Rebellion & Recovery

Rebellion & Recovery 1 Samuel 15:23a For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD,… Proverbs 17:11 An evil man seeketh only rebellion:therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.

Why do believers rebel against the Lord? How can we return to fellowship with Him after a season of feeling distant? This study will help you answer these questions.

1.Causes of Rebellion There are many different reasons that people walk away from God’s plan for their lives. We will look at three common motivations for disobeying Him.

A. Impatience God promised Abram a son. Initially he believed the Lord according to Genesis 15:4-6 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. Why did Abram decide to have relations with Hagar in Genesis 16:1-3 Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid;it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.

What was the immediate fruit of Abram’s lack of trust in God in Genesis 16:4 ? And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

Describe the prediction the Lord made over Ishmael ’s life from Genesis 16:11-12 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. Sometimes in our impatience. We try to make God’s promise happen apart from His timing & leadership.

In Abram’s case. The Lord made it clear that Ishmael was not the chosen son in Genesis 17:18-21 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. Read Psalm 27:13-14 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. What is the key to being able to wait on God’s timing? How can you apply this to what you are waiting for in this season of your life? B. Fear God revealed to Moses that He was going to give the people of Israel the land of Canaan See Numbers 13:2 Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.

Describe how the spies reported about the fruit of the land in Numbers 13:25-27 And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. What did most of them say would be a problem in Numbers 13:26-31 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. How did the people respond to the spies’ report in Num. 14:1-8? For their lack of faith.