What other scriptures warn against turning away from God's truth and guidance? Ignoring the Holy One: Isaiah 30:11 “Get out of the way; turn off the road. Rid us of the Holy One of Israel!” Israel’s leaders wanted God’s prophet silenced so they could pursue their own plans. Scripture repeatedly warns that this path of self-chosen independence always ends in loss, judgment, and spiritual ruin. Foundational Warnings in the Law • Deuteronomy 30:17-18 — “If your heart turns away and you do not listen, and you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you today that you will surely perish; you will not prolong your days in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.” • Joshua 24:20 — “If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, He will turn and bring disaster on you and consume you, after He has been good to you.” Historical Lessons from Israel’s Kings • 2 Chronicles 15:2 — “The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.” • Psalm 78:10-11 — “They did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by His law. They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them.” Wisdom Literature: Clear Signals • Proverbs 14:12 — “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” • Proverbs 28:9 — “Whoever turns his ear away from hearing the law, even his prayer is detestable.” Prophetic Alarms • Jeremiah 6:16-17 — “Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths… walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’” • Jeremiah 17:5-6 — “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind… and whose heart turns away from the LORD.” • Amos 8:11-12 — “Behold, days are coming… when I will send a famine of hearing the words of the LORD… they will roam… but will not find it.” Jesus Speaks on Staying the Course • Matthew 7:26-27 — “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand… and great was its collapse.” • Matthew 13:15 — “This people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes…” • John 6:66 — “From that time on, many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him.” • John 6:68 — “Simon Peter replied, ‘Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.’” Apostolic Exhortations • Hebrews 2:1-3 — “We must pay closer attention… so that we do not drift away… how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” • Hebrews 3:12-13 — “See to it… that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God.” • Hebrews 6:4-6 — Those who fall away after tasting the good word find restoration impossible while they crucify the Son of God afresh. • 2 Timothy 4:3-4 — “The time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine… they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” • 2 Peter 2:20-21 — Turning back to corruption after knowing Christ leaves one “worse off at the end than at the beginning.” • 1 John 2:18-19 — Departing from truth and fellowship reveals a heart that never truly belonged. A Final Word from Revelation • Revelation 2:4-5 — “You have forsaken your first love. Remember… repent and do the works you did at first.” • Revelation 3:16 — “Because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to vomit you out of My mouth!” God’s consistent message from Genesis to Revelation is unmistakable: turning aside from His truth invites emptiness, discipline, and judgment, while holding fast to His Word secures life, blessing, and eternal fellowship with Him. |
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