ON THE VANGUARD

GOD TRUMPS MAN
“Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than men!’”
Acts 5:29

Not too long ago, one of those poker tournaments was on TV. Now as one who enjoys a good card game, I can honestly say that I have never gotten into the whole gambling scene. Maybe I am afraid of losing more so than the chance of winning. Nevertheless, I do know how to play and know what beats what. I know that a Full House beats and Flush, and a Four of a Kind beats and Full House. I also know that the great defeat – the winner takes all – is the Royal Flush. The same suited Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and ten in order defeats any other hand the opponent may conjure up. And as I read Acts 5 this morning, I was reminded of the hand we hold when following God.
Where is the point in which we obey God over those put in charge over us? The disciples were preaching about Jesus, as commissioned in Matthew 28:19. It was for this reason that they were thrown in jail. So then the question is asked, should they have obeyed the high priests and his associates, or Jesus? They were visited while in jail by an angel of the Lord who opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. But the angel also re-charged them with the task of telling the people the full message of their new life (Acts 5:20). Once daybreak came, there were the disciples once again preaching in public. Now they were lawbreakers according to Sanhedrin.
Part of me wishes I could have been there to see the faces of the high priest and his staff. Seeing that the jail was still intact, with the doors securely locked and guards remaining at their post with no one inside, would have been a sight. And it wouldn’t be the last jail break that God would perform either. Then someone came over and pointed out that the men who had been inside were now outside, preaching once again. The disciples stood trial before the Sanhedrin and were rebuked. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet you continue to teach and continue to place the blame of this death on us” (Acts 5:28).
The game of poker was again in play. The Sanhedrin held a Straight Flush with the cards stating ‘lawbreaker’. The disciples, however, held a Royal Flush, and trumped all. Peter and the others showed their cards which read, “We must obey God rather than men!” The high priest and his band of men did not like this response and wanted to put them to death at that moment (Acts 5:33), but this action would have to wait.
Trust me, I’m in no way suggesting we should go out and break the rules we are to live within, but there does come a point in which we must obey God as opposed to the rules given by others. When your boss tells you to cheat on the numbers a little, God says, ‘No.’ When you find your spouse cheating and want to do so in revenge, God says, ‘No.’ When tax season approaches and you want to claim that $500 max charity knowing you only gave $100, God says, ‘No.’ It’s not that God is trying to be a party pooper, but God desires obedience. It is in these times then, that the words of Peter need to be the words that we also speak. We must obey God rather than men!