Like many Christians, from time to time, I struggle with God’s will for my life. There are times when the Lord is giving me a clear opportunity to share my faith or serve others in some way, and I simply don’t do what God is clearly leading me to do. Sometimes I find myself resisting God’s will because the idea didn’t come from me. Someone else may have come up with the idea to do something, but I don’t heed it because it didn’t originate with me. That’s the sin of pride, thinking too highly of myself and my ideas.
Do you struggle with these kinds of things? On the chart below are examples of both godly and ungodly men in the Bible who resisted God’s will in some fashion and how God dealt with them. This chart will help you make quick work of the examples of resistance in scripture and how God deals with the resistant. Notice that some repented, some repented partially, and some did not repent at all. But is partial repentance even repentance at all?
When we resist God’s will, we are acting in a state of rebellion. Rebellion, as the prophet Samuel said, is as the sin of witchcraft. God’s desire is for us to obey him at every turn so that he may use us to build his kingdom and glorify his name so that others will come to know him as we have.
If you struggle as I do with resistance, this chart may help you consider how God deals with us and leads us to repentance and blessing. I hope you find it helpful.
Biblical Examples of People Who Resisted God’s Will
| Person / Group | General Standing Before God | Resistance | Heart Issue Behind Resistance | God’s Response | Outcome | Repentance? |
| Pharaoh Exodus 5–1 | Ungodly | Refused to let Israel go despite plagues | Pride, stubborn, defiance | Sent escalating plagues, hardened heart after Pharaoh hardened it himself | Destroyed in the Red Sea | No |
| Balaam Numbers 22; 31:16 | Ungodly | Tried to curse Israel for money | Greed, divided loyalty | Angel opposed him, donkey spoke | Forced to bless Israel, later judged | No |
| King Saul 1 Sam. 15 | Ungodly in practice | Selective obedience with Amalek | Fear of people, pride | Loss of kingdom announced | Continued decline | No |
| Rich Young Ruler Mark 10:17–22 | Morally upright but unsaved | Refused to give up wealth | Attachment to possessions | Jesus let him walk away | Lost opportunity for discipleship | No record |
| Jonah Jonah 1–4 | Prophet of God | Fled from call to Nineveh | Prejudice, resentment | Storm, fish, deliverance | Preached but resented mercy | Partial |
| Moses Exod. 3–4 | Godly | Offered excuses at burning bush | Fear, self-doubt | Patient answers, Aaron as helper | Led Israel from Egypt | Yes |
| Peter Matt. 16:21–23 Luke 22:54–62 | Godly | Resisted idea of Jesus’ death, later denied Him | Fear of suffering, misunderstanding God’s plan | Strong rebuke, later restoration | Bold early church leader | Yes |
| Repentant Thief Luke 23:40–43 | Formerly ungodly | Life of sin; initially mocked with other thief | Ignorance, rebellion → Humility, faith | Jesus accepted his plea | Promised paradise | Yes |
| Unrepentant Thief Luke 23:39 | Ungodly | Mocked Jesus on cross | Bitterness, unbelief | No direct reply | Died in rebellion | No |
| King David 2 Sam. 24 | Godly | Ordered census out of pride | Pride, misplaced trust in numbers | Prophet Gad’s warning, plague | Built altar, nation spared | Yes |
| King Hezekiah Isa. 39; 2 Chr. 32:24–26 | Godly | Pride after healing, showed treasures to Babylon | Pride, shortsightedness | Prophetic warning | Judgment delayed | Yes |
| King Jehoshapha 2 Chr. 18; 20:35–37 | Godly | Alliances with wicked kings | Misplaced trust, desire for unity at all costs | Prophetic rebukes, ships destroyed | Continued reign but repeated mistake | Partial |
| King Uzziah 2 Chr. 26:16–21 | Godly | Entered temple to burn incense | Pride, overstepping God-given role | Struck with leprosy | Isolated until death | No record |
| King Asa 2 Chr. 16:1–13 | Godly | Relied on human alliances, not God | Self-reliance, stubborn | Prophetic rebuke, disease in feet | Died without turning fully to God | No record |
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