Monday, February 20, 2017

It is out of a position of obedience that we are able to abide in Christ

The hebrew verb שָׁמַע (Shama), can mean simply to hear, or it can mean, according to context and according to what prepositions follow it either to listen, hearken. to obey, or to understand. (emphasis mine, Holman Treasury of Key Bible Words: 200 Greek and 200 Hebrew Words Explained and Defined p83)

The Hebrew word shama is used in Duet 6 to translate the word “Hear” in the foundational passage known as the “Grand Shema” (or Shama)

"Hear (Shama), O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! (Deu 6:4 NAS)

Samuel used  the same hebrew word, shama, to convey the importance of obedience when he confronted Saul's disobedience of withholding the spoils of war and Saul's further cover up when trying to justify he was doing it for God!


“To shama, (obey, hear, listen) is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22)

Saul failed because he refused to follow, to listen, and to carryout what God had asked him to do.

The Holeman treasury goes on to say “To really hear God means to obey what is spoken, or heard or even read.”

God saw Saul’s disobedience as a turning from following Him! (1Sa 15:11 NAS) and a rejection of His Word! (15:23). God tore the kingdom from Saul that day, and the presence of His Spirit left Saul in the next chapter.  I believe that the sin of Saul’s disobedience and the events that followed were in David’s mind after he was confronted by Nathan the prophet for striking down Uriah so he could take Bathsheba to be his wife (2 Sam. 12). It was in this context that David penned his well known psalm of repentance.

 "Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
 Do not cast me away from Thy presence, And do not take Thy Holy Spirit from me. (Psa 51:10-11 NAS).

It is interesting to note that God forgave David when he repented, yet did not forgive Saul when he confessed his sin of disobedience (15:30). I imagine it had to do with a heart that is tied to obedience and not the "appearance of an external confession" (1 Sam 16:7). 

The context of the Grand Shema in Duet 6 goes on to show that our love for God is our motivation to listen to / obey Him.

"And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deut 6:5) 

John says that when we love God we keep his commandments (1Jn 5:2-3).

The Greek word used to translate the Hebrew shama in the Old Testament is ακούω (akuo) meaning to hear, and in the N.T. one of the words for obedience is a derivate of akuo  ὑπακούω (hoop-akuo (to listen, hear, follow, be subject to, to ‘obey’ ). We find this used in both Rom 10:17 and Hebrew 5:9 that relate the same concepts of hear and obey to the concept of obedience in our faith.

In Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” The implication of obedience is tied to the application “going or sending”   

In Hebrews 5:9 “And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, (Heb 5:9 NAS)

John goes on to say that Christ abides in the one who keeps his commands;

“And the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And we know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” (1Jo 3:24 NAS)

There is a lot to the concept of our obedience as it relates to how we follow, listen, believe, and abide in Christ.  Jesus asked His disciples to “Follow me” and then sent them out to make disciples teaching them to obey His commands. The relationship of God’s presence and our obedience to his mission is clear in the contrast of Saul and David, and in Jesus sending out his disciples in His great commission. 

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always… (Mat 28:19-20 NAS)

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