Bearing the Brunt of Unfaithfuless
Often, we do not think of the far reaching effects of our sins. It is impossible to sin and not affect other people. All of us have influence on others, whether it is good or bad. Therefore, our sins cause our influence on others to be a negative influence. That is why we must repent of sin, trust the Lord, and remain faithful to Him. The Israelites learned this lesson, when they failed to trust the Lord to go into the Promised Land after the bad report delivered by 10 of the 12 spies. (Numbers 14:33) Not only would all of the people over 20 years old die in the wilderness as they journeyed for 40 years, but their children bore the brunt of their unfaithfulness.
We must be sure that God is holy. He never sins, and He always does the right thing. Therefore, God must punish sin every time. He is merciful, so that He does not punish us as much as we deserve, but He still makes sure we know the consequences of our sins, so we will have a deterrent to sinning again. God could have killed all of the Israelites 20 years old and above, but He didn't. He fed them, clothed them, and protected them from enemies for 40 years, even while they complained. They missed the best life they could have had, but they still had a good life.
Their children ended up being shepherds in the wilderness 40 years. They had plenty of time to attend funerals and consider the result of that serious sin of unbelief that kept them from Canaan. This actually made them stronger, so that once they had their turn, they obeyed God, and in their faithfulness they took over the Promised Land under Joshua. Yes, they bore the brunt of their parents sin, but God still had a good life for them, and ultimately, they made it to their original goal.
It is the same today, our children bear the brunt of our unfaithfulness. They learn the wrong things from us. They suffer the punishment of God for our sins, especially while they are young. Therefore, we need to take even more care to repent and to be faithful, knowing that our sins affect those whom we love very dearly. This should be a very strong deterrent to sin, too.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Numbers 16-18.
We must be sure that God is holy. He never sins, and He always does the right thing. Therefore, God must punish sin every time. He is merciful, so that He does not punish us as much as we deserve, but He still makes sure we know the consequences of our sins, so we will have a deterrent to sinning again. God could have killed all of the Israelites 20 years old and above, but He didn't. He fed them, clothed them, and protected them from enemies for 40 years, even while they complained. They missed the best life they could have had, but they still had a good life.
Their children ended up being shepherds in the wilderness 40 years. They had plenty of time to attend funerals and consider the result of that serious sin of unbelief that kept them from Canaan. This actually made them stronger, so that once they had their turn, they obeyed God, and in their faithfulness they took over the Promised Land under Joshua. Yes, they bore the brunt of their parents sin, but God still had a good life for them, and ultimately, they made it to their original goal.
It is the same today, our children bear the brunt of our unfaithfulness. They learn the wrong things from us. They suffer the punishment of God for our sins, especially while they are young. Therefore, we need to take even more care to repent and to be faithful, knowing that our sins affect those whom we love very dearly. This should be a very strong deterrent to sin, too.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Numbers 16-18.