The Importance of Obedience to GOD
How does God regard obedience to His word?
"And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." 1 Samuel 15:22.
To what are rebellion and stubbornness likened?
"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king." 1 Samuel 15:23.
What excuse did Saul make for his disobedience?
"And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice." 1 Samuel 15:24.
How strictly does God require His commandments to be kept?
"Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you." Deuteronomy 4:2.
Who was sent from Judah to Bethel with a message from God?
"And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense." 1 Kings 13:1.
What did king Jeroboam invite the man to do?
"And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward." 1 Kings 13:7.
What reply did he return to the king?
"And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest." 1 Kings 13:8,9.
Who also dwelt at Bethel?
"Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father." 1 Kings 13:11.
What did this old prophet say to the man of God?
"Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread." 1 Kings 13:15.
After hearing his refusal, and the reason for it, what did he say to the man of God?
"He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him." 1 Kings 13:18.
What effect did this persuasive statement have upon him?
"So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water." 1 Kings 13:19.
What was the result of his yielding to the lying importunities of the prophet?
"And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee, But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers." 1 Kings 13:21,22.
Where was the priest to obtain the fire with which he offered incense in the sanctuary?
"And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil:" Leviticus 16:12.
What two priests ventured to disobey this instruction?
"And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not." Leviticus 10:1.
And what came of their disobedience?
"And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD." Leviticus 10:2.
For what purpose were these Old Testament examples written?
"Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." 1 Corinthians 10:11.
In view of these examples, what ought all to do?
"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." James 1:22.
Who only will enter the kingdom of heaven?
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 7:21.
To whom does Christ liken the man who obeys the word of God?
"Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock." Matthew 7:24,25.
To whom does He liken him who hears, but does not obey?
"And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." Matthew 7:26,27.
NOTE. - How important it is that one should obey even what may seem to him a small or unimportant command of God! Be sure that God does not say one thing and mean another. A large part of the world transgress, each week, the fourth commandment. But how can such meet their record in the judgment when the precept reads so plainly, "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the lord?"
"And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." 1 Samuel 15:22.
To what are rebellion and stubbornness likened?
"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king." 1 Samuel 15:23.
What excuse did Saul make for his disobedience?
"And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice." 1 Samuel 15:24.
How strictly does God require His commandments to be kept?
"Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you." Deuteronomy 4:2.
Who was sent from Judah to Bethel with a message from God?
"And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense." 1 Kings 13:1.
What did king Jeroboam invite the man to do?
"And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward." 1 Kings 13:7.
What reply did he return to the king?
"And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest." 1 Kings 13:8,9.
Who also dwelt at Bethel?
"Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father." 1 Kings 13:11.
What did this old prophet say to the man of God?
"Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread." 1 Kings 13:15.
After hearing his refusal, and the reason for it, what did he say to the man of God?
"He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him." 1 Kings 13:18.
What effect did this persuasive statement have upon him?
"So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water." 1 Kings 13:19.
What was the result of his yielding to the lying importunities of the prophet?
"And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee, But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers." 1 Kings 13:21,22.
Where was the priest to obtain the fire with which he offered incense in the sanctuary?
"And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil:" Leviticus 16:12.
What two priests ventured to disobey this instruction?
"And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not." Leviticus 10:1.
And what came of their disobedience?
"And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD." Leviticus 10:2.
For what purpose were these Old Testament examples written?
"Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." 1 Corinthians 10:11.
In view of these examples, what ought all to do?
"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." James 1:22.
Who only will enter the kingdom of heaven?
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 7:21.
To whom does Christ liken the man who obeys the word of God?
"Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock." Matthew 7:24,25.
To whom does He liken him who hears, but does not obey?
"And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." Matthew 7:26,27.
NOTE. - How important it is that one should obey even what may seem to him a small or unimportant command of God! Be sure that God does not say one thing and mean another. A large part of the world transgress, each week, the fourth commandment. But how can such meet their record in the judgment when the precept reads so plainly, "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the lord?"
posted by Michael A. Redwine at Saturday, January 28, 2006
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