TOPIC : CONSEQUENCES OF REBELLION

Read: Ezekiel 20:21-38(NKJV)

21. “Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, ‘which, [if] a man does, he shall live by them’; but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness.
22. “Nevertheless I withdrew My hand and acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out.
23. “Also I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries,
24. “because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols.
25. “Therefore I also gave them up to statutes [that were] not good, and judgments by which they could not live;
26. “and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through [the fire,] that I might make them desolate and that they might know that I am the LORD.” ‘
27. ” Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “In this too your fathers have blasphemed Me, by being unfaithful to Me.
28. “When I brought them into the land [concerning] which I had raised My hand in an oath to give them, and they saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings. There they also sent up their sweet aroma and poured out their drink offerings.
29. “Then I said to them, ‘What [is] this high place to which you go?’ So its name is called Bamah to this day.” ‘
30. “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Are you defiling yourselves in the manner of your fathers, and committing harlotry according to their abominations?
31. “For when you offer your gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? [As] I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I will not be inquired of by you.
32. “What you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, ‘We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone.’
33. ” [As] I live,” says the Lord GOD, “surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you.
34. “I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out.
35. “And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face.
36. “Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,” says the Lord GOD.
37. “I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant;
38. “I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I [am] the LORD.

STUDY: God warned His people about the consequences of disobedience and rebellion in Deuteronomy 28:15ff. In our text today, God accused the children of Israel of rebelling against Him and through His Prophet, made them to know the consequences of their actions. He accused them of not walking in His statutes and not observing His judgment. (v.21a). The verdict of God on these rebellious children of Israel was that He would pour out His fury on them and fulfil His anger against them (v.21b).

Disobedience always attracts God’s punishment; God does not celebrate the rebellious but looks favourably at those who tremble at His word. There are devastating experiences for those who turn against the word of God. Whatever causes a man to turn away from the will of God is more or less an idol. Anything that takes over the place of God in your life, or your devotion and commitment to God is tantamount to idolatry and rebellion. There is virtually no gain in rebellion. As a matter of fact, it is compared with witchcraft (1Samuel 15:23). Rebellion is disobedience and it is the opposite of living right. You do not need to experience the consequences of disobedience before you devote yourself to righteous living. In case you are currently reaping the fruits of your rebellion, it is the desire of God that henceforth you amend your ways and be determined to obediently follow Him even when it is not convenient.

 PRAYER: The Kingdom of God is not for the anointed but for the obedient.

The Anglican Communion is the fourth-largest Christian denomination. Founded in 1867 in London, England, the communion currently has 85 million members within the Church of England and other national and regional churches in full communion.