Obedience – Does
It Make Sense?
“Do
not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know
that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only
son.” Genesis 22:12 (NIV)
The Eiffel Tower is one of the most recognizable
landmarks on the planet. Built as the grand entrance to an 1889 world trade
fair, the tower receives thousands of visitors every year and is a favourite
spot for romantic rendezvous.
But when it was built there was ferocious
opposition. A group of leading artists and writers, including the author of
“The Three Musketeers”, Alexander Dumas, filed a petition that read:
We, the writers, painters, sculptors,
architects and lovers of the beauty of Paris, do protest with all our vigor and
all our indignation, in the name of French taste and endangered French art and
history, against the useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower.
History vindicated Alexandre Eiffel. In
1889 he was roundly condemned. Today he is praised. His story shows us that
what matters is not the opinions others have of us and what we do – these will
change according to what is culturally fashionable – but holding onto what we
believe to be the values and wisdom of God.
The climb is over. Abraham and Isaac are
high up on the mountain and begin to prepare the altar. During this preparation,
Isaac does not run; he does not complain or question. Just as Abraham
completely trusts God, so Isaac trusts his father, and he lets Abraham bind him
with rope.
With urgency, God interrupts and tells
Abraham to drop everything. These actions have proven that Abraham holds nothing
higher than God, not even his only son. To affirm his pleasure and role as
provider, God brings a ram to be sacrificed in Isaac’s stead. The powerful
section closes with God swearing to fulfill His promises to an even greater
extent: Abraham’s descendants will be incredibly
numerous and victorious thanks to this day, when the will of God intersected with
the obedience of man.
Whenever God asks us to walk a certain
way, it is usually for two reasons: first, because the destination will be much
better, and second, because the journey will grow us; both things that will be
preceded by difficulty.
Obedience to God is not straight forward.
It doesn’t always feel good or make the most sense. However, when the perfect
will of God meets the complete obedience of man, it is the most powerful force
for change on earth.
Let us then ask God to give us the endurance
to be obedient to His will, especially when it doesn’t make sense to us.
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