B-TV: Obedience

Bernard hosts B-TV from Foufou's Obedience School, where animals of every kind are being trained. He asks Connie to roll over, sit up, and play dead, but she refuses to behave like a pet. Bernard uses her reaction to introduce the day's question: obedience is more than turning off one's mind and obeying every order without thought.

A sketch places Moses before the Israelites with God's commandments for their wilderness journey. A man objects that rules are merely one person imposing on another and wanders into the wilderness to find his own way. He quickly runs short of water, food, protection, and direction. Bernard explains that in Israel's dangerous circumstances, obeying God's laws could mean the difference between life and death, much like a child immediately heeding a parent's safety warning.

Connie interviews Hank Foufou about his school. Hank says animals should obey simply because people are entitled to boss them around, presenting authority without love, trust, or purpose. His attitude shows the kind of obedience Connie feared at the beginning rather than the relationship Bernard wants to explore.

Edwin Blackgaard supplies an example of disobedience. Bernard has asked him to present a poem on the day's theme, but Edwin chooses a romantic poem instead because he prefers it and considers himself the star. His lofty performance matters more to him than honoring the task he accepted.

Bernard explains that God asks people to trust Him enough to obey even when His reasons are not immediately clear. Gideon's battle against the Midianites demonstrates that kind of trust. The Israelites already face a vastly larger enemy, yet God tells Gideon that his army of thirty-two thousand is too large.

Gideon releases the fearful men and then separates the remaining soldiers by the way they drink at a river. Only three hundred remain. A comic sports broadcast covers the absurd-looking contest: thousands of armed Midianites face a tiny band carrying trumpets, pitchers, and hidden torches. The Israelites follow God's unusual plan, and the terrified enemy flees in confusion without the expected battle.

A game show tests Adam and Eve, Jonah, and Emily on obedience. Adam and Eve choose the forbidden fruit instead of the one clear command God gave them, and Jonah chooses a voyage in the opposite direction rather than preach in Nineveh. Emily identifies the obedient choice each time and wins no flashy treasure - only eternal rewards and the satisfaction of doing what is right.

Whit then tells of Naaman, the respected commander of the Aramean army who suffers from leprosy. An Israelite servant girl tells his household that a prophet in Samaria can heal him. Naaman travels with a royal letter and costly gifts, but Israel's king cannot cure anyone and fears the request is impossible. The prophet Elisha hears about the crisis and summons Naaman.

Elisha does not even come outside. Through a messenger, he instructs Naaman to wash seven times in the Jordan River. The proud commander is insulted by the simple, dirty task. He expected a dramatic act from the prophet and considers the rivers of Damascus far better than the Jordan. He turns away in anger, prepared to return home unchanged.

Naaman's servants point out that he would gladly perform a heroic deed if Elisha demanded one. The easier command requires a harder kind of courage: humbling himself and trusting the word God has given. Naaman obeys, enters the Jordan seven times, and emerges completely healed. He recognizes God's power, declares that he will no longer worship other gods, and cannot purchase the miracle when Elisha refuses his gifts.

The broadcast concludes that faithful obedience grows from trust and love. Jesus teaches that those who love Him keep His commands, and He provides the supreme example by humbling Himself and obeying even to death on a cross. Hank then attempts to display his perfectly trained animals, but the released dogs and cats ignore his signals and chase him, giving B-TV an appropriately unruly ending.