The Virtue of Obedience
One
Rebellion Against Moses’ Authority
One of the many challenges Moses had to face in leading the Israelites was when his authority was questioned. This happened on two particular occasions in the Book of Numbers. The first time, it was Moses’ own brother and sister, Aaron and Miriam. They said, “Has the Lord only spoken through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?”
And the second time, a man named Korah, with two hundred and fifty men, came up against Moses. They had a similar complaint, “Is Moses the only holy one?” they said. “Aren’t all the people holy? Why does Moses put himself in charge of the whole assembly?”
But, as you might have expected, God sided with Moses. After all, Moses had never wanted to be the leader of the Israelites. It was God who had appointed Him, who had insisted that Moses assume that responsibility. Which meant that those who rebelled against Moses’ authority were actually rebelling against God’s established structure. So when Aaron and Miriam rebelled against Moses, Miriam was instantly covered with leprosy, and it was only because Moses prayed that she was healed after seven days. Korah and his companions were not so lucky. The earth suddenly opened up at their feet, swallowed the rebels, and they went down alive into the depths of the earth and perished there.
The implication: it’s really important not to rebel against those whom the Lord has established in authority.
Two
Why the Authority of Human Beings is Hard to Swallow
Of course, it’s really hard, sometimes, to swallow the fact that other human beings are legitimately placed in authority over us. After all, why should they be in charge? It’s like Aaron, Miriam, and Korah said. Aaron and Miriam could say, “Moses is just our little brother. Why does he get to be in charge?” Korah could say, “Moses is just another Israelite. What makes him think he’s holier than anybody else? Why does he get to be in charge?”
And it’s true of all authorities. Kids look at their parents and think, “They’re not perfectly virtuous. Why do they get to be the boss of me?” Employees look at their bosses, and citizens look at their governors, and think, “They don’t seem very exceptional to me. They’re not smarter or better than anybody else. Why should they get to be in charge?” And we may look at the priests, or the bishops, or the pope, and think, “Look, they’re just sinners like everybody else. Why should they get to be in charge?”
The point is that it’s sometimes hard to see why, when everybody’s just people, and when the best people aren’t necessarily the ones in power, it’s hard to see why we should submit to the authority of other human beings who are just like us. And the answer is: because it’s God’s will that we should submit to legitimate human authority.
Why? Probably for two reasons: First of all, because the order of primacy and subordination is an expression of God Himself. And secondly, because there is no better antidote to the towering vice of pride, than the virtue of obedience.
Three
The Good of Primacy and Subordination
Authority runs through the fabric of creation. The angels are arranged according to authority. In fact, the nine choirs of angels are organized into what are called heavenly “hierarchies.” In the animal kingdom, we see silverback gorillas and queen bees. Even in the solar system, the entire planetary arrangement is centered on the primacy of the sun. But the most amazing thing of all is that there is a kind of Hierarchy in the Trinity itself. Even though all Three Persons are utterly equal in dignity, in nature, and in power, it has nonetheless been revealed to us that there is an order in the Trinity.
The Father comes first, then the Son, then the Holy Spirit. More than this, there is some relationship of primacy and subordination in the Trinity. After all, Jesus tells us repeatedly that it was the Father who sent Him into the world, and that the Son’s whole purpose is to obey the Father, that is, to do the Father’s will. Also, Jesus says that He and the Father are the ones who send the Holy Spirit into the world and the Spirit obeys.
What does this show? It shows that in God, the one who is subordinate is not inferior to the one who has primacy. That’s why, for us, it shouldn’t make the one who is under authority feel inferior to the one who has authority. So it’s not a shameful thing for one angel to carry out the directives of another angel. Nor does it go against human equality to have one human in charge, and another human who submits to another’s human authority.
The structure of authority is an expression of God’s character. It’s not a burden, or a belittling, or a necessary evil. It is part of the divine richness in which He has graciously allowed us to participate.
Four
Our Need for Authority
Not only is human authority a good thing in itself, an expression of the divine character, but it’s the best opportunity for us to grow in humility. The original sin was a sin of rebellion, of disobedience, of self-will. It was the sin of wanting to do things our own way, of refusing to conform our will to another’s will. That’s how we were lost. Consequently, the best means of sanctification involves the practice of just the opposite.
We are sanctified by learning obedience, learning submission, and learning docility. We are sanctified best by learning to conform our will to another’s will. Obedience to legitimate human authority is the best practice for obedience to divine authority. All religious orders, for instance, require their members to live by the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
Ask any religious person you know: Which of those three is the most difficult? Then ask: Which of those three has done the most to bring you close to God? And they’ll answer both those questions the same way: obedience.
Five
The Virtue of Obedience
As we go through the desert of Lent and of Life, try to change the way you see those in authority over you. Your parents, your governors, your bosses, your clergy. Don’t see their authority as something to be resented, or, at best, endured. Don’t be like Aaron, Miriam, or Korah and his followers. See the authority of others as God’s gift to you as a reflection of His own authority and as an opportunity to unite yourself more to Him, by docility towards those He has placed over you.
And then, as a good resolution, when some legitimate authority asks or requires you to do something, accept it with peace. As an act of humility and ultimately trust in and obedience to God who set up the whole structure in the first place.
Suggested Resolutions:
Choose one resolution for today to help you grow closer to God, or create your own. Here are some ideas to inspire you.
Make an effort to completely avoid complaining about your figures of authority this week: your bosses, your parents, your bishops. Unless following orders would be immoral, practice docility by not spreading disdain and distrust.
Instead of focusing on the goods that others have been given by God, try to be grateful for what you have and happy for the gifts God has given to all.