Both and...

Are you doing both?

We can’t actually obey God if we aren’t willing to do what He says.

In Isaiah Chapter one, God says, “ if you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good of the land.” Being willing isn't enough. Being obedient isn’t enough. To partake in the good things of life, we have to be both! To be honest, sometimes we obey, but it's begrudgingly. We have a bad attitude, but we do what we said we would do. And there are times when we were willing to obey, but we postponed our obedience. 

The scripture in Isaiah tells us what happens if we don't obey. It says,  “if you refuse or you rebel, you will be eaten by the sword.” The hard truth is that delayed obedience is disobedience, and just being willing to obey will not cut it!

The Hebrew word for obedient is “Shama.” It means; to hear, to listen, to give attention, to understand, to submit, and to obey. It is important to note that there is only one word for obedience in Hebrew! There are nearly forty synonyms for the word obedience in the English language. Since this scripture was translated from Hebrew, we need to understand that there is no room for misunderstanding obedience in this case. The word's definitions in Hebrew form the line of action: we listen for God, and then we hear God and pay attention; we understand what He has said, then we submit to it and obey Him. I don't know about you, but it blows my mind that the few meanings of the only word that means obey in the original language of this scripture strung together can create a sentence that describes not only the meaning of the word but the actions we must take to accomplish it! 

The Hebrew word for willing is “Avah.” It means: willing, inclined, desirous, and wishing. In English, willing can be a verb, an adjective, or a noun. Some synonyms in the English language are: deliberate, intentional, and voluntary. Here willingness works in conjunction with obedience. 

“Avah” is spelled “Alep, Beth, Hei.” Jewish literature teaches that the aleph represents the yoke of the oxen. Excuse me, What?! So the word in Hebrew that means that we must be inclined to, desirous of, and wishing to be obedient to God, also includes a letter in its spelling that represents being yoked to God? This illustration means that when we are willing to be obedient, we are working “With” God, not against him! 

Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

A yoke of oxen was used in times past to pull a large plow or a heavy load. Two can pull more than one. The more we trust God, the more we understand His yoke is pretty light. Here is another thing I think we need to know about yokes. They were made for the two specific unique ones pulling the load. So if, for example, one ox was injured, another could not take its place. No, the yokes were made specifically for the two and could no longer be used for others. This, my friends, means that When Jesus says he wants us to be yoked to Him, the bond that he has with us in order to make our struggle easier to bear is like none other. My yoke with Jesus will only fit us! Your yoke with Jesus will only fit you! Every difficult load to bear is unique, and Jesus will perfectly come alongside us to help us carry our loads!

Nothing in the Bible is a mistake. God is in all of the details. Every one! This is why I like to look at the root words and customs of the time from when something was written. 

Are you willing and obedient? Are you listening for God’s voice? Are you ready to obey immediately and live a good life? Or are you rebellious? Isaiah 1:19-20 says, “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land, but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

God is offering His people an opportunity to repent. He is offering us the same opportunity. To stop our sinful choices and embrace good. He says that if we are willing to obey Him, we will have all we need and more. If not, we will no longer be protected from our enemies. The Lord is abridging His covenant with His people (Deuteronomy 30:15-20) to one choice: obey and prosper or rebel and be destroyed. It couldn't be simpler. He ends this section with the phrase, “the mouth of the Lord has spoken,” which means these words are final and just.