Most people do not believe that obedience is an important ingredient in being a Christian. They do not have a point of reference whereby they determine their actions to a given situation. In other words, they do not have a standard. The Bible preaches obedience from front cover to back cover. This was the message of James 1:22-25, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." Only those who obey God’s law are blessed. Without application of the law of God, our faith is in vain.
Ezekiel had the following to say regarding this issue of obedience in Ezekiel 33:30-33, "Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD. 31And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. 32And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. 33And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them." Unfortunately, this is the condition of much of our modern church. They hear the word and that is all that they do. They will not put it into practice, however. They think somehow that they are exempt if they merely hear it.
Application
To properly understand the Bible, we need to use what is known as applied theology.
The most important verse in Leviticus 26:3-13 is verse 3, "If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them. The marginal rendering of "do" is perform. This means to fulfill them. The "if" of this verse makes the positive sanctions as described in Leviticus 26:4-13, conditional. In other words, the promises do not apply, if there is lack of performance of God’s law. Obedience to all of God’s law is therefore, imperative to say the least.Leviticus 26:4-13 reads, "Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. 6And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. 7And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. 8And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. 9For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you. 10And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new. 11And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. 12And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. 13I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright." This is point four of the covenant model right out in the open. Based upon obedience to God’s law will produce these positive sanctions. In other words, God blesses everything we do. We do not have to follow after success. It pursues us and overtakes us.
These positive sanctions will makes us healthy and wealthy. It is a misnomer that by following the law of God that we will be in poverty. David said very clearly in Psalm 37:25, "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." You will not find the godly forsaken. God always blesses them with an abundance. Malachi 3:7-12 gives us this specific example, "Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? 8Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. 12And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts." These promises are physical and material promises. They are the promises of wealth. It is still better to be healthy and wealthy than sick and poor. God intends for His people to prosper both in body and material possessions. Why obey if there is no reward?
Conclusion
Scarcity should not be the norm for the obedient. Abundance is the rule, as Deuteronomy 8:7-9 says, "For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; 8A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; 9A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass." The key is obedience to God’s law.
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