The Pleasure of Obedience

Part of my daily routine is to listen to my bible on my blackberry as I drive to work. It's a short drive, so I don't get too far and if I stop it midway through a chapter, it starts at the beginning of that chapter the next day. A good arrangement as I fade in and out of paying attention (both to driving and to the reading....)

As I was listening to Exodus 25 and the details God gave to Moses in the construction of the sanctuary et al., I wondered, "What does God gain from such specific details?" Really, does it matter whether the ark was 27 inches  or 36 inches? Does it have to be acacia wood, after all hickory has a beautiful grain? And the lamp stands would be better balanced with seven branches instead of six? Do all these details 'please' God? Is it to 'appease' Him? 

Time after time as we read scripture, we ask ourselves, “Why did God do that?” And as we mull it over, mature, experience life, we come back to it and discover that it was for us, for our good. God’s intent for us is always good and His instructions are for our good. 

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good." (Deuteronomy 10:12-13).

God gets nothing of value, has no need, is not improved in any way by what we do or say. And so as I listened to the intricate details of the temple, it occurred to me that the instructions were given for no other reason than to give us the “pleasure of obedience.” I imagined the workers creating the curtains, molding and sculpting the utensils to exact specifications. Side by side comparing notes and referring back to God’s instructions on how to construct the worship center. There was a continuity of thought and purpose as they followed the directions and a sense of accomplishment that they had followed it to the best of their ability. 

Part of our struggle with obedience today is we have many earthly masters who have directed us wrong, whose intent is not for our 'good' and who show an imperfect understanding of the situation or the path. We question their motives, second guess their directives, and generally lack commitment to their cause. And through our doubt, we become dissatisfied and restless, robbing ourselves of the pleasure of obedience. While I don't encourage a 'blind' obedience to our earthly leaders, I do need to affirm the fact that regardless of the leadership, God is the one ultimately in control. Do I trust HIM? 

His intent for me is for my GOOD(1). 
His love for me is UNDENIABLE(2). 
His plan for me is PERFECT(3).

So now my part is trust. 

Lord, I need Your help to trust You daily, to rest in Your plan for me, to grasp Your love, and to experience the pleasure of obedience to You. Amen.

Perfect obedience would be perfect happiness, if only we had perfect confidence in the power we were obeying.

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(1) For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

(2) "For God so loved the world,^[i] that he gave..." (John 3:16)

(3)"This God—his way is perfect;    the word of the Lord proves true;    he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him." (Psalms 18:30)