Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. 8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
This passage of scripture teaches us that obedience that is based on explanations is inherently faulty, and if not corrected will inevitably lead a person to reject God. In the two instances given above, both Noah and Abraham were given commands by God pertaining to issues that were unknown, and in both instances they obeyed implicitly the voice of God, not requiring any explanations before they did so. Whenever our relationship with God is based only on explanations, we put ourselves at great risk, for when the reasons for an instruction are not given, then our faith and obedience takes a hit, and we end up either hesitating or refusing to obey, until the matter has been made plain to our minds.
This is the concept on which the theory of evolution is actually founded, for science goes about trying to explain what God has already stated in His word, but because no scientific explanations have been given for His rare and mighty works, the testimony of scripture is rejected in favor of the warped theories of Darwin. And because we refuse to take God at His word, and are determined to prove everything before we believe, we have degraded humanity to the realm of dumb animals, as they being our ancestors. Thus we beat about upon the rocks of infidelity, whilst the majestic utterances of the word of God remain untouched, even though they are at our very fingertips. Let's read:
1st Corinthians 1:19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.
The issue of obedience based on explanation must therefore be understood in the wider context, for if it is ever adopted by the servants of God, the entire universe may grind to a halt. And furthermore, the many prayers and requests that are often sent heavenward by saints who are in serious danger would ultimately go unanswered. A Christian driving his Honda Accord approaches a busy intersection and comes to a stop because the traffic lights are red. But then suddenly, there is a loud screeching of tires and burning rubber, and as the Christian looks just ahead, a tanker full of gasoline has jumped the median and is heading straight towards him.
In shock and utter despair he cries out like Peter, "Lord save me", and in response God commands a mighty angel to speed on rapid wing to divert the hurtling truck lest it decimate the Christian in his vehicle. But then something strange happens, the angel scratches his head and asks God for an "Explanation", for he isn't seeing from heaven what is taking place on the earth at the intersection, and he hesitates to know what is the big rush. And so he dilly dallies until God gives him a detailed explanation, and reasons why the urgency, and now that he understands the original command of God, he speeds on his way towards the scene.
But when he reaches the intersection, all he sees are the charred remains of the Christian, the tanker, and the Honda. He then mourns with great regret that he did not obey right away before getting an explanation, for if he had done so, the explanation would have been found through obedience. We thank God that this is just an allegory, and not a reality, for if heaven were to be operated on the basis of explanations, we would all be dead men by now. That's the reason why Jesus admired and commended the faith and the understanding of the centurion, who had grasped the concept of obedience without explanations, and the response of Jesus to his statements must be given due consideration. Let's read:
Matthew 8:5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
In our day, many extensive explanations and reasons are sought for before obedience to the plain utterances of Jehovah is rendered. Some people read the Bible yet they wait for personal "Conviction" before they obey. In other words, they are waiting for The Holy Ghost to first come and confirm that it is indeed the word of God they were reading, and so a tremendous amount of valuable time and experiences are lost, because we hesitated to yield a ready obedience. Others wait for explanations through Bible studies before the simple instruction to be baptized is obeyed. Bible studies are good in their legitimate sphere, but we should never wait until every question we may have is answered, before we follow the instructions of God, because the explanation for doing a certain thing is often given in the process of obedience.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to obey the word of God with a humble and ready mind, and if there is anything we need to know, God will make it plain to our minds along the way, as we obey. Let's read:
Psalm 119:32 I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart. 33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. 35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. 60 I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!