Dear friends, today we will discuss the consequences of disobedience to God. In the Bible, we find numerous incidents where disobedience led to dire consequences, teaching us valuable lessons about the importance of following God’s instructions.
Adam and Eve were dismissed from the Garden of Eden due to their disobedience since they ate the fruit, which was forbidden. This event reminds us of the severe impact of violating God’s commandments.
Another example is the story of King Saul. God instructed Saul to destroy the Amalekites completely, but he chose to spare their king and the best of their livestock. As a result of his disobedience, God rejected Saul as king, and his reign ended in tragedy. This story teaches us that partial obedience is still disobedience in God’s eyes and that such actions can lead to a loss of divine favor and blessings.
The Israelites’ journey to the Promised Land also gives us a lesson. Due to their repeated disobedience and lack of faith, they wandered in the wilderness for forty years, and an entire generation was denied entry into the land flowing with milk and honey. This narrative reminds us that disobedience can delay or even prevent us from receiving God’s promises.
Disobedience also has personal consequences, as seen in the life of Jonah. When Jonah fled from God’s command to go to Nineveh, he faced a violent storm and was swallowed by a great fish. Only after his repentance and obedience did he find deliverance and success in his mission. This story highlights how running from God’s will can lead to turmoil and suffering, but repentance and obedience can restore us.
Dear brothers and sisters, these biblical examples clearly illustrate that disobedience to God brings dire consequences. It disrupts our fellowship with Him, leads to loss and suffering, and can even impact future generations. Let us heed these lessons and strive to live in obedience, knowing that God’s commandments are given for our good and His glory.
Dear friends now let’s see the Bible scriptures below that talk about the ‘consequences of disobedience’.
“Behold, I set before you this day a blessing a curseA blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this dayAnd a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known”
— Deuteronomy 11:26-28
“But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, overtake thee”
— Deuteronomy 28:15
“When the Lord saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, of his daughtersAnd he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith”
— Deuteronomy 32:19-20
“Remember, forget not, how thou provokedst the Lord thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the LordAlso in Horeb ye provoked the Lord to wrath, so that the Lord was angry with you to have destroyed you”
— Deuteronomy 9:7-8
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness”
— Romans 1:18
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”
— Romans 6:23
“The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened”
— Proverbs 10:27
“Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered”
— Proverbs 11:21
“The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just”
— Proverbs 3:33
“If ye be willing obedient, ye shall eat the good of the landBut if ye refuse rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it”
— Isaiah 1:19-20
“Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord , that take counsel, but not of me; that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin”
— Isaiah 30:1
“Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him”
— Isaiah 3:11
“But if ye will not hearken unto me, will not do all these commandmentsAnd if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenantI also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, cause sorrow of heart: ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it”
— Leviticus 26:14-16
“Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenantWhich I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, I will be your God”
— Jeremiah 11:3-4
“But this people hath a revolting a rebellious heart; they are revolted goneNeither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvestYour iniquities have turned away these things, your sins have withholden good things from you”
— Jeremiah 5:23-25
“But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, I will be your God, ye shall be my people: walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto youBut they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels in the imagination of their evil heart, went backward, not forward”
— Jeremiah 7:23-24
“For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord : unto whom the Lord sware that he would not shew them the land, which the Lord sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk honey”
— Joshua 5:6
“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinsBut a certain fearful looking for of judgment fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries”
— Hebrews 10:26-27
“For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, every transgression disobedience received a just recompence of rewardHow shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard him”
— Hebrews 2:2-3
“To whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief”
— Hebrews 3:18-19
“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die”
— Ezekiel 18:4
“Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted my sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness”
— Ezekiel 20:21
“But they refused to hearken, pulled away the shoulder, stopped their ears, that they should not hearYea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hostsTherefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, they would not hear; so they cried, I would not hear, saith the Lord of hosts”
— Zechariah 7:11-13
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children”
— Hosea 4:6
“They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah: therefore he will remember their iniquity, he will visit their sins”
— Hosea 9:9
“If ye will not hear, if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart”
— Malachi 2:2
“If ye love me, keep my commandments”
— John 14:15
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him”
— John 3:36
“For the Amalekites the Canaanites are there before you, ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the Lord , therefore the Lord will not be with you”
— Numbers 14:43
“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, doeth it not, to him it is sin”
— James 4:17
“Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, do not the things which I say?”
— Luke 6:46
“But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: there is no respect of persons”
— Colossians 3:25
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reapFor he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting”
— Galatians 6:7-8
“These shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal”
— Matthew 25:46
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heavenMany will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? in thy name have cast out devils? in thy name done many wonderful works?then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity”
— Matthew 7:21-23
“Beware of him, obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him”
— Exodus 23:21
“The Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, , behold, it is a stiffnecked peopleNow therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, that I may consume them: I will make of thee a great nation”
— Exodus 32:9-10
“They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy”
— Jonah 2:8
“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, may enter in through the gates into the cityFor without are dogs, sorcerers, whoremongers, murderers, idolaters, whosoever loveth maketh a lie”
— Revelation 22:14-15
“Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience”
— Ephesians 5:6
“Nevertheless they were disobedient, rebelled against thee, cast thy law behind their backs, slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, they wrought great provocationsTherefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies”
— Nehemiah 9:26-27
“Ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, their gods shall be a snare unto you”
— Judges 2:2-3
“You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities”
— Amos 3:2
Conclusion
In the Bible, we find numerous examples and teachings that display the consequences of disobedience to God’s commands. Verses such as Deuteronomy 28:15, which warns of curses for disobedience, and Romans 6:23, which states that the wages of sin is death, underline the serious results of turning away from God’s laws. From these scriptures, we learn the importance of obedience, the fear of God, and the need for repentance. Applying these lessons in our lives means striving to live according to God’s will, seeking His guidance through prayer and scripture, and acknowledging our shortcomings with a heart of repentance. By doing so, we can avoid the pitfalls of disobedience and align ourselves with God’s blessings and grace.