Parents have the responsibility to teach and train their children if they expect them to grow into responsible adults. If children are not instructed, they won’t know what’s expected of them. But if they fail to carry out orders after they’ve been instructed, the parent has the right and responsibility to correct the child by whichever means would be effective. The same is true of boss-employee relationships; employees can’t be expected to perform duties that have not been assigned to them.
In the same way, God instructs us before demanding obedience. For example, He wants the gospel preached to everyone, giving them the opportunity to accept or reject Him. He’s given man the freedom of choice; that way, people are totally responsible for the outcome of the choices they make. When Jesus foretold the future in Matthew 24, He said, “The Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it, and then the end will come” (verse 14). When people choose to not accept salvation, they have by default accepted the alternative—judgment.
After the Israelites returned from captivity and were settled in their towns (during the Nehemiah and Ezra era), they requested Ezra the priest to read to them the Book of the Law of Moses. He did, and they had a wonderful time of worship, celebrating that they had heard and understood the Word of God (see Nehemiah 8:12).
The following day, the family leaders, priests, and Levites met with Ezra to go over the Law in greater detail. “As they studied the Law, they discovered that the LORD had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should live in shelters during the festival to be held that month” (Nehemiah 8:14). So, they did! “Everyone who had returned from captivity lived in these shelters, during the festival, and they were all filled with great joy!” (Verse 17) It is obvious that they obeyed because they knew what God wanted them to do. Without that discovery, they wouldn’t have obeyed.
The only way we can know what God expects of us is to read and study His Word; we need to know the specifics. If we are really interested in pleasing Him through obedience, we can’t live our lives on guesswork and assumptions. After the death of Moses, God instructed Joshua, Moses’ assistant, to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. God gave him the formula for success: “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this book of instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do” (Joshua 1:7-8).
The apostle Paul, in admonishing Timothy, taught him the benefits of the Scriptures. Scripture teaches us what’s right and what’s wrong, and corrects us when we are wrong (see 2 Timothy 3:16). If we desire to obey God, we must know what His Word says. I should also mention that in addition to success, obedience brings us joy.
Let’s study the Word, and let’s obey it!
All quotes are from the New Living Translation (NLT).
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