Q. 12. What special act of providence did God exercise towards man, in the estate wherein he was created?
A. When God created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him, upon condition of perfect obedience; forbidding him to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, upon the pain of death.
“The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die." (Genesis 2:15-17, NRSV)
There is nothing wrong with letting God know what we want, as long as we do not mistake our list for the covenant. The covenant has no conditions. The covenant is no deal. It is God's promise to be our God, which contains within it the promise that we shall be God's people -- not by our consent, but by our creation. - Barbara Brown Taylor, Gospel Medicine, as quoted in Christianity Today, April 27, 1998.
The really important thing in life is not the avoidance of mistakes, but the obedience of faith. By obedience, the man is led step by step to correct his errors, whereas nothing will ever happen to him if he doesn’t get going. - Paul Tournier
The term obey would be better expressed by the word use. For instance, a scientist uses the laws of nature; that is, he more than obeys them, he causes them to fulfill their destiny in his work. That is exactly what happens in the saint’s life. He uses the commands of the Lord, and they fulfill God’s destiny in his life.
It is not what we do that matters, but what a sovereign God chooses to do through us. God doesn’t want our success; he wants us. He doesn’t demand our achievements; he demands our obedience. It is only by obedience that we understand the teaching of God. - Oswald Chambers (1874–1917)
Jesus tells a story about two sons. Jesus describes the father whose expectations are clear. "Go work in the field," he says with authority. The first son refuses outright, yet after reflection, thinks better of his rebellion and goes out to the vineyard. Despite his initial resistance, he obeys his father.
The second son is more devious. He puts on a good face and immediately agrees with his father's request; however, his actions do not measure up to his words. He ignores his father's wishes and never appears in the vineyard. Jesus asks the critical question, "Which of the two did the will of his father?"
It's not the first son's words that are important to Jesus, but his actions. Jesus allows room for complaining and verbal resistance. The first son, despite his original reluctance and outward show of rebellion, soon chooses obedience. He follows the will of his father and does the work to which he is called. The second son, however, only talks a good game. He promises much and produces nothing of value.
Jesus points out to his listeners, like the tax collectors and the prostitutes, the first son is headed toward the kingdom. Despite the mistakes of the past, this son has now chosen the right route. The scheming, double-talking chief priests and elders, like the second son, are not kingdom bound. One cannot simply talk the talk of faith and obedience. One must walk the walk, even when it means backtracking from a poorly chosen path, and starting over down the narrow path toward eternal life.
Obedience to God's will does not mean everything will go smoothly, that the wind will always be at our backs and that the journey will be easy. Jesus told his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake, even though he knew the wind would be working against them. Despite the wind's contrariness, they struggled on because they knew they were doing his will. - Shawn Craig in Between Sundays, cited in Christianity Today, February 8, 1999, 72.
Dan Johnson tells of studying with a well-known biblical scholar in Cambridge, England. One day Dan asked him, "What is the rock-bottom essence of the Christian life?" The scholar replied: "I think I have found it. It sounds much too simple, but I am convinced of its merit. It is found in an old song whose chorus goes like this: 'Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey." - Neglected Treasure: Rediscovering the Old Testament (Wilmore, Kentucky: Bristol Books, 1989), 53.
One of the most mysterious verses in the Bible: "Through what he suffered he learned to obey." (Hebrews 5:8) The greatest miracle in the Bible is when Joshua told his son to stand still, and he obeyed him. - "The Bible According to Kids," The New Jersey Fox.
Today’s Lectionary Readings
Morning Psalm: 86
Evening Psalm: 102
Jeremiah 1:1-10
1 Corinthians 3:11-23
Mark 3:31—4:9
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