By: TFC
“Does the
Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice
of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the
fat of rams.” (2 Samuel 15: 22 NIV)
God had commanded King Saul to go
and attack the Amalekites and totally destroy them in retaliation for what they
had done to the children of Israel (2 Samuel 15:2). Saul was told not to spare any
of the inhabitants, not even the animals. He attacked the Amalekites but he
spared the king and the best of the sheep, cattle, calves and lambs, everything
that was good. God was grieved by the disobedience of Saul and sent Samuel to
tell him that because he had rejected the Word of God, God too had rejected him
as king of Israel.
There are several examples in the
Bible of God giving instructions to His people either directly or through one
of His prophets. No matter how ridiculous the instructions were, when obeyed,
there was victory. God gave Joshua specific instructions concerning Israel’s
capture of Jericho (Joshua 6:2-5). The same God instructed Gideon to reduce the
number of his fighting men and told him how he would determine the three
hundred that should go with him into battle against the Midianites (Judges
7:2-8). On both occasions, because they followed God’s instructions, they were
victorious. In 2 Kings 5, Naaman was healed of his leprosy when he obeyed God’s
prophet Elisha and washed seven times in the River Jordan.
In the New Testament, every time
Jesus gave instructions which were followed, the person concerned got a
miracle. At the wedding in Cana, the servants obeyed and filled the water pots
with water just as He instructed and the water turned into wine (John 2:7-10).
Again, in John 21:1-7, the Bible tells us that the disciples had gone fishing
and caught nothing all night. Jesus, who had been watching from the shore,
commanded them to cast their net on the right side and when they did, they
caught so much fish that they were unable to haul in the net. Finally, we must
not forget that Jesus Himself was obedient to the Father, even unto death
(Philippians 2:8).
Has the Lord spoken to you
concerning a matter and given you specific instructions? Have you obeyed Him?
Remember that God speaks to us in different ways. For example, He speaks to us
through His Word. If we are not living according to His Word, we are
disobedient and will suffer the consequences. Or like King Saul, are you partially
obeying Him? With God, partial obedience is disobedience. If we are to
experience God’s favour, blessings, righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy
Ghost, we must learn to obey Him.
May we too harken to the words of
Mary, the mother of our Lord, to the servants at the wedding in Cana, “Do
whatever He tells you.”
Remember, obedience to God is the
key to our miracle.
Prayer:
Lord, you desire that your people
serve you with all of their heart and all of their soul. You have made it clear
in your Word that the reward of obeying you brings blessings and that
disobedience brings curses. May our desire be to obey you and be pleasing to
you so that we might live a victorious Christian life in Jesus Mighty Name.
Amen.
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