The Lord said this to Israel: “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.  But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.  I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:  That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them” (Deuteronomy 30:15-20).

     God has given us the opportunity, as noted above, to choose between good and evil.  With that choice carries consequences.  God denounces His children when they turn away from Him.  Punishment is sure to follow the action of apostasy.  So many Christians today take such warnings too lightly.  They think that God’s love is such that He will overlook those who reject Him.  Not so!  We should not count on the grace of God so that we can continue to commit sin (Romans 6:1-2; 15).  God demands continual obedience to His will (Ezekiel 18:20, Romans 6:23, James 2:10, and Revelation 2:10).

     God has been very gracious to give mankind many warnings about their sins.  This is how God has always been (II Kings 17:13).  He is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance (II Peter 3:9).  Man has however, typically rejected God’s warnings (II Kings 17:14 and Jeremiah 35:15).  Thus, let’s review how God reacts to our rejection of Him.

     Solomon wrote saying: “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination” (Proverbs 28:9).  Ezekiel said: “For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to inquire of him concerning me; I the Lord will answer him by myself:  And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 14:7-8).  Even with these warnings, and many others throughout the word of God, so many still will allow sin to be their ruin (Ezekiel 18:30).

     Sin always has and always will cause God to close His ears to our requests (Isaiah 59:1-2 and I Peter 3:12).  Sin makes us an abomination in the sight of God (Proverbs 6:16-19 and Ezekiel 18:24).  Why would anyone want to be at odds with our creator?  The God of heaven and earth is not one who any should want as an enemy.  Not only does the Lord turn His ears from us when we sin, but He also remembers our sins and will judge us for them.

     We will die and we will be judged (Hebrews 9:27).  This fact should be our focal point in life.  We should be preparing here on earth to face the Lord in the Judgment Day (Romans 14:11-12).  That day will come and we will all be judged based upon the things that we have done (II Corinthians 5:10).  It was the knowledge of this fact that motivated Paul and the Apostles to continue to warn people of the terror that would come in the Judgment (II Corinthians 5:11).  We have to prepare to meet our God (Amos 4:12).

    “Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished…  Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished” (Proverbs 11:2; 16:5).  Anyone who realizes the power of God should tremble at the thought of being punished by him.  Nothing on this earth should be feared like the kind of fear we should have towards the judgment of the Almighty.  The Hebrew writer said: “For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:30-31).

     Those who are disobedient in this life have everlasting fire to look forward to (Matthew 25:41 and Revelation 21:8).  Those who are unprepared to meet the Lord will have outer darkness wherein there is weeping and gnashing of teeth to look forward to.  With these facts, how could anyone take the Lord lightly?  Why would anyone desire to turn their ear from the Lord knowing the price there is to pay for such an action?  Consider the greatness that will be missed by those who do err and turn their ear from the Lord.

     If we turn our ear from the Lord we will miss the fellowship of His work here on earth.  There is no greater work than that which the Lord left for His disciples to carry out.  In our hands the Lord has entrusted the Gospel so that we might go and help others to be saved (Mark 16:15-16, Romans 1:16, and II Corinthians 4:6-7).  If we turn our ears from the Lord we miss the opportunity to do His great work.  The reward of knowing that you have aided someone to be saved will be missed out on.

     If we turn our ears from the Lord we miss eternity with Him.  Jesus said: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:1-3).  If we turn our ears from God we are also turning our hopes away from eternity with our Savior.  We will miss not only the greatness of Heaven, but also the eternal presence of God.  We will miss a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens (II Corinthians 5:1).  Is missing eternal life something any logical person would desire?

     You don’t want to be one who turns your ear from God for all you will lose and the punishment you will gain.  Heaven is worth obedience.  God is worthy of our love, respect, and devotion.  Our Heavenly Father has done so much for us in granting life, the provisions of life, redemption from our faults, and continued providence.  When we turn our ears from God we deny all the good He has done for us.  We remove ourselves from His care as a Father to His children.  You don’t want to face this life as a child of Satan and die with eternal condemnation as your reward.  Consider what Peter said: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat” (II Peter 3:10-12)?

     Notice the words of Samuel in conclusion of this article: “And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.  And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart; And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.  For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people.  Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way: Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.   But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king” (I Samuel 12:19-25).