God has given to man a free will to choose which course he will follow through life. In the Scriptures we find a complete list of the requirements necessary to please God, and also many of the things the Lord hates.
No one is forced to do anything against his will. The two paths are before us, and, sooner or later, we come to the fork in the road and must choose one way or the other. From that point on the two ways diverge sharply, and it is very hard when we have traveled a distance on one road to cross over to the other.
God is not interested in a company of mindless robots who do His will perforce, but is pleased with those who willingly choose to obey Him. We are free to choose our own way of living, whether it be dedicated to pleasing God, or whether it is centered around our own comfort and ease. The Scriptures abound in examples of those who have made the wrong choice, and, if we are intelligent, we shall learn from their failures.
In Deuteronomy 27 and 28 there is a list of blessings which the Children of Israel would enjoy if they were obedient, and a list of the curses they would be obliged to endure if they were not. It is a fact of history that they are still suffering the results of their disobedience.
In the days of Samuel, the people wanted to be like all the nations about them, with a visible king to reign over them, and they made their desire known to Samuel, who had grown old and appointed his sons to be judges over Israel (1st Samuel 8:1). Samuel’s sons were not righteous like their father, and the people used the occasion to ask for a king (verse 5). Samuel was displeased, but God told him to listen to the voice of the people, and pointed out that it was not Samuel but God who was being rejected by the people (verse 7). As instructed by God, Samuel informed the people regarding the adverse circumstances they would have to put up with if they had an earthly king (verses 11-18), but the people insisted on having their own way and God told Samuel to “make them a king” (verses 19 and 22).
In the next twenty chapters we have a lengthy description of the life of Saul after he became king. In spite of his impressive appearance, he left much to be desired. The people were allowed to have a king, but got little satisfaction from it.
The world is estranged from God because of sin, but when God sent His Son to provide a way for men to be saved, the people rejected Him and preferred Barabbas. The voice of the majority may be loud, but it is seldom right.
If we set our hearts on acquiring wealth and bend all our energies to that end, it is quite probable we will be successful, but it is well to remember “that a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15). Jesus followed this statement with the parable of the rich man whose agricultural ventures were so successful that he had nowhere to store his “fruits”. Thinking only of himself, he decided to “pull down his barns and build greater”, and, having provided for himself for years to come, he could “eat, drink and be merry”. Man proposes, but God disposes, and God said to the rich man, “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee” (verse 20).
No matter how hard we work, or how successful we are, we cannot buy a long life in which to enjoy the fruits of our labor, nor the health we desire. We should be very careful when we decide what we want out of life because God usually allows us to have what we choose, and it may not be for our own good. Those who choose to cast their lot with the people who have not God will eventually find themselves right where they chose to be, in outer darkness where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.
There are many examples in the Bible of people who have made the right choice. The famous “faith” chapter (Hebrews 11) lists many, indicating how they showed their faith in God and what they had to give up as a consequence.
None of us will have to choose, as Moses did, between the throne of Egypt and the leadership of God’s people through a desolate land, pursued by Pharaoh’s hosts at the beginning, and plagued by hunger, thirst and the continual complaints of the people. Our neighbors, no doubt, think of us as people with a strange religion, but we are not called upon to invite their jeers by building an ark of the kind that Noah made.
Our decisions are small in comparison, but none the less vital. If we prefer the approval of our friends and neighbors rather than the approval of God, we shall eventually find ourselves turned away from the judgment seat and allowed to share the destiny of those in the world where we chose to be. It will then be too late to make a choice, so let us think carefully what we really want. It is quite possible for us to get what we choose, and not want it when we do receive it.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One