The ‘how’ is just as important to God as the doing of His instructions

1 Chronicles 13:9-10; 1 Chronicles 15:2,13-15; Hebrews 10:26-31

The ‘how’ is just as important to God as the doing of His instructions. Continuing willfully in sin after receiving the truth is abusing God’s grace and there are significant consequences. 🙅🏾‍♂️

God had instructed clearly how the ark was to be moved i.e. carried on the shoulders of the Levite priests using poles; not carried on a card moved by an oxen. David and co had forgotten and poor Uzza died as a result.

David subsequenly read the word of God and found out the truth for himself. Then he ordered the priests to sanctify themselves and do just as God had instructed – and they succeeded. 🙌🏾

• Moses didn’t obey God’s explicit instruction to speak to the rock but instead he struck the rock (as he had done in the past and now trusted in his own abilities); thus, he missed out on entering the promised land. 💔
  
  NB: Ever noticed the different forms Jesus used in delivering miracles? 🤔 God has a million ways to achieve His plans for us so we shouldn’t restrict Him to His past moves or put Him in a box using our limited understanding! We should trust in Him with ALL our heart.

• Saul also didn’t obey God’s explicit instructions at different times. 1) In 1 Sam 13, He got impatient in waiting for Samuel before attacking the Philistines and decided to do the pre-war sacrifice himself which should have been done by the priest. God limited his reign and chose David to succeed him. 2) In 1 Sam 15, Saul disobeyed God’s instruction to totally wipe out the Amalekites. Instead they kept its king, Agag, alive, and the best animals. God rejected Saul as king, tore the kingdom away and Saul never saw Samuel again. 😔

NB: God is the same yesterday, today and forever. It may indeed appear to us nowadays that because of God’s grace, His judgements for disobedience are less swift. Heb 10:26-31 warns sternly against falling into this type of thinking:

““For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who rejected Moses’ law died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the spirit of grace?” 🙏🏾🙌🏾

Hebrews 10:26-31

God knows that we are weak and could fall into sin even after receiving the truth. Like David however, we must not remain in that hole but repent, quickly! This was the core difference between David and Saul, as Saul lingered in his sins and continued disobeying even after repeated warnings. Saul also didn’t go through a wilderness experience like David did (i.e. a time gap between receiving the vision and its materialization) and wasn’t trained/disciplined in fearing and trusting God.