Obedience at the First Instance

We live in an age when we have our personal opinions about everything. It is an era of BIAS, and whatever we hear by the Spirit, most of the time, we struggle to act by them. God spoke to Abraham and told him to leave his father’s house, to leave the comfortable for the uncomfortable, the known for the unknown, and he should break his routine and follow Him at a very old age. He did not even give him an idea of where he was going. He promised that Abraham should keep going until he gets to where He would show him. No address, no postcode, nothing to actually ascertain where he was being led to by God.

But Abraham acted in obedience to the voice of God and began to move. Along the way, God made a covenant with Abraham; He said he should circumcise himself and every male born in his home. Even those that he bought with money and those that were biologically giving birth to in his family. The Bible says in verse 22 of Genesis 17 that he acted immediately and began to circumcise every male in his home. Everyone above 8 years old, and the Bible even says that Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised.

We can only imagine how painful it would be for a 99-year-old man to circumcise himself and for so many males 40 years old, 60 years old, and maybe 85. The question is; “are we able to obey God immediately He gives us an instruction?”. This is obedience at first instance. Abraham never delayed the action that God was expecting him to take. God wants us as believers to act promptly on His instructions, and never doubt or never display any bias on whatever He asks us to do. The Bible recorded that every 8th-day-old male and above in Abraham’s household was circumcised because he was an example.

He did it first! Are we an example in our communities, homes, and everywhere we find ourselves? That is a question that we must ask ourselves. We are representatives of Jesus and ambassadors of heaven everywhere we find ourselves. How are we responding to the instructions of Jesus? Are we disciples of Him? A disciple is an ardent learner or follower of somebody who wants to live according to the way his master or teacher lives. He imitates whatever his teacher teaches him. He puts into practice all the ways of Jesus. People around Abraham could not see God, but they knew the heart of God and acted according to Abraham’s instructions because he acted promptly at the first instance on every instruction given to him by God. The generation of Abraham could not act contrary because Abraham was a very vivid example of obedience and a loyal follower of God, which translates to faith and the Bible called this righteousness.

Our obedience in the first instance without any delay is an act of faith and this translates into righteousness. No man has any form of righteousness by themselves, but by our faith in Jesus Christ, and walking by the precepts of the Father through the Holy Spirit, we are righteous. Paul says Christ is our righteousness. As long as we have faith in the Son, we are righteous. “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30) [NKJV].

Our prompt response to instructions given to us by God is evidence of our faith in Him. In other words, delayed obedience is tantamount to disobedience. When we drag actions that are meant to be taken immediately in response to the instructions of the Lord, something is wrong somewhere. The Bible recorded that when God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac unto Him, the following day, Abraham began the journey to where he was meant to sacrifice his only son.

“2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” 3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance” (Genesis 22:2-4).

It is also recorded in the scripture that immediately God made a covenant with Abraham, the covenant of circumcision of every male in his lineage, he began to do it immediately. Now, what is God asking you to do? Are you finding it so difficult that you are delaying to act immediately? Maybe it’s time for you today to respond, knowing that God desires our obedience in the first instance.

Prayer
Dear Father, help me to trust you enough to act immediately I receive instructions from you and help me to stay attentive to your voice. Amen!

Study Text: Genesis 17:10-11, 22-27 (NKJV)
[10] This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; [11] and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.
[22] Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. [23] So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him. [24] Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. [25] And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. [26] That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael; [27] and all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.