“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’” Genesis 2:16-17, NKJV, emphasis mine.
On just about any given day, news channels and social media show images of people making demands of some sort. Often, demands are made toward government, or by the government especially in an election year. And then, there are the annoying self-serving demands of “canceling” someone over a perceived insult. In fact, “demands” are heard and seen in every arena of life, and this is nothing new. All we need to do is reflect on the demeanor of people since the beginning of time. In the Book of Exodus when God told Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt into the land God was giving them, the Israelites complained about God’s provision of manna, lamenting they were better off in slavery and demanded “meat” (Numbers 11).
So, what is the difference between the two terms, demand, often coming from people and command as seen throughout the Bible commonly by God? The question and answer may seem trivial but seems worth exploring. According to the dictionary, demand is “an insistent and peremptory request, made as if by right.” And command is defined as “an authoritative order.” How fitting that when God makes a command, He speaks with authority; when humans demand, we speak from a sense of entitlement.
God is so very gracious when dealing with His creation. From the Garden of Eden when humankind failed to acknowledge God’s authority and sinned by demanding the right to do things his own way, yet God has made every effort to forgive us, provide for us, and to bless us. He never gives up on us. In 1 John 5:14, Jesus’ disciple writes, “Now this is the confidence we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (NKJV). My prayer is that when we approach the throne of God, that we come with humility and a tender heart, knowing that it is by the blood of Jesus we have been granted an audience before the King of Kings.
For deeper blessing and understanding, please read 1 John 5.