You Can't Get Away With It

“But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.” Numbers 32:23

If we sin, it will eventually come out. Too often we as believers fall victim to the lie that sin won't catch up to us. So we spend time managing and fighting against the obvious and outward sins, like drinking or open sexual perversion, but allow the secret sins of pride, of lust, of selfishness, and of malice rule in our hearts because we believe nobody will ever find out about them. God addresses this very issue with the tribes of Reuben and Gad in Numbers 32. Since both of those tribes were herding clans, they saw the area east of the Jordan and asked permission to settle there instead of across the Jordan in the land of the Canaanites. At first, God denied them the request because he thought it was unfair for them to abandon the other tribes in driving out the inhabitants of the land. So as a compromise, the tribes of Gad and Reuben asked if they still fought with the other tribes, could they still settle in the land of Gilead. God agreed but warned them that if they break the deal and don't keep their word, even if it is not initially obvious, their sin would eventually be found out. God's warning is significant, we can be positive that our sin will find us out. What is secret will not remain secret. History has proven over and over that this is true. Secret affairs in congress or churches all come to light eventually, hate manifest in our heart eventually comes to light in the way we begin treating others, marriages that seem great on the outside end up failing because of secret addictions. Sin is of the nature of being ultimately exposed so that it will destroy the thing it inhabits. So we need to stop being naive in believing that we can get away with secret sin...there is no such thing!

Lord Jesus convict us and lead us to repent those secret things that you will ultimately expose. Forgive us for all the horrible ways that we break your heart and your commandments.