David & Goliath – Part 5 – Sweet Perfume

1 Sam 1720 David went “as Jesse had commanded him”

David was obedient to his father. However, when he arrived at the camp to see his brothers Eliab, the eldest, accused David of wrong intentions (v28). People might question what you do even when you have the best of intentions and misinterpret your actions. This is why it’s so important to make sure we are acting in obedience to what God has told or shown us to do.

Being obedient isn’t something we learn to do just the once, it’s something that we are to do all the time. It’s to be a part of our character. Jesus learnt to be obedient through the things he suffered (Hebrews 58) and there may be times when that happens to us.

Obedience then involves a response from us which might mean action or even inaction! David did as his father instructed him to do – an action. Sometimes being obedient involves not doing something – as with some of the commandments or when God tells us to wait.

James tells us much about faith and works (See James 2). Works arise from genuine faith. Works involve doing things or actions. If we have genuine faith it must be accompanied by actions. Action then can be in obedience to God’s word.

Our obedience proves or shows our faith to be genuine. It is a valuable quality to have. It is to be an integral part of us and surely the simplest and best way to live. We are to be “as obedient children” (1 Peter 114).