Hebraic Musing – Have You Ever Said “No” to God?
The number one reason we say “no” to God is FEAR! If the Lord asks you to do something, it might
involve risk. He’s not going to ask you to be reckless or irresponsible, but He
will ask you to step out of your comfort zone.
Saying “no” to God comes from both stubbornness and doubt. Stubbornness, in that we want our will over
God’s will, and doubt because we trust our plan over His.
Doing our will comes naturally; it takes no effort, it’s
familiar. We can hardly imagine our life without it. We are prone to entertain even the sins we
actually dislike simply because they are routine and comfortable. I wonder if anyone else ever had that problem? Let’s see what some respected Bible
characters did.
Adam’s original sin was the result
of Adam and Eve's disobedience to God when they ate a forbidden fruit in the
Garden of Eden. Adam & Eve played
“hide & Seek” and finally admitted “I
heard you in the garden, and I was afraid
because I was naked; so I hid.” God
asked, "Have you eaten from the tree
that I commanded you not to eat from?” Gen.3:10&11 NIV
Moses is often referred to as God’s
friend (Exod. 33:11), but this ‘friend of God’ said “No” to God. “…
please send someone else to do it.” Exod. 4:13 God
appears to Moses at the burning bush, and they have a long dialogue. Finally, Moses doesn’t want to go because he
has a fear of public speaking. At least twice, Moses tells God “no.” Finally, God relents and arranges for Aaron to
be the spokesman for Moses (Exodus 4:13-16).
Jonah attempted to flee rather than
carry out his assignment to preach repentance to Nineveh. He had already said YES to God about being a
prophet. Once one agrees to be a
prophet, he’s under obligation to carry out the responsibilities of the job. “But
Jonah ran away from the LORD and
headed for Tarshish.” Jonah 1:3 NIV
Saul
In 1 Sam.15:8 Every Amalekite was
killed except King Agag. In v.9 “But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, …—everything that
was good….” Result? In v.10 the Lord told Samuel, “I am grieved that I have made Saul king,
because he has turned away from me and has not
carried out my instructions.” Saul had said no to carrying out God’s full command; he had a “better” plan!
David Who was David listening to when he took the
census in 2 Samuel 24? God or himself or
Satan?
Malachi talks about men who say “No” by robbing God. (BTW By
NOT trusting, by NOT putting resources into God’s storehouse, we also deprive
ourselves of God’s blessings) So, by
saying “no” to God, we are depriving
the rest of the world of God’s blessings. Malachi 3:7-12
Peter responds, “No, Lord!” three times
before the vision ended in Acts 10:9-16.
And then when Jesus predicted His own death, impetuous Peter rebuked Him
saying “Never, Lord! This shall never
happen to you!”
Ananias also argued with God and held
back; he didn’t want to go meet Saul. Ananias
thought he knew better; he was afraid;
he thought he had a better grasp of the situation than God did! He didn’t think God had all the facts! He thought he could explain to the God of the
universe that his way was better than HIS way.
Finally, in Acts 9:15 he listened when God said “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the
Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.” Thankfully, Ananias finally obeyed and a
powerful ministry was launched!
I wonder how many have said “no” to God and as a result
we’ve not heard of them again? Looking
back in life, I wish I had started an organization called “The Royal Order of
the First Steppers.” The Member Emeritus
will be the first Israelite who put his foot in the Red Sea and saw it part
before him!
Points to ponder
Do we take the first step to trust God when the Holy Spirit tells us to
do something?
Saying “No” to God is an option, but is it a good one? What’s it cost?
What happened when you said “no” to your parents?
What if God responded to our needs like we respond when God shows us
the needs of others?
Why does anyone argue with God?
Do we do that too!
Yes, Lord Yes, Lord Yes, yes, Lord; Yes, Lord Yes, Lord Yes, yes, Lord; Yes, Lord Yes, Lord Yes, yes, Lord. Amen. ♫
Yosef a.k.a. Joe Brusherd June 1, 2021
Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith”
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)” Weekly “Hebraic Musings” http://insightsbyyosef.blogspot.com/
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