What Does God Want?


God was Abraham’s friend. He talked to Abraham, changed Abraham, directed Abraham and blessed Abraham. His relationship with Abraham was the first intimate interaction God initiated after creation and He made a great Promise to Abraham-that through him all the people on the face of the earth would be blessed. 


Why would The Creator of the Universe be reaching out to Abraham? What did Abraham do to warrant such generosity? Could all of the woe of religion be based in a misunderstanding of what God wants? Genesis 26:25 tell us that God was Abraham's friend, "Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” Did you know that the law did not make its appearance on Mount Sinai? The word Torah, or Law was first used right here, in the verse describing the reason God blessed Isaac.
First, Abraham obeyed God's voice.The same voice that called out for Adam in The Garden. Abraham heard God and kept God’s charge. That sounds noble doesn’t it? It is, very noble indeed. A knight is noble for his King. “Keep” has been translated most times in the Bible as "obey". The word "Hear" has been translated "obey" most often. We believe obey is an action while this verse and throughout scripture, obeying is “accurate hearing”, and keeping is treasuring what you have “heard”.
So Abraham heard what God said to him personally and treasured what God said.
Abraham heard Commandments....and Statutes.... and Laws-Oh My!  Listen, I'm going to tell you something unlike anything religion has ever taught you, I'm telling you, these words are relationship words!
The word commandment is an honorable word. When someone is charged and ordained with a responsibility, they are trusted and entrusted with power and authority to carry out what they have been commanded by The Commander. It is a sacred charge[ a charge called a “commandment” in scripture.
The word statute is boundary, is a safe place. A boundary creates a parameter necessary for safety. Conflict is a result of crossed or misunderstood boundaries. God provides a boundary to keep us safe. Just as Abraham heard a sacred responsibility, God also told Abraham where his responsibility ended. There was a boundary, or statute.
The word law is instruction. An instruction is teaching, or sharing  information. When we assemble our child’s bike on Christmas Eve, we can get it in a mess if we do not read the instructions. The instructions are the laws of putting the bicycle together. Oh, how this word instruction has been misunderstood and ignored. Instructions are the fastest and most accurate and trouble free path to perfect accomplishment. Abraham heard and understood God's most intimate instructions for his life.
God is The Great Teacher. He reached out to Abraham. The grammatical root of the Biblical word law is to reach out, to point. Far from instruction typed on paper or chiseled on stone, God taught Abraham to live his life as God's ambassador to his family and community; where and how he wasn't hearing correctly, and intimate instruction in managing the messes of life. 
 What about now?  What Does God Want? Pretty much the same thing.
Picture Sam Snead standing on the golf course with you giving you pointers before a golf championship. First he tells you what to do to make the championship shot (a commandment). The He tells you what not to do to make the championship shot (a statute). Then he stands behind you, aligns your body with his, puts his hands over yours on the club and shows you how to take the shot-the path to a hole in one, (The Law).
Law, or Torah is so intimate, so personal. God stands behind us, His arms wrapped around us, His voice in our ear, and His hands over ours in life. He tells us to relax, shows us the way, and as He aligns us with Him and moves and directs our motions, we demonstrate who we truly are and fulfill the responsibility He has given us.
What is the Good News? What is Gospel about Genesis 26:25?
God’s first choice has always been relationship. God spoke His magnificence to Abraham, a magnificence so seemingly impossible it was difficult to believe. Yet, Abraham believed God. That simple trust enabled Abraham to do all he was asked.
God has made us Royalty. He has always desired to see us reign. He has longed to be our Benefactor, our Teacher, and our Friend. It was His first choice and it is His Only Choice.
The New Covenant was given because it was better than the old. In the New Covenant God has placed His Voice back inside us. The Holy Spirit speaks God’s Way to our spirit, explains God’s boundaries to our minds and teaches our souls how to be like Christ.
You see, The Law has never been a what. The Law has always been A Who. And He wants us to love Him as He loves us.
In the days of Royalty, when the royal Prince or Princess made an error, someone else was appointed to take the consequences. A failure in a Royal duty can have dire results because of the consequences of failure. God wants us to believe that Jesus Christ has endured every possible consequence of human error, and because of that we are able to be intimate with Him and act on what He speaks to us without fear.
We have been eternally ordained to be one with Him, to love and be loved by Him and to hear directly from His Torah-The Holy Spirit of Christ.
As He did with Adam, Eve, Abraham and all His created ones, God wants us to believe His intention is to bless us. He wants us to listen as He speaks His hearts desires into us. He wants to guide us into overflowing life. He wants us to trust Him with accomplishing everything necessary to meet His expectations.


Don’t be misled by Biblical Shakespearean English using dead language like “ charge, commandments, statutes, and laws”! The words I write are alive because they are Spirit! This is relationship talk like Abraham experienced,"Abraham [heard and understood] my voice!"  This is not Sinai talk!
Now, The Spirit of God wraps Himself around us, whispers our Royal destiny into our ear, and gently points out the boundaries of our journey that will keep us safe and at peace. He then invites us to relax in His arms, allow His Presence to change us, and joyfully soar with Him into The Kingdom of God.
As for the spiritual consequences of Royal failure, there are none. They have been “Paid in full.”

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