Sanctified Rebellion

Can there ever be such a thing as sanctified rebellion? Are believers supposed to rebel at all? Doesn’t the Bible condemn rebellion totally? How can God ever take sides with rebellion or with rebels? Well, there is nothing wrong with “Rebellion”; it all depends on who you rebel against. If you rebel against God and His word, it is sinful and woeful. But, if it is rebellion against ungodliness, satanic oppression, bondage, or manipulation, heaven permits it. As a matter of fact, heaven sponsors that kind of rebellion. Before we discuss ‘’sanctified rebellion, we shall see, first, the kind of rebellion, which the Bible condemns.

 

There are three kinds of rebellion that the Lord will not tolerate:

          1. REBELLION AGAINST THE WORD OR THE HOLY SPIRIT

 

The Lord will not tolerate rebellion against his word. God sacked Moses and Aaron from leading the children of Israel into the land of Promise because they rebelled against Him.

 Numbers 20: 12

Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.

 

Numbers 20: 24-26

"Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against My word at the water of Meribah.  Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor; and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; for Aaron shall be gathered to his people and die there."

 Saul, the first King of Israel was thrown out of kingship for rebelling against the word of God.

 1 Samuel 15: 23

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king."

To rebel against the word of God is to embrace failure. You cannot rebel against God’s word about marriage and family life, finance, business or any area of your life and hope to succeed. It’s not possible.

Isaiah 1: 19-20

If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword"; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

 

      2. REBELLION AGAINST ANOINTED SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP

 Romans 12: 1-2

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Miriam became leprous just for speaking against Moses.

 Numbers 12:1-10

Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. So they said, "Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?" And the LORD heard it…So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them, and He departed. And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper.

 Aaron was perhaps graciously spared of this plague to avoid disqualification from the priesthood. Korah and his company perished for rebelling against Moses

 Numbers 16: 28-33

Then Moses said: "By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will. If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me. But if the LORD creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the LORD."  Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the congregation.

A man with heaven’s mandate is a delicate person to deal with. If you stand on his way, heaven feels slighted and the consequences can be grave. If the Lord punished the people who rebelled against Moses, how much more will He punish those who reject “the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the whole world”? It will be terrible!

 Hebrews 10: 28-32

 Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Therefore, "Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him" (Psalms 2:11-12).

3. REBELLION AGAINST GOD-HONOURING SECULAR LEADERSHIP

 

The Lord does not permit us to disobey or rebel against those who are in authority in the home, at school, at work, or over our communities, cities or nation – as long as they do not make demands of us against the word of God.

Romans 13: 1-7

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.