What other scriptures emphasize the consequences of not listening to God's commands? Listening Matters: Jeremiah 7:28 “So you are to say to them: ‘This is the nation that would not obey the LORD their God or accept discipline. Truth has perished; it has disappeared from their lips.’” (Jeremiah 7:28) Echoes of Judgment in the Law • Deuteronomy 28:15 – “If you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, then all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.” • Deuteronomy 28:45 – “All these curses will come upon you, pursue you, and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the LORD your God and keep the commandments and statutes He gave you.” • Leviticus 26:14-17 – Refusing to listen brings “sudden terror, wasting disease… you will sow your seed in vain… those who hate you will rule over you.” Warnings in Wisdom Literature • Proverbs 1:24-26 – “Because you refused my call… I in turn will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you.” • Psalm 81:11-12 – “But My people would not listen to Me… So I gave them up to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.” Prophetic Reminders • 1 Samuel 15:22-23 – “To obey is better than sacrifice… Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king.” • Isaiah 1:19-20 – “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best of the land. But if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” • Zechariah 7:11-14 – They “stopped their ears” and “the land was left desolate behind them” when they would not heed God’s law. • 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 – Mocking God’s messengers “until the wrath of the LORD rose against His people, until there was no remedy.” New Testament Confirmations • Luke 6:46-49 – Hearing Jesus’ words yet not doing them leaves a life “without a foundation,” collapsing in the storm. • Hebrews 2:1-3 – “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” • Hebrews 12:25 – “See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks… how much less will we escape if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven?” • James 1:22-24 – Hearing without doing makes us “like a man who looks at his face in a mirror” and forgets what he saw. • Revelation 3:3 – “Remember, then, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief.” Key Takeaways to Guard Our Hearts • From Genesis to Revelation, ignoring God’s voice always brings loss—of peace, protection, and ultimately of life itself. • Obedience unlocks blessing; disobedience invites discipline. The pattern never changes. • God’s warnings are gifts of mercy, calling us back before judgment becomes irreversible. • A tender, responsive heart keeps truth alive on our lips and safeguards us from the fate Jeremiah lamented. |
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