08/07/2020
God speaks to us all of the time, and some listen for His voice more attentively than others. It is good that we should hear God’s voice, but the real question is this: what do we do once we have heard it? When God speaks to us, and we know His will for us, we stand on the dividing line between obedience and sin... which way will we turn?
“Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.”
1 Samuel 15:24 ESV
In the story of King Saul losing the support of God, and David being selected to replace him, we listen as the prophet Samuel delivers God’s Word to Saul, and then watch as God gives him victory in battle over the Amalekites, but then we become witnesses as he only partially obeys God in what he should do with the spoils of that victory. For Saul’s sin in this disobedience God withdrew His hand, and Saul would ultimately lose his throne. Are we guilty of sinning in the same way when God speaks to us? Do we obey Him perfectly, or do we temper God’s will by interjecting our own fears and desires into the obedience we deliver?
“Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.”
1 Samuel 15:24 ESV
As Christians we disobey God for many reasons, sometimes it is because we think that what He has asked of us is too difficult, too ruthless, too humbling, too embarrassing, too dangerous... the list goes on and on, but in each case the sin is the same, and comes because we choose our will over His. In Saul’s case he chose to please his warriors, and people, rather than God, because he feared them. He tried to find some middle ground in which he could please everyone, but God has only one expectation of us... that we please Him by obeying Him completely. God is unwavering in this expectation, listen to what He had told Moses earlier...
““You shall therefore keep the whole commandment that I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and take possession of the land that you are going over to possess,”
Deuteronomy 11:8 ESV
Keeping the whole commandment... there is no partially correct solution, and God does great things for us when we remain in His will, and obey Him...
“For if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the Lord your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him, then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you.”
Deuteronomy 11:22-23 ESV
But likewise, if you don’t obey completely, then His part of the agreement becomes null and void, and rather than receiving His blessing, we receive a curse...
““See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.”
Deuteronomy 11:26-28 ESV
Just as when we are taking an exam in school, there are questions asked that are of the Yes/No variety in which our answer Is either right or wrong, and then some are given in which we can expound upon our reasoning, and possibly get partial credit for our answer. It is the same in our worldly lives, but in our obedience to God the questions are always of the Yes/No variety. From the very first commandment it has been this way...
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
Deuteronomy 6:5 ESV
There is no partial love, no loving God sometimes, or loving Him the best we can depending on the current circumstances. No, we are to love Him with ALL we are. If we can’t do that then we have sinned. It is the same when we hear His voice telling us something He wants done; even In a whisper.
“And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.”
1 Kings 19:12 ESV
Elijah was the last prophet left alive after all of the others had been put to death, yet God hold him to come out of hiding and anoint a whole new group of leaders. This was a dangerous undertaking, but he did not quibble, or decline to do God’s will. This is a powerful example of how we too should obey, and love our God.
So how are we Christians doing individually, and as a whole? Are we yielding to our fear of the people by sacrificing our faith, and our obedience, to their pressure like Saul did, or are we obeying completely as we saw Elijah do? This is our choice; we can respond “Yes Lord”, or else our answer will be wrong. We can’t serve God, and at the same time serve our own interests, or yield to other “gods”. Listen to Jesus...
““No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Matthew 6:24 ESV
Today some of us may still be listening for God’s voice to speak to them, but then again, we might be trying to decide what to do regarding a word we have already received from the Lord. Perhaps what He has asked of us appears to be too difficult, too ruthless, too humbling, too embarrassing, too dangerous, or too challenging in some other way, but if our faith, love, and trust in Him is complete then our obedience will be also. How will you answer, and then how will you obey? Will sin result from the NO you decide upon, or righteousness be the reward for your YES?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your many blessings, every gift, and each fruit of the spirit, that you provide us as we do the hard things you ask of us. Thank you for the absolute nature of your will, and the unwavering expectations that you have for us as we work within it. Open our eyes Father to our doubts, and show us how they lead us to sin against you by our disobedience. Help us Lord in our belief, in our love for you, and in our absolute obedience to your Word, commandments, and everyday voice. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who is steadfast, and with us always. We praise you for every act of mercy, and each swing of your sword that separates us from sin. We praise you for the whispers in our ear, and for revealing your will to us in such moments. We honor you in our commitment to obey you, and we pray that our actions, and love, will always bring you glory. Hear our voices Father as we say YES to your will, and worship you in spirit and truth by our obedience. Hold us close Lord, and at the end of our day we pray that you will be pleased with us, and lead us to dine at your table forevermore... your obedient and loving children.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:1-2 ESV
“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”
James 4:17 ESV
Rich Forbes