What other biblical examples show consequences of disobedience similar to Deuteronomy 9:8?

Context: Deuteronomy 9:8

“ ‘At Horeb you provoked the LORD to wrath, and He was angry enough to destroy you.’ ”

Israel’s idolatry with the golden calf drew immediate, severe danger of annihilation—averted only by Moses’ intercession. Scripture repeatedly mirrors this pattern: clear command, deliberate violation, swift and often catastrophic consequence.

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Parallel Narratives of Consequence

• Adam and Eve – Genesis 3:6-24

– Disobedience: ate the forbidden fruit.

– Consequence: expelled from Eden, death enters creation.

– “So He drove out the man…” (v. 24).

• World of Noah – Genesis 6:5-7, 17

– Disobedience: pervasive violence and corruption.

– Consequence: global flood; only Noah’s family spared.

– “Everything that is on the earth shall perish.” (v. 17).

• Tower of Babel – Genesis 11:4-9

– Disobedience: united pride to “make a name” for themselves.

– Consequence: languages confused, people scattered.

• Sodom and Gomorrah – Genesis 19:24-25

– Disobedience: flagrant sin and refusal to repent.

– Consequence: cities overthrown by fire and sulfur.

• Nadab and Abihu – Leviticus 10:1-2

– Disobedience: “unauthorized fire” before the LORD.

– Consequence: “fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them.”

• Korah’s Rebellion – Numbers 16:31-35

– Disobedience: challenged God-appointed leadership.

– Consequence: earth opened, rebels swallowed; fire consumed 250 men.

• Unbelieving Generation – Numbers 14:22-35

– Disobedience: refused to enter the land.

– Consequence: forty years of wandering; entire generation died in wilderness.

• Achan – Joshua 7:1-26

– Disobedience: stole devoted items from Jericho.

– Consequence: Israel’s defeat at Ai; Achan and family executed, possessions burned.

• King Saul – 1 Samuel 15:19-23

– Disobedience: spared Amalekite king and livestock.

– Consequence: kingdom torn away; rejection by God.

– “Rebellion is like the sin of divination…” (v. 23).

• Uzzah – 2 Samuel 6:6-7

– Disobedience: touched the ark against command.

– Consequence: “God struck him down there for his irreverence.”

• King Uzziah – 2 Chronicles 26:16-21

– Disobedience: entered temple to burn incense.

– Consequence: leprosy until death.

• Northern Kingdom – 2 Kings 17:7-23

– Disobedience: persistent idolatry.

– Consequence: Assyrian exile; land emptied.

• Judah – 2 Chronicles 36:15-20

– Disobedience: mocked prophets, defiled temple.

– Consequence: Babylonian captivity, Jerusalem burned.

• Ananias and Sapphira – Acts 5:1-11

– Disobedience: lied to the Holy Spirit about their gift.

– Consequence: instant death, great fear on the church.

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Shared Themes

• Clear revelation of God’s standard precedes judgment.

• Disobedience provokes divine wrath—often sudden and unmistakable.

• Consequences extend beyond individuals to families, nations, and creation itself.

• Even amid judgment, God preserves a remnant or offers restoration when repentance occurs (Noah, Lot, Israel after exile).

These accounts echo Deuteronomy 9:8, underscoring that the Holy One remains consistent: deliberate rebellion carries real, sometimes immediate, repercussions.