Forgiveness vs. Consequences
Scripture: Numbers 14:19-23
"In keeping with your magnificent, unfailing love, please pardon the sins of this people, just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt. 20 Then the Lord said, “I will pardon them as you have requested. 21 But as surely as I live, and as surely as the earth is filled with the Lord’s glory, 22 not one of these people will ever enter that land. They have all seen my glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again they have tested me by refusing to listen to my voice. 23 They will never even see the land I swore to give their ancestors. None of those who have treated me with contempt will ever see it."
Observations:
After refusing to enter the Promised Land because of the overwhelming negative report of the spies, the Israelites were determined to take back control of their lives, abandcon God's plan, and return to Egypt. Although God nearly destroyed them again for their rebellion, Moses begged God to once again forgive them, not because they deserved it, but because He was full of "unfailing love" (vs. 19). Accordingly, God agreed to pardon Israel's sin, however that did not erase the serious consequences that resulted fromt their actions (vs. 21) as God condemned them to wander in the desert for the rest of their lives. Not only did God punish those directly reponsible for rejecting God's plan, but their children also reaped the consequences of their actions for the next 40 years!
Application:
It's one thing for God to forgive your sins, it's a entirely other thing for God to remove the consequences our sins have earned us. While there's no doubt that Christ has paid the total debt of all of our sins through His sacrificial death on the cross (Romans 3:22-25). While the "penalty" of our sins have been forgiven, there may in fact still be negative consequence that accompany our sins even after we repent. The fact is our sins do not merely affect us and God, they also affect other people. The decisions we make today will always produce a greater affect than we realize on us, our children, our friends, our church, etc. When we sin it affects every area of our lives and produces negative consequences on multiple levels that reach far beyond the here and now. Asking for forgivness after the fact doesn't necessarily make the negative effects of our choices disappear. While God has taken away the eternal "death penalty" for our sins, we must remember that "whatever we sow we will reap- either good or bad" (Galatians 6:7-8). Suddenly temptation doesn't look quite so appealing.
Prayer:
Father, thank You for Your mercy that caused You to sacrifice Your only Son so that we could be made right with You. Help us to weigh our choices carefully in light of Your will. Lead us today in every decision that we make so that our lives will honor You and that those around us will be spared the negative consequences of our poor judgments. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
"In keeping with your magnificent, unfailing love, please pardon the sins of this people, just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt. 20 Then the Lord said, “I will pardon them as you have requested. 21 But as surely as I live, and as surely as the earth is filled with the Lord’s glory, 22 not one of these people will ever enter that land. They have all seen my glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again they have tested me by refusing to listen to my voice. 23 They will never even see the land I swore to give their ancestors. None of those who have treated me with contempt will ever see it."
Observations:
After refusing to enter the Promised Land because of the overwhelming negative report of the spies, the Israelites were determined to take back control of their lives, abandcon God's plan, and return to Egypt. Although God nearly destroyed them again for their rebellion, Moses begged God to once again forgive them, not because they deserved it, but because He was full of "unfailing love" (vs. 19). Accordingly, God agreed to pardon Israel's sin, however that did not erase the serious consequences that resulted fromt their actions (vs. 21) as God condemned them to wander in the desert for the rest of their lives. Not only did God punish those directly reponsible for rejecting God's plan, but their children also reaped the consequences of their actions for the next 40 years!
Application:
It's one thing for God to forgive your sins, it's a entirely other thing for God to remove the consequences our sins have earned us. While there's no doubt that Christ has paid the total debt of all of our sins through His sacrificial death on the cross (Romans 3:22-25). While the "penalty" of our sins have been forgiven, there may in fact still be negative consequence that accompany our sins even after we repent. The fact is our sins do not merely affect us and God, they also affect other people. The decisions we make today will always produce a greater affect than we realize on us, our children, our friends, our church, etc. When we sin it affects every area of our lives and produces negative consequences on multiple levels that reach far beyond the here and now. Asking for forgivness after the fact doesn't necessarily make the negative effects of our choices disappear. While God has taken away the eternal "death penalty" for our sins, we must remember that "whatever we sow we will reap- either good or bad" (Galatians 6:7-8). Suddenly temptation doesn't look quite so appealing.
Prayer:
Father, thank You for Your mercy that caused You to sacrifice Your only Son so that we could be made right with You. Help us to weigh our choices carefully in light of Your will. Lead us today in every decision that we make so that our lives will honor You and that those around us will be spared the negative consequences of our poor judgments. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
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