Numbers 32:23; Genesis 44:16; Galatians 6:7

“…And be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). “…God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants…” (Genesis 44:16)

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)

When the child of God yields to the flesh and begins to walk in the flesh, a cloud of deception covers his mental decisions. He enters into an attitude that all is okay, no matter what the Word of God says in the matter. He rationalizes his actions in the light of what man says and not what God says.

Examples of this are:

• When cheating on his income tax form; he says, “Look at all the money that the Government throws away.” Or “I don’t believe in that.” Or “They will never miss my little part.”
• When he shoplifts at the local department store; he says, “They charge too much for this item.” Or “I don’t make enough money for my children to have as others have.” Or “Wal-Mart will never miss the money.”
• When he commits adultery; he says, “My wife doesn’t treat me right.” Or “I am in love.” Or “Her husband is mean to her and she needs me.” Or “I am with her at work all day and it just seems right.”
• When he commits murder; he says, “That person deserved to die because of his actions.” Or “He disrespected me.” Or “He was sleeping with my wife.” Or “It was the drugs that made me do it.”
• When he bears false witness; he says, “No one will ever know.” Or “It will not affect anyone.” Or “It is only a white lie.” Or “God knows my need.”

All of these examples are a result of walking in darkness and not in the Light. Sometimes the child of God thinks because he is saved and his salvation is eternally secure, that God will overlook his daily sins. Also, the more the child of God sins, the deeper he rationalizes his position in sin. The more he rationalizes his sin away, the further he walks away from God. The further he walks from God, the easier it is to sin.

There are many examples preserved in the Word of God of men and women that walked in their sin as if either God could not see their sin; or that God would overlook their sin; or that just maybe, it was really not a sin; or because of their position in life, God would not hold them accountable. Note one of these examples (1 Kings 21:1-29):

Ahab, king of Israel, coveted his neighbor’s vineyard and tried to buy it from Naboth, the owner of the vineyard, but to no avail. Ahab got so upset because he could not have Naboth’s vineyard, that he got in his bed, turned away his face, and would eat no bread. Jezebel enquired of Ahab’s melancholy and then assured him that she would give him Naboth’s vineyard; which she did through lies of two false witnesses claiming that Naboth had blasphemed God, and then had him stoned to death. Then she told Ahab to arise and take the vineyard, for Naboth was dead. He arose and took possession of the vineyard. (Read 1 Kings 21:1-29.)

But God saw it all and sent His prophet Elijah to Ahab to proclaim His judgment on Ahab’s and Jezebel’s sin. In 1 Kings 21:19, the Bible records God’s judgment on Ahab, “Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.” And Ahab said in verse 20, “Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?”  And Elijah answered, “I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.” And the judgment for Jezebel is found in verse 23, “The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.”

Three years later in 1 Kings 22, Ahab was engaged in war with Syria and verse 34 says, “And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness…” Verse 37 says, “…So the king died…” and in verse 38, “And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood … according unto the word of the LORD…”

Twenty years later, 2 Kings 9:1-37 records Jezebel’s death, as Elijah had prophesied it would be. Jehu, king of Israel, had her thrown out of an upstairs window. Verse 33 says, “And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot.” And the Bible records in Verse 35, all that was left of Jezebel was “the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands.”

Thus Galatians 6:7 says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

What does God see? He sees the beginning and the end and all in between. There is no hiding sin from God. God gave Moses the Decalogue, or the Ten Commandments, to govern man’s actions toward God and toward his neighbor. These Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) are still in effect and shall ever be in effect.

Paul records in Romans 6:23a “the wages of sin is death…” For the child of God, this death is temporal, as Ahab and Jezebel found out; and as Ananias and Sapphira found out the consequence of lying to the Holy Ghost in (Acts 5:1-11). But many children of God say, “Well if I confess my sins, then it will stop the reaping.”

1 John 1:9 does say, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” However, as David found out in 2 Samuel 12:1-13, David confessed, God forgave him, but the sword never left his house. David’s fellowship was restored and his life was spared, but he reaped the harvest in his own family all the days of his life.

Child of God, it is not a matter of your justification or that you will lose Salvation in Christ. But it is a matter of fellowship with Christ, and a matter of sowing and reaping.

God sees all things, even our sins. Sin always brings a payday; many times more than we want to pay; even brings about our physical death as with Ahab and Jezebel, and Ananias and Sapphira. 1 John 5:16 says, “…There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”

Child of God, if you are walking in the flesh, stop now, and repent and confess immediately. “…Be sure your sin will find you out.” Stop sowing seeds of the flesh and start sowing seeds of the Spirit, for then the harvest will bring life and blessings and not cursing and death.

(This devotional was previously posted on February 3.)