Obedience: To Do & Not to Do
In the Bible, there are many commands to obey or to submit to different authorities and to God. There is also much disagreement in the Church about when and how to obey and submit to authority. I’m making an attempt to look at verses on the subject to find the balance commanded by God in His word.
NOTE: This article was inspired by a sermon in his teaching series, Daniel Uncompromising, by Jace Cloud of Grace Bible Church Dallas. Several major ideas were taken from his sermon, but the context and purpose was different.
Commands to Obedience
What does the Bible say about obedience?
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. (Ephesians 6:1)
Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:22)
Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, (Titus 3:1)
You shall therefore obey the Lord your God, and do His commandments and His statutes which I command you today. (Deuteronomy 27:10)
As we go through these commands we go from lower to greater and greater authority, but we are told to submit/obey in these ways:
Children must obey parents
Wives must submit to husbands
All are subject to and obedient to rulers and authorities
All must obey God and do His commandments
Most of us don’t really want to submit to or obey others. The original sin in the Garden of Eden came down to choosing to disobey God’s one command so they could be like God. Why did Adam and Eve want to be like God? They didn’t want to be under someone else’s authority.
Although we are supposed to submit/obey in each of these situations/relationships, what do we do when there is a contradiction between commands from various authorities? We must choose to obey the highest authority. What does this look like?
When Authority Commands to Do Wrong
We’ll start by looking at 4 young lads from Israel who were snatched from their homeland and families to a foreign land with foreign customs and foreign gods.
Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles, youths in whom was no defect, who were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for serving in the king’s court; and he ordered him to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. The king appointed for them a daily ration from the king’s choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be educated three years, at the end of which they were to enter the king’s personal service. (Daniel 1:3-5)
These 4 young men were in a foreign land far away from anyone from their families, government, or religious leaders. They were “appointed for them a daily ration from the king’s choice food and from the wine which he drank.” There was something about this food and drink that made it not Kosher for them. They shouldn’t eat or drink this food and drink. It may have been offered to false gods. It may have included unclean foods like pork. The text doesn’t say exactly what the problem was, but these young men: Daniel (Belteshazzar), Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abed-nego)1 decided that they would not defile themselves by eating the king’s food.
They did however give an example of the right way to deal with a refusal to disobey God’s commandments. Daniel made a very reasonable and submissive request.
But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials, and the commander of the officials said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking more haggard than the youths who are your own age? Then you would make me forfeit my head to the king.” But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.” (Daniel 1:8-13) {emphasis mine}
Daniel and his friends didn’t make a stink about the fact they didn’t want the food being provided. Daniel respectfully went to the person in authority over him, the commander of the officials, and made his request. The official was understanding, but afraid that he would get in trouble for disobeying the king’s command. Daniel trusted that God would take care of them if they were faithful and said, “Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.” They made their request made known, considered the well-being of their commander, and trusted God to take care of them. God honored them and made them look better than all of the people receiving the king’s food.
This was just the first small step in them refusing to do what God said was wrong. Their next choice was even bigger and harder.
Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then the herald loudly proclaimed: “To you the command is given, O peoples, nations and men of every language, that at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.” (Daniel 3:1-6) {emphasis mine}
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego knew the Ten Commandments well. They knew the second commandment, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3) They decided to obey God no matter what it cost them. Their words to Nebuchadnezzar are some of the most inspiring and brave words in the Bible.
Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?”
Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:14-16) {emphasis mine}
Being tossed into a fiery furnace would be a horrible way to die, but these young men stood firm in their faith for God and pronounced, “*our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.*”
A statement like this, in light of the horrible punishment being promised, took amazing faith, but they didn’t stop there, but continued, “But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” These three young men, in a strange land far from home, stood up to the most powerful king in the world at that time in order to stay faithful to their God, the one true God. They fully believed that God was capable of protecting them from burning to death, but they were also willing to stay true even if God didn’t protect them. This is faith. This is refusing to do anything that disobeys God’s explicit commands, “Thall shalt not …”
When Authority Commands to Not Do Right
Sometimes authority may tell us to do something that God commands us not to do. On the other hand, sometimes authority tells us to not do something that God commands us to do. In the case of Daniel, the government command came because the other government officials didn’t like Daniel. They didn’t like his faithfulness to God. They didn’t like that he was more faithful to the king and more successful than they were. They were jealous that the king was about to make Daniel the 2nd in command.
Then these commissioners and satraps came by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: “King Darius, live forever! All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions’ den. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document so that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked.” Therefore King Darius signed the document, that is, the injunction. (Daniel 6:6-9)
Daniel was faithful in his prayers to God. He knew that God had promised that the Hebrews would be returned to the promise land after 70 years. He prayed three times a day, every day, but now the law of the Medes and Persians said that he was not allowed to pray to anyone other than the king for 30 days.
Daniel was no longer a young man. He was elderly. He knew God was faithful. Did he decide that God would understand if he didn’t pray for 30 days, but then he would go back to prayer when the command expired? No. Did he decide, instead of praying publicly by his window facing Jerusalem, that he would pray quietly and privately behind closed doors? No, not that either. What did Daniel do?
Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously. Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God. (Daniel 6:10-11)
Daniel knew the command and knew the consequences of disobedience. He also trusted God and knew that anything less than his consistent, open prayer would be dishonoring to God, so he prayed “as he had been doing previously.” Despite the consequences, he stayed true to God and kept his witness pure.
Most of us know the ending. Daniel was thrown in the lion’s den, but God sent an angel to shut their mouths and protect Daniel from even a scratch. Daniel was faithful to God and God was faithful to Daniel.
The king realized that his officials had tricked him into signing an irreversible law against his best official because of their jealousy. The next morning the king went running to the lion’s den to see if Daniel’s God was able to protect His faithful servant.
Then Daniel spoke to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.” (Daniel 6:21-22)
When the king, who had made a foolish law due to ego, showed up, Daniel didn’t act with resentment. He honored the king “*O king, live forever!*” probably due to his position more than because of what he deserved. He said, “*they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.*”
Daniel declared his innocence before God and the king.
In these examples we see a law commanding ungodly actions where the believer must refuse to comply and we see a law commanding not to do a godly action we are commanded to do and continuing to obey and be a godly example. We will all face circumstances where we will have to make these choices. It helps if we have thought out our beliefs and plans ahead of time. Luckily for us, the consequences of disobedience aren’t usually as severe as being burnt up in a fiery furnace or being devoured by lions.
How to Honorably Disobey
I’m going to go back to the beginning of the story about Daniel and the lion’s den to see what kind of man Daniel was in his position and towards his king.
Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit, and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom. Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs; but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him. Then these men said, “We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God.” (Daniel 6:3-5) {emphasis mine}
Daniel worked hard. He did his job with excellence. He gave everything his best effort. Those trying to accuse him “*they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful.*”
Believers, how many of you can say your coworkers would say the same about you? Are you known for your excellence and faithfulness? Are you known for having no negligence or corruption? God calls believers to be like Daniel in work and good deeds.
The most amazing thing said here is “We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God.” Every believer should live a life where no one around us can “ *find any ground of accusation against*” us “unless we find it against [us] with regard to the law of [our] God.”
Daniel was able to stand against the unjust law and still have the support of the king because he had been so faithful in the little things and over a long period of time. We also need to live and work in such a faithful way that we aren’t questioned when we do stand up to ungodly laws.
What Authority to Obey When
Although God commands us to obey authority, there is no higher authority than God Himself. Obedience to God always comes first. That being said, disobeying any authority needs to be done with caution and respect.
When Jesus’s disciples were told by the Jewish authorities to stop sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
The high priest questioned them, saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:27b-29) {emphasis mine}
Ultimately, the answer to the question, “Who do we obey when authorities give contradictory commands?” is “We must obey God rather than men.”
We do have to keep in mind that the apostles all suffered for their disobedience to authorities in obedience to God. Most died martyrs. John died in exile. All knew that they would choose to be faithful, knowing that God was capable of protecting them, but also willing to say, “*But even if He does not*… .”
I hope these examples were helpful to you and help you to honor God with your actions, your faithfulness, and your life.
Trust Jesus.
your sister in Christ,
Christy
- Each man is named by his original Hebrew name followed by the Babylonian name given to them. Details come from Daniel 1:6-7.