Obedience That Leads to Salvation

When studying the Bible, we can learn about the forefathers of faith and come to understand the importance of obedience to God’s word. There are many instances in the Bible where Bible characters had to overcome their own fears, insecurities, and doubts because they believed in God’s will and promise for them. They obeyed God’s word, and through their obedience, they all received great blessings. Let’s look at the Bible figures and see how their obedience led them to receive blessings and salvation from God.

By Faith, Noah and by Faith, Abraham

Hebrews 11:6-8 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. By faith, Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith, he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

In the above verse, it is written that without faith it is impossible to please God. When we lack faith, we also lack the will to follow God’s word. The forefathers of faith, like Noah and Abraham, were both given tasks by God that, by human perspective, may seem impossible to complete. However, by faith, they both obeyed God and completed the tasks. Let’s learn about their obedience to God’s word.

Genesis 6: 13-14 “So God said to Noah, ” I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood: make room in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.”

God told Noah that he was going to destroy the earth with a great flood. To protect and save him and his family, he was commanded by God to build an ark, something that, even with modern technology, is almost impossible to achieve. However, Noah had to build an ark by his own strength and face a phenomenon he had never witnessed before. What was his reaction to God’s command?

Genesis 6: 22 “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”

He did everything just as commanded. What was the result? He and his family were saved from the flood. Through Noah’s obedience, the path of salvation was opened. Now, let us look at the story of Abraham and Isaac.

Genesis 22: 1-2 Some time later, God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love – Isaac- and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.

In Genesis 15:2-4, Abraham lamented to God that he had no heir, and God answered him, saying that he would have a son, by his own flesh and blood. So, when he was already a hundred years old and Sarah, his wife, was past the birthing age, Isaac was born according to God’s promise. However, God commands Abraham to sacrifice his only son as an offering.  From a human perspective, this is an impossible task for any parent. What was Abraham’s reaction?

Genesis 22:10-12 “Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Do not lay a hand on the boy, “he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

Abraham did not hesitate and prepared Isaac as an offering to God.  As he was about to sacrifice his son, he was stopped by the angel of the Lord. What was the result of Abraham’s obedience?

Genesis 22: 17-18 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring, all nations will be blessed because you have obeyed me.

God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky, all of this because he obeyed God.  Noah and Abraham are examples of obedience to God’s word. It may have looked impossible, but when they viewed everything from God’s perspective rather than their own, they could complete their given missions, and they received gracious results for their obedience.

The Disobedience of King Saul

Just as some fully obey the word of God, some disobey God’s word. The word of God has the power to create all things in the heavens and the earth, and it is through the word of God that we are saved. However, in the Bible, we see that those who disobeyed the word of God did so because they forgot its power.

1 Samuel 15: 3 “Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.”

Saul was given the command to destroy the Amalekites. What were his actions regarding God’s command?

1 Samuel 15:9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs-everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.

He and his army saved what they thought was good. This action of theirs was disobedience to God.

1 Samuel 15: 10,19 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: “I regret that I have made Saul king because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.”Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night……….Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”

Because of his disobedience, God regretted making Saul king over Israel. The Prophet Samuel rebuked Saul for his disobedience.

1 Samuel 15: 22-23 But Samuel replied:  “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”

When King Saul tried to justify his actions, the Prophet Samuel said,” To obey is better than sacrifice” Why did he say so? It is better to obey God than to do what is right in our own eyes. King Saul did not follow God’s command but listened to his men; he put his own thoughts above God’s and did what was right in his own eyes.

Deuteronomy 28: 15 However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you.

King Saul forgot about the importance of following the word of God. What was the result of his disobedience? In the end, he was rejected by God as king and met a terrible fate.

The Lessons From the Past

The purpose of studying history is to learn from the past and apply what we have learned to our lives. We look at both the negatives and positives to shape our future and to avoid repeating the same mistakes as our predecessors. We can apply this same way of thinking to the history of the Bible.

Romans 15: 4 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the scriptures and the encouragement they provide, we might have hope.”

Reading Bible history is not just about learning about certain figures or stories. What we read is meant to teach us, to help us grow in faith, and to strengthen our hope in God. What happened in the Bible teaches us how to live our lives of faith. Then, what can we learn from the story of the Israelites in their forty-year desert journey?

Deuteronomy 8: 1-2 “Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.”

In their journey in the desert, the Israelites faced hardships because God wanted to see what was in their hearts, to see whether or not they could obey God, so that in the end it would all go well with them. However, the Israelites forgot that they were walking with God, who promised them that they would enter Canaan. When the time came, they failed to enter Canaan.

Hebrews 3:18 “And to whom did God swear that they would never enter His rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter because of their unbelief.”

The Israelites journeyed across the desert for forty years after leaving Egypt, and in the end, not all of them could enter the promised land of Canaan. What was the reason they could not enter Canaan? Their lack of faith in God’s promise led them to disobey God, and because of that unbelief, they couldn’t enter Canaan. Similarly, we won’t be able to enter heaven if we are the same. We are in the spiritual desert, and we may also encounter hardships; we may face situations that seem impossible to overcome. However, we should not give in, remembering God’s promise for us. We should learn from the Israelites and not do as they did. God has promised us that we will enter the spiritual Canaan, Heaven. We should have faith in the word of God.

Deuteronomy 28: 1-2 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God.

Obedience to the words of God is very important for our faith. We may not know what we need to be saved, but through His commands, God leads us on the path of salvation.