Disobedience is neglecting or refusing to obey; not doing what is commanded, or doing what is prohibited, and not being observant of duty or rules prescribed by an authority.
Beginning
with Adam and Eve, God has communicated with people through instructions and
commands. The first couple were instructed what to and not to eat, plus they were
told to name the animals and to multiply and fill the earth. Later, Noah was
asked to build a large boat, bring in his family, the animals, food, etc. At
the end of the flood, God let them out of the boat, blessed them, and commanded
them to multiply and fill the earth (see Genesis 9:1). After many years, God
called Abraham and asked him to leave his native country, relatives, and family,
and go and start life all over in another land (see Genesis 12:1). And now,
through the Scriptures, He commands us to turn away from sin, trust in Jesus
for salvation, and live godly lives.
God,
being the Creator and in charge of everything, does not need instructions from
anyone; we can petition Him, but nothing more. It is encouraging, however, to
know that God has our welfare at heart, and so His instructions are for our
good: not because He wants to be bossy. He has the right to be whatever He chooses
and does not have to answer to anyone. He loves to bless us and help us to
thrive, but the only way He will to do that is if we obey Him.
When
we choose to go our own way and not obey Him, we give Him no choice but to:
●
Withhold blessings—Adam and Eve were cursed when they
disobeyed. When Cain killed Abel, he was cursed.
●
Punish us—Jonah went in the opposite direction of where his
assignment should have taken him; God prepared a great fish to swallow him, and
he was in the belly of the fish for three days and nights. (See Jonah 1: 1-17).
When Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, lied to Peter and the Holy Spirit, they
were severely punished, each dropping dead on the spot (see Acts 5:1-5; 8-10).
●
Cause Himself pain because of our pain.
It
is quite evident through his relationship with the Israelites that God hates to
punish us; He’d rather we obey so He can bless us: “Oh, that they would always
have hearts like this, that they might fear me and obey all my commands! If
they did, they and their descendants would prosper forever” (Deuteronomy 5:29).
God is so ready to bless us in any way possible (see Deuteronomy 28:1-14). He
literally begged them to repent so He could withdraw whichever calamity He had
brought upon them. He had given them the commandment to not worship anything
except Him, the One true God who, through performing all kinds of miracles,
brought them out of slavery in Egypt. In the wilderness, He provided manna and
quails for food, provided water from the rock, and made paths in the Red Sea
and the Jordan River to get them into the Promised Land.
How
else did they want Him to prove that He could and would take care of them? They
disobeyed Him again and again, doing abominable things like sacrificing their
children to Baal. God was flabbergasted and lamented because it had never
even crossed His mind to command something like that (see Jeremiah 19:5).
How about
us, His children, today? Are we obeying Him? The honest answer is NO! We don’t
obey all the time; we are selective in our obedience. Let’s consider a couple
simple examples: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need and, and thank him for all he has done” (Philippians
4:6). Which one of us obeys this command one hundred percent of the time? To our
shame, we worry about health, finances, and you name it. How about “Be thankful
in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ
Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Are we thankful in all situations, knowing that
it is God’s will for us? No! When things are going well, we claim the glory for
ourselves instead of thanking God for it. And when things are not going well,
we find no reason or joy in giving thanks; we behave like the Israelites did in
the wilderness, murmuring and complaining with no gratitude.
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