Why does God command, “Obey my voice, and I will be your God” (Jeremiah 7:23)?

Answer

If the essence of genuine worship could be summarized in a single word, it would be obedience. In Jeremiah 7, the prophet conveys a message to the errant nation of Judah, who, like Israel, had shifted from sincere, wholehearted allegiance to God to superficial rituals and reckless idol worship. Jeremiah admonishes the people to amend their behavior (verse 3) and recalls the Lord’s directive: “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you” (verse 23, ESV).

God had given the instruction to heed His voice while Israel was encamped in the wilderness: “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you” «and said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. », (Exodus 15:26, NLT). As the people prepared to enter the Promised Land, Moses reiterated, “Listen closely, Israel, and be careful to obey. Then all will go well with you, and you will have many children in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you” (Deuteronomy 6:3;NLT;see also Deuteronomy 4:40).

The ultimate blessing of obeyingGod’s voice is His promise to “walk among you” and “be your God, and you shall be my people” «And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. », (Leviticus 26:12, ESV). However, by Jeremiah’s time, false worship had spread uncontrollably. The people of Judah disregarded the voice of the Lord. Instead of having faith in God, they relied on external religious practices. They believed that Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem provided them with an impenetrable fortress of security «Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these. », (Jeremiah 7:4). Consequently, the Lord instructed Jeremiah to stand in the temple and deliver a sermon that would expose the insincerity and emptiness of their worship (Jeremiah 7:1—8:3). They needed to recall that the protection for God’s people comes solely from one source—God’s presence (Deuteronomy 31:6;Psalm 46:1;Psalm 91:1-16). Moreover, under the Old Covenant, His shielding presence is only assured to those who obey Him «Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety. », (Leviticus 25:18).

We exhibit genuine worship when we listen to and follow the Lord’s voice. Today, obeying God’s voice means believing in Jesus Christ. God declares, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him” «And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. », (Luke

9:35). “The work of God is this,” Jesus said, “to believe in the one he has sent” «Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. », (John 6:29). Believers today are under the New Covenant, ratified by Christ, and they have the promise of God’s presence with them always «Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. », (Hebrews 13:5).

In obeying Christ, we build our spiritual houses on a solid foundation. Jesus put it like this: “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash” (Matthew 7:24-27;NLT).

God says, “Obey my voice, and I will be your God” because He desires passionate, heart-and-soul submission to His will and not mere rule-following and ritual sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22;Deuteronomy 26:16). Jesus said, “If you love me, obey my commandments” « If ye love me, keep my commandments. », (John 14:15, NLT). The apostle John wrote, “This is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome” «For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: andHis commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3). Loving God and obeying His commands are inseparable and synonymous activities (1 John 3:10; 2 John 1:6). Our obedience expresses the reality of our faith in God (Hebrews 11:8; Matthew 7:21; James 2:14-26).

We need God’s presence and the fulfillment of His purpose (Proverbs 16:1; Proverbs 19:21). God told Israel, “Obey my voice, and I will be your God” because “blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; And the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” (Psalm 33:12a). He wanted to bless His people with His proximity and protection: “Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me” “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:” (Exodus 19:5, NLT). The Lord knows the right path for us and always has our best interests in mind (Proverbs 3:5-6; Proverbs 5:21; Romans 8:28). His faithful ones are the apple of His eye (Psalm 17:8; Zechariah 2:8). He wants to reward us with fellowship with Him for all eternity.

Eternity (Matthew 7:21; 1 John 2:17).

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