Sweetening Disobedience
“Then their father Israel said to them, ‘If it must be so, then do this: take some of the best products of the land in your bags, and carry down to the man as a present, a little balm and a little honey, aromatic gum and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.’” Genesis 43:11
[God speaking] “’Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, because you are an obstinate people, and I might destroy you on the way.’” Exodus 33:3
[Moses speaking] “’For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land where you will eat food without scarcity, in which you will not lack anything; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper.’” Deuteronomy 8:7-9
“When he [Samson] returned later to take her, he turned aside to look at the carcass of the lion; and behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the body of the lion. So he scraped the honey into his hands and went on, eating as he went. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it; but he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey out of the body of the lion.” Judges 14:8-9
Most people try to cover up their disobedience starting at an early age…it seems to be embedded in our nature. In each of the passages mentioned above, this was the case:
· Israel’s sons had captured and sold their brother Joseph into captivity. In the second and third passage it is God who is angry that His children have repeatedly disobeyed Him, even though He promised a land rich in milk and honey.
· Samson was about to marry into a forbidden culture and on his way to tell his parents, personally chose to scoop honey out of a dead animal’s carcas and give this honey to his parents. (NOTE: It was forbidden to marry a Philistine and it was forbidden to touch a dead animal.)
The honey may have been sweet in the moment, but disobedience can’t be masked no matter how clever we imagine we are. God cares for us and is working His will in our lives for our good and His glory.
We can attempt to mask our choice of disobedience or we can use ‘Spiritual Soap’ (I John 8-10) to restore our relationship with our heavenly Father.
————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Take care with love, especially His, from Darlene, who still prays for you each day.
PS: You can also find the devotions on line/ on your mobile phone here: www.weakdaydevotion.com .
NOTES: I choose to believe the Bible because it's a reliable collection of historical documents written down by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They reported supernatural events that took place before, of specific prophecies; and claim that their writings are divine rather than human in origin.
The Five Solas: Individuals are saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, as revealed by Scripture alone to the glory of God alone!
Find my full statement of faith: https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com (where you will also find a series of Bible studies). For the books, go to Amazon books. For prayer requests/ updates, email: darlenerichard@gmail.com