Deviating from God's plan through divorce leads individuals and society onto a destructive path. Divorce undermines the institution of marriage, which God intended as a lifelong relationship to create a family and serve as a foundation for a functional and prosperous society. By ending a marriage, divorce deflects from the original purpose and outcome that God intended for marriage, making it difficult or impossible to achieve the good ends He designed it to produce.

King Hezekiah's deviation from God's plan led to severe consequences. Initially, he relied on God only when cornered by the Assyrian threat, as seen when he turned to God only after exhausting all other options. His interference with God's will resulted in dire outcomes, including the prophecy that all his treasures would be carried to Babylon and his descendants would serve as eunuchs in the Babylonian palace. Following his healing, his son Manasseh ascended to the throne and reigned for fifty-five years, leading Judah into greater evil than the nations God had previously destroyed. Manasseh's reign saw the rebuilding of high places, the erection of altars for Baal, and the practice of abominable acts like child sacrifice and witchcraft. His actions led to God forsaking His people, delivering them to their enemies, and filling Jerusalem with innocent blood. These consequences persisted beyond Manasseh's reign into that of his son Amon, who continued in his father's evil ways.

Deviating from God's plan through presumption is a grave error that has persisted since the time of Adam and Eve, leading to a vast accumulation of misguided religious beliefs and practices. This deviation often stems from a subtle drift or wandering into assumptions, where individuals do not deliberately intend to go astray but nonetheless find themselves neglecting the path of salvation. Whether one wanders into error or deliberately chooses to do wrong, the outcome remains the same—a love of death, as warned in Proverbs. Historical examples illustrate the severity of such deviations. The incident of strange fire with Aaron's sons, who were priests with a close relationship to God, shows that even small deviations in worship can provoke swift and violent divine judgment. Despite their position, there was no leniency; God reacted with immediate execution, demonstrating that no one is exempt from His justice. Similarly, the story of Uzza and the Ark reveals the consequences of disregarding God's specific instructions. Uzza's act of touching the Ark, though seemingly heroic, was the final act of desecration and presumption, resulting in his sudden death. This event underscores that even well-intentioned actions, if contrary to God's directives, are unacceptable. In the New Testament, the account of Ananias and Sapphira further emphasizes that divine justice persists. Their deceit in the early church led to immediate consequences, showing that deviation from truth, even in the guise of honoring God, is met with severe judgment. These examples collectively highlight that God requires strict conformity to His instructions, and any deviation, whether through ignorance, impatience, or deliberate choice, can be deadly. The seriousness of presumption lies in attempting to define God's nature according to human desires, blending personal ideas with revealed truth. Such acts, though they may seem right to individuals, lead to the way of death. True worship must align with God's intent as revealed in His Word, guided by His truth in every action. Yet, many fall into the trap of making adjustments to God's instructions for convenience, a practice that demands repentance as it strays from the path He has set.