NOT YOUR DECISION
When Eve faced the serpent, Eve made it clear that she knew God said not to eat it! After some discussion, she made the decision that another course was better. She trusted her own heart. She had an opinion, and felt her idea was just as important as the ideas of God; and once all suggestions were out in front, she could make the decision as to what was best. WRONG!
Proverbs 28:26 “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool…"
When Saul was told to kill all the Amalekites, the instruction was not vague, and the interpretation was not necessary.
1 Samuel 15:2 “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.”
vs. 3 “Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.”
Saul looked at the options and made the decision as to what was best – but that call was not his to make. The fact that God allows us to obey or disobey does not mean that all choices are acceptable or appropriate.
1 Samuel 15:13 “And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.”
vs. 14 “And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”
Examples are frequent: consider David and the Ark of the Covenant being returned to Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 6:3 “And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.”
vs. 7 “And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.”
It seemed too simple to place the Ark on a cart. That is how they moved everything; it was the accepted method! God would not usually suggest we follow the normal, accepted path; not when He has clearly explained His will. A good man died; David grew angry toward God, and the Ark did not get back to Jerusalem for months.
Do not get angry at God if circumstances go wrong, especially when we have clearly chosen our own way over His obvious direction. When God tells us what to do, the direction is usually not multiple choice. When we go to a wise counselor, we have options: we can simply listen to the wisdom of older wiser folks, or we can get a variety of opinions and pick what sounds best to us.
If someone comes to me and asks a question, most of the time, I give options and tell them they will need to make the decision. On occasion, I will state the wiser or more biblical path; the choice is still theirs. Now it is their opinion against mine. Usually, I am big enough not to be bothered if they ignore my counsel. Consider though, having the clear direction of God right in front of us, and trying to make a decision based on God's opinion or my own – that is unwise.
Many of life’s decisions are clearly determined by principles, yet the care we take in applying those principles is our decision. Some instructions from God are absolutely clear, such as these examples:
1 Corinthians 11:14 “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?”
Hebrews 13:4 “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”
The Bible is full of instructions from God, and He is always right. May we be wise enough to trust the Lord and to obey Him.
Pastor