Knowing God through His Word — Part 16
The words obey and obedience can trigger balkiness in adults who grew up with threats like “You’d better obey me—or else.” For them, the word obedience smacks of unwilling submission to the demands of a superior power or authority—no matter what.
The Hebrew idea behind obedience has nothing to do with kowtowing to the commands of a dominant power structure. Neither is the obedience of Christian faith like that of a dog well-trained to stay off the couch or of a child trained to stay out of the street; it is not the obedience of a paid servant or employee, nor is it the obedience of fear. It is the obedience of love.
Emotionally, obedience is akin to the love of a happy child seeking to please beloved parents; it’s like the love of a husband or wife, gladly, even eagerly choosing self-sacrifice to please their spouse. It’s the love of a parent, friend or sibling willing to suffer to donate an organ or give blood to help their beloved.
Often, it’s the obedience of teammates, listening to their trusted Coach. Following God’s leadership, believers willingly sacrificing personal egos and goals to reach victory for the entire team. It’s an easy obedience, even in the most difficult or painful choices, because our goal is to expand God’s Kingdom of love and we are yoked with Jesus Christ, the love of our lives, who once invited us to
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew11: 28-30
A Christian’s obedience of faith is totally reasonable; it is not blind submission but a willing choice based on understanding.
The primary Hebrew concept that is wrapped into the words obey and obedience is to hear or to listen and to respond, i.e., to act on what you hear. In Old Testament Hebrew, hearing and action are inseparable. For example, when a listening mother hears her infant’s cries, she responds, she obeys her baby’s calls and moves to meet the need, be it milk, a clean diaper, or the warm comfort of her arms. When I hear my dog bark a certain little bark as he stands at the door, I automatically put down my task and open the door. When moms and dog owners hear their children and animals, they act— fittingly. I know if a bark means let me out, let me in, it’s the postman, or a stranger is coming up the driveway. When Code Blue sounds through the hospital corridors, the doctors and nurses don’t stop to listen to it, they know what it means and they move. Got the idea? Hearing and action are not only tied together, they are also based on reasonable understanding. When the Psalmist cries out to God to hear his prayers, he is not begging God to hear the sounds that come from his mouth, he is entreating God to hear and to act, to obey, by moving and act in response to his request.
With this understanding of the word obey, recall that
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Romans 10:17
and then consider and meditate on the following verses in the light of all you know of God’s love.
Jesus Christ is
. . . the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him . . . Hebrews 5:9
. . . through Jesus Christ we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name. Romans 1:5
And this is love: that we walk in obedience to God’s commands. 2 John 1:6
And what does God command?
Simply put, obeying Jesus, living in the obedience of faith and walking in obedience to His commands, is to believe in God and His word and love Him and one another. The Holy Spirit will take us from there.
