“This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For the LORD brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand” (Exodus 13:9).
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word, “Obedience?”
I am sure there are many responses from all of you, but I would be shocked if “Joy” and “Delight” were what you were thinking. If you thought those words, let me know! Because you’ve got it right.
The context of the verse for today comes from the Exodus. The Israelites just escaped Egypt. They are free. It’s after they’ve experienced the Passover and the mass exodus out of Egypt that Moses commands the Israelites to observe the Passover every year as a memorial and a reminder of all that God did for them.
Don’t miss the order: the command for obedience and observance comes only after salvation. The Jews were set free. They had already crossed the Red Sea. They’ve already seen the Pharaoh’s army drowned. They’ve already seen God’s love and protection for them through the first Passover.
Only after they’ve experienced salvation, does the call for obedience come up. Obedience is the response of the saved, rescued, and the redeemed. Obedience reminds us of God’s awesome salvation.
Obeying God, his commands, and his word is not how we gain access to God. Obedience doesn’t earn us a spot in God’s kingdom. Obedience is the response of those who have already been saved.
We obey, not to gain God’s favor, but because we have already been favored through the salvation purchased for us by the cross, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Our obedience is our joyful and willing response because of all that God has done for us.
So the next time you think about obedience? Think “Joy” and “Delight” because Christ has already done the work of salvation.
Praxis: Faith in Action 