Part 6 of Dreams series

Let’s look at some examples of people who were and weren’t obedient in the Bible.

Jonah 1-3 (excerpts)

1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me."

3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD…

4 Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up…… the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.

It is then that Jonah had a change of heart inside the fish. Once God knew he had had a change of heart…..and God responded by having the fish get rid of Jonah. And once again God spoke to him….. Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you." Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. And because of Jonah’s obedience Nineveh was saved from destruction.


Genesis 37-47

Joseph was shown early in his life dreams of what God had planned for his life. Throughout his life he was tested to his obedience to God even when things did not look good for him. He was sold into slavery by his brothers….and because of that he would end up being put in charge of Egypt. It was a long journey and took a large portion of his life to get there but it was his obedience to God and his ways that made it all possible.


Throughout scripture God tells of the importance of obedience.


Isaiah 1:19

If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land;


2 Corinthians 2:9

The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.


1 Peter 1:13-15

13Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;


Leviticus 26:1-13

'Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the LORD your God. 'Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD. 'If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, 4 I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. 'I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. 7 You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you. 'I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. 10 You will still be eating last year's harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. 11 I will put my dwelling place [a] among you, and I will not abhor you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. 13 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.


Deuteronomy 28:1

If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth


Romans 5:19

For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.