Disobedience as a Challenge to Faith
By: M. Kehinde Aribire
“… Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” (1Samuel 15:22)
Sometime ago, I read a comment in a chartroom, it was a response to a particular discuss on a Christian topic and the writer, tried to summarize his understanding of Christianity and Christian journey on earth and he said; “the summary of Christianity is knowledge. In other words, your success as a Christian depends on what you know.” To this man, knowledge of God and of His word is the central key in Christianity.
I wouldn’t bother ask if you agree with him or not but I’d like to inform you that I agree with him but while I agree, I also have modification to it. Now I will tell you that the central key to a victorious Christian life is not particular knowledge but obedience. Your victory as a Christian lies in your obedience to God’s word. Moreover, the answer to the question of how to get to heaven or hell also depends on your obedience to God. In summary, I’ve said that “the most central principle in Christianity is obedience!”
This perfectly introduces the topic of this sermon; Disobedience! Disobedience as a Challenge to Faith!
We have been told many beautiful things about faith. Systematically, we have learnt about faith of our fathers but more specifically, your own faith. What you proclaim and what you profess, this is your faith and it stands you out amidst the crowd. This faith is very important because without it, you can’t get to heaven as the writer of Hebrews emphasized that “…without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6)
However, gaining from my introduction, a simple way of enhancing your faith, which of course is capable of getting you to heaven; is simple obedience while the easiest way to puncture and dissolve this faith is simple disobedience.
Disobedience Defined
Disobedience means doing what we like and following our own wishes contrary to God’s instruction. Disobedience also means comparing a Divine instruction with our logical conviction. Since we realize that God’s way is not our way then, we should also know that God’s instruction will definitely be opposite of our way. In my personal life, I have learnt an easy way of identifying God’s will for me and it is if that thing is opposing what I’d like to do; I simply know what God wants me to do. I have said previously that the Bible is a book of instructions containing instructions for life and godliness. A short time ago when I was just trying to cultivate my spirit man, I quickly learnt that God is like an instructor who always gives instructions. As a matter of fact, God don’t speak with us because He’s lonely and needs someone to talk to. If God is speaking to you, He’s certainly giving you an instruction which He expects that you obey.
The believers are God’s hands and legs in the earth. You are a God’s hand and leg and I’m too. If God would move in this material earth He needs you and me and that is the necessity of God’s constant instructions. In Acts of the Apostles 8:26ff, we find the example where Philip the Evangelist was led by the spirit of God to catch up and preached to an Ethiopian eunuch by the highway leading to Gaza. In this scenario, God’s intention was to witness Christ to the Ethiopian but at same time He needs Philip to carry it out. Phillip was God’s legs and mouth in this situation. If he had failed, of course the intention of God may be delayed the same way, If we fail by disobeying Him, we not only puncture our own faith but we also hinder what God is about to do. However, God is ‘too big’ to be hindered so if we disobey Him, He simply abandons the disobedient and moves to the next person.
Using common English to interpret Samuel’s admonition to Saul in 1Samuel 15:22; we can say that it is better to listen than bear the brunt in the end. We can also say that a simple way of staying away from trouble as Christians is simple obedience while an easy way of getting into constant troubles is simple disobedience.
Searchlight on the life of Saul
Let me take you through a journey into the life of Saul, the first king in Israel. Saul, a Benjamite was a man of good stature; vibrant, handsome, and a promising young man who became the first king in Israel. Never in history had Israel had a king; Saul created the monarchy, designed structure for the kingdom, and built a vibrant army. You think Saul was a mean man? No! He wasn’t. He was bold, courageous, hardworking, brilliant and aesthetically creative but he obviously had many flaws just like you and me.
In the Chapel of the Resurrection, University of Ibadan, there are many firsts; here is first black Professor of Linguistics, Professor Ayo Bamgbose; first black female Professor of Computer Science, Professor Adenike Osofisan and first black female Professor on earth, Professor Adenike Ogunseye. And then we have the first female Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Mrs. Solanke; and first female military General, Gen. Aderonke Kale (late) and many others. Asking the secret of their achievement, they certainly would detail how ‘easy’ it is to be first. So was Saul, the first king in Israel; he had to raise the bar high because others were watching him but this was not an easy task to do.
If Saul were to be a member of this Chapel, he perhaps would today be an Emeritus Professor or a successful business-man who like every well-educated and rational human beings who of course knows how to use his brain, would subject every judgment or instruction to logical consideration. This could be you and it could me.
More than a hundred years before Saul was born, the Amalekites had been in God’s black book; they were an enemy nation and God did not like them. In Exodus 17:8-16; the Amalekites nearly defeated Joshua’s Army in battle but for a miracle because Moses’ hands were raised on the mountain and so, the Israelites won. Zoom in to the time of Saul, King of the newly independent Kingdom of Israel was to launch his first major offensive against an enemy nation; he of course had to consider many things. He must consider the enemy’s strength, he must consider the resources needed to prosecute the war, the same way he must not anger other enemy nations so that they don’t form alliance against him. Perhaps, these reasons and others informed Saul’s decision in prosecuting the Amalek battle. He spared Agag, Amalek king and a few other beautiful things and brought them home.
There is no sin in being human but helping God to interpret His instruction according to our man’s reasoning is very dangerous. King Saul failed because he disobeyed God’s instruction to completely destroy Amalek. What would come to mind if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comes to the public space and boldly declare that God has instructed him to completely wipe out the Hamas but with Gaza alongside? Such situation brings us face to face with common sense but we found out that it is more difficult to obey than disobey. In situations like this, we can easily follow our common sense and walk away disobeying God but it takes courage to jettison facts and logic and just obey blindly.
Obedience to God might at times look like jumping into the sea but one thing is certain, if it is God’s instruction it is always safe to do.
Humanly speaking, obedience to God is pretty difficult but it is cheap; you won’t have to pay anything for obeying. Disobedience however, feels easy to do but is very expensive because it will cost you a lot. Saul had to pay so much for his disobedience; it cost him his throne, his son and his own very life. Saul died because of simple disobedience.
Few lessons from the life of Saul
- God’s instruction is divine. Trying to rationalize it might be very dangerous. Most people we agree that we all certainly do this most times and we found out that it is quite easy to disobey than to obey. Judging with our own reasoning, it is good to play safe especially when the perceived instruction is not logical. However, disobedience is called disobedience once we fail to do what God asks us to do, we have disobeyed Him.
- Partial obedience is disobedience. One way we often try to play religious through partial obedience. We just try and obey God to the limit of our conviction leaving the rest for Him to handle. Some even chat within themselves that ‘God can understand after all he’s not a wicked God.’ This is partial obedience and it is no obedience at all.
- The shortest way to dissolving faith is by practicing disobedience. Like Saul who through disobedience became so torn apart from God so far away that he needed a medium to tell him his own future; disobedience will gradually dissolve our faith until it has completely destroy it. In the Gospel according to John 15; Jesus Christ offered us an option; ‘obey me and remain my friend or disobey me and let me hate you.’ I think it is rewarding to choose his love rather than hate. Disobedience has no blessing to offer instead, it will destroy the very good in you!
Finally, disobedience is very expensive rather, obedience is very cheap. Obedience is cheap and necessary because it will help in building our faith and draw us closer to God and it doesn’t cost anything rather, disobedience is expensive because even though easy to commit, it costs fortune in consequence.
The Bible is filled with astounding victory for the believer; victory over sin, victory over hell, and victory over every form of human wickedness but the only way to lock in to this victory is by obedience just as Paul wrote to Titus in Titus 2:11 that “the grace of God which brought salvation to all men has appeared, teaching us …” this ‘teaching grace’ requires obedience. I challenge you today to choose obedience over disobedience. Brothers and sisters, God bless you
M. Kehinde Aribire is a preacher and teacher of God’s word and currently serves as bishop’s chaplain at Agodi Methodist diocese in Ibadan Nigeria. This sermon was preached at the Chapel of the Resurrection, University of Ibadan