Obedience and Disobedience

This principle does not apply only within the family. It also applies to our relationship with God.

The Example of Jonah

One of the best biblical examples of disobedience is the story of Jonah.

In Jonah chapter 1, God tells Jonah to go and proclaim His message to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire. At that time, the Assyrians were feared for their violence and cruelty. They inflicted extremely brutal punishments on their enemies, sometimes even mutilating them. Imagine how Jonah must have felt when he received this assignment. Humanly speaking, he had every reason to be afraid. Yet God was calling him to obey.

Instead of obeying, Jonah chose to flee in the opposite direction, toward Tarshish. He thought he could escape the mission God had given him. But God intervened. He sent a great storm, and then a great fish swallowed Jonah. After three days, Jonah realized that he could not run from God’s will and finally agreed to go to Nineveh.

When Jonah arrived, he proclaimed God’s message. The king and all the people took the warning seriously. They fasted, humbled themselves, and repented of their wicked ways.

Then we read in Jonah 3:10:

” Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.”

Because they repented, God showed them mercy.

The Consequences of Disobedience

When we look at this story, we realize that Jonah’s disobedience could have had devastating consequences.

• – The sailors on the ship almost lost their lives because of the storm caused by Jonah’s attempt to flee (Jonah 1:5).
• – The people of Nineveh—about 120,000 people (Jonah 4:11)—could have perished if Jonah had never delivered God’s message.

Our disobedience does not affect only us. It can also have consequences for the lives of others.

An Important Lesson

There is one detail that is often overlooked.

Even after preaching to the people of Nineveh, Jonah’s attitude had not changed. Deep in his heart, he did not want them to be saved. He wanted God to destroy them. When he saw that God had shown them mercy, Jonah became angry, even to the point of asking God to take his own life (Jonah chapter 4).

This teaches us that it is not enough to obey outwardly. God also looks at the motives of our hearts.

An Application for Us Today

We are God’s messengers. Our responsibility is to proclaim His Word, to love, to serve, and to pray. It is not our place to decide who deserves God’s grace or who deserves His judgment. We are servants, not judges.

Sometimes people pray for someone who is sick, but without genuine compassion. They say the words of a prayer, but deep down they do not truly believe for healing or sincerely desire it.

We must not adopt Jonah’s attitude.

When we intercede for a brother, a sister, or even someone who has hurt us, let us do so with love, with faith, and above all, with sincerity.

Obedience Brings Blessings

The Bible consistently teaches that obedience leads to blessing, while disobedience brings consequences.

We find many examples of disobedience in Scripture, including:

• – the people of Noah’s time, whose wickedness led to the Flood;
• – Samson, who failed to follow God’s instructions and suffered the consequences;
• – and many others.

On the other hand, we also see that obedience often comes before the miracle.

• In John 9:6–7, Jesus told the man born blind to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. It was only after he obeyed that he received his sight.
• In 2 Kings 5:14, Naaman was healed of his leprosy only after he obeyed the prophet Elisha’s instruction to wash seven times in the Jordan River.

These accounts remind us that God often works when we take the step of obedience.