The story is told of a man who tried to steal gasoline from a motor home. Attaching a siphoning hose to the vehicle, he started to work; but police found him shortly afterward writhing in agony in the street. It seems he had attached the hose, not to the gasoline tank, but to the motor home’s sewage tank! The owner declined to press charges; he was too busy laughing.
Facing the consequences of our sin, though, is no laughing matter. Colossians 2:25 says, “He who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done” (NASV). And we have to face those consequences even if we seem to “get away” with what we have done.
Two guys who were not known for being overly smart were driving a delivery truck down a road when they came to a tunnel. The sign said “Warning: Maximum Height 10 feet zero inches”, so they got out and measured their truck. Unfortunately, the truck was just over 12 feet high. They didn’t know what to do, when finally one of them looked both directions and said, “I don’t see any police, let’s go for it!”
As ridiculous as that sounds, there are many folks who take the same approach to sin. “If nobody sees us, then it’s OK to go ahead and do it. We can get away with it!” But just as surely as driving a 12-foot high truck through a 10-foot clearance will result in bad stuff happening (even if no one is watching), so will involvement in sin result in negative consequences, even if no one is watching (of course, we know that God is always watching!)
Moses warned the tribes of Israel who wanted to remain on the east side of the Jordan River: “If you arm yourselves…and all your armed men cross over the Jordan….and the land is subdued….then afterward you may return…and this land shall be your possession before the Lord. But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:20-23)
The words of Moses serve as a needed reminder to all those who think that they can violate the law of God without consequence.
Have a great day!
Alan Smith