Topical Bible: Disobedience to God of the People of Judah

Bible > Topical > Disobedience to God of the People of Judah

◄ Disobedience to God of the People of Judah ►

Jump to: Nave's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

The disobedience of the people of Judah is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, illustrating the nation's repeated failure to adhere to the covenant established between God and His chosen people. This disobedience is characterized by idolatry, social injustice, and neglect of the Law, leading to divine judgment and exile.

Idolatry and False Worship

One of the primary forms of disobedience exhibited by the people of Judah was idolatry. Despite clear commandments against the worship of other gods (Exodus 20:3-5), the people frequently turned to the deities of surrounding nations. This is evident during the reign of King Manasseh, who "rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had torn down, erected altars to Baal, and made an Asherah pole" (2 Kings 21:3). Such actions provoked the Lord's anger, as they directly violated the first commandment and led the nation into spiritual adultery.

Social Injustice

The prophets frequently condemned the social injustices prevalent in Judah. The people were accused of exploiting the poor, perverting justice, and neglecting the needs of the vulnerable. The prophet Isaiah rebuked the leaders of Judah, saying, "Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the fatherless, and the widow’s case never comes before them" (Isaiah 1:23). This disregard for justice and righteousness was a significant aspect of their disobedience, as it contravened the ethical demands of the Mosaic Law.

Neglect of the Law

The people of Judah also demonstrated disobedience through their neglect of the Law. The Book of Jeremiah highlights this neglect, as the prophet laments, "They have turned their backs to Me and not their faces; though I taught them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline" (Jeremiah 32:33). This refusal to heed God's instructions and the teachings of the prophets led to a spiritual decline and moral decay within the nation.

Divine Judgment and Exile

The persistent disobedience of Judah ultimately resulted in divine judgment. The Babylonian exile is the most significant consequence of their rebellion. The Lord declared through the prophet Jeremiah, "I will banish from them the sound of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. This whole land will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years" (Jeremiah 25:10-11). The exile served as both punishment and a means of purification, intended to bring the people back to a sincere relationship with God.

Prophetic Calls to Repentance

Throughout their history, the people of Judah were repeatedly called to repentance by the prophets. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others urged the nation to return to the Lord and abandon their sinful ways. Isaiah implored, "Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall become like wool" (Isaiah 1:18). These calls to repentance highlight God's enduring mercy and desire for His people to restore their covenant relationship with Him.

The disobedience of the people of Judah serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of turning away from God. Their history is a testament to the importance of faithfulness, obedience, and the need for continual repentance and renewal in the life of God's people.

Nave's Topical Index

Jeremiah 43:7
So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: thus came they even to Tahpanhes.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Approaching Doom
... God sought thus to bring into sharp contrast the obedience of the Rechabites
with the disobedience and rebellion of His people. ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 35 approaching doom.htm

Parables. (xiii, xviii-xx, xxxv. )
... 9) and Israel spoil themselves by disobedience and idolatry ... For this refractory people
of Judah He is already ... Though chosen of God and shaped by His hands for ...
//christianbookshelf.org/smith/jeremiah/2 parables xiii xviii-xx xxxv.htm

Josiah, a Pattern for the Ignorant.
... see what was to be the curse of disobedience: or again ... already, and the sins of his
own people Judah, he rent ... Then he bade the priests inquire of God for him ...
/.../newman/parochial and plain sermons vol viii/sermon vii josiah a pattern.htm

The Blessing of God on Filial Piety.
... was attended with many aggravations"no other people had so ... Jews had been disobedient
to the God who is ... have no power to punish their disobedience; but the ...
/.../lee/sermons on various important subjects/sermon xxiii the blessing of.htm

"In the Spirit and Power of Elias"
... Creator as the road to felicity and life, while the other arm indicated disobedience
as the ... of God, a day that cannot be a sign between God and His people. ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 14 in the spirit.htm

Manner of Covenanting.
... and, because of the power of corruption in leading to disobedience, shame must ... Probably
in imitation of the practice of the people of God, covenants among ...
/.../cunningham/the ordinance of covenanting/chapter ii manner of covenanting.htm

Formation and History of the Hebrew Canon.
... his enemies, the youthful monarch besought God to give ... cities of Judah, and taught
the people." 2:Chron ... vivid consciousness of the fact that disobedience to the ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xv formation and history.htm

The Secret of victory
... but of sin, but a continuance in disobedience will inevitably ... It was because Abijah
and his people had kept 'the charge of the Lord our God,' that they ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/the secret of victory.htm

The Children's Bible
... THE FIRST DISOBEDIENCE. CAIN AND HIS BROTHER ABEL. ... A RULER WHO WRONGED HIS PEOPLE.
REHOBOAM'S GREAT MISTAKE. ... THE PROPHET OF FIRE. GOD'S LOW WHISPER. AHAB THE THIEF ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/

Jeremiah and Lamentations.
... He was distressed both by the disobedience and apostasy of Israel and by the ... and
tells of the death agony of the nation of Israel, God's chosen people. ...
/.../chapter xvi jeremiah and lamentations.htm