Spiritual Disobedience Has Environmental Consequences

 Spiritual Disobedience Has Environmental Consequences

Spiritual Disobedience Has Environmental Consequences is a simple thought reflection on how our sins can cause environmental problems.

October 2, 2013

“Cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another.” (Hosea 4:2, HCSB)

Cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery – five of the ten commandments – are being broken. Violence is the norm. God says here that Israeli society (in particular the Northern Kingdom) have violated God’s covenant by how they treat one another.

“For this reason the land mourns, and everyone who lives in it languishes, along with the wild animals and the birds of the sky; even the fish of the sea disappear.” (Hosea 4:3, HCSB)

For this reason – the fact that society is not obeying God’s commands – the land is mourning. This is poetic language to describe the land of Israel like a person. God is telling the prophet that God respects the land and how we act as people toward one another affects the land we live in.

Disobedience to God’s commands leads to environmental disaster. Environmental pollution may be alluded to here. Someone has even done a research paper on this connection. Before I became a pastor, my education was in environmental management. I have often seen this came connection throughout the Bible. I personally believe that our sin can affect the environment. It is probably the reason why the Israel were told not to defile the land with spiritual adultery. In the end, we see God judge the world with environmental devastation. That tells me that there is a clear connection between sin and environmental destruction.

However, God is clearly stating that one of the consequences of sinful behavior is species extinction.