He Wants So Much More Than Respect

Sometimes, not seeing the need to ask for directions has been attributed to men … especially when they appear to be lost!

I will make an early confession here that as I was growing up, I watched episodes of the great frontiersman and folk hero, Daniel Boone, who was played by Fes Parker.

Daniel Boone was asked if he had ever been lost while out in the wilderness and unknown territory.  His answer reflects how we can rationalize things when he said, “I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks.” Guilty!

Many of us, both men and women, can find ourselves in the unenviable place of being confused, uncertain, having been misdirected, and feeling displaced … and generally just not knowing which way to go or turn.

At other times … the intersection of choosing offers a very clear choice!

Without oversimplifying things, it would do all of us well to remember that the One who created this universe and fashioned our bodies out of the dust of the ground and breathed life into man (Genesis 2:7) … knows exactly where we are … and He has told us exactly how to get to a better place. He has provided all the directions we need.

The better place to be is the one of approval and blessedness … and it is “… the way that leads to eternal life” (John 14:6).

It is thought-provoking to say the least when one takes the witness stand in a court of law with one hand on a Bible and the right hand is raised … and the affirmation of “truth” is made!

In the same way, when a public figure is being ‘sworn in’ to a particular office or position, the same moment is repeated!

God’s Book … “the inspired and revealed Word of God” … is “truth” … and is the standard by which we are all to both live and die … for by it we will each be finally judged (John 12:48).

Make no mistake; found in the pages of God’s Book is an affirmation of His love, mercy, grace, patience, and even His justice!  But respecting or affirming the Bible is the truth is not enough … obedience to that truth is a must!

It is when His acts of justice are demonstrated and recorded for our learning that we sometimes fall back on our heels and are tempted to wonder … was God too severe? … Did He really need to do that?

One of the instances where the justice of God is pointed out is recorded in 2 Samuel 6 with the account of King David bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem.  It had been taken away by a foreign army for so many years. But David chooses to not seek guidance from the Lord on how to accomplish this effort.

What happens next is both startling and shocking.  Choosing to transport the Ark in a way different than God had previously authorized, David makes a bad choice and that choice would lead to the death of a man named Uzzah (2 Samuel 6:1-6).

Now … when we read the account … as they are moving along on the road back to Jerusalem, one of the oxen stumbles … and Uzzah reaches out to stabilize the Ark that he thinks is about to fall.

The problem …Uzzah was not authorized by God or by God’s Word to touch the Ark!  The result was that it cost him his life right then and there!

So … what’s the point of this article?  Our point is … we are to “… ask for the old paths where the good way is, and walk in it!” (Jeremiah 6:16, NKJV) We should always at every crossroad of life be looking for the godly, the God-revealed right way!

Unfortunately, in far too many cases throughout the history of mankind starting back in the Garden, and even now including our own time, men reenact the response recorded in the same passage, “But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’” (Jeremiah 6:16, NKJV)

The truth of God’s Book is still just that … the truth of God’s Book!  Uzzah did what he thought was showing some respect by reaching out for the Ark of the Covenant.  My friend, God doesn’t want respect alone … He wants our obedience as well!  We must know the truth!

The lesson here should be obvious:  God’s work must be done in God’s way if it is to have God’s blessing! God hasn’t changed … ever!  His Book hasn’t changed … ever! We must be careful to change … to be “conformed to His will” … not to our own will!

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Proverbs 14:12, NKJV)

Choose life my friend … choose God’s Way! Respect plus obedience is the right choice!

Bill Fairchild, Jr.

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