Willful DISobedience

Jeremiah 42

5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD your God be a faithful witness against us if we refuse to obey whatever he tells us to do! 6 Whether we like it or not, we will obey the LORD our God to whom we are sending you with our plea. For if we obey him, everything will turn out well for us.”

Oh if the people of Jerusalem had only meant what they said. They reneged on their vow, and they suffered the consequences, but l want to examine their vow today. They called upon the Lord God Almighty to be a witness against them if they refused to obey whatever HE told them to do. They proclaimed that whether they liked what they heard from Jeremiah or not, they would obey the LORD their God to Whom THEY were sending Jeremiah with their plea. They knew that Jeremiah was indeed a true prophet of the Most High God, and they desperately wanted to hear from God. They acknowledged that obedience to God equals everything turning out “well” for them. If only they had truly believed what they said, and if only they had obeyed God’s Word as proclaimed to them through Jeremiah. Now, before I condemn them for their stupidity, I need to remember that God’s Word still speaks to us today (it is called the Bible). Obedience is still the correct path to choose. So, why are so many of us who claim to be Christians not on the path of obedience? Do we not mean what we say? Do we not believe what we teach?