What other scriptures emphasize consequences of turning away from God's commandments? God’s Warning in Jeremiah 15:13 “Your wealth and your treasures I will give up as plunder, without charge, for all your sins throughout all your borders.” (Jeremiah 15:13) The Lord ties loss of possessions and security directly to persistent sin. Scripture repeats this sober pattern again and again. Pattern of Consequence in the Law • Deuteronomy 28:15-19 – “If you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God… all these curses will come upon you.” The list runs from sickness to exile. • Deuteronomy 29:25-28 – The land itself becomes “a burning waste… uprooted in anger.” • Leviticus 26:14-17 – Disobedience brings sudden terror, wasting disease, defeat before enemies. Historical Snapshots of Israel • Joshua 23:12-13 – Alliance with pagan nations will become “a snare and a trap… until you perish from this good land.” • Judges 2:13-15 – When Israel served Baal, the LORD “sold them into the hands of their enemies.” • 2 Kings 17:13-20 – Ignoring prophets leads to the northern kingdom’s deportation. • 2 Chronicles 7:19-22 – Turning aside means the temple becomes “a byword and an object of scorn.” Wisdom Literature Echoes • Psalm 81:11-12 – “So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.” • Proverbs 1:24-31 – Spurning wisdom ends with calamity; “they will eat the fruit of their own way.” Prophetic Reinforcement • Isaiah 1:19-20 – Willing obedience brings eating “the good of the land,” but refusal brings the sword. • Ezekiel 5:7-8, 17 – Greater judgment falls because Jerusalem multiplied rebellion. • Hosea 4:6-10 – “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you… I will punish them for their ways.” • Amos 5:14-15, 27 – Persisting in evil ensures exile “beyond Damascus.” • Malachi 2:2-3 – Curses fall on priests who do not honor the Name. New-Testament Confirmation • Matthew 7:26-27 – Hearing but not doing Christ’s words ends with a great crash. • John 15:6 – The branch not remaining in Him “is thrown away and withers… into the fire.” • Romans 1:24-28 – God “gave them over” to impurity when they exchanged His truth for a lie. • Hebrews 10:26-27 – Deliberate sin after knowing the truth leaves “a fearful expectation of judgment.” • Revelation 2:5; 3:16 – Lampstands removed, and the lukewarm “vomited” out if repentance is refused. Living Takeaways • Scripture links turning from God with tangible loss—land, health, security, even witness. • The pattern spans Law, History, Wisdom, Prophets, Gospels, Epistles, and Revelation, underscoring one unchanging principle: disobedience carries measurable, often escalating consequences. • God’s warnings are gifts of mercy, calling His people back before those consequences fall. |
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