Splink | The Consequences of Disobedience

Same/Different

Do a simple (fun) experiment several times and see if you get the same results. (If you have several kids this works out well.)

Items Needed: Cup or glass; liquid dishwashing detergent; 2 tablespoons of baking soda; vinegar; red food coloring (optional); baking pan (or do this in the sink)

Fill the cup/glass almost full with warm water.

Add several drops of the red food coloring and a few drops of the liquid detergent.

Add 2 tablespoons of baking soda.

Slowly pour vinegar into the cup/glass and jump back quick!

***If you want to know what happened…it’s a chemical reaction. When baking soda and vinegar mix, it produces a chemical reaction, which produces carbon dioxide—the same gas that bubbles in a real volcano. The gas bubbles build causing the liquid to overflow.

Each time we did the experiment, we got the same results. The Israelites rebelled against God and His rules and got the same results…bad things happened. We cannot go against God’s rules and expect good things to happen.

Read Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 15.

One of God’s law’s is that obedience brings His blessings and disobedience brings punishment.

Pay Attention!

As you are driving, veer just enough to hit the bumps at the edge of the road.

Why is it good to have those bumps at the edge of the road? (They help us know when we are getting too close to the edge; they warn us; etc.)

What might happen if I don’t pay attention to the bumps? (We could run off the road; we might have an accident; etc.)

Those who made the road added the bumps to keep us from veering off the road. If I pay attention and correct my driving, we will be safe. This reminds me of the way consequences help us.

How do consequences help us do the right thing? (They remind us of the trouble that sin causes; they show us the bad that can happen when we do wrong things; etc.)

What are some consequences for wrong behavior? (Get in trouble; have to apologize; you lose people’s trust; bad things happen; etc.)

Thinking about the consequences that might happen when we do wrong things can help us do what’s right. Knowing you will be punished for disobeying can motivate you to obey. Knowing you will get a bad grade for not doing your homework can motivate you to do it. Just as the bumps on the side of the road remind us that we are veering off the road, thinking about consequences can remind us to do what is right.

Watch and Learn

Do a simple demonstration of what to do/what not to do. (Make it fun if you can.) For example, show how to put on your socks. First put them on your ears; then put them on the right way.

We learn to do new things by watching other people. What are some things you learned by watching others?

1 Corinthians 10:6 tells us we can learn from others’ wrong choices. We don’t have to burn ourselves to learn not to touch a hot stove. We can learn from our mother’s instructions, “Don’t touch the stove!”

Below are four BIG mistakes the Israelites made. Read each of the verses and find something we can learn.

They complained. —We should learn to be content. (Hebrews 13:5)

They doubted. —We can believe God. (Hebrews 11:6)

They disobeyed God’s rules. —We can obey our parents. (Ephesians 6:1-3)

They rebelled against Moses and God. —We can see and confess our sin. (1 John 1:9)

What can we learn from the Israelites’ example? (We can see that sin brings bad results; we can listen to God’s laws; we can choose good things/people to influence us; we can hate sin; etc.)