TRUST & OBEY

It has been some years since I have spent any amount of time in the book of Samuel. Our first year here together, to be exact. In looking back at my notes I was especially reminded of the significance of one sermon title that I used: "How the mighty have fallen". In the Old Testament witness, that phrase could very well sum up the life of old king Saul. As we remember, Saul started out very well, and as a warrior king, he earned his stripes and reputation as the bravest of the brave.

Yet the Spirit departed from Saul and once he was left on his ownsome, terrible things came about. Well, you may think, that was then, this is now, what have we really to think of such an ancient character in our time, at least three millennium later. Actually, quite a bit. A decade ago, one of my friends was shaken to the core of his beliefs because his spiritual mentor demonstrated how it is still possible, even after many years in the Church, to apparently fall from grace to live a life of sin. Again, in the course of the American Revolution, one of the best early American generals gave his name to the vile crime of treason. Sadly, that is his only remembrance, the early victories and heroics have all been forgotten. Well do the Scriptures ask:

"Is Saul to be numbered among the prophets?"

What we do have at the end of this sorry report is summarized in verses twenty-four and thirty, where Saul pleads his confession and seeks forgiveness. From there on we must leave Saul to the final judgment of God. Before we press on to our purpose in considering this report, we must examine another aspect of these chapters in 1 Samuel. In the next chapter (16) verse fourteen we read that the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul. Another pastor in the Presbytery analyzed the spiritual difficulties and the increasing troubles of our day. He said that he thought that the near presence of God's Spirit in America was receding rapidly. This is why he believes that there is such an increase in every kind of social, family and even medical problems! I used the same thought independently in counseling a man earlier last fall as we tried to figure out what had gone so wrong with his family.

The Zietgiest or "world spirit" of our age is a very different "creature" than the real presence of the Holy One of Israel. It was not for nothing that the ancient Hebrews described the Shekinah or "presence" on Zion's Holy Hill! Of course, in this blessed land of America, we never had any cause to doubt His real presence until the last few decades. Even as the knowledge of the Holy One was driven from the public schools, the practice of legal jurisprudence from our courts and the premise of lawful authority from our governing agencies, so has the spiritual tone declined in increasing fervor. There are places in my county where I used to felt warm and comfortable because the people there once served our God and King. Now, there is an incredible stillness and cold edge that poisons the mind of those who know not Him!

Why is this? Very simply, the people of America have forgotten the God of their fathers and even if there is a minimal understanding of His everlasting existence, the last thought in their minds is to listen to Him or obey Him. This is the real problem that must be addressed in our time, even as it had to be addressed by the ancient Hebrews. Remember how they were addressed by Moses?

"Take heed and listen, O Israel: This day you have become the people of the Lord your God, and observe His commandments and His statutes which I command you today." (Deuteronomy 27: 9b-10)

First obedience must be free and cheerful. In Isaiah 1: 19 we read

"If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land."

Second, Dr Watson tells us, that "obedience must be devout and fervent." Now that does not mean that we must be openly charismatic and emotional about our faith, but it does mean that when we do speak, our hearers must appreciate the firmness of our words. Once a student was yelled at by several adults about taking off his hat in the hallway, when I stepped out to see what the ruckus was about, I looked at him and he removed his sign of rebellious attitude. I over heard one of his friends asked him why he took his hat off for me. The answer implied that I meant what I said, so I didn't really have to say anything! In Romans 12: 11, Paul tells us that our obedience must be

"not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord."

Third, Dr Watson would have us understand that our obedience must be extensive, reaching to all the commandments, rules and regulations. I still marvel twenty years later at the poor soul who told me that he kept at least six of the divine suggestions, thus qualifying as a moral person. In Psalm 119: 6 we read something different:

"Then I would not be ashamed, When I look into all Your commandments".

Fourth, obedience must be sincere, as Dr Watson assures us. In 1 Corithians 10: 31 we find Paul's basis for that instruction:

"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Two things are to be rightly considered in obedience: the principle and the end. How much Dr Watson hit it on the head there I will have to tell him in the next life. Recently I was required to appear before a bioethics committee to consider their self-invitation into my classroom. As I looked over their "prime directives" which they were willing to allow to the more primitive types under their control, I objected to the situational ethics which led them to their faulty conclusions. On the evaluation sheet of their presentation I simply wrote that principles and case studies led to entirely different outcomes. As Christians we have only to consider the principle "You shall not murder" and compare it to the fabrication concocted by the lying bitches who presented the case of Roe v Wade twenty-some years ago! If we lived on principle, there would be more than thirty-five million young people in our midst today!

Fifth, obedience must be in and through Christ. Here Dr Watson admonishes us to worship God only on His terms, that is through Christ. Jesus Christ is the divine mediator, our High Priest and only through Him are we to draw near to our Father in heaven. Some time ago we discussed how we should pray. Why couldn't we pray to Jesus since He was God with us? Others may want to know why can't the Jews worship God directly? The whole of Scriptures points us toward and encourage us to pray to the Lord through Jesus Christ, the Lord's only Messiah!

Last, obedience must be constant. The psalmist declares:

"Blessed are those who keep justice, and he who does righteousness at all times!" (106:3)