Whole Obedience

Obedience to the Lord is a common theme throughout the Bible, but I have noticed some convicting theology on obedience in reading through the Israelites' wilderness experience as well as their conquering of the Promised Land.

First of all, obedience needs to be full. My ESV study Bible talks quite a bit about the Israelites' failure to be WHOLLY obedient. They often do about half of what they are called to do by the Lord. This is why poor Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. This part of the Bible has always confused me. I could never understand why Moses, called "Servant of the Lord" (Joshua 1:1) and the meekest man "on the face of the Earth" (Numbers 12:3), was not able to enter the Promised Land after leading the whiny, rebellious Israelites for over forty years. I just could not figure it out. He struck the rock out of anger when the Israelites were complaining (yet again) about their lack of water - even after the Lord's obvious ability to meet all their needs. I have been known to strike, throw, slam a thing or two in my day... However, I learned this time while reading through the account at Meribah in Numbers 20, that Moses' ultimate failure was a failure to be WHOLLY obedient to the Lord. Unlike the first time Moses made water come out of rock by striking it in Exodus, this time Moses was commanded to "tell" the rock to produce water. Because of his anger, he didn't follow the Lord's instructions. In his position of leadership, Moses had to uphold exemplary obedience at all times, and he failed to obey the command of the Lord at Meribah.

Also, the book of Joshua shows an obvious call to be obedient through action. We are called to act in obedience to the promises of the Lord. When the Israelites are finally able to enter into Canaan under the new leadership of Joshua, they are told to absolutely conquer the land and destroy all the native tribes, because the Lord has promised that "every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised Moses" (Joshua 1:3). The Lord made a promise to His people, and the Israelites are called to act in faithful obedience to take God at His word. They aren't suppposed to hang around the banks of the Jordan until it seems safe to cross over. They are suppossed to go forward in confidence of the Lord's promise to be with them at all times (Joshua 1:9). Even after many victorious battles, the Israelites fail to "devote (the Cannanites) to complete destruction" (Deut. 7:2), as they are commanded by Moses before they enter into the land. After a few years of successful conquests, the Israelites still live in fear, despite God's faithfulness, and fail to act in obedience to what He has promised. It is not long before the Israelites are making alliances with Cannanite tribes (Joshua 9), failing to drive out all the natives in their territory (Joshua 13), and living in fear of the Canaanites "chariots of iron" (Joshua 17). These are the same people who watched the walls of Jericho fall down at the blow of a trumpet due to God's power!

But how often do I fail to be obedient to God's promises? God's promises are a call to action, not a reason for comfortable complacency. God has promised to fill my mouth with words when I am sharing the Gospel (Mark 13:11), so why do I so often remain silent? God has promised to soften the hearts of those whom He has called (John 6:37; Ephesians 1), so why do I fret and worry about who is responding the Gospel and who is not or who is likely to respond to the Gospel or who I should invite to church or who probably wouldn't accept the invitation? God has promised to care for me both on Earth and eternally (Luke 12), so why do I waste my days in anxiety? My disobedience is my failure to both trust IN and act ON God's promises. I should be sharing the Gospel boldly because of  God's promise to give me His word. I should be sharing the Gospel with all who will listen, because God is the one to harden and soften hearts. I should be living a life of joy and faith today, because God has promised that tomorrow will take care of itself. Lord, help me to live in obedience to Your promises today and always.