Topical Bible: Disobedience to God: Acknowledge the Punishment of, to be Just

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Disobedience to God is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, illustrating the consequences of turning away from His commandments and the justice of His punishments. The Scriptures consistently affirm that God's judgments are righteous and deserved, reflecting His holiness and the seriousness of sin.

Old Testament Examples

1. Adam and Eve: The first act of disobedience is found in Genesis 3, where Adam and Eve eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, defying God's explicit command. As a result, they face expulsion from the Garden of Eden, suffering, and death. This narrative underscores the just nature of God's punishment, as He had warned them of the consequences: "for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die" (Genesis 2:17).

2. The Israelites in the Wilderness: The Israelites' repeated disobedience during their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land led to various punishments, including the decree that the generation that left Egypt would not enter the Promised Land (Numbers 14:22-23). Their refusal to trust and obey God resulted in a 40-year period of wandering, demonstrating the justice of God's response to their rebellion.

3. King Saul: Saul's disobedience in failing to completely destroy the Amalekites, as commanded by God, led to his rejection as king. Samuel declared, "Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king" (1 Samuel 15:23). Saul's punishment is portrayed as just, reflecting the seriousness of his disobedience.

New Testament Teachings

1. Ananias and Sapphira: In Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira lie to the Holy Spirit about the proceeds from the sale of their property. Their immediate deaths serve as a stark reminder of the severity of disobedience and deceit before God. The early church recognized this as a just punishment, instilling a fear of God among the believers.

2. The Warnings of Jesus: Jesus frequently warned of the consequences of disobedience. In Matthew 7:21-23, He speaks of those who call Him "Lord" but do not do the will of the Father, stating that they will be turned away on the day of judgment. This teaching emphasizes that God's judgment is just and based on obedience to His will.

3. The Epistles: The apostle Paul, in Romans 1:18-32, describes the wrath of God against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. He explains that those who disobey God are "without excuse" (Romans 1:20) and that their punishment is a result of their willful rejection of God's truth.

Theological Reflections

The justice of God's punishment for disobedience is rooted in His character as a holy and righteous God. Sin is not merely a violation of divine law but an affront to God's holiness. The Bible consistently portrays God's judgments as fair and deserved, reflecting His perfect justice. As the psalmist declares, "The judgments of the LORD are true and altogether righteous" (Psalm 19:9).

Throughout Scripture, the call to acknowledge the justice of God's punishment for disobedience serves as a sobering reminder of the seriousness of sin and the need for repentance and obedience. The biblical narrative affirms that while God's mercy is abundant, His justice is unwavering, and His punishments are always just.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Nehemiah 9:32,33
Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keep covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before you, that has come on us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria to this day.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Daniel 9:10,11,14
Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

God's Curse on Sin.
... to the Hebrews""If every transgression and disobedience received a ... of sin is death,
even while we acknowledge that it ... turn to the thought of God's mercy, and ...
//christianbookshelf.org/percival/sermons at rugby/xiv gods curse on sin.htm

"If we Confess Our Sins, He is Faithful and Just to Forgive us Our ...
... your confession, but for Christ, only acknowledge thine iniquity ... were as high contempt
and disobedience to him ... Certainly, the very name of God, revealed to us ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xviii if we confess.htm

Characters Will be Disclosed, and Justice Awarded.
... fear, is preferable, in divine estimation, to allowed disobedience. ... and the impartial
justice of God, they will be constrained to acknowledge the perfect ...
/.../lee/sermons on various important subjects/sermon xvi characters will be.htm

The Sovereignty of God in Reprobation
... it is the same Greek word as in 1:Thess.5:9) unto disobedience. ... I frankly acknowledge
I believe the doctrine of Reprobation, that God intends to give ...
/.../pink/the sovereignty of god/chapter five the sovereignty of.htm

The Lamb of God, the Great Atonement
... A penalty, in case of disobedience, was annexed to the ... us, when they simply speak
of what God has done ... They know, and acknowledge as readily as we, that they ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 1/sermon xvi the lamb of.htm

God's Barriers against Man's Sin
... Where is the man that does not acknowledge God when he ... said, we could scarcely find
such a disobedience as that ... dares eat of that holy fruit which God had set ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/gods barriers against mans sin.htm

Fourteenth Proposition of Arminius
... So far as abstinence from disobedience and evil was ... man to live not according to
man, but according to God. This you acknowledge when you say that "these acts ...
/.../the works of james arminius vol 3/fourteenth proposition of arminius.htm

Arguments in Opposition to Tatian, Showing that it was Consonant ...
... continence upon himself and his wife, fearing God, and waiting ... as, he says, I have
by disobedience lost that ... from the Spirit, I do now also acknowledge that I ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xxiii arguments in opposition to.htm

The Christian Training of Children.
... For punishment is incurred by disobedience; discipline takes obedience ... begin in the
children without God making use ... more must we feel and acknowledge the great ...
/.../selected sermons of schleiermacher/ix the christian training of.htm

Romans x. 13
... so they do but in Words acknowledge Him. ... be accompanied with Dishonour, Disrespect,
and Disobedience, in Actions ... any such general Declaration of God's Favour to ...
/.../sermon x romans x 13.htm