disobedience

Judges 17, Ezekiel 6, Proverbs 18:13-24

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Read Judges 17, Ezekiel 6, and Proverbs 18:13-24.

This devotional is about Ezekiel 6.

One of God’s goals for Israel was to proclaim his glory through their greatness. If Israel had obeyed God’s laws and worshipped him wholeheartedly, God promised abundance to them—long lives, plenty of healthy children, bumper crops, and material prosperity. These promises had multiple purposes such as (a) to bless and benefit his people (b) to give them tangible incentives for doing what was right and (c) to demonstrate to the idolatrous nations around them that there is only one true God—YHWH, the God of Israel.

God knew well that humanity was infected with depravity and were incapable of keeping his laws without an infusion of new spiritual life that we call regeneration. So, in every generation God regenerated some Israelites. They loved him, obeyed his laws, worshipped him from the heart, and enjoyed some of the benefits of his promises.

But most of the people of Israel lived in sinful rebellion against him. Although God sent judges and prophets and even some godly kings to provide them with spiritual leadership, most of Israel’s history was dominated by spiritual and moral failure generation after generation.

Where did that leave God, then? If his goal was to make himself famous through the obedience of Israel and his consequent blessings to them, what did Israel’s failures teach about God?

Ezekiel 6 contains the answer. Remember that not only did God’s law (through Moses) spell out the blessings of obedience; it also spelled out the consequences of disobedience. Just as God promised blessing and prosperity to his people if they served him and obeyed him, he also promised judgment and exile to them if they rejected him and disobeyed him. In Ezekiel 6, the Lord’s word through the prophet explained to the people in exile all of the destruction and death that would happen in their beloved homeland (vv. 2-7a). The reason: “…you will know that I am the Lord” (v. 7b).

Yet God would never fully abandon his promises. In God’s grace, some would be saved from the destruction that their sins deserved. Verses 8-9 described what would happen to them; namely, that they would be taken captive and suffer but in their suffering they “will remember me” (v. 9a), “…will loathe themselves for the evil they have done and for all their detestable practices. And they will know that I am the Lord” (vv. 9c-10).

Have you ever thought that the painful events in your life actually prove both the existence of God and of his love for you?

  • If you’ve sinned and suffered the consequences for it (and who among us hasn’t?), then your own experience proves the teaching of God’s word that a person reaps what he sows.
  • If you’ve ever experienced the Lord’s discipline in your life that corrected you from a sinful path and brought you back to obedience, then you know that the Lord loves you because “because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son” (Prov 3:11-12, Heb 12:6).

God’s people needed a painful lesson in God’s faithfulness to prepare them to deliver Christ into the world. Though most of them were in unbelief when Christ came to the world, and most live in that unbelief even today, God will still make good on his promises for Israel in the kingdom of Christ.

Until then, see how the struggles that Israel had historically were unprecedented and difficult, yet God did not allow his people to be permanently extinguished from the earth.

All of this is a testimony to the existence and power of God. Because we know him by faith and have the regeneration that most of Israel lacked, let’s take his word seriously and live obedient lives to it.

Joshua 22, Jeremiah 43, Romans 6

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Read Joshua 22, Jeremiah 43, and Romans 6.

This devotional is about Jeremiah 43.

A carpet remnant is what is left over from carpet installed in a room or hallway. The people who remained in Judah are called a “remnant” (v. 5) but, honestly, carpet remnants might be worth more to us than these people were to Judah or Babylon, Jeremiah excepted. I don’t say that to demean them; I say it because back in chapter 39, when the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem, the Babylonians forced the vast majority of people who survived the battle to march to Babylon as exiles. Verse 10 of Jeremiah 39 says, “…the commander of the guard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who owned nothing; and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.” So the people left in Judah, the remnant, were not considered high value people. That’s why they were left behind.

Yesterday, we read in Jeremiah 42 that the remnant of people left in Judah were scared and didn’t know what to do. They vacillated about going to Egypt or staying in Jerusalem. Finally, they asked Jeremiah to pray and ask God to reveal his will. But before Jeremiah prayed, they assured him that they would take whatever God said and do it. Their words were, in Jeremiah 42:5, “‘May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.’”

And God responsed! He promised blessings to them if they remained in the land. What was the reaction? How did the people who pledged so eloquently to “obey the Lord our God” “whether it is favorable or unfavorable?” Their answer was recorded for us in our reading today, Jeremiah 43 verse 2: “Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, ‘You are lying! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, “You must not go to Egypt to settle there.”’”

So what did they do? “…all the people disobeyed the Lord’s command to stay in the land of Judah…. So they entered Egypt in disobedience to the Lord” (v. 4). Having promised to obey God’s word–whatever it was–they rejected God’s word when they didn’t like it and disobeyed it despite God’s promise of blessing.

This is typical of us, too, as human beings. Our sinful hearts look for ways to sidestep God’s word, reinterpret what it says, claim that it doesn’t apply to us, and find some way to do what we want to do in disobedience to his will. Ultimately, though, we harm ourselves, because breaking God’s laws will bring consequences.

Do you have a heart to accept God’s word, even if “it is favorable or unfavorable?” Can you remember a time when you did what was right even though you wanted to do what was wrong? How did that turn out for you?

Numbers 33, Isaiah 56, Acts 19

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Read Numbers 33, Isaiah 56, and Acts 19.

This devotional is about Numbers 33.

This chapter is an overview/review of all the places Israel went in their journey from Egypt (vv. 1-5) to the edge of the Promised Land (v. 48: “…by the Jordan across from Jericho”). It is a factual account. Each place they camped is mentioned but the (mostly sinful) events that happened in each one are not recorded. Consider:

  • After they leave the area around Mt. Sinai (v. 16a), they go to Kibroth Hattaavah (v. 16b). According to Numbers 11, God consumed some complainers there (11:1-3), commissioned elders to help Moses (11:16-30), and provided quail and some more judgment (11:31-35) before they left Kibroth Hattaavah (11:35). None of that is mentioned here in Numbers 33:16.
  • From Kibroth Hattaavah, Israel went to Hazeroth (33:17). According to Numbers 12:1-16 that’s where Moses’s brother Aaron and sister Miriam complained about Moses and were confronted by God about it. Miriam contracted leprosy (12:10) until Moses prayed for her (vv. 13-15). But here Numbers 33:16, none of that is mentioned.

I could go on, but you get the idea. This list of places here in Numbers 33 doesn’t even mention Israel’s rebellion when God commanded them to take the land (Numbers 14). Instead, here in Numbers 33:36 we’re told they “camped in Kadesh” (where the rebellion happened, among other things) and then, in verse 37, we’re told, “They left Kadesh.” Aaron died at the next stop (vv. 38-39), and that’s the only significant thing we’re told about each of these places.

Israel went from place to place to place after verse 37 through verse 47 because they were wandering under God’s judgment. All those over age 20, except for Joshua and Caleb, lived out their lives wandering in the desert and died out there (15:28-30).

So, when we get to verse 48 in today’s reading from Numbers 33, all the disobedient people have died. Only Moses, Joshua, and Caleb are left and Moses will died, too, before Israel enters the land.

Having cataloged every place where God’s people camped along the way, God spoke through Moses and gave instructions (vv. 50-51). He commanded the people to (1) “drive out all the inhabitants…(v.52a). (2) “Destroy all their carved images and cast idols” (v. 52b). (3) “…demolish all their high places (v. 52c). (4) “Take possession of the land and settle it…” (v. 53) and (5) “Distribute the land by lot…” (v. 54).

Then, verse 55 warns that failure to obey God’s commands would cause them “trouble” (v. 55c) which would lead to God’s judgment (v. 56).

So, in this summary chapter, we have two responses to God subtly contrasted. God delivered everyone (vv. 1-4) but then most of God’s people sinned and rebelled against him (vv. 3-49). A new generation is given a fresh opportunity to obey the Lord and receive his blessings (vv. 51-54) or disobey him and receive his judgment (vv. 55-56).

A big factor in whether or not the new generation would succeed was whether or not they drove the Canaanites out of the land and destroyed their idols (v. 52). If they allowed godless people to stay, and let their idols linger, they would fall into sin and find God’s judgment (vv. 55-56).

This warning corresponds to our lives as Christians, too. Our growth and joy in Christ will be hindered by sinful people who linger in our lives and idols from our culture that we refuse to eliminate. Are you holding on to, and secretly worshipping sinful things in your life? Ruthlessly remove them in obedience to God’s word so that they do not become “barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides” (v. 55).

Leviticus 26, Isaiah 24, Acts 9

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Read Leviticus 26, Isaiah 24, and Acts 9.

This devotional is about Leviticus 26.

Great blessings continued to be promised here in Leviticus 26. If only Israel had believed God (vv. 1-3), they would have:

  • abundant rain in season yielding fruitful harvests (v. 4).
  • a consistent supply of food (vv. 5, 10).
  • peace and security from wild animals and invading armies (v. 6)
  • military victory if war did break out (vv. 7-8)
  • growing population base (v. 9)
  • MOST IMPORTANTLY: fellowship with God, who would live among them (vv. 11-13).

Following those positive promises were promises that there would be consequences if they disobeyed God’s word (vv. 14-39). This is what Israel actually got, for the most part, because they disobeyed God.

But notice that God described these consequences in verse 23 as “my correction” and he said that the purpose of these punishments was to “break down your stubborn pride.” This is what God does for those he loves. He blesses us when we follow him in obedience and he brings correction, painful though it may be, to humble us and teach us to follow him.

Here in the church age, God’s blessings to us are not necessarily the material prosperity he promised to Israel. We will enjoy that when his kingdom comes to earth, but that is not always his will for his elect in this age.

We can, however, enjoy God’s fellowship (vv. 11-13) in this life while we wait for the kingdom to fulfill all the other promises he made. We can also enjoy the conviction that God will not forsake us when we sin against him but that his correction is designed to humble us and to turn our hearts in confession and repentance to him.

How is this working out in your walk with God these days? Are you enjoying the comfort of his fellowship even if you may be experiencing some trials? Or are you stubbornly living in disobedience and, maybe, experiencing his correction in your life? If you are walking with God and not harboring any sin, then keep going. Don’t allow the lies that sin tells us to rob you of the blessings of God’s fellowship.

If you need to repent, though, claim God’s promised forgiveness and have your walk with him restored.

Jonah 1

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Jonah 1

People often disobey God’s commands. What will God do about it? Find out in this message from Jonah 1.

This is a message from chapter 1 of the Old Testament book of Jonah. It was the first message in a series covering the entire book by Pastor Brian Jones.

This message was delivered on Sunday, September 20, 2009 at Calvary Bible Church in Ypsilanti, MI.

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