He Learned Obedience

In Deuteronomy 8, Moses told the Israelites that the Lord God had led them in the wilderness for 40 years and that there was a purpose to it. It was so that He might humble them and that their hearts would be revealed. Would they keep His commandments or not? The Israelites were to know by experience that, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” How did God teach them this? He let them hunger. Then He fed them with manna, which they had never experienced before, but only enough to feed them for the day. They learned by experience that the Lord God was faithful. Every morning his mercies were new. They experienced their clothing and shoes preserved. They were to know by experience the discipline of their God.

The ultimate purpose for the discipline of the Lord is holiness. They would then obey His commandments, walk in His ways and fear Him. The writer of the Hebrews echoes this thought when he wrote, “he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Heb.12:10-11 ESV)

There are many similarities between the Israelites experience and that of the temptation of Christ. The Lord Jesus was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for 40 days and there was also purpose to it. The Israelites were humbled by God, but the Lord Jesus humbled Himself. Through His humbling, His perfect heart was revealed and His perfect obedience seen. He was a perfect man and the joy of His Father’s heart yet He allowed Him to hunger. The Lord Jesus at any time could have met His need but He didn’t. He humbled Himself under His Father’s hand. “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered.” (Heb. 5:8 ESV) J.M Flanigan in "What the Bible Teaches", points out that the Lord Jesus did not learn to be obedient. He learned obedience. What a contrast! We who are disobedient learn to be obedient through our sufferings and trials, but the Lord Jesus learned, or came to know by experience, obedience. He who was from the glory, whom angels worshipped, and by whom the worlds and everything in them were created, experienced submission.

We who are weak would stop our suffering and our trials and meet our own needs if we could. When the Lord Jesus was tempted by Satan to make the stones bread, He said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” (Luke 4:4) He became obedient even to death, even to the shameful death on a cross. (Phil. 2:8) He humbled Himself. That should humble us and encourage us. Let us not grow weary in our trials. It is for holiness. “Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” (Heb. 12:3)

And what was the ultimate purpose for His experiencing obedience? He was found to be completely fit to be our Savior, “and being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.” (Heb. 5:9 ESV)

Praise the Saviour, ye who know Him!
Who can tell how much we owe Him?
Gladly let us render to Him
All we are and have.

Jesus is the Name that charms us,
He for conflict fits and arms us;
Nothing moves, and nothing harms us
When we trust in Him.

Trust in Him, ye saints, for ever;
He is faithful, changing never;
Neither force nor guile can sever
Those He loves from Him.

Keep us, Lord, O keep us cleaving
To thyself, and still believing,
Till the hour of our receiving
Promised joys in heaven.

Then we shall be where we would be,
Then we shall be what we should be,
That which is not now, nor could be,
Then shall be our own.