One of the hardest spiritual paradoxes to me is this:
We often don’t receive a testimony of a principle until AFTER we have lived the principle.
I mean, it makes sense.
But it also is very difficult to do.
To learn a new principle, not understand it, but still live it wholeheartedly.
Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden, and God told them to take their firstlings of their flocks and sacrifice them for the Lord.
Keep in mind that they had no prior concept or understanding of animal sacrifices— this was the first time that God had made this commandment.
AND THEY DID IT!
They had no clue what they were doing, or why they were doing it, or if it was really worth all the effort, or if it really had to be the firstling…
And they obeyed. Why?
Well, an angel asks this couple the same thing: “Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord?”
Adam’s response: “I know not, save the Lord commanded me.”
Blind obedience? No. Adam and Eve already knew they could trust the Lord and His promises, so if He commanded something else, their faith that it would be important and worthwhile overtook any blindness they had.
BUT MY FAVORITE PART COMES NEXT.
The angel teaches them the “why”!
They don’t have to stay in this unknowing trust with God; they get to learn the truth.
The angel teaches them why sacrifices are important and what they are symbolic of.
AND THEN
Adam and Eve finally understand, bear their own testimonies of what they’ve learned, AND THEN TEACH THEIR KIDS.
This is just my favorite pattern ever:
Receive a commandment that doesn’t make sense at all.
Obey the commandment because of prior trust in God.
After time has passed, be taught the “why”.
Fully understand and embrace the “why” and form a testimony.
Teach others what you’ve learned.
It takes time. It takes patience. It takes true faith and trust in God that it will be worth it.
It’s tough to sometimes sit in that middle phase for a long time.
But you can find comfort with knowing you are in the company of our first mother and father who also admitted, “I know not [why], save the Lord commanded me.” Moses 5:6
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
4 Responses
Tithing is another commandment that many people don’t know why. But you have to obey to understand. It not about the money or what is done with it. It is about faith and trust. Over time we see the results both in our lives and in the church.
Yes! The blessings and understanding often come after we have already obeyed. Thanks for sharing!
“They had no clue what they were doing,” is a statement I don’t believe is true. Building an alter and offering a sacrifice is pretty complex for them to “guess” how to do. You can be shown how something is done but still not understand the “why” it needs to be done. I know this is conjecture, but when the Lord provided them skins to cover their nakedness, where did the skins come from? There was no death before now and the skins came from an animal. This is probably where the Lord taught them the “how” to offer sacrifices but didn’t necessarily discuss the “why” behind it.
I totally agree with you! They had to have known physically what they were doing, but they clearly didn’t know “why” for awhile. It’s such an interesting concept to think about!