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TOPIC: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks About the Tempter (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 069. Obedience
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Obedience
Then there are three positive traits underlying that defeat and victory. The first of these is obedience. Jesus was obedient. I have already spoken of this, and emphasized it. It cannot be spoken of too often, or two much. It is a truth practically lost by the Church that obedience is the first law of the true life. There has been much service, but little obedience, proportionately.
There may be much of self, of pride, of mere human energy in service, and there is. Obedience may be humiliating, and painful; quite likely. It may lead to misunderstanding of one's motives, to a not-understanding, and so to non-appreciation, and to all that goes with that. But obedience, simple, full, glad, is the great law of life. Service counts only as it grows out of obedience.
Jesus obeyed fully, perfectly, musically. It was the joy of His heart and life to obey His Father. The commonplaceness of Nazareth mattered not if only the Father's voice said "in whom I am well pleased." The sharpness of the Wilderness conflict, the daily duelling with Jerusalem leaders, the agony of Gethsemane, the awful experience of Calvary, were gladly accepted and even rejoiced in, for they came in the path of obedience to the Father's will.
His obedience was intelligent and full. And the keenness of that remarkable intellect of His—I am speaking of Him just now as a man, all the strength of His tremendous will, all the love of His great heart, were brought to bear on this—obedience to the Father's will.
That implies several things underlying the obedience. It meant a trained ear; an ear trained by listening, trained by study of the Old Testament Scripture, trained by prayer, yes, trained by obedience; for disobedience, failure to obey, dulls and deafens the ear. It meant study of the Word of God. So there came to be the clear understanding of the Father's plan. It meant a discerning mind, a simple, sane sense. Don't forget the perfect humanness of our divine Lord. He learned His Father's will as we may learn it—by studying the Word. He was wondrously familiar with the old Hebrew rolls. He was saturated, not simply with their teaching, but with their very language. Indeed He talked in the words of the Bible. It is remarkable how far His talks can be reproduced out of the Old Testament. He knew it by heart.
Yet remember that knowledge came to Him in the same way as to any man—namely, by study, by repeated examination of, and poring over, and meditation over, and praying over, the old Hebrew rolls, to which He had access in Nazareth. That carpenter shop was a study shop, too. And that obedience meant prayer too. Through prayer there came the intelligent understanding of the Word of God. Through prayer there came the grace that enabled Him to obey.