SOJAM PUBLISHING
DISOBEDIENCE AND THE SECRET OF LONG LIFE AND HAPPINESS
GOD JUDGES THE HEART: (Samuel 16: 17) The bible teaches that God judges the heart and punishes or blesses in accordance with what we have conceived in our hearts. If a thief decides in his heart to go out and steal, but is prevented by rain or a night visitor from carrying out his plans, he is already booked guilty of that offence even though he did not carry it out. Jesus confirms this in the bible when he spoke about committing adultery in our hearts by merely looking at a woman intently (Matt 55:27). The same saying passes for doing good. When we set out to do some good work but someone to whom we owe obedience for God’s sake (e.g. our parents, our spiritual director or bishop, our husband etc.) orders us to stop, we lose nothing if we obey. From the moment we decide in our hearts to carry out such a pious act, it is credited for us in the “book of life” in heaven and our reward awaits us. God will not erase what has been recorded in our favour because our legitimate superior in our state in life has stopped us from carrying out our plan. Therefore, since we have lost nothing by discontinuing our good works out of obedience, why should anyone yield to sin by disobeying
under the erroneous notion of pleasing God? God is not pleased in this case. He does not accept anything done for Him or offered to Him through a sinful channel. This fact is made even more obvious in the Bible where a married woman is empowered to ignore a promise she made to God (even under a vow) to give something to Him, should her husband forbid her from carrying it out. The same thing applies if the· counter order should come from one’s father because we are bound to be obedient to those who hold God- given authority over us ‘(Numbers 30:1-8). Here the word of God wants to emphasize the fact that God does not accept anything done for Him or offered to Him through disobedience towards those He has placed us under. If ill-gotten money is offered to God, He rejects it and does not reward the giver. Rather He punishes him.