Obeys
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Definition and Importance: The term "obeys" refers to the act of following commands, instructions, or guidance, particularly in the context of divine or authoritative directives. In the Bible, obedience is a fundamental aspect of faith and relationship with God. It signifies submission to God's will and adherence to His commandments, reflecting a believer's trust and reverence for the Lord.

Biblical Context: Obedience is a recurring theme throughout the Scriptures, emphasizing the importance of aligning one's actions with God's commands. It is often portrayed as a demonstration of faith and love for God. The Bible presents numerous examples and teachings that highlight the significance of obedience in the life of a believer.

Old Testament Examples:
1. Abraham: Abraham's obedience is a pivotal example in the Old Testament. When God called him to leave his homeland and go to a land He would show him, Abraham obeyed without hesitation (Genesis 12:1-4). His willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac at God's command further exemplifies his obedience (Genesis 22:1-18).

2. Moses and the Israelites: Moses is another key figure whose obedience to God's instructions led to the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt. The giving of the Law at Mount Sinai established a covenant that required the Israelites to obey God's commandments (Exodus 19:5-6).

3. Samuel and Saul: The prophet Samuel emphasized the importance of obedience over sacrifice when he rebuked King Saul for disobeying God's command. Samuel declared, "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams" (1 Samuel 15:22).

New Testament Teachings:
1. Jesus Christ: Jesus is the ultimate model of obedience. He obeyed the Father in all things, even to the point of death on the cross. Philippians 2:8 states, "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross" .

2. The Great Commission: Jesus instructed His disciples to teach others to obey everything He commanded (Matthew 28:20). This underscores the continuity of obedience as a central tenet of Christian discipleship.

3. Apostolic Teachings: The apostles reinforced the necessity of obedience in the early church. In Acts 5:29, Peter and the other apostles declared, "We must obey God rather than men" , highlighting the priority of divine commands over human authority.

Theological Significance: Obedience is not merely a legalistic adherence to rules but is deeply rooted in a relationship with God. It is an expression of faith, love, and trust in God's wisdom and sovereignty. Obedience is linked to blessings and favor from God, as seen in Deuteronomy 28, where blessings are promised for obedience and curses for disobedience.

Practical Application: For believers, obedience involves daily submission to God's Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit. It requires a heart willing to listen and respond to God's voice, as well as a commitment to live according to His principles. Obedience is both an individual and communal responsibility, impacting personal spiritual growth and the witness of the church in the world.

Conclusion: Obedience remains a vital aspect of the Christian faith, reflecting a believer's commitment to God and His purposes. Through obedience, believers demonstrate their allegiance to Christ and participate in the unfolding of God's redemptive plan.
Strong's Hebrew
8085. shama -- to hear
... known (1), make themselves heard (1), make your heard (1), obedient (1), obey (32),
obey* (14), obeyed (21), obeyed* (5), obeying (6), obeys (1), overheard (1 ...
/hebrew/8085.htm - 7k
Library

Whether Corporeal Matter Obeys the Mere Will of an Angel?
... HOW ANGELS ACT ON BODIES (FOUR ARTICLES) Whether corporeal matter obeys the mere
will of an angel? ... Therefore matter obeys the angels in receiving its form. ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether corporeal matter obeys the.htm

On the Words of the Gospel, John ix. 4 and 31, "We must Work the ...
... Lo, the Father commands, the Son obeys; is the Son therefore not of the
same Nature, because the One commands, and the Other obeys? ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon lxxxv on the words.htm

Sonship
... But there is another thing about father and son which we must look at, and that
is this: a good son loves and obeys his father, and the better son he is, the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/sermons for the times/sermon viii sonship.htm

Whether an Effect of Law is to Make Men Good?
... Objection 2: Further, Law does not profit a man unless he obeys it. But the
very fact that a man obeys a law is due to his being good. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether an effect of law.htm

Whether God Ought to be Obeyed in all Things?
... Therefore God is not to be obeyed in all things. Objection 3: Further, whoever obeys
God conforms his will to the divine will even as to the thing willed. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether god ought to be 2.htm

Whether Subjects are Bound to Obey their Superiors in all Things?
... I answer that, As stated above ([3177]AA[1],4), he who obeys is moved at the bidding
of the person who commands him, by a certain necessity of justice, even as ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether subjects are bound to.htm

Whether Obedience is a Special virtue?
... superior, whether expressed or inferred, namely, a simple word of the superior,
indicating his will, and which the obedient subject obeys promptly, according ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether obedience is a special.htm

Justice and the Reason of Effects
... He who obeys them because they are just obeys a justice which is imaginary and not
the essence of law; it is quite self-contained, it is law and nothing more. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pascal/pensees/section v justice and the.htm

The Fifty-Third Chapter: God's Grace is not Given to the Earthly ...
... For he who holds himself in such subjection that sensuality obeys reason and reason
obeys Me in all matters, is truly his own conqueror and master of the world ...
/.../kempis/the imitation of christ/the fifty-third chapter gods grace.htm

Of Holy Obedience
... But he who obeys with murmuring and unwillingness is like a soldier who, entering
the battle unarmed and ill-mounted, is soon thrown to the ground and wounded ...
/.../the little flowers of st francis of assisi/chapter xvii of holy obedience.htm

Thesaurus
Obeys (17 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Obeys (17 Occurrences). John 7:19 Did not Moses
give you the Law? And yet not a man of you obeys the Law. ...
/o/obeys.htm - 11k

Commands (216 Occurrences)
... 1 John 3:24 The man who obeys His commands continues in union with God, and God
continues in union with him; and through His Spirit whom He has given us we can ...
/c/commands.htm - 35k

Obeying (24 Occurrences)

/o/obeying.htm - 13k

Obil (1 Occurrence)

/o/obil.htm - 7k

Obey (219 Occurrences)
... 2. (vt) To submit to the authority of; to be ruled by. 3. (vt) To yield to the
impulse, power, or operation of; as, a ship obeys her helm. ...
/o/obey.htm - 39k

Law-breaker (3 Occurrences)
... Romans 2:27 although he is a Gentile by birth, if he scrupulously obeys the Law,
shall he not sit in judgement upon you who, possessing, as you do, a written ...
/l/law-breaker.htm - 7k

Gentile (24 Occurrences)
... Romans 2:27 although he is a Gentile by birth, if he scrupulously obeys the Law,
shall he not sit in judgement upon you who, possessing, as you do, a written ...
/g/gentile.htm - 13k

God-fearing (24 Occurrences)
... (WEY). John 9:31 We know that God does not listen to bad people, but that if any
one is a God-fearing man and obeys Him, to him He listens. (WEY DBY NAS). ...
/g/god-fearing.htm - 13k

Thunders (20 Occurrences)
... Joel 2:11 Yahweh thunders his voice before his army; for his forces are very great;
for he is strong who obeys his command; for the day of Yahweh is great and ...
/t/thunders.htm - 12k

Resources
What is antithetical parallelism in Hebrew poetry? | GotQuestions.org

What is the key to victory when struggling with sin? | GotQuestions.org

Does God reward us for being obedient to His Word? | GotQuestions.org

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Concordance
Obeys (17 Occurrences)

John 7:19
Did not Moses give you the Law? And yet not a man of you obeys the Law. Why do you want to kill me?"
(WEY)

John 9:31
We know that God does not listen to bad people, but that if any one is a God-fearing man and obeys Him, to him He listens.
(WEY)

John 14:21
He who has my commandments and obeys them--he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will clearly reveal myself to him."
(WEY NIV)

Romans 2:27
although he is a Gentile by birth, if he scrupulously obeys the Law, shall he not sit in judgement upon you who, possessing, as you do, a written Law and circumcision, are yet a Law-breaker?
(WEY NIV)

2 Timothy 2:5
And if any one takes part in an athletic contest, he gets no prize unless he obeys the rules.
(WEY)

James 4:11
Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. The man who speaks evil of a brother-man or judges his brother-man speaks evil of the Law and judges the Law. But if you judge the Law, you are no longer one who obeys the Law, but one who judges it.
(WEY)

1 John 2:5
But whoever obeys His Message, in him love for God has in very deed reached perfection. By this we can know that we are in Him.
(WEY NIV)

1 John 3:24
The man who obeys His commands continues in union with God, and God continues in union with him; and through His Spirit whom He has given us we can know that He continues in union with us.
(WEY)

Revelation 2:26
"'And to him who overcomes and obeys My commands to the very end, I will give authority over the nations of the earth.
(WEY)

Leviticus 18:5
You shall therefore keep my statutes and my ordinances; which if a man does, he shall live in them: I am Yahweh.
(See NIV)

Nehemiah 9:29
and testified against them, that you might bring them again to your law. Yet they dealt proudly, and didn't listen to your commandments, but sinned against your ordinances, (which if a man do, he shall live in them), and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.
(See NIV)

Ecclesiastes 8:5
Whoever keeps the law will come to no evil: and a wise man's heart has knowledge of time and of decision.
(See RSV NIV)

Isaiah 50:10
Who is among you who fears Yahweh, who obeys the voice of his servant? He who walks in darkness, and has no light, let him trust in the name of Yahweh, and rely on his God.
(WEB NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 20:11
I gave them my statutes, and showed them my ordinances, which if a man does, he shall live in them.
(See NIV)

Ezekiel 20:13
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they didn't walk in my statutes, and they rejected my ordinances, which if a man keep, he shall live in them; and my Sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I said I would pour out my wrath on them in the wilderness, to consume them.
(See NIV)

Ezekiel 20:21
But the children rebelled against me; they didn't walk in my statutes, neither kept my ordinances to do them, which if a man do, he shall live in them; they profaned my Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out my wrath on them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.
(See NIV)

Joel 2:11
Yahweh thunders his voice before his army; for his forces are very great; for he is strong who obeys his command; for the day of Yahweh is great and very awesome, and who can endure it?
(WEB)

Subtopics

Obeys

Related Terms

Obeys (17 Occurrences)

Jehde'iah (2 Occurrences)

Jehdeiah (2 Occurrences)

Jehdiah (1 Occurrence)

Jaziz (2 Occurrences)

Ishmaelite (3 Occurrences)

Ishmeelite (2 Occurrences)

Ish'maelite (3 Occurrences)

Meron'othite (1 Occurrence)

Meronothite (2 Occurrences)

She-asses (7 Occurrences)

Hagrite (2 Occurrences)

Camel (13 Occurrences)

Object (76 Occurrences)

Camels (52 Occurrences)

Donkeys (71 Occurrences)

Asses (68 Occurrences)

Control (88 Occurrences)

Flocks (128 Occurrences)

Obeying the Law
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