The importance of obedience

Psalm 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17. January 19, 2023 - Thursday, Thursday, 2nd Week

As we read through the Pentateuch, the so-called five Books of Moses that begin the Old Testament, we realise that much of the material dwells on building the mobile tabernacle and different types of sacrifices that should be offered in that tabernacle (see from Exodus 25 till Leviticus). Those sacrifices constituted a vital part of Jewish religious life. It was unimaginable to come to worship the Lord in the temple without offering a sacrifice. Thus, we are immediately surprised by the psalmist's bold statement that the Lord did not want sacrifice or oblation but obedience to his will. But were the laws regarding sacrifices not part of God’s will?

The contrast between sacrifices and obedience to God’s will appears in the tragic story of king Saul being rejected by God. Against God’s will, Saul spared Agag, the king of the Amalekites, and “the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good” (1 Sam 15:8-9). God complains about the disobedience of Saul to Samuel and when Samuel meets Saul, he utters the famous statement: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams” (1 Sam 15:22). This idea is also prominent in the prophetic books (see Is 1:13-17; Jer 7:21-23; Micah 6:6-7). What happened?

It is difficult to answer this question, but two things need to be said. First, the prophets realised that worship can be separated from a life of obedience. We can offer daily sacrifices, as is prescribed in the law, and yet live disobeying the law. Second, what happens when there is no place to offer sacrifices? That was the experience of the Jewish nation after the year 586 BC and 70 AD when first the Babylonians and then the Romans destroyed the temple in Jerusalem. In the first case, obedience to the ethical requirements of the law takes precedence over sacrifices. In the second case, doing God’s will in daily life replaces unavailable sacrifices. 

There is one more thing that needs to be said. The Jewish Christian author of the Letter to the Hebrews reveals to us the truth about the sacrificial system of the Old Testament: it was incapable to cleanse people of their sins. In the words of the author: “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebr 10:4). What can take away sins then? The sacrifice of Jesus’ life.

The primacy of obedience over other expressions of religiosity is also evident in the New Testament. We are familiar with Jesus’ statement: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt 7:21). In the New Testament’s understanding, obedience is the expression of love: “If you love me, you will keep my commands” (John 14:15). 

So, do we delight in doing God’s will? Does obedience to God’s commands take precedence over anything else in our lives?