The Wonder of God's Voice Part 2: "God Calls Us to Obedience"

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The Wonder of God’s Voice

Part 2

God Calls Us to Obedience

    One morning, while Aretta was washing breakfast dishes, she noticed her son, Jimmy, get up from the table and head toward the back porch. Having just finished painting the handrails on the porch, she knew better than to send her five-year-old son out the back door. Instead she instructed her son to come around to the front door and explained that there was wet paint out back that he needed to avoid. 

    “I’ll be carful!” Jimmy announced without turning around. “No, Jimmy!” Aretta protested. “Don’t go that way.” “I’ll be careful,” Jimmy promised, nearing the back porch. “Stop, Jimmy! his mother shouted. “I don’t want carefulness. I want obedience!”

    Jimmy stopped, turned around, looked at his mother, and finally conceded. He headed toward the front door. As Aretta watched her son make his way though the living room, she couldn’t help wondering how many times she was like her own son, wanting only to go her own way, how many times had she rationalized and promised God that she’d be carful but still proceeded with her own plans?

    Though God may speak a dozen or a hundred or even a thousand whispers into our hearts, what good is it if we do not obey? God calls us to obedience and it’s one of the greatest and most rewarding things we can be called to. 

   Saul was the first king of Israel, and he didn’t recognize just how important obedience was to God. In 1 Samuel 15, Saul was rejected as king of Israel for his lack of obedience. The prophet Samuel instructed Saul to do specific things, but Saul justified doing what he wanted. 

1. Read 1 Samuel 15:1-9. What did Samuel specifically instruct Saul to do)vv. 1-3)?

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1. What portion of Samuel’s instructions did Saul obey? What portion did he not obey? (vv. 7-9)?___________________________________________________________

1. Do you find complete disobedience or partial disobedience (as demonstrated by Saul) more tempting in your own life? Why?

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When the prophet Samuel approached Saul about what happened, Saul defended his actions. In his own eyes, he hand’t done anything wrong. Yet Samuel explained that his lack of obedience was an expression of what was going on in Saul’s heart.

1. Read 1 Samuel 15:10-21. What were Saul’s first words to Samuel when he saw the prophet after the battle (v13)? What were Samuel’s first words to Saul(v.14)?

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God doesn’t just invite us to know Him and love Him. We are meant to obey Him as an expression of knowing and loving Him. Obedience is one of the greatest calls of God we can respond to in our lives.