“But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23, NIV)
As Moses led the people of Israel toward the Promised Land, they traveled through the wilderness of Sinai and the southern portion of the Levant. The travels were difficult. Food was scarce. Without the miracles and mercy of God, the people of Israel would have starved. If not for Moses’ leadership and God’s providence, the people would have run out of water. Moses followed God’s guidance so that the people didn’t wander needlessly outside the Promised Land.
While traveling the wilderness, God was also teaching Israel valuable lessons. The Ten Commandments were delivered on Mt. Sinai. Explanations of God’s will were made clear. Obedience was taught. Sinfulness was punished. Righteous thinking was rewarded. Every day in the wilderness brought new insights on the relationship between God and Israel.
Our scripture for today comes from those days in the wilderness. When the scripture occurred, two of the tribes (Gad and Reuben) sought to settle in lands east of the River Jordan (Numbers 32:1-5). The leaders of the two tribes asked Moses if this would be appropriate for God’s plan. After inquiring from God, Moses allowed this to happen. There were several stipulations, however. Numbers 32:23 gives the most important one. If the two tribes failed to uphold their relationship with the other tribes and follow the will of God, they would “be sinning against the Lord”. Making this mistake would break covenant. Moses warned the two tribes that “you may be sure that your sin will find you out.”
For today’s meditation, look closely at what Moses warned. He knew that if the two tribes sinned against the other tribes or God, their sin would “find them out”. The sin would haunt their future. The sin would come home to roost. Moses gave this warning, hoping to prevent the two tribes from not only a sin that would fracture the tribes of Israel but a sin that would follow them for a long time to come.
People have the natural tendency to downplay or excuse their own sin. They ignore it. They sweep it under the rug. They act as if they did nothing wrong. They explain it away. Moses knew this character flaw of humankind. Sin doesn’t just go away quietly. It doesn’t fade in time. It lingers. It haunts you. It has a way of biting you when you least expect it. It “will find you out”. It will find its way back to you. It doesn’t go away without repentance and forgiveness and God’s grace.
In the Roman Catholic Church, there is the age-old practice of Confession. Confession requires a parishioner to visit a priest in a confessional to admit one’s sin and ask what God might require for forgiveness and healing. While speaking to a Roman Catholic man about his relationship with God, I specifically asked how long it had been since he had gone to Confession. The man replied, “My priest doesn’t need to know my business. I don’t do confession. I don’t need confession.” My response to him was that all of us need to confess our sin to God. Sometimes, the best way to do that is to come clean to one’s priest. Unconvinced, the man replied harshly, “I bet that isn’t in the Bible!” I answered him, “Oh yes, it is!”
Though not all sin needs a visit to the priest or pastor, there are times when a sin needs to be confessed to another, offered up to God, and atoned for. James 5:16 reads: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power in its effects.” This verse does not specifically say a person needs to visit a priest for confession, but it does advocate that there are times we need to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another as we work through forgiveness and grace.
Because “your sin will find you out”, every faithful person needs to admit their sin, confess it, repent of it, and then atone for it. All the while, God is seeking to cleanse your heart and soul of the sin and its long-term effects.
Thirty years ago, I was meeting with a man and woman who were about to get married. We worked through the vows they would take, their promises to each other, and what God expected of their future together. We looked at scriptures about marriage and talked about family and responsibilities, all the while planning for the day they would make vows at God’s altar.
A week after our pre-marital sessions began, the future bride came to see me. She wanted to talk privately. The young woman explained to me that she was raised by her grandmother after her mother died. While living with her grandmother, she had lashed out in various ways, including stealing from her grandmother to buy alcohol for her and her friends. With a face full of tears, the young woman relayed to me that her grandmother had been so kind, while she herself had taken advantage of the situation. The money she stole from her grandmother weighed heavily on her heart. She felt sick knowing what she had done. And, what really brought this past to mind was that her grandmother was dying. The wedding might be her last public appearance.
After her confession about the stealing, I thanked her for being honest to God. I told her that God blessed true repentance and wanted to forgive her. We prayed together. She gave up the sin to God and begged for forgiveness and healing. She prayed for her grandmother. She prayed about her hopes for the wedding. After the prayer was finished, I felt God telling me to relay something to her. I did. I told her that God required that she tell her grandmother of the stealing and ask for her grandmother’s forgiveness. At first, the woman looked stricken. She was afraid to tell the truth to her grandmother, especially when she was so sick. I told the young bride that God willed it. She was reluctant but promised to follow through.
At the next pre-marital session, the young bride appeared radiant. She was beaming as the couple entered my office. Before we began our conversations, the young woman reported that she had told her grandmother everything. Her grandmother not only forgave her but was overcome with tears that the young bride was so honest and forthright and trusting. The two spent hours that day talking about the past, about the wedding, about their hopes and dreams. The young bride said it was one of the most unforgettable days of her entire life.
Sin has a way of “finding you out”. Even years later, it can cause hurt and pain. However, when a faithful soul is honest with God, repentance can be lifechanging. Forgiveness and grace can bring great healing. Obedience to God’s will does amazing things.
A PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Let me be honest with you, blessed God. Temptation has captured my imagination. Sins have taken their toll. Unrepentance is too easy. The weight of sin gets heavier with time.
Help me to faithfully repent whenever I sin. Do not let sin fester in heart, mind, nor soul. May your Holy Spirit show me what to do when I sin, help me to repent, and cleanse me from the residue of sin.
As I look back on my life, I am reminded of my spiritual mistakes. I remember moments when I lied, occasions when I hid my sin, grudges and resentments that built over time. Father in Heaven, forgive my weakness. I have promised to be obedient. I need to keep my promises and admit my failures.
I love the way You forgive. I am amazed at the lives you change by the power of Your grace. Because of Jesus, I know the healing that comes with forgiveness. Help me to be truthful with You and honest with myself. Lead me on a path of righteousness. Push me to be quick to admit my faults. Encourage me to be repentant with every wrong. Cleanse my life from any residue of sin.
In Christ Jesus, I pray. Amen.
While traveling the wilderness, God was also teaching Israel valuable lessons. The Ten Commandments were delivered on Mt. Sinai. Explanations of God’s will were made clear. Obedience was taught. Sinfulness was punished. Righteous thinking was rewarded. Every day in the wilderness brought new insights on the relationship between God and Israel.
Our scripture for today comes from those days in the wilderness. When the scripture occurred, two of the tribes (Gad and Reuben) sought to settle in lands east of the River Jordan (Numbers 32:1-5). The leaders of the two tribes asked Moses if this would be appropriate for God’s plan. After inquiring from God, Moses allowed this to happen. There were several stipulations, however. Numbers 32:23 gives the most important one. If the two tribes failed to uphold their relationship with the other tribes and follow the will of God, they would “be sinning against the Lord”. Making this mistake would break covenant. Moses warned the two tribes that “you may be sure that your sin will find you out.”
For today’s meditation, look closely at what Moses warned. He knew that if the two tribes sinned against the other tribes or God, their sin would “find them out”. The sin would haunt their future. The sin would come home to roost. Moses gave this warning, hoping to prevent the two tribes from not only a sin that would fracture the tribes of Israel but a sin that would follow them for a long time to come.
People have the natural tendency to downplay or excuse their own sin. They ignore it. They sweep it under the rug. They act as if they did nothing wrong. They explain it away. Moses knew this character flaw of humankind. Sin doesn’t just go away quietly. It doesn’t fade in time. It lingers. It haunts you. It has a way of biting you when you least expect it. It “will find you out”. It will find its way back to you. It doesn’t go away without repentance and forgiveness and God’s grace.
In the Roman Catholic Church, there is the age-old practice of Confession. Confession requires a parishioner to visit a priest in a confessional to admit one’s sin and ask what God might require for forgiveness and healing. While speaking to a Roman Catholic man about his relationship with God, I specifically asked how long it had been since he had gone to Confession. The man replied, “My priest doesn’t need to know my business. I don’t do confession. I don’t need confession.” My response to him was that all of us need to confess our sin to God. Sometimes, the best way to do that is to come clean to one’s priest. Unconvinced, the man replied harshly, “I bet that isn’t in the Bible!” I answered him, “Oh yes, it is!”
Though not all sin needs a visit to the priest or pastor, there are times when a sin needs to be confessed to another, offered up to God, and atoned for. James 5:16 reads: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power in its effects.” This verse does not specifically say a person needs to visit a priest for confession, but it does advocate that there are times we need to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another as we work through forgiveness and grace.
Because “your sin will find you out”, every faithful person needs to admit their sin, confess it, repent of it, and then atone for it. All the while, God is seeking to cleanse your heart and soul of the sin and its long-term effects.
Thirty years ago, I was meeting with a man and woman who were about to get married. We worked through the vows they would take, their promises to each other, and what God expected of their future together. We looked at scriptures about marriage and talked about family and responsibilities, all the while planning for the day they would make vows at God’s altar.
A week after our pre-marital sessions began, the future bride came to see me. She wanted to talk privately. The young woman explained to me that she was raised by her grandmother after her mother died. While living with her grandmother, she had lashed out in various ways, including stealing from her grandmother to buy alcohol for her and her friends. With a face full of tears, the young woman relayed to me that her grandmother had been so kind, while she herself had taken advantage of the situation. The money she stole from her grandmother weighed heavily on her heart. She felt sick knowing what she had done. And, what really brought this past to mind was that her grandmother was dying. The wedding might be her last public appearance.
After her confession about the stealing, I thanked her for being honest to God. I told her that God blessed true repentance and wanted to forgive her. We prayed together. She gave up the sin to God and begged for forgiveness and healing. She prayed for her grandmother. She prayed about her hopes for the wedding. After the prayer was finished, I felt God telling me to relay something to her. I did. I told her that God required that she tell her grandmother of the stealing and ask for her grandmother’s forgiveness. At first, the woman looked stricken. She was afraid to tell the truth to her grandmother, especially when she was so sick. I told the young bride that God willed it. She was reluctant but promised to follow through.
At the next pre-marital session, the young bride appeared radiant. She was beaming as the couple entered my office. Before we began our conversations, the young woman reported that she had told her grandmother everything. Her grandmother not only forgave her but was overcome with tears that the young bride was so honest and forthright and trusting. The two spent hours that day talking about the past, about the wedding, about their hopes and dreams. The young bride said it was one of the most unforgettable days of her entire life.
Sin has a way of “finding you out”. Even years later, it can cause hurt and pain. However, when a faithful soul is honest with God, repentance can be lifechanging. Forgiveness and grace can bring great healing. Obedience to God’s will does amazing things.
A PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Let me be honest with you, blessed God. Temptation has captured my imagination. Sins have taken their toll. Unrepentance is too easy. The weight of sin gets heavier with time.
Help me to faithfully repent whenever I sin. Do not let sin fester in heart, mind, nor soul. May your Holy Spirit show me what to do when I sin, help me to repent, and cleanse me from the residue of sin.
As I look back on my life, I am reminded of my spiritual mistakes. I remember moments when I lied, occasions when I hid my sin, grudges and resentments that built over time. Father in Heaven, forgive my weakness. I have promised to be obedient. I need to keep my promises and admit my failures.
I love the way You forgive. I am amazed at the lives you change by the power of Your grace. Because of Jesus, I know the healing that comes with forgiveness. Help me to be truthful with You and honest with myself. Lead me on a path of righteousness. Push me to be quick to admit my faults. Encourage me to be repentant with every wrong. Cleanse my life from any residue of sin.
In Christ Jesus, I pray. Amen.