Walking in Obedience
And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to the LORD.” And the pots in the house of the LORD shall be as the bowls before the altar. And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the LORD of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the LORD of hosts on that day. Zechariah 14-20-21 ESV
“God wants us to walk in obedience—not victory. Obedience is oriented toward God; victory is oriented toward self.” Those words exploded off my iPad screen! I took advantage of Amazon’s $2.99 sale and downloaded “Pursuit of Holiness” by Jerry Bridges to my Kindle app. It went along with my study this week: obedience equals holiness.
Do you struggle with obedience? I know there are areas of my life where I do. We aren’t the only ones either. God’s word has plenty to teach us on the subject.
I have spent the last few months studying the book of Zechariah and then leading a Precept Upon Precept study for a few friends. One theme that is consistent in the book is obedience. And with obedience comes God’s blessing and subsequent holiness.
Because of constant persecution, the people of God had stopped building the temple in Jerusalem following their return from Babylonian captivity. But God had a word for them….build it! God called Zechariah to tell the people to obey, return to him and continue building the temple. Through Zechariah, God urged them not be like the generations before who refused to listen to God’s command. Zechariah’s word not only encouraged them to continue building, his prophecies brought them comfort. As hard as the tasked at hand seemed-the people obeyed. The temple was finished.
Doing what God command was the first step to pursue being a holy a righteous people.
Zechariah closes with the verses quoted above. Notice the phrase “Holy to the LORD.” In my study I learned that particular inscription was only found once in Israel’s history – on the high priest Aaron’s turban (see Exodus 28:36-38). It is a very significant and special phrase that tells us God’s future plan. He is saying that one day, in Christ’s future kingdom, everything will be holy. Just as the high priest Aaron was holy, a blessed future is coming where all will walk in God’s precepts and live a perfected holiness.
Obeying God is the beginning. One sure way we can walk in obedience is by studying His word faithfully and carefully. Just as Zechariah did for the people building the temple, God’s word will comfort us and encourage us in our quest for holiness.
It is never too late to begin a life of obedience.
“Thus declares the LORD of hosts: Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts.” Zechariah 1:3 ESV.
Is it time for you to return? Pursue holiness. Return.
In Christ Alone,
Dana
Visit me at my blog, Seeking Precepts.
This was wonderful! I never noticed that about the inscription on Aaron’s turban.
Obedience and self-control have been on my heart lately.
Thank you for nudging us to seek obedience in all areas of our lives.
Love,
Beth
Great post. You are so right obedience should be our aim- not victory. We make so much about us. The more of the Word of God we apply to our lives the easier it becomes to be DOERS (obedient) and not HEARERS (victors) only. Blessings as you continue to minister the Words of the Lord.
You are right Dana that when we stay close to His Word we can walk in obedience.