's at hand.

But if I read Galatians and Romans correctly, St Paul didn't fall prey to that

malaise of thought. Instead, he was more like Kipling. Remember this little four-liner?

I keep six honest serving men. They taught me all I knew. Their names are what and why and when and how and where and who. In a world where there is a personal God who does everything

according to his purpose, the two of those serving men who are

important beyond all the others are who, why. And they've taught me almost all I am. who gave the law to us why

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