“Does YHVH delight in burnt
offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of YHVH? Behold, to obey is
better than sacrifice, to pay heed than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is like
the sin of divination and stubbornness is like iniquity and idolatry.”
(
The key phrase in the center of these verses is “to obey is
better than sacrifice.” This is a simple
phrase we can commit to memory to remind us of YHVH’s view regarding obedience.
In our modern societies, the term ‘obedience’ has taken on
generally negative connotations. Our contemporaries seem to place high value on
conduct such as individualism, non-conformity, vigilantism, and other essentially
renegade or maverick behaviors. People
who behave this way are often pegged as heroes, trailblazers, and
innovators. People who are ‘obedient’
are usually seen as mindless automatons who cannot make choices for themselves.
Part of the reason this is so is because our human natures
are not prone to be “obedient” – it sounds like “subservience” to our ears; and
we want independence and autonomy – what we like to think of as “freedom.”
Obedience sounds like the opposite of that. It sounds like
bondage to us. So we reserve our
“obedience” for things we say WE WANT to do.
We generally believe we are being obedient only or mostly to our own
desires and ambitions. And we have been
taught that is a good thing. In
fact, we have come to believe this approach to life is the best for us – to
“look out for number one.”
But if we are honest with ourselves, we are already, every
day, all day being obedient to forces outside ourselves – yet we nevertheless
convince ourselves we are making choices for ourselves.
Think about this:
what really drives your choices – for fashion, for entertainment, for
selecting a job, for what you eat, what you buy, what kind of car you
drive?
More often than not, there are
aspects of pleasing or following others in nearly everything we do – our
choices are based on what we think others will think of us – on what we think
will make others happy or what we think will cause others to pay attention to
us.
So, obedience is a bit of a complex aspect of human
existence. It is not something we can
truly escape.
Bob Dylan captured the essence of this truth in his song,
“Gotta Serve Somebody.” The message of
Dylan’s song boils down to something Yeshua said, “He who is not with me is
against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” (Matthew 12:30)
We do not like to think in such bi-polar terms, but Yeshua
is telling us here – we must choose – FOR him, or against him. There is no middle ground, no matter how much
we want there to be.
This echoes what YHVH told the children of Israel when they
were preparing to enter the Promised Land (Exodus 40). “Obey my instructions, and you will be
blessed. Don’t obey my instructions, and
you will be cursed.”
He is not just trying to frighten us or intimidate us. He knows what is best for us. And he knows what it takes to live peaceably
in his kingdom. So, he encourages us to
be obedient to his teachings, for our own sake, for the sake of his kingdom,
for the sake of his holy name, and for his glory.
Far from causing bondage, following YHVH’s instructions is
what brings us true freedom. Outside the
boundaries of his teaching, we are on our own.
The weight of the world distracts us and burdens us. YHVH’s Word is our guide for how to live in
this world and how to prepare for eternity.
Yeshua came to demonstrate obedience, and he calls us to
follow him. He said, “If you love me,
you will obey my commands.”
Yeshua also said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish
the Torah or the Prophets. I did not
come to abolish, but to fulfill. Amen, I
tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or serif
shall ever pass away from the Torah until all things come to pass. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of
these commandments and teaches others the same shall be called least in the
kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps and
teaches them, this one shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
