FAITHFULNESS TO GOD’S HOLY WORD IS FAITHFULNESS TO GOD

What does it take to be a faithful man of God? The same thing that it takes to be a faithful ambassador – fidelity to the will and word of the one we represent. King David was a man “after God’s own heart.” In what way?

·       David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. (1 Kings 15:5)

Jesus had been the exemplar of this principle:

·       “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.” (John 12:49-50)

In contrast, our tendency is to re-interpret and even re-formulate God’s words in a way that is congruent with our lives, culture, and contacts. In this way, we worship our own reasoning above the Word of God. We deny the teaching that “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

As King Saul grew in confidence, he began to rely upon his own judgments instead of the Word. The Prophet Samuel confronted Saul about his failure to follow God’s instructions:

·       “Behold, to obey is better than [animal] sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:22-23)

Saul had made an idol out of his own reasoning and had rejected the “word of the Lord.” This constituted rebellion against God, the antithesis of faithfulness. To reject His Word was to reject God and to disqualify oneself from service.

God had sent an unnamed “man of God” to testify against King Jeroboam of Israel, who attempted to have him killed. However, the Lord struck down the King with leprosy. On his way back to Judah, this “man of God” was met by an “old prophet” who had heard about his exploits and invited him back to his house. However, the “man of God” informed the “old prophet” that this violated the word he had received from the Lord:

·       And he said, “I may not return with you, or go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place, for it was said to me by the word of the LORD, ‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by the way that you came.’” (1 Kings 13:16-17)

However, the “old prophet” convinced him otherwise:

·       And he said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But he lied to him. (1 Kings 13:18)

As a result of violating the Lord’s instructions, the “man of God” forfeited his life. I find this account highly troubling. For the most part, the “man of God” had been faithful to the Word. From our human perspective, it seems that he had made a very innocent mistake. Death seems to be a very steep price to pay for a “minor” infraction. Perhaps, instead, we need to be shaken from our causal approach to God’s Holy Word.

Moses had also committed what seemed to be a minor infraction. God had told him to merely speak to a rock for the water to flow forth. However, Moses struck the rock as he had obediently done once before (Exodus 17). However, before God, this represented a major transgression, so much so that Moses had to die before entering the Promised Land. God explained:

·        “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” (Numbers 20:12)

Later, the Lord described Moses’ disobedience as “rebellion” (Numbers 20:26; 27:14)! In both places, the Lord accused Moses of failing to uphold Him “as holy in the eyes of the people.” Why? When we violate God’s Word, we violate God. Aaron also had to die prematurely:

·       …”because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel.” (Deuteronomy 32:51)

Why so punitive? If God’s appointed leaders do not meticulously uphold the Word, no one else will.

Israel was always required to follow God’s Word precisely:

·       “And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you. (Deuteronomy 4:1-2)

Gods is holy and so is His Word. To violate His Word is to violate God. To love God is to love and uphold His Word and not to add or subtract or pick-and-choose from it:

·       “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 8:1-3)

Faithfulness to God was a matter of faithfulness to His Word, and, according to Jesus, this same principle pertains today:

·       Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.” (John 14:23-24)

To be a friend of God is to obey God and not to replace this with the unbiblical notion of experiencing God:

·       “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” (John 15:14)

I write this because the notion of obedience to God is looked at as burdensome. However, Jesus associated obedience with joy:

·       “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:10-11)

There is joy in doing His Word. This is not just a matter of “does and don’ts” but also life and peace. Jesus found joy in faithful obedience to the Father (John 4:34). This also pertains to us.