How does Exodus 9:21 illustrate the consequences of ignoring God's warnings today? Setting the scene Exodus 9 records the seventh plague on Egypt—devastating hail. God’s warning is crystal-clear: bring everything under shelter, or lose it. Some heed the warning; others shrug it off. The pivotal verse “but those who disregarded the word of the LORD left their servants and livestock in the field.” (Exodus 9:21) What ignoring looked like then • Undervaluing revelation: God spoke; they assumed He wouldn’t act. • Misplaced confidence: past survival bred false security. • Human cost: servants and animals died because leaders refused to respond. The Bible’s built-in commentary • Proverbs 1:24-27—“Because you refused to listen…I in turn will laugh at your calamity.” • Hebrews 12:25—“See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking.” • Luke 17:26-30—Noah’s and Lot’s generations “were eating and drinking” until judgment fell. Timeless truths illustrated • God’s warnings are merciful invitations, not optional advice. • Selective obedience still equals disobedience. • Consequences may strike others attached to us—family, employees, even a nation. How the pattern repeats today 1. Moral warnings: Scripture condemns sins our culture normalizes (Romans 1:18-32). Ignoring God’s word erodes consciences and societies. 2. Spiritual apathy: Hebrews 2:1 warns us to “pay much closer attention…so that we do not drift away.” Drifting invites discipline (Hebrews 12:6). 3. Personal choices: a believer who dismisses clear teaching on marriage fidelity, financial integrity, or substance abuse often reaps broken relationships, debt, or addiction. Consequences we cannot sidestep • Immediate: lost opportunities, damaged witness, relational fallout. • Ongoing: hardened hearts make future repentance harder (Hebrews 3:13). • Ultimate: for the unbeliever, final judgment (Revelation 20:11-15); for the believer, loss of reward (1 Corinthians 3:13-15). Lessons for alert hearts • Take God at His word the first time. Delayed obedience risks irreversible loss. • Shelter under His provision—Christ, the true refuge (Psalm 46:1; John 3:16). • Lead others to safety; our responsiveness influences those entrusted to us. |
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