FOOLISHNESS TO THE WORLD
Because God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways higher than our ways (Isa. 55:8-9), at times God will instruct us to do what appears foolish to the world (1 Cor. 1:18).
Throughout God’s Word, we find people exhibiting peculiar behavior in obedience to God. Witnessing Noah pouring himself into building the ark, when mankind had never seen rain, and the concept of a flood was foreign, must have been an amazing sight to behold. To the world, this peculiar behavior is viewed as foolishness. I’m sure a few Egyptian head’s turned when they first noticed the blood-stained doorposts of the
Israelite households celebrating Passover. (Ex. 12) Furthermore, Imagine the puzzled look on the armed men and priests as Joshua relayed God’s plan to bring down the walls of Jericho by marching around the city, sounding the trumpets, and shouting loudly. (Joshua 6:3-4) While these particular requests from God may sound odd, every one of these people who trusted and obeyed God reaped a harvest of blessings in the end. The Israelites firstborn were spared, and Joshua and his men were victorious.
GOD GIVES US HIS BLUEPRINTS
God will never give us general instructions. Rather, He gives precise instructions. (Gen. 6:14-16) When He commissioned Noah to build the ark, God faithfully gave Noah specifics Noah was to go about it in a way that would please Him. While we are called to learn what pleases the Lord (Eph. 5:10), we needn’t look for the answer, any further than God’s Word. Noah didn’t have to figure out the specifics in building the ark. God lovingly removed the guesswork for Noah. Now he simply needed to obey.
Noah would not be the last time God would give someone specifics in accomplishing His will. Exodus 12 lays out the particulars God gave the Israelites regarding preparations for the first Passover. Likewise, when Joshua and his men wondered how they could successfully penetrate the fortified city of Jericho, the Lord faithfully provided a strategy which would deliver Jericho in their hands. (Josh. 6:3-4) Whatever questions weigh on our minds, God’s Word is sure to have the answers. Whether our concerns deal with marriage, finances, priorities, etc. God’s Word takes out the guesswork. We simply are called to obey.
Likewise, when the newness of my marriage began fading causing submission to my husband to become increasingly frustrating for me, I turned to God’s Word for instruction on how God expected me to rise up in obedience to this newly challenging area of my life. During our engagement and the first several months of marriage, submission was not an issue. It was a delight. Just as Jacob’s seven years of work for Laban, to marry his beloved Rachel, seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her, (Gen. 29:20) any inconvenience I may have experienced in submitting to my husband, paled in comparison to the intense love I felt for him. So when I looked to Scripture for reason why submission had become burdensome for me the Lord revealed to me the fact that my love, for my husband, had grown lukewarm. Consequently, the Lord provided me the blueprint to loving my husband through the verses in I Corinthians 13:4-8.
Ever since then, knowing how to rise up to the challenge of submitting to my husband has no longer puzzled me. Now that God’s given me the blueprints, I’ve been given all I need to be obedient. Like Noah, now I’m simply called to obey. While, at times, this can feel easier said than done, God has assured me whatever He calls me to do, He will equip me to obey.
NO SHORTCUTS OR SUBSITIUTIONS
Noah’s obedience to do everything just as God commanded him proves Noah did not take any shortcuts or make any substitutions in preparation for the world-wide flood. Noah believed whatever God called him to, despite what it might cost him, he would be far better off for giving God his full trust and obedience. Boy was he right!
In my own life, I share Noah’s conviction to avoid compromise in my obedience to God. I remember one place I worked at, my co-workers would regularly stroll in after the start of their shift, or past their break-time. This was frustrating to witness when I place such a priority on being on time to work, and from my breaks. Though there appeared to be an unspoken indifference by management regarding my co-workers lackadaisical attitude concerning punctuality, as long as work got done, I could never justify this compromise of obedience to God. While no one, at my work, would have probably cared if I took a few extra minutes getting back from lunch, I know God would care. That’s enough for me.
While Noah’s neighbors probably cared little how he built the ark, Noah knew God cared. That was enough for him. He understood that taking shortcuts and making substitutions, while building the ark, would mean a compromise in his obedience. To Noah, the time and money such shortcuts and substitutions would have saved him, paled in comparison to grieving the heart of his God.
While obedience may always cost us something, compromise will always cost us more. I recall hearing about a foreman who wanted to reward his best construction worker the opportunity to manage the construction of a house all on his very own. The construction worker was given a generous budget and was set free to design the house, hire a crew, buy needed materials, and oversee the building of the house. Though thrilled to be in charge of the construction of this house, the construction manger decided if he were to use cheap plumbing, wiring, roofing and otherwise cut corners on the quality of materials used to build the house, he could pocket any money he saved and his foreman would never be the wiser.
Though the house was constructed with inferior materials, once it was finished, it appeared to be of very good quality. Secretly excited about all the money he saved (and pocketed) by cutting corners on the construction of the house, the construction manager proudly presented the house to his foreman. “Wow!” the foreman exclaimed. “This house looks incredible! I knew you’d do a great job if you were just given the opportunity. To show you how much I’ve appreciated your exemplary work over the years, I’m giving you this house. It’s all yours. Enjoy!” At that moment, I imagine the devastating consequences of his compromise, overshadowed any feelings of joy he may have felt from the money he saved.
Had Noah compromised in his obedience to prepare for the flood, his ark may not have been truly watertight, when the flood waters came, which would have posed a serious problem. Likewise, had the Israelites used a blemished lamb for the Passover, or failed to apply the lamb’s blood to the doorposts with hyssop I’m confident their firstborn would have perished when God passed through Egypt. Clearly when we do everything just as God commands us, we will be spared from the hardships that would otherwise befall us had we compromised our obedience to God.
BLESSED ARE THE OBEDIENT
While living in obedience to the Lord, in our depraved world, may have its challenges, Noah’s example proves that doing so is both doable and rewarding. Though people in our life may see our faith in Jesus as foolishness, and view our faithful obedience to God as a waste of our time, we can be sure our obedience to God will always be worth it.
Question for you: When were you faced with an opportunity to compromise, but didn't, and as a result were blessed by God?
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Copyright © 2012 Brooke Espinoza.
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