Obedience

Bringing our gift to the altar - Leviticus 1:1 – 1:9 (commentary)

I used to have problems getting my son to clean his room. I would insist that he, “Do it now,” and he would always agree to do so, but then he wouldn’t follow through; at least, not right way. After high school, he joined the Marine Corps, which is where he is now. Wh …

Blessing promised for obedience - Leviticus 26:1 – 26:13 (commentary)

This chapter clearly promises blessing for obedience and chastisement for not keeping God’s law. This same message is essentially repeated by Moses forty years later in Deuteronomy 28. The statues and instructions God gave Israel in Leviticus 26 and 27 illustrate four resp …

Doctrine and love are both needed - I John 3:19 – 3:24 (commentary)

Assurance (vv. 19-20) - No Christian should treat sin lightly, but neither should he be harder on himself than God is. An “accusing conscience” robs a believer of peace. We need to be careful or the devil will accuse us and rob us of our confidence ( Rev. 12:10). His vo …

The Disciple’s Question - John 14:22 – 14:31 (commentary)

The Judas referred to in this passage is not Judas Iscariot (v. 22). It is thought that he may have been the same man called Thaddaeus (Mark 10:3). His question showed that he was thinking that Jesus was going to reveal Himself to the world as Messiah and it puzzled him that Jesu …

Exodus 1:15 – 1:22 (commentary)

Satan certainly filled King Pharaoh’s heart with a very cruel plan of destroying the children  of Israel.  One day he called the Hebrew midwives, whose work it was to take care of the new-born babies and their mothers (v. 15). Pharaoh instructed them to kill all the Heb …

Obedience to God and Man - Acts 5:17 – 5:32 (commentary)

Again we find the Sadducees angry because of the Apostle’s preaching of the Resurrection, and the fact that these untrained and unauthorized men were having such great success in their ministry(v. 17). The apostles were risking their very lives to share the living Word of G …

The Need For Full Obedience - John 21:1 – 21:14 (commentary)

Jesus now appears at the Sea of Galilee. Peter, Nathaniel, James, John and two other unnamed disciples were together (vv. 1-2). Peter, the man of action, said he was going fishing and the other disciples decide to go too. That night they fished but caught nothing (v. 3). The next …

Exodus 8:1 – 8:15 (commentary)

Soon after the seven days when the water was turned to blood, God told Moses, for  the first  time, to go to Pharoah and demand that he let the children of Israel go so they may serve the true God (v. 1). This command showed that Israel was in bondage; God wanted them t …

Exodus 12:25 – 12:36 (commentary)

Moses called all of the elders of Israel together and repeated to them the instructions for the Passover that God had explained to him (vv. 25-27). Having witnessed the previous nine terrifying plagues that had come upon the Egyptians the Israelites were quick to do what God had …

Exodus 29:1 – 29:46 (commentary)

Obedience to the commands of this chapter are recorded in Leviticus 8 and 9. Just as Moses received the directions for building the tabernacle the directions for consecrating the priests are given here.  Aaron and his sons are instructed to put their hands on the head of the …

Joshua Captures Towns in the North - Joshua 11:1 – 11:15 (commentary)

Joshua was a man who exemplified this character. He followed every detail of God’s commands to Moses. It is usually difficult to complete someone else’s project, but Joshua stepped into Moses job building upon what Moses had started. With the southern campaign over he was ready t …

Rejoicing in God’s Word - Psalms 119:161 – 119:168 (commentary)

1. What leads to a life of obedience (vv. 161-164)? a. Fearing (Reverencing) God’s Word in Holy Awe (v. 161). “Princes have persecuted me without cause: bu …

Exhortations to obedience - Proverbs 3:1 – 3:12 (commentary)

“The law was given by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John1:17). The law was truth but it was truth without grace. The  believer is under grace and not under the law (Romans 6:14). However, he who loves the Lord will certainly want to do His will w …

Abraham’s Faith - Hebrews 11:7 – 11:12 (commentary)

Noah obeyed even when he experienced rejection from others around him (v. 7). Although it seemed foolish to the people, God commanded Noah to build a huge boat in the middle of dry land. Since no one at that time had ever seen a flood, Noah’s actions must have generated a great …

The Ultimate King-Priest - Zechariah 6:9 – 6:15 (commentary)

This vision is about the Messiah, the King-Priest. In the days of the kings and after the exile Judah’s government was ruled by two distinct persons; the king ruling the political life and the high priest, ruling its religious life. This section opens with three Hebrews arrivin …

Abner Joins Forces with David - II Samuel 3:1 – 3:25 (commentary)

Israel and Judah had lost sight of God’s plan for them to settle in the land (Gen. 12:7), to drive out the Canaanites (Duet. 7:1-4), and to obey God’s laws (Duet. 8:1). Instead of uniting to accomplish these goals they fought each other (v. 1). More and more the people of Israel …

Faith is Proved by Love - James 2:10 – 2:18 (commentary)

James gave us a great truth in this passage. He knew people would hardly consider themselves as lawbreakers when they showed prejudice or undue respect for the rich. However, James makes it plain that this is no small offense. Total obedience to God is the important fac …

The Prophet’s Wife Dies - Ezekiel 24:15 – 24:27 (commentary)

The Lord announced to Ezekiel that his beloved wife (The desire of your eyes)was about to die suddenly (vv 15-18). However, as an object lesson to Israel, the Lord commanded the prophet not to mourn outwardly over her death, as was the custom (vv. 20-24). Instead he could …

God Condemns Israel’s Idolatry - Hosea 4:11 – 4:19 (commentary)

“Whoredom and wine and new wine” (v. 11) are the sins that commonly accompany idolatry. These sins dull the sensitivity and understanding so that the people no longer wish to even retain God in their thoughts. Instead of consulting the God who made the trees and t …

Refusing to Obey Brings Disastrous Results - Proverbs 28:1 – 28:10 (commentary)

A contrast is made between the wicked and the righteous as it relates to fear and boldness (v. 1). No one is as cowardly as those that carry around a guilty con­science. Their guilty consciences cause them to run from imagined pursuers. By contrast the righteous are as …

Obedience Includes Hearing And Doing - Jeremiah 11:1 – 11:23 (commentary)

In chapters 11 through 20, Jeremiah’s problems are brought to light. These challenges are a result of his faithfulness to the prophetic message. God gives two basic commands regarding His covenant. First is to hear and second it to speak (v. 2). The word hear is used six …