”If you do what you are asked not to do, you get what you do not want to get.”
Life often presents us with clear guidelines and instructions, whether they come from our parents, mentors, or the divine. When we choose to go against these instructions, we often find ourselves facing consequences that we would rather avoid. This principle is deeply rooted in the Bible, where numerous stories and teachings highlight the importance of obedience to God’s commands and the repercussions of disobedience.
The Fall of Man: The First Act of Disobedience.
Genesis 3:6-7 – “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”
The story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden is the first and most profound example of disobedience leading to undesired consequences. God had commanded them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, yet they chose to do so. This act of disobedience led to their expulsion from the Garden, the introduction of sin into the world, and the loss of their innocence.
Genesis 3:17-19 – “To Adam he said, ‘Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, “You must not eat from it,” Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.'”
Adam and Eve’s disobedience resulted in toil, pain, and eventual death—consequences that they certainly did not desire.
The Consequence of Cain’s Disobedience.
Genesis 4:6-7 – “Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.'”
Cain, the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, faced a choice between doing right and giving in to sin. Despite God’s warning, Cain chose to disobey and killed his brother Abel. This act of disobedience led to severe consequences.
Genesis 4:11-12 – “Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
Cain’s disobedience resulted in a curse and a life of restless wandering—outcomes he did not desire.
The Israelites’ Disobedience in the Wilderness.
Numbers 14:2-4 – “All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, ‘If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?’ And they said to each other, ‘We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.'”
The Israelites, despite witnessing God’s miraculous deliverance from Egypt, repeatedly disobeyed and grumbled against Him in the wilderness. Their lack of faith and disobedience had dire consequences.
Numbers 14:28-30 – “So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.'”
The Israelites’ disobedience resulted in them wandering in the wilderness for forty years, and the entire generation that left Egypt perished without seeing the Promised Land—an outcome they did not want.
Saul’s Disobedience: A King Rejected.
1 Samuel 15:22-23 – “But Samuel replied: ‘Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.'”
King Saul, chosen by God to lead Israel, disobeyed God’s command to completely destroy the Amalekites and their possessions. Instead, he kept the best of the livestock and spared the Amalekite king. This act of disobedience led to his rejection as king.
1 Samuel 15:26 – “But Samuel said to him, ‘I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!'”
Saul’s disobedience cost him his kingship and God’s favor—outcomes he certainly did not desire.
Jonah’s Disobedience: A Prophet’s Flight.
Jonah 1:1-3 – “The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’ But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.”
The prophet Jonah was commanded by God to go to Nineveh and preach against its wickedness. Instead, Jonah chose to disobey and fled in the opposite direction. This act of disobedience led to a series of undesired consequences.
Jonah 1:15-17 – “Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him. Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
Jonah’s disobedience resulted in him being thrown into the sea and swallowed by a great fish—an experience he certainly did not want. It was only through repentance and submission to God’s command that he was eventually delivered.
Ananias and Sapphira: A Lesson in Integrity.
Acts 5:1-2 – “Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.”
Ananias and Sapphira’s story is a stark example of disobedience and deceit within the early Christian community. They lied about the proceeds from the sale of their property, pretending to give all the money to the apostles while secretly keeping a portion.
Acts 5:3-5 – “Then Peter said, ‘Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.’ When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.”
The consequence of their disobedience and deceit was immediate and severe—they both fell down and died. This serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of integrity and obedience to God’s commands.
The Call to Obedience: Jesus’ Teachings.
John 14:15 – “If you love me, keep my commands.”
Jesus emphasized the importance of obedience as a demonstration of our love for Him. He taught that following His commands leads to a life of blessing and fulfillment.
Matthew 7:24-27 – “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; and it fell with a great crash.”
