Enjoy Taking Orders

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. (Genesis 9:1 NIV)

I've never been one to easily take orders from anyone.  I probably just about drove my parents crazy when I would incessantly ask the question, "Why?"  It's not that I was trying to be belligerent or that I didn't want to "honor my parents."  I was just very inquisitive.  I wanted to know why things worked that way.  I wanted to know the reasons for the things they were asking me to do.  I wanted to make up my own mind.

The thing is, when it comes to God I'm quite sure that I ask that question far more than I should.  When God asks me to do something, I should just start doing it instead of asking a bunch of questions.  It's not like He's going to ask me to do something wrong - he never tempts anyone.  It's not like He's going to make a mistake - He knows everything.  It's not like He's going to do something mean - God is Love.  Why don't I just trust Him and do it?

Take a look at the "orders" God gave Noah and his family.  "Be fruitful and increase in numbers and fill the earth."  You know what that means, right?  Really?  God gave that as a command?  Get together with your spouse and start populating the planet.  Not only that, He told them the same thing twice to emphasize the importance of this instruction.

As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it." (Genesis 9:7 NIV)

I'm thinking I'd want to get started right away on orders like that.  But we don't, do we?

"Does it have to be with the same wife, God?  I mean, a lifetime with one woman really is a long time."

"Does it have to be with just one wife?  You know, we could get the job done a lot quicker if several of them were pregnant at the same time."

"Do I really even need a wife?  Does it have to be a woman?  I really don't get along with any of the women you gave me."

The list of questions goes on and on and on and on.  We ask questions.  We even get argumentative.  We want to make up our own minds.

They did the same thing.  Their questions didn't have to do with the marriage and being "fruitful" part.  They had a bone of contention with the traveling to fill the earth part.

Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth."  (Genesis 11:4 NIV)

So...God responded.

Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel--because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.  (Genesis 11:7-9 NIV)

When will I ever learn that God has our own best interest in mind.  When will I ever learn to simply do what He says instead of questioning, stalling, and pushing back?  I really need to learn to enjoy taking orders from Him.  It really is a better walk.

Cause truth be known...

...I would have enjoyed the traveling part, too. ;)