Illogical Directives
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105 ESV)
When God gives directives, His Word has the inherent power to fulfill the task. Scripture tells us that the word of the Lord is active and powerful (Hebrews 4:12). When God speaks a word and we obey, something supernatural happens.
Power in Obedience
In 2 Kings 4: 42- 44, during a famine, Elisha received a firstfruits gift of twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. He directed a servant to use the gift to feed 100 men. When the servant hesitated at the impossibility, Elisha repeats the request and states, “Give them to the men, that they may eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’” When the servant obeyed and set it before the men, everyone ate, and there was still food left over, according to the Word of the Lord.
Power is inherent in the Word of the Lord. Obediently carrying out His directives demonstrates His power. God's directives, however, are often not logical, and the temptation to convince ourselves otherwise is strong.
More testimony from scripture. This time in 2 Kings 5: 1-14, about Naaman’s leprosy. Elisha gives him God’s directives for his situation: “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” Naaman’s response, not unexpected given his status and journey, was anger. Logically, the rivers back home in Damascus were far better than the Jordan. Why would God ask him to do something so illogical? However, after much fuss, when he obeyed and dipped seven times, his skin was restored like that of a newborn's. His story did not end with just a healing; he was transformed and came to faith in the God of Israel.
The same principle appears in Acts 10:9-30, with Peter and God’s plan for the Gentiles. He has a vision where God shows him unclean animals, in the Jewish context, and tells him to kill and eat them. This violated everything Peter had been taught his entire life about what was permissible. His initial response was resistance: “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” After seeing the same three times, he ponders its meaning and, in his willingness to obey, sets aside his logic and reasoning. His obedience to an illogical directive became the turning point that allowed the Gospel to expand to the Gentiles.
I wrote this down on September 22: Instructions are the strategy for the situation. God doesn't always explain His reasoning. He gives us the strategy we need, even when it contradicts our previous understanding.
Sight/Provision in Obedience
A pattern emerges as you look at Scripture. God's directives do not simply empower the accomplishment of the task; they also reveal His provision. They open our eyes to see what He's already prepared.
Genesis 22:1-19 illustrates this through God’s directive to Abraham to take his only son, the child of promise, and offer him as a sacrifice. Abraham obeys, and in the process of his obedience, God intervenes with a new directive: "Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him." Abraham responds by looking up and sees a ram caught in the thicket – the provision for the sacrifice. He names that place Yahweh Jireh; The Lord will provide or will see." Abraham’s eyes in this situation were opened to see the provision the Lord had made, as he moved in obedience.
The same principle is shown in Genesis 21: 8- 21 with Hagar, Sarah’s servant. Abraham, following Sarah’s request and God's word to make his son Ishmael, also great sends Hagar and Ishmael away. After wandering in the desert, Hagar believes they will die in the wilderness. God reiterates His promise about Ishmael's future, saying He will make him into a great nation. At that moment, God opens her eyes, and she sees the well of water right there, a provision she couldn't see before. The Lord becomes her provider in the wilderness.
The gospel account of Jesus feeding the 5,000 is another example. The disciples became worried about the large crowd listening to Jesus teach. They wanted Him to send them away for food, but Jesus gave them a command, “You give them something to eat.” Most gospel accounts add a note that He said this to test them, even though Jesus already knew what He would do. He already had the solution, but was asking for their cooperation, their obedience to an impossible task. The disciples couldn’t see the provision, but they offered the meager supply of 5 loaves and 2 fish to Jesus at His request. However, as they followed His instruction to distribute the food, it multiplied so that everyone ate and there were leftovers. The provision came through their obedience and cooperation. Jesus knew He would provide; He simply wanted them to do their part.
Transformation in Obedience
Nehemiah 8 adds another dimension. The Israelites had rebuilt Jerusalem's wall after experiencing significant loss and destruction. They gathered to listen to God's word read and explained. Then they followed the direction not to grieve but to celebrate the Festival of Shelter, one of the feasts God commanded through Moses. In obeying this directive, something changed. People who had been burdened suddenly experienced great joy. The scripture says they hadn't celebrated like that since the days of Joshua. Their obedience to God's command transformed their external circumstances as well as their emotions.
The Pattern
The pattern is consistent throughout Scripture: The Lord gives directives through His written word, through the rhema word He speaks into hearts, through preaching, and through the impressions of the Holy Spirit. However He speaks, His word is alive and active.
When we obey those directives, we experience something profound. We don't just accomplish what He's called us to do. We see Him. We experience Him as Jehovah Jireh—the God who sees and supplies. He fulfills what He has spoken.
Prayer
Lord, we bless Your holy name. Thank You that even now, Your word is not scarce. Your Spirit is actively speaking and ministering to our hearts and minds in Your kingdom. We ask that You quicken our ears to hear. Give us the courage to obey, even when Your directives don't make logical sense. And as we follow where You lead, let us see with our own eyes what You've already prepared. Your provision, Your faithfulness, Your nature as the God who sees us and cares for us.
We decree that we want to know You as Jehovah Jireh in Jesus Name.
Amen.