How Important Is Obedience To The Will Of
God?
Exodus 4:24-26
How important is obedience to the will of
God? Here is an illustration from the life of Moses that should answer that
question. While Moses and his family were on their way to
GOD REQUIRED MOSES TO CIRCUMCISE HIS SON,
BUT HE HAD NOT DONE SO. Moses knew what God required of him. It should have
been done eight days after the boy was born. But Moses had not obeyed God's
will. Maybe he was waiting until the boy was older. Maybe he had neglected his
responsibility in deference to his wife Zipporah, choosing to please her rather
than obey God. Maybe he just looked upon God's command as a trivial,
unimportant matter and neglected it. We are not told why he was disobedient,
only that he was.
BECAUSE OF MOSES DISOBEDIENCE GOD SOUGHT
TO KILL HIM. God crossed Moses' path in the inn and demanded obedience. How he
confronted him we are not told. But these things are clear: First, God made it
known to Moses and his wife that he was determined that either Moses would obey
him or he would kill him. Second, the specific matter of disobedience was the
circumcision of his son. Third, Moses had to make a choice on the spot between
his will and God's will. In other words, God said to Moses, you are going to
make a decision right now. You will either surrender everything to my rule,
even your wife and son, or you will die.
ONCE ZIPPORAH HAD CIRCUMCISED THEIR SON,
THE LORD LET MOSES GO. God will never accept partial surrender, or partial
obedience. He requires absolute and universal surrender. Moses was willing to
face Pharaoh at God's command; but he was not willing to circumcise his son!
The Lord would not tolerate such an attitude. Moses had to be broken at his
point of rebellion.
WHAT IS YOUR POINT OF REBELLION? Whatever
you know to be God's will to which you are yet disobedient is your point of
rebellion; and that is the point at which you must surrender to Christ. You
will never find peace with God until you surrender to Christ. Whatever the
issue is between you and God, settle it quickly. If you refuse to do so, the
Lord will slay you.!
Don Fortner