Bible Thoughts

October 10, 1999

As the Israelites neared the promised land, the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh found a suitable site for raising cattle. The land they wanted had not been designated a part of the promise made to Abraham. They made a plea to Moses that they might have the land due to its appeal to them for their cattle. They further promised they would cross the Jordan and fight in the battle to take the promised land. Under these conditions, they were permitted to occupy the country to the east of the Jordan.

Moses pointed out to them that if they did not keep the promise to assist in taking the land, they will have "sinned against Jehovah." He further pointed out that their "sin would find you out." They are being told they could not hide from the Lord. This fact would re-enforce the need for keeping their commitment to help those who would occupy the land west of the Jordan.

The sin of Adam and Eve could not be hidden; they were found out. The transgression of David could not be hidden; he was found out. The denial of the Lord by Peter could not be hidden; his conscience found him out. Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Lord; their sin found them out. No person can escape responsibility for his/her transgression. If one hides sins from humans, the Lord still knows about it. And...the person who commits the transgression knows about it.

Sins have a way of catching up with people. Eventually, by word or deed, most are brought out into the open. And those that are not must still be dealt with by the individual conscience. Even though one may "sear" the conscience, the memory does not disappear and God still knows about it.

The Eastern tribes were granted the power of choice, having convinced Moses of their intent. They would have to live with that choice. The coming years would find many problems faced by these tribes and the aggression of the surrounding nations would serve as a reminder of the choice they made. When they sinned, it was found out.

If one chooses to live a life that is filled with indulgence in sin, there are penalties to be paid. One may hide the actions, but it is difficult to hide the results. From the one who dissipates his body by indulgence in alcohol and drugs to the one who fills his mind with unrighteous thoughts, corruption occurs. Even in this life, physical and mental agony will become evident in the person's life.

Another lesson to be gleaned from the choice of the tribes is that what may appear attractive may not be the best choice. The later problems of these tribes, as well as their separation from the other tribes, proved they did not make the best choice. They should have crossed the Jordan rather than bargaining with Moses to be permitted to stay. The Lord allowed their request; they reaped the end results of that choice.

The choices one makes in life determines the path that a person walks. When making such choices, Christians need to think about the consequences. Will the choice I make draw me closer to God or allow me to drift away from the Lord? Will the choice make a better citizen of me, one who cares about others? Will the choice strengthen me personally, causing me to be a better person? Will the choice made me a better family member? Or--a better neighbor in my community? Do not be misled: the choices that I make determine the kind of life that I live.

The decisions of youth can have a marked affect on one's later life. Sure, it is nice to be carefree and happy. It is great to be full of desire and ambition. The future looks so appealing, one can hardly wait to be an independent soul. Always remember what Solomon said, "Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them"(Ecclesiastes 12:1). Be sure to remember also, your sin will find you out.

The path that one chooses to follow as maturity envelopes the person will also have its joys and pleasure, but also its sadness and heartaches. The Eastern tribes should have looked beyond the land they wanted. The immediate satisfaction of a desire is not always wise. If they had the power to look into their future, they might have changed their minds. Like the Israelites of old, it is easy to be short-sighted. We live in a society that seeks immediate satisfaction in pleasure and demands more and more ways in which to have those satisfactions. A mature person should always consider what my choices will bring in the future: to oneself; to one's family' and above all--to one's religion. To paraphrase: my choice will find me out.

Nor can we ignore the need to make proper choices in advancing age. It is easy to make mistakes in hasty decisions and spend the rest of one's life in misery because of such choices. For all of his faith and devotion, Moses made a mistake caused by anger and was denied entrance into the promised land. The three tribes stopped short of entering the land because they made a choice to stay on the eastern side. Moses could look into the land; he could not enter. His impatience found him out.

What appears to be the best choice in any situation is not always the right choice. In fact, on many occasions every single one of us has made a wrong choice. Perhaps we suffered physically; perhaps financially; perhaps mentally, but we bore the consequences and resolved to do better the next time. Never hesitate to give up(or renounce) a bad choice. If you are young and get in trouble, make up your mind you will not repeat your mistake. As you mature, and this is a sign of maturity, resolve to overcome any bad choice you make by choosing the good way. When you are older, make up your mind that you have already spent a lifetime in which many bad choices were made and that you will close your life making the right choices that will please God and prepare you for heaven.

A word of commendation is in order for those who made the right choice and resolved to obey the gospel and live faithful to the God of Heaven. Always keep that choice in mind when you are making choices in this life. Such good choices will find you out. If not in this life, the Lord will reward righteous choices in the hereafter.