Why do we hide our sin?

 

MON EP Reflection 07/06/2020 (Numbers 32, Psalm 1&2)

This Old Testament story brought me memories of my time is refugee camp. Life is interesting in a refugee camp. You would think that socio-economic classes won’t continue but they always do. Some people were wealthier than others and therefore had political connections. Things appeared to us that life was easy for them. We quickly learn that in any organization, whether it is in camps or tribes, there are those who distinguish themselves either socially or politically, or economically. In this case, two tribes are mentioned here, the Reubenites and Gadites. They were wealthy. They had many cattle, they had settled, and life was dandy! Initially, all tribes were working together in order to possess the land that God had promised them. At some point, these two tribes had already possessed their part on the East of the river Jordan and didn’t particularly feel motivated to continue fighting to help the rest of the tribes possess their own part. So, Moses, as the leader had to say something and challenge them: “Shall your brothers go to war while you sit?” This might sound unimportant to us, but in a culture of honor and shame, this is big! You do not want to lose honor.

They were in the wrong here. They needed to realize that the reason they have their land was because everyone had contributed. Our God is a righteous, holy and just God, nothing would have escaped his watchful eye. Moses told them in v. 23: “But if you do not do this, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out” This is a real warning.; similar to those tornados’ warnings. It is one of the best verses in the book of Numbers. We need to hear it often. If you are a normal person, you know how we try to hide our sin. The truth is that the warning was that even if they entire land was possessed without their help, consequences of this would have come in different ways.

In Africa, most villages don’t have an ambulance as the vans you see here. The ambulance is people who will carry you through a traditionally weaved stretcher. So, everyone in the community take turns to help with emergency situations. If they knock on your door at night, courtesy obliges you to wake up and get on to help with the emergency situation, if you refuse, then when your household gets an emergency, it’s very likely that none will show up for the ambulance duty. So Sin finds us out: It makes us pay dearly. Adam and Eve are the first notable example of this. We all inherited the consequences. We should find out our sin before it finds us out. We must find it out and bring it out in the open for frank confession. Early Christians practiced this very often. [Confess your sins to one another. James 5: 16.] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)

Ps 1 tells us that Happy are they who do not follow the wicked or take the path that sinner treads but the Lord watches over the way of the righteous. Ps 2 says: You are my son, today I have begotten you! Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, Happy are all who take refuge in him. What a blessing! We should not tarry, we should run to God, not be afraid to bring sin in the open so we can heal. The path of sin is a heavy burden we were never meant to carry. Blessed is he who realizes that the Lord can deliver us from sin, and live a life of righteousness.

I hope and pray that we realize that we are called to become children of God, those who believe in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord.

Be blessed forever.