The opposite of obedience is…disobedience. And when we’re talking about obedience to God, the opposite of obedience is…sin.
This may sound elementary, but when applied to some of the commands we receive from our Lord through scripture and we place on our lips what our behavior actually is, it can become convicting.
I am in a place in life where I am seeking God’s wisdom with all that I am. Oh that we would all be so blessed to seek Him and His wisdom so earnestly every day of our lives! We could, but we are fickle people. In my search for true wisdom, I am scanning the scriptures and of course cannot neglect Proverbs, some of the most densely packed wisdom in the entire Bible and entire earth. Furthermore, a friend recently suggested Psalm 119, so I began to read it, reaching all of 2 verses in before something spoke to me:
Psalm 119:2 – “Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.”
What I am about to convey to you is very basic, utterly simple, and yet I find that the simplest truths of God are the most splendidly rich. We often complicate our faith and our view of God when we attempt to view Him through the lens of projected humanity, but the simplest view of God and His truths, stripped away of everything but Himself and His Word, are beautifully life giving. This is part of the reason Jesus says, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children” (Matt 11:25). Let us come before the Word of God as children…simple, believing, with a limitless God…growing in faith, such that the Holy Spirit within us “searches the deep things of God” (1 Cor 2:10), and we move from breastmilk to solid food (1 Cor 3:1,2…)…yet always in the simple faith of a child before our Father God.
Let me relay to you how I have often received scriptural truths such as Psalm 119:2 for most of my life: If I keep God’s commands, then He will bless me. Or more pointedly, if I keep God’s commands, He will then bless me in what I do next. This may be true, but the center of the attitude and motivation is in need of serious revision. First of all, it is a very selfish attitude, in that I am only seeking the Lord for what He can do for me…the difference in seeking His hands only, versus seeking His face, His character, who He is for who He is. Secondly, it neglects the pure, simple power intended to be conveyed in the verse that is twofold:
1. The obedience to the commands is the blessing in this life.
2. The obedience to the commands brings us near Him, which is the superlative blessing. The opposite, which can only be called disobedience (sin), must then bring us far from Him, which must therefore be a curse, the opposite of blessing. So obedience is The supreme blessing and disobedience is The supreme curse.
To receive a command from the Lord, either in prayer or through the Word, is Him breathing His blessing upon you, and we must obey to receive it. The simple, powerful truth is that God gives commands for our benefit. His commands lead us to Him and lead us to walk in perfection. His commands protect us. Life outside His commands is full of pain through separation from God in our deepest core, ending with eternal separation and suffering in Hell. Life within obedience to His commands is true, abundant life, now and forever.
Consider a father and his child in their living room with a memorizing fire dancing in the fireplace. This is a peaceful and tranquil scene, marked by love and joy shared between family members. The son, enamored with the leaping flames, moves toward the fireplace, perhaps understanding something about the nature of fire, perhaps not. The watchful father knows what is in the boy’s heart and mind. Afterall, he was once a boy, too. Before the son gets too close, the father gives a sharp, yet gentle command: “Do not put your hand in the fire, nor place your hand anywhere near it.” The boy, stops, hesitates, considering the command. But he questions it in his heart…and the fire is so alluring and wonderful from his perspective. Soon the boy reaches his hand close to the flame, only to shriek in pain as the peach fuzz on his fingers is singed and one fingertip is slightly blackened by the intense heat from the tip of the flame. As the boy cries in pain, halfway running from the fire, halfway running to his father, the father moves swiftly to his side and brings the boy and his hand close to his face. The boy is crying, a little confused, a little ashamed, and very much in pain. Others in the room are crying, “How did you let this happen? Why didn’t you stop him? Is he going to be ok?” The father just absorbs the criticism and quickly administers first aid with a soothing ointment and neatly dressed bandage. The boy is feeling better already, though he will need a little more time to heal fully. The father bends down on his knees, getting eye to eye with his beloved son, their noses only inches apart. He has his son’s attention and speaks directly, firmly, and gently, saying, “My son, please listen to your father. I know you will not always understand my commands, but if you trust me and obey, you will not get burned.” The son begins to cry and sinks into his father’s arms. The father is swept away in the moment, as well, a single tear beginning to form in his eye.
I can think of few analogies more directly applicable to our lives as children of the living God, our Father. He loves us more tenderly than this father, with more wisdom and insight. We are just as or more rebellious than this boy, many times putting our hands in fires because our Father has told us not to. Yet even for us, the worst of sinners, we have the same loving Father. A Father who will lead, a Father who will teach, a Father who will face ridicule on our behalf, a Father who will rescue, a Father who will mend and heal, a Father who will look us straight into the eyes of our souls, and a Father who will embrace us when we turn back to Him. He has never left the room and we have never left His sight. Let us bring our burns and wounds before Him, seek His face, and embrace His commands. They are the source of life, abundant now and forever, because of the nearness in which it brings us to Him.
As I mentioned, I have been in a place of seeking nothing but the pure wisdom of God. Proverbs 9:10 instructs: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
“The fear of the Lord” will cause me to obey His commands. Obeying His commands is the superlative blessing in life, now and eternally. And in obeying His commands in fear of the Lord, is the truest of true wisdom. Therefore, my quest for wisdom, as well as yours, must go far beyond seeking a magical revelation in scripture or any other form, Godly or otherwise. Our quest for wisdom must begin with the fear of God, followed by willing obedience to His commands. If we will set ourselves apart to seek His commands, to cherish His commands, to recognize that they are not limiting, but rather life giving. If we will set ourselves apart to hear in sincerity and obey, we shall have the greatest blessing of all, eternal infinite nearness to our perfect, loving God, and wisdom simply naturally flowing into and out of us.
So what are God’s commands? To illustrate the question better, what are God’s helpful instructions? What are God’s loving and knowing warnings? What are God’s blessings for you and me? For today, let’s start with the Ten Commandments, read them in sincerity, and seek to apply them first to our lives:
Exodus 20:3-17 (comments added in italics)–
1. “You shall have no other gods before me.” (This includes the acknowledgement of any god esteemed to be greater than man or in any way a god, except for Jesus Christ, who is one with God the Father and the Holy Spirit.)
2. “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
3. “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”
4. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
5. “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”
6. “You shall not murder.” (Remember that Jesus clarified that “anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgement.” Matt 5:22)
7. “You shall not commit adultery.” (Remember that Jesus clarified that “anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matt 5:28)
8. “You shall not steal.”
9. “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” (This includes any form of dishonesty or deception.)
10. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
As you read these, there is probably one or a few that immediately cause you to start rationalizing or making excuses or questioning. These are likely where we struggle. For me, one of them is taking a day of rest, “keeping the Sabbath holy.” Remember that Jesus instructed that “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” It is not to become our God and religion, but we are to simply obey Him by keeping a day of rest, set aside for Him, holy. This means that if I lay on the couch all day watching football, then at the end of the day, I call it a “day of rest,” referring to the Sabbath, I am in error. The day of rest is spiritual as much or more than it is physical.
I have struggled to maintain a Sabbath day. And what really hit me was that taking a holy day of rest is considered pleasing and obedient in God’s sight. Obedient. Hmm, that means NOT taking a holy day of rest each week is…disobedience. Hmmm, disobedience to God is…sin. Oh my, this is no longer an option! Do I seek wisdom or don’t I? Do I seek God’s blessing or don’t I? Do I seek God Himself at all or don’t I? If I do, I will take a holy day of rest each week.
Take heart when you place your hand in the fire. Turn to your loving God and He will repair you. He then asks that you would obey Him from that point forward. Get right back on the horse, and do your best going forward, walking in His grace, knowing that His commands are not cumbersome, they are His richest blessings, full of abundant life. I pray that you come to know and love this truth and your God who loves you this year. Amen.
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