Of Obedience to God's Revealed Will
Deuteronomy 27:9-10. Take heed and hearken O Israel, This day you have become the people of the Lord your God; you shall therefore obey the voice of the Lord your God, and do his commandments.
Quest. What is the duty that God requires of man?
Resp. Obedience to his revealed will. It is not enough to hear God's voice, but we must obey. Obedience is a part of that honor we owe to God (Malachi 1:6). If I am a Father, where is my honor? Obedience carries in it the life-blood of religion. Obey the voice of the Lord your God, and do his commandments. Obedience without knowledge is blind, and knowledge without obedience is lame. Rachel was fair to look upon, but being barren said, Give me children or I die. So if knowledge does not bring forth the child of obedience, it will die (1 Samuel 15:22). To obey is better than sacrifice. Saul thought it was enough for him to offer sacrifice, though he disobeyed God's command. No, to obey is better than sacrifice. God disclaims sacrifice, if obedience be wanting (Jeremiah 7:22). I spoke not to your fathers concerning burnt offerings, but this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice. Not but that God did enjoin those religious rites of worship; but the meaning is, God looked chiefly at obedience, without which sacrifice was but devout folly. The end why God has given us his law is obedience (Leviticus 18:4). You shall do my judgments, and keep my ordinances. Why does a king publish an edict, but that it may be observed?
Quest. 1. What is the rule of obedience?
Resp. The written Word. That is proper obedience which the Word requires; our obedience must correspond with the Word, as the copy with the original. To seem to be zealous, if it be not according to the Word, is not obedience but will-worship. Popish traditions which have no footing in the Word are abominable, and God will say, quis quaesivint haec? Who has required this at your hand? (Isaiah 1:12). The Apostle condemns the worshipping of angels, which had a show of humility (Colossians 2:18). The Jews might say, they were loath to be so bold as to go to God in their own persons; they would be more humble, and prostrate themselves before the angels, and desire them to present their petitions to God. This show of humility was hateful to God, because there was no Word to warrant it.
Quest. 2. What are the right ingredients into our obedience to make it acceptable? Or how must it be qualified?
Resp. 1. Obedience must be cum animi prolubio, free and cheerful, else it is penance, not sacrifice (Isaiah 1:19). If you be willing and obedient, though we serve God with weakness, let it be with willingness. You love to see your servants go cheerfully about your work. Under the law God would have a free-will offering (Deuteronomy 16:10). Hypocrites obey God grudgingly and against their will; they do facere bonum, but not velle. Cain brought his sacrifice but not his heart. It is a true rule, quicquid Cor non facit non fit — what the heart does not do, is not done. Willingness is the soul of obedience; God sometimes accepts of willingness without the work, but never of the work without willingness. Cheerfulness shows that there is love in the duty; and love does to our services, as the sun does to the fruit — mellow and ripen them, and make them come off with a better relish.
2. Obedience must be devout and fervent (Romans 12:11). [reconstructed: fervent in spirit], and so forth. Quae ebullit prae ardore — it alludes to water that boils over. So the heart must boil over with hot affections in the service of God. The glorious angels who for their burning in fervency and devotion are called Seraphims; these God chooses to serve him in heaven. The snail under the law was unclean, because a dull, slothful creature. Obedience without fervency is like a sacrifice without fire. Why should not our obedience be lively and fervent? God deserves the flower and strength of our affections. Domitian would not have his statue carved in wood or iron, but in gold. Lively affections make golden services. It is fervency that makes obedience acceptable: Elijah was fervent in spirit, and his prayers opened and shut heaven; and again he prayed, and fire fell on his enemies (2 Kings 1:10). Elijah's prayer fetched fire from heaven, because being fervent it carried fire up to heaven: Quicquid decorum ex Fide proficiscitur, Augustine.
3. Obedience must be extensive; it must reach to all God's commands (Psalm 119:6). Then shall I not be ashamed — or as it is in the Hebrew, lo Ebosh, blush — when I have respect to all your commandments. Quicquid propter Deum fit aequaliter fit. There is a stamp of divine authority upon all God's commands; and if I obey one precept, because God commands, I must obey all. True obedience runs through all the duties of religion, as the blood through all the veins; or the sun through all the signs of the zodiac. A good Christian makes gospel piety and moral equity kiss each other. In this some discover their hypocrisy: they will obey God in some things which are more easy, and may raise their repute; but other things they leave undone (Mark 10:21). One thing is lacking, Unum deest. Herod would hear John the Baptist, but not leave his incest. Some will pray, but not give alms; others will give alms but not pray (Matthew 23:23). You pay tithe of mint and anise, and have neglected the weightier things of the law — judgment, mercy and faith. The badger has one foot shorter than the other: so these are shorter in some duties than in others. God does not like such partial servants that will do some part of the work he sets them about, and leave the other undone.
4. Obedience must be sincere, namely, we must aim at the glory of God in it. Finis specificat actionem: In religion the end is all. The end of our obedience must not be to stop the mouth of conscience, or to gain applause and preferment; but that we may grow more like God, and bring more glory to God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Do all to the glory of God. That which has spoiled many glorious actions, and made them lose their reward, is when men's aims have been wrong: the Pharisees gave alms, but blew a trumpet, that they might have glory of men (Matthew 6:2). Alms should shine, but not blaze. Jehu did well in destroying the Baal-worshippers, and God commended him for it; but because his aims were not good (he aimed at settling himself in the kingdom) therefore God looked upon it no better than murder (Hosea 1:4). I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu. O let us look to our ends in obedience; it is possible the action may be right and not the heart (2 Chronicles 25:2). Amaziah did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart. Two things are chiefly to be regarded in obedience, the principle and the end: a child of God, though he shoots short in his obedience, yet he takes a right aim.
5. Obedience must be in and through Christ (Ephesians 1:6). He has accepted us in the Beloved. Not our obedience, but Christ's merits, procure acceptance; we must in every part of worship tender up Christ to God in the arms of our faith. Unless we serve God thus, in hope and confidence of Christ's merits, we do rather provoke God than please him: as when King Uzziah would offer incense without a priest, God was angry with him, and struck him with leprosy (2 Chronicles 26:16). So when we do not come to God in and through Christ, we offer up incense to God without a priest, and what can we expect but severe rebukes?
6. Obedience must be constant (Psalm 106:3). Blessed is he who does righteousness at all times. True obedience is not like a high color in a fit, but it is a right sanguine: it is like the fire on the altar, which was always kept burning (Leviticus 6:13). Hypocrites' obedience is but [in non-Latin alphabet] for a season: it is like plastering work, which is soon washed off; but true obedience is constant. Though we meet with affliction, we must go on in our obedience (Job 17:9). The righteous shall hold on his way. We have vowed constancy: we have vowed to renounce the pomp and vanities of the world, and to fight under Christ's banner to the death. When a servant has entered into covenant with his master, and the indentures are sealed, then he cannot go back, he must serve out his time. There are indentures drawn in baptism, and in the Lord's Supper: the indentures are renewed and sealed on our part, that we will be faithful and constant in our obedience. Therefore we must imitate Christ, who became obedient to the death (Philippians 2:8). The crown is set upon the head of perseverance (Revelation 2:26). He that keeps my works to the end, to him will I give the morning star.
Use 1. This indicts such who live in a contradiction to this text; they have cast off the yoke of obedience (Jeremiah 44:16). As for the word which you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken to you. God bids men pray in their family, they live in the total neglect of it: he bids them sanctify the Sabbath, they follow their pleasures on that day. God bids them abstain from the appearance of sin, they do not abstain from the act: they live in the act of revenge; in the act of uncleanness. This is a high contempt of God; it is rebellion, and rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.
Question. From where is it that men do not obey God? They know their duty yet do it not?
Response 1. The not obeying of God is for want of faith (Isaiah 53:1). Quis credidit? Who has believed our report? Did men believe sin were so bitter, that hell followed at the heels of it, would they go on in sin? Did they believe there were such a reward for the righteous, that godliness were gain? Would they not pursue it? But they are atheists, not fully captivated into the belief of these things. Hence it is they obey not. This is Satan's masterpiece; his draw-net by which he drags millions to hell by keeping them in infidelity. He knows if he can but keep them from believing the truth, he is sure to keep them from obeying it.
2. The not obeying God is for want of self-denial: God commands one thing and men's lusts command another; and they will rather die than deny their lusts. Now if lust cannot be denied, God cannot be obeyed.
Use 2. Obey God's voice, [in non-Latin alphabet]. This is the beauty of a Christian.
Question. What are the great arguments or incentives to obedience?
Response 1. Obedience makes us precious to God; we shall be his favorites (Exodus 19:15). If you will obey my voice, you shall be a peculiar treasure to me above all people; you shall be my portion, my jewels, the apple of my eye, I will give kingdoms for your ransom (Isaiah 43:3).
2. There is nothing lost by obedience. To obey God's will is the way to have our will. 1. Would we have a blessing in our estates? Let us obey (Deuteronomy 28:1, 3). If you shall hearken to the voice of the Lord, to do all his commandments, blessed shall you be in the field; blessed shall be your basket and your store. To obey is the best way to thrive in our estates. 2. Would we have a blessing in our souls, let us obey (Jeremiah 7:23). Obey and I will be your God. My Spirit shall be your guide, sanctifier and comforter (Hebrews 5:9). Christ became the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him. While we please God we pleasure ourselves: while we give him the duty, he gives us the dowry. We are apt to say as Amaziah (2 Chronicles 25:9), what shall we do for the hundred talents? You see you lose nothing by obeying: the obedient son has the inheritance settled on him. Obey and you shall have a kingdom (Luke 12:32). It is your Father's good pleasure to give you a kingdom.
3. What a sin disobedience is: 1. It is an irrational sin. 2. We are not able to stand it out in defiance against God (1 Corinthians 10:22). Are we stronger than he? Will the sinner go to measure arms with God? He is the Father Almighty, who can command legions: If we have not strength to resist him, it is irrational to disobey him. 2. It is irrational, as it is against all law and equity: We have our daily subsistence from God; in him we live and move: Is it not equal, that as we live by him, we should live to him? That as God gives us our allowance, so we should give him our allegiance?
2. It is a destructive sin (1 Thessalonians 7:8). The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them who obey not the gospel. He who refuses to obey God's will in commanding, shall be sure to obey his will in punishing: The sinner, while he thinks to slip the knot of obedience, twists the cord of his own damnation: He perishes without excuse; he has no plea or apology to make for himself (Luke 12:47). The servant which knew his Lord's will, but did it not, shall be beaten with many stripes. God will say, why did you not obey? You knew to do good, but did it not, therefore your blood is upon your own head.
Question: What means shall we use that we may obey?
Response. 1. Serious consideration: Consider God's commands are not grievous: He commands nothing unreasonable (1 John 5:3). It is easier to obey the commands of God than sin: The commands of sin are burdensome: Let a man be under the power of any lust, how does he tire himself? What hazards does he run, even to the endangering his health and soul, that he may satisfy his lust? What tedious journeys did Antiochus Epiphanes take in persecuting the Jews (Jeremiah 9:5)? They weary themselves to commit iniquity; and are not God's commands more easy to obey? Chrysost. says, [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉]. Virtue is easier than vice; temperance is less burdensome than drunkenness: Some have gone with less pains to heaven, than others have to hell.
Consideration 2. God commands nothing but what is beneficial (Deuteronomy 10:12-13). O Israel what does the Lord require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, and to keep his statutes, which I command you this day for your good? To obey God, is not so much our duty as our privilege: His commands carry meat in the mouth of them: He bids us repent; and why? That our sins may be blotted out (Acts 3:19). He commands us to believe: And why? That we may be saved (Acts 16:31). There is love in every command. As if a King should bid one of his subjects dig in a gold mine, and then take the gold to himself.
2. Earnest supplication: Implore the help of the Spirit to carry us on in obedience: God's Spirit makes obedience easy and delightful: If the lodestone draw the iron; now it is not hard for the iron to move: If God's Spirit quicken and draw the heart; now it is not hard to obey. When a gale of the Spirit blows; now we go full sail in obedience: Turn that promise into a prayer (Ezekiel 36:27). I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes. The promise encourages us, the Spirit enables us to obedience.
