Obedience: Penalties of Disobedience.

Leviticus 26:14-39.  These set of verses describe what will happen to God's people if they disobey.  Not only does this set of verses describe the penalties of disobedience, they describe what will happen if God's people continue to disobey even after consequences are rendered.

Penalties of disobedience.  The penalties of disobedience we find in this set of verses are the total opposite of the blessings given in Leviticus 26:1-13.  If Israel fails to obey, there will not be peace and prosperity in the land.  If they chose to disobey the commands of God, their lives would be riddled with violence from their enemies, the land would not produce crops and if it did, their enemies would consume it all and worst of all even God would act with wrathful hostility towards Israel as we see in Leviticus 26:28.  As you read through Leviticus 26:14-39, the text becomes more and more graphic and it all would happen if Israel would choose to disobey God's commandments. These are the penalties of disobedience.

Penalties of disobedience.  So what does this mean to us? Something we have to realize is that just like there are benefits to obedience in this life as well as the next, the penalties of disobedience also manifest themselves in this life as well.

Penalties of disobedience.  To give you an example of what I mean, consider how often we see lives destroyed by any given sin.  These are the penalties of disobedience.

Penalties of disobedience.  More often than not, sin does not only destroy the life of the individual but also the lives of those around him or her.

Penalties of disobedience.  As we look through history, sins like pornography have destroyed marriages and families.

Penalties of disobedience.  Drug and alcohol addiction has torn families apart and landed many individuals in jail and in other situations no one would want to be in.

Penalties of disobedience.  There have been times in my life where I have seen the penalties of disobedience manifest themselves in my life.  The areas in my life are probably areas that you might be able to relate to a little bit more.

Penalties of disobedience.  A more minor example would be the fact that I have disobeyed the speed limit laws and at one time I got a ticket that I managed to get paid but it was not easy.

Penalties of disobedience.  We can even sin with how we use our money if we fail to use it properly.  How often do we see people get themselves into what seems like insurmountable debt which can also lead to the straining of family and other important relationships.  These are the penalties of disobedience.

Penalties of disobedience.  As we get back to the passage here in Leviticus, we find that another penalty of disobedience is that Israel would be struck down by their enemies and they would "flee when no one is pursuing" (Leviticus 26:17).

Penalties of disobedience.  I bring this final point out because another product of sin is that many times it creates fear in the life of the individual.  In driving, sometimes we will choose to speed and hope we don't get caught.  But on the greater level, sins like those mentioned above can create enemies.  Many movies and TV shows depict individuals who are involved in some sort of sin and they are essentially enslaved to their enemies because of that sin because they fear losing life and/or limb if they fail to submit to said enemies and other individuals they might be accountable to because of that sin.

So after looking at these penalties of disobedience, we have to ask ourselves is a life lived in slavery to sin really worth it? I don't know if there is a specific sin you are struggling with.  Maybe it's one of the ones I mentioned in this blog.  If there is a sin you are struggling with, it's not too late to turn away and repent of it.  If  you are reading this, and you know you still need to get right with God by obeying the gospel, do not delay. I have described in this blog the penalties of disobedience in this life which in reality can be temporary but the penalties of disobedience in the next life, those are eternal so again do not delay. Even if you are in deep, God can still pull you out. Finally, if you are reading this and know someone who is struggling with a particular sin, go to that person and share this with them and do what you can to encourage them to get out of that sin.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!