"Because I said so!"

You know how people sometimes say, “Like my father (or mother) always told me...”? I’d bet if we could prove it, we’d find one thing they said most often was, “Because I said so!” Those of us who are parents have probably said it, as well, when their children question instructions they’ve given. It might be a frustrated response, if we sense our authority being challenged, or it may be that we don’t have a reasonable answer to their “Why?”

As parents, though, we’re less concerned about our child’s curiosity than their compliance. We know our instructions are in their best interests and, besides that, our respective roles say we direct and they respond. At least, that’s how it is supposed to work.

We see these same roles in our relationship with God, where we are the child and He is the parent, our Father. In this perfect relationship, He directs and we…, um, we… well, hmmm. I want to say, “and we obey,” but the truth is that we probably ask Him “Why?” even more than our children ask us. The thing is, answering “Why?” only satisfies curiosity (our’s and our children’s) but obedience satisfies the instruction’s purpose, and the child may never understand that.

Granted, this is no big revelation, at least if we continue to look at it as a one-sided exchange. But what if we consider the reciprocal dynamic? What if instead of the instruction that’s given, we see how the child’s acceptance is also given? That’s what I saw as I read Leviticus 25 this morning, as God set forth various laws for His people. The following example helps explain:

“The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me. And in all the country you possess, you shall allow a redemption of the land.” (Leviticus 25: 23-24)

In these verses, God told Israel that they could not sell their land on a “forever” basis. As the passage continues (verses 25-28), He explained that the seller (or a relative) could buy it back later at a fair price. If they were unable, it would still revert back at a set time. God even gave His reason, that since the land was His (having made it), He could set its ownership terms.

Explaining the reason for the law helps us understand it, but it’s still one side of the exchange. If we look at Israel’s response to God’s instruction we see that, by accepting His law, they accepted and acknowledged His sovereignty and so blessed His parental authority.

It’s like this: without recognizing authority, we’re not bound by it. Unless our children accept our authority, they have no reason to be obedient. It’s the same with God, our Father, if we have no interest in His instruction. Disregarding His guidance effectively disregards His authority over us. On the other hand, the willful obedience of the child effectuates the parent’s inherent right to instruct them.

And if a parent’s guidance is in their child’s best interest, so is the child’s obedience. As His children, there’s also something in it for us to acknowledge God’s authority. While that shouldn’t be our motivation to be obedient, this view sharpens the contrast of the opposite position. That is, the non-believer’s disobedience rejects God’s authority and so “removes him from His blessings and the rights of the believer…, (and) judgement in the day will be his” (Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary). And it’s even more alarming when we realize that this statement equates disobedience to disbelief.

So then, our response to God’s direction seems to have eternal consequences. Saying we believe in Him means that we acknowledge His goodness, authority and sovereignty over creation and our behavior should echo that. And while ‘belief that produces good behavior’ is consistent with the Christian credo of faith-based salvation, does the reverse have more wiggle room? Can we work our way into eternal separation from Him by our disobedient, sovereignty-denying works? I don’t think we want to find out. But as heavy as that thought is, we can simply wash it away by this:

Instead of looking at obedience like the duty it is, let’s see it as our gift that allows us to glorify God, today and forever.