This past Sunday my pastor delivered a very interesting and thought provoking message about obedience and how it’s a boundary established by God for our own protection. I was totally fascinated and especially appreciated how it confirms so much of what I had already learned about the power and protection of obedience in our lives, particularly as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, and I’ve truly enjoyed my subsequent study about it. Despite the fact that it’s such a complex topic, with a lot of interesting and important applications, and probably not really possible to do justice in a SOF post, I’m still going to try, because it is so interesting, and hopefully quite liberating!

Deuteronomy 11> very clearly spells out why God gave us the Ten Commandments, and the benefits and dangers of obeying them or not. But the verses that are particularly interesting and encouraging to us as we stand for marriage restoration are Deuteronomy 11:8-15, which say Observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, and so that you may live long in the land that the LORD swore to your forefathers to give to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end. So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul-then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. Wow! What more could we possibly want than that! But, God does leave it up to us to choose whether we want to struggle and toil by trying to do everything our own way and in our own strength instead of His, because Deuteronomy 11:26-28 says See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse-the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known. So obedience is clearly NOT a matter of God’s need to control us and make our lives miserable and difficult as some seem to think. Quite the contrary. God established the Ten Commandments and all of the instruction provided in His Word for our BENEFIT; so we could enjoy His provision, His protection and the glorious blessings He longs to bestow on us. When we choose not to be obedient, WE are the ones who deprive and harm ourselves, because we’ve stepped outside of the CLEARLY DEFINED boundaries of our Promised Land, which He established in love for us for our own protection, where He can bless, protect and provide for us. And that’s demonstrated in Daniel 9:4-5, Which says I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. And then again, Nehemiah 1:5-6 says Then I said: “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. So God’s Word and law is His covenant of love with us, and when we honor Him by honoring His Word and keeping His commands, WE are blessed, protected, defended, strengthened and provided for by God Himself! But when we are disobedient, WE are the ones who have removed ourselves from the shelter of His love and protection, as described in Deuteronomy 33:12, which says About Benjamin he said: “Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.” And that’s further confirmed by the following verses:

Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Psalm 5:11
But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

Psalm 37:28
For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;

Psalm 91:14
“Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

Not only do we have the shelter and protection of God’s love when we obey Him, but we also have His Word that through obedience we can overcome every weapon of Satan and the world and every sinful act of man(or woman) that comes against us and our marriages, as revealed in the following verses:

2 Corinthians 10:4-6
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

1 John 5:1-5
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome
the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

1 John 5:18-21
We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

And we certainly need to carefully observe the warning in that last sentence as we stand for marriage restoration, because it’s way too easy to allow other things to become too important to us. And ANYTHING that is more important or demands and receives more of our time or attention than God, IS an idol, and that most definitely includes even the restoration of our marriages. In fact, that happens to be the very FIRST commandment as revealed in Deuteronomy 5:6-10, which says “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. So God reserves punishment for those who hate Him, and NOT those who love Him! That’s why this should be liberating for those who still struggle with condemnation. As Romans 1:1-2 tells us Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. And John 15:7-10 tells us If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. And John 14:15-31 makes it clear that we don’t really love Jesus if we’re not willing to obey Him and that we obey Him BECAUSE we love Him, particularly the following verses:
15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command.
21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”
23-24 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

Finally, Psalm 111:10 tells us The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. So that’s another good reason for obedience, which Proverbs 4 spells out, especially verses 5-6, which say Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. And it’s not possible to consider the benefits and blessings of obedience to the Word of God and His commandments without studying Psalm 119, and the following verses are just a few that make it clear why:

Psalm 119:
1-2 Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.
22 Remove from me scorn and contempt, for I keep your statutes.
24 Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.
25-32 I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word. I recounted my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees. Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders. My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law. I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws. I hold fast to your statutes, O LORD; do not let me be put to shame. I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.
45-47 I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, for I delight in your commands because I love them.
75-78 I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me. May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant. Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight. May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate on your precepts.
80 May my heart be blameless toward your decrees, that I may not be put to shame.
86-88 All your commands are trustworthy; help me, for men persecute me without cause. They almost wiped me from the earth, but I have not forsaken your precepts. Preserve my life according to your love, and I will obey the statutes of your mouth.
91-94 Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you. If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life. Save me, for I am yours; I have sought out your precepts.
98-101 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.
104-105 I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
110 The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts.
114 You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.
116-118 Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed. Uphold me, and I will be delivered; I will always have regard for your decrees. You reject all who stray from your decrees, for their deceitfulness is in vain.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
133-135 Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me. Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may obey your precepts. Make your face shine upon your servant and teach me your decrees.
143-144 Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight. Your statutes are forever right; give me understanding that I may live.
149-156 Hear my voice in accordance with your love; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your laws. Those who devise wicked schemes are near, but they are far from your law. Yet you are near, O LORD, and all your commands are true. Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever. Look upon my suffering and deliver me, for I have not forgotten your law. Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to your promise. Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek out your decrees. Your compassion is great, O LORD; preserve my life according to your laws.
165-166 Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble. I wait for your salvation, O LORD, and I follow your commands.
169-176 May my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your word. May my supplication come before you; deliver me according to your promise. May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees. May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous. May your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts. I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight. Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me. I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.

Finally, the only way to make the point as effectively as my pastor did is to share the powerful real life illustration he used of how obedience to God’s Word literally serves as a boundary for our protection. On Saturday, the men in our church put up a chain link fence around his back yard. He has a small dog and three very young children (with another one on the way), and they live in the parsonage next to our church. And our church is not in a great neighborhood and it’s at the crossroads of some very busy streets. And the point he made is that even though his kids and the dog might not appreciate being hemmed in by the fence, it provides a boundary of safety for them, and that if they were able to get outside of the fence, they would be in danger and easy prey or at risk for all sorts of danger. Now that had an impact on me, especially as I applied it to so many situations that came to my mind. And I’m sure it will have a similar impact on others considering it. But one of the neatest things about that illustration I thought of is that if his kids or the dog DO get out, he’s going to go find them and bring them back, just as God does with us when we stray into areas of disobedience. And just like his kids and dog, once we’re back inside the boundaries of safety, we’ll be just as safe as if we’d never left them! So instead of letting the devil beat us up when we slip and fall, all we have to do is get back inside the boundaries of safety God provides for us in His Word and it will be just as if we’d never sinned or wandered away from the shield of His love and protection! In fact, God and all of heaven will be rejoicing when we’re found and come back home. And we know that based on Luke 15! And Isaiah 55 provides an awesome illustration of how God freely pardons us when we turn from our sin and mistakes because we love Him and want to follow Him in obedience to His Word! So instead of thinking of obedience as a cross to bear and some kind of burden that’s very difficult to carry, we need to praise God for His graciousness in providing us such a clearly defined and GUARANTEED roadmap to the life He promised each and every one of us in our own Promised Land, with every blessing, protection and provision therein! Because when we do that, we’ll truly understand the power and protection of obedience and we won’t be able to avoid being blessed and encouraged!

Posted Tuesday, March 13th, 2007 at 7:14 pm in Seeds Of Faith.