To obey is better than sacrifice...

“As with all sinners among men, this son of Amittai was in his wilful disobedience of the command of God – never mind now what that command was or how conveyed – which he found a hard command. But all the things that God would have us do are hard for us to do – remember that – and hence, he oftener commands us than endeavors to persuade. And if we obey God, we must disobey ourselves, and it is in this disobeying ourselves, wherein the hardness of obeying God consists.”

From Father Mapple’s sermon on Jonah
Chapter 9 of Moby Dick
Herman Melville

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Jesus – Luke 9:23

In a class I was taking some time ago, the verse Luke 9:23 was being discussed and the instructor asked why we thought it was that Jesus said we must take up our cross daily and not that we need to deny ourselves daily. I think it is because that cross which God gives us to carry differs from day-to-day, but the denial is always the same. The denial is one-dimensional – whatever keeps us from picking up our cross daily must be denied.

In reading the ninth chapter of the novel Moby Dick last night, I came across the passage I have quoted above and found it very insightful – especially the last line. Read that last line again. I think Melville’s character had the right idea when he relates this denial of ourselves to disobeying ourselves. God does not desire sacrifice, he desires obedience. In 1 Samuel 15:22, Samuel states to Saul, “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”

If we would come after him then we will deny ourselves, not as a matter of sacrifice, but of obedience - obedience to Him, disobedience to ourselves. As he also states in John 14:23, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” We might come to believe that some of the things we prefer over Jesus need to be sacrificed in our lives; be they a home, a hobby, a person, an addiction, or whatever. If we sacrifice any of these for our God, the chances are we will either return to them later, or replace them with something else. If in obeying our God (in loving Him, according to John 14) we leave these things aside while disobeying our own desires, we will never miss them. In fact, when we follow Him first, there may be some of these things that he uses to his glory!

Lord-
Help me this day to realize that you truly do not desire sacrifice in my life, but obedience. The Old Testament rites of sacrifice were merely a shadow of the complete sacrifice which you made for us. As I deny myself, let it be out of loving obedience to you (and diobedience to myself) so that you may use that denial to your glory as I pick up my cross today!

If you get the inclination, the ninth chapter of Moby Dick is worth a read. The character of Father Mapple gives a great sermon on the Book of Jonah.