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Years ago, a man had trained his dog so well that the dog did whatever the man told it to do. The man once left the dog in the forest to guard his lunch from other workers. But while the man was gone, a fire swept through the forest. The dog was so dedicated that instead of fleeing to save his life, it obediently stood guard and perished. Of course, in training his dog to obey, the man could not foresee all the consequences. But when God tells us to obey His word, He knows all of the outcomes—good and bad. Here is what God told His ancient people Israel about obedience. Exodus 23:20 “See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion. But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you.” We do not know—nor can we know—all the reasons we should follow God’s instructions. But just as we cannot always fully convey to preschoolers why they should obey us, we cannot fully know reasons for some of God’s instructions, but we learn to obey Him, because we trust His love and wisdom.
