God’s Dealings with Rebels - Joshua 22:18
Introductory Thoughts
Sin can never be flippantly disregarded. If the Lord is just, and He is, He must mete out consequences for rebellion. The biblical descriptions of the Lord’s reaction to rebellion varies from “he will be wroth” (Joshua 22:18) to “then shall the hand of the LORD be against you” (1 Samuel 12:15) to “ye shall be devoured with the sword” (Isaiah 1:20) to “I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee” (Exodus 33:5) to “I will purge out from among you the rebels” (Ezekiel 20:38) to “I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings” (Malachi 2:2). Though there are variations in the response, the constant truth remains that the Lord hates rebellion and responds to the rebellion with judgment.
Devotional Thoughts
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(For children): God loves His children and wants to bless them, but He will not let them get by with rebellion (Psalm 81:10-16). He longed for His people (Israel) to do right, but they chose rebellion (2 Chronicles 36:15-17).
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(For everyone): How should parents respond to rebellious children? How should employers respond to rebellious employees? How should the law of the land respond to rebels? How should the Lord respond?
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Have you rebelled against the Lord? Has He responded with chastening in order to get your attention? Have you yielded to His chastening? What does it mean if there is no chastening from the Lord?
Prayer Thoughts
- Ask God to give you a submissive will.
- Ask the Lord to help you respond when He chastens.
Song
COME, YE DISCONSOLATE
