What Does it Mean to be Obedient?

What Does It Benefit Me To Be Obedient?

By Tamara Haygood

Let me tell you a story about a business woman that had been working in a company for many years. She was a hard worker and had applied herself to every responsibility that was given to her. She had researched areas where the company was struggling and found ways to improve it and bring growth. The owner of the company had seen her efforts and rewarded her by moving her into a management position over her area. She was now in leadership over people that she had been working as an equal with for years. Some of her staff was jealous and angered by her advancement. Others saw this as a way to get better working conditions for themselves. This group began to ask her to put in requests to ask the owner for more holiday time and raises they felt were due amongst a list of other things they wanted. She listened to their requests and told them that she would approach the owner with some of the more pressing requests. Due to the favor, she had found with the owner he agreed to the requests. This pleased the staff she managed, but instead of being grateful for what was offered, they continued to pressure her for more. She advised them that she would not ask for more things from the owner continually. With that response they turned against her and began to spread rumors that she was not doing a good job and they made up stories about her incompetence. She knew the rumors were spreading and was concerned that this would get back to the owner causing him to remove her from her position. So, she met with her staff once again and they pushed her for the things they wanted. She was frustrated with the constant badgering, but she wanted to be liked by her staff and stay in good standing with the owner.

Eventually, she gave in to the pressure, she requested a meeting with the owner. At their meeting, the owner told her he was aware of the position her staff had placed her in and he was not pleased by their behavior. He said he wanted to keep her in her position, she had served him and the company well, but the harassment of the staff needed to end. He advised that he would once again review their requests and would work with them on certain areas that he found reasonable. However, he sternly advised her that she was to let them know that he alone would only reward each one from here on out according to their abilities and personal achievements. They should come to him personally if they were disgruntled and unhappy in their position. He continued that she was not the owner of the company. He only desired for her to be focused on her responsibilities that she had been assigned.

The manager went back to the group, knowing that she was going to be able to get some of what they wanted made her feel entitled to take some liberty, she felt she was in good standing with the owner so she could get away with saying what she wanted. Besides, she was frustrated that they had put her in an uncomfortable place with the owner. She also wanted the staff to respect her and know what power she had over them.

So out of bitterness and pride, she did not relay “exactly” what the owner told her to say. Instead, she said that they were lucky to have her as their manager. The owner was ready to fire them all, but because of her good standing with the owner, she single handedly had saved all of their jobs and got some of what they wanted. But from here on out, they just needed to be quiet and do their job.

She was very pleased with herself, she felt very empowered making such a bold statement. She was sure this would solve the problems with her pushy staff and she could continue working her way up the proverbial ladder.

The next morning, she was called into the owner’s office. He looked upset when she entered. He proceeded to tell her that he was made aware of what she had advised her staff. He was very saddened and disappointed. As he had high expectations for her, but her actions had displayed a concern in his ability to trust her. Due to this, he could not allow her to be in place of management and in fact, she was given her two week notice, as her employment with his company had come to an end.

This story leads me to the time when Moses was in the desert with the children of Israel. Let’s look at Numbers chapter 20.

They were in the desert of Zin, meaning a place of dryness. Moses’ sister Mariam had died there. We see that in this dry place, there was no water and the people had come together and were rising up against Aaron and Moses. Complaining that they had taken them from Egypt, brought them and their cattle to a place where they were going to die. There are no figs, no pomegranates and worst of all no water to drink! Take into account the thousands of people that he was leading. They are angry and could see no source of water to meet their needs. That could be a very concerning situation.

As believers, we may go through spaces of time that are challenging. We are struggling, things seem hopeless, and you may grow weary in looking for answers. God had purposely used Moses to lead the Israelites into the desert, into places of need because He wanted them to get to know Him. He wanted them to learn that He was their God and could provide all of their needs. That is the same reason, He allows us to go through dry, difficult places. He wants us to get desperate and thirsty enough that we come to Him. We come to the end of ourselves and look to Him. Interestingly, this specific place was known as Meribah, which means provocation, (testing someone to receive a specific response or reflex.) Psalms 95 the psalmist is writing about this passage. Verse 8 says the following: “Do not harden your hearts and become spiritually dull

as at Meribah [the place of strife],And as at Massah [the place of testing] in the wilderness.” So, we see this is a place where strife and testing for both Moses, Aaron and the Israelites.

Historically, we find also that the people were not dying of thirst, they were not yet thirsty, but were anticipating thirst. Seeing that it was a dry and arid place, they could not physically see provision of water. So, they became fearful.

I personally am a planner, I like to be organized, prepared and have a clear understanding of what is ahead. When things are unclear and I feel uncertain it is easy for me to get fearful and try to look for ways to fix or prepare. God wants us to rely on Him. Not to be a self-reliant planner. I do believe He gives us wisdom and expects us to walk in that, and not to be careless. But He loves when we walk in full obedience and trust in Him. I unashamedly will tell you this is an area where God is still teaching me.

And from experience I know when I get too caught up in my abilities to fix and provide. I will in His loving way find that I end up in my own Meribah and Massah. Not a fun place to be, but I know it’s for my own good, and my loving Father will walk with me through it.

Even though God had chosen Moses as the leader for them. He wasn’t their Savior. We see in Exodus 19 that God wanted to speak to them Himself. But they were fearful and said they wanted Moses to talk to God for them.

God still desires that with us, He desires to talk with us and for us to hear directly from Him. We learn what His heart, desires and directions are for us as we draw close to Him.

John 10:27 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

Since the children of Israel did not want that, Moses and Aaron, went into the tent-like tabernacle that they pitched while in a stationery place. The Bible says they fell on their face and the glory of God appeared to them and God gave Moses the following instructions.

Numbers 20:8, “Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock in front of them, so that it will pour out its water. In this way you shall bring water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their livestock drink [fresh water].”

Unfortunately, we say that neither of the children of Israel, or Moses and Aaron succeeded in this place of testing.

Let’s look at Numbers 20: 9-11, “ So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. Moses said to them, ‘Listen now, you rebels; must we bring you water out of this rock?’ Then Moses raised his hand [in anger] and with his rod he struck the rock twice [instead of speaking to the rock as the Lord had commanded]. And the water poured out abundantly, and the congregation and their livestock drank [fresh water].”

God did provide water for them even though Moses did not obey God in how he was to get the water from the rock. He was told to speak to it, but He struck it.

What got my attention, even more then this action was what he said, “Listen now, you rebels; must we bring you water out of this rock?”

Moses could no more make water come out of that rock, than he could make the Red Sea part and dry land appear for the Israelites to walk through. So who is the “we” he is referring to?

What is happening here, does Moses somehow believe he has come to have power on his own? Is he trying to make himself look good to the Israelites so they will think he’s their Savior? Does he think he is God’s business partner? None of us know what was going through his mind at this point, it does make one wonder.

Also, He struck the rock twice, the number two can represent union or division. In this place we see Moses has divided himself against what God has said. He is not in unity with what God instructed. He has chosen to do what he wanted not what God had told him to do.

Yes, God provided the water. But it is so sad as to what followed due the disobedience.

Let’s look at God’s response to their choice, Numbers 20: 12, 13, “ But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you have not believed (trusted) Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, you therefore shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.’ These are the waters of Meribah (contention, strife), where the sons of Israel contended with the Lord, and He showed Himself holy among them.”

The King James Version uses the term “sanctified in them.”

God wanted to have them “set apart” to Him. He desired for them as He does with us to be holy and set apart to God. God had them is this dry, place of strife, and place of testing to refine them all. It seems that obedience was key here for all of them. Obedience is so very important to our Father. The absence of obedience to Him will always put us in a difficult, maybe even dangerous situation.

This is not God, putting us in that place, it is our choice, our free will to do what we feel is best, instead of listening and trusting our Heavenly Father. That without a doubt has only good for us and knows what is best for us.

Obedience is a choice that we make out of love and respect for our Creator, our God and our Father. Not as a threat of a ruling dictator who demands respect. Always, with God when He gives us direction, instructs us through His Word it is for our good.

Here are some scriptures taken from the Amplified Bible to remind us of how God feels about obedience.

1 Samuel 15:22 Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obedience to the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed [is better] than the fat of rams.”

Genesis 5:24 And [in reverent fear and obedience] Enoch walked with God; and he was not [found among men], because God took him [away to be home with Him].

Psalm 33:18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear Him [and worship Him with awe-inspired reverence and obedience], On those who hope [confidently] in His compassion and lovingkindness,

Psalm 34:7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him [with awe-inspired reverence and worship Him with obedience], And He rescues [each of] them Psalm 91:11 For He will command His angels in regard to you, To protect and defend and guard you in all your ways [of obedience and service].

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