For the Glory

“Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.” —Psalm 90:16

Why do we obey God?

It’s a question pretty much everyone has asked before. Life is short, so why must we subject ourselves to the commands of a deity? Why are we not free to run our own lives as we choose? Why must we listen to an all-powerful authority?

Followers of Jesus have a unique understanding of our relationship with God. We are not merely God’s servants, existing purely to run errands for Him. All people are His prized possessions, the pinnacle of His creation, the beings He loves most of all.

Moses dealt with near-constant rebellion from God’s chosen people. God had rescued them from terrible trouble and was bringing them to a land of plenty that He had promised their ancestors long ago. But the people doubted Him, refusing to believe He would do as He had said.

After a period of extended judgement, manifested in forty years of wandering in the wilderness, the people at last understood who God was. But they would need reminders of why they should remain obedient. While living in obvious need of God, it was clear why they should obey—if they didn’t, death was close by! But what about when their needs were less obvious, when they had everything they needed within easy reach?

To help them remember the important of their loyalty to God, Moses wrote a psalm, preserved for us as Psalm 90. His answer to this question is simple: We obey God because it glorifies Him.

That is the reason God created us. By existing in harmony with Him, we reflect His glory. We obey Him because in so doing, we fulfill our purpose. Our years are short, but when we use them for God’s glory, we use them well.