Repentance & Obdience
I have grown up knowing what obedience means. My parents taught me to respect and obey the authority figures in my life. I’m aware that there are “bad actors” in authority, but the majority of people in positions of authority are good and honorable. I was taught to respect my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles as any one of them would call me out if I was misbehaving. I look back with gratitude that I had such sound, fundamental instruction. The teaching of my parents also taught me to respect the Lord as the Ultimate Authority in my life. He is Creator God and I trust Him with my life. I don’t always understand Him, but I trust Him.
King David listened to the enemy of God and decided to count all of the people with at census. I wouldn’t think that this is a bad thing, but the Lord was very displeased. I think the Lord was displeased because it showed a huge lack of trust on David’s part. I think there may have been some pride on David’s part as well. David is called out by God and he repents. The Lord issues the punishment and it was devastating. David is given some specific instructions to carry out his repentance and stop the punishment. Check this out…
18 Then the angel of the Lord told Gad to instruct David to go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.19 So David went up to do what the Lord had commanded him through Gad. 20 Araunah, who was busy threshing wheat at the time, turned and saw the angel there. His four sons, who were with him, ran away and hid.21 When Araunah saw David approaching, he left his threshing floor and bowed before David with his face to the ground.
22 David said to Araunah, “Let me buy this threshing floor from you at its full price. Then I will build an altar to the Lord there, so that he will stop the plague.”
23 “Take it, my lord the king, and use it as you wish,” Araunah said to David. “I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, and the threshing boards for wood to build a fire on the altar, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give it all to you.”
24 But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it for the full price. I will not take what is yours and give it to the Lord. I will not present burnt offerings that have cost me nothing!” 25 So David gave Araunah 600 pieces of gold[b] in payment for the threshing floor.
26 David built an altar there to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. And when David prayed, the Lord answered him by sending fire from heaven to burn up the offering on the altar. (1 Chronicles 21:18-26 NLT)
Repentance is turning from one direction (away from the Lord) and turning back to the Lord. Obedience is simply doing what God says to do. David did both, but it was still at a great cost to him, his leadership and his people.
I don’t believe that the Lord loves to punish. I do believe that the Lord uses punishment to bring me back into obedience. Obedience is also living inside the boundaries that the Lord has given for my freedom, blessing and protection. I should be quick to repentance and return to obedience when I sin. I didn’t use the word “if” I sin. I’m so thankful that the Lord provided me a way back to Him. I’m so thankful that He is patient with me. I’m thankful for His Grace that restores my soul. Repentance and Obedience are part of my daily journey with the Lord. They represent my trust and humility before Him.
Pressing On!
Dwayne