Verse
of the day: Exodus 4:24 And it
came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him.
Today
we revisit God’s intention to kill Moses for his failure to circumcise his son.
Why did God become so angry with Moses? Here is the man God has chosen to lead
His people out of Egypt; yet, Moses, who will be given the Law of God to bring
to the Israelites, has failed to do that one thing that places the Israelites,
including the children, in covenant with God. Both Moses and Zipporah would
have known the significance of circumcision, as the Midianites were also
descendants of Abraham. Genesis 17:14 tells us, “And the uncircumcised man
child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut
off from his people, he has broken my covenant.” If God was willing to kill
Moses for neglecting this covenant established by God, how much more will those
of us perish today who reject or neglect the new covenant which was prophesied
in Jeremiah 31, that was fulfilled in Christ Jesus? John 3:18 clearly tell us, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he
who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the
name of the only begotten Son of God.” In another practical sense, we
also see that the sin of omission is just as grave, before God, as the sin of
commission. In other words, our guilt is just as great for neglecting to do
what we know we should do, as it is for doing the things we know we should not.
James 4:17 says, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” Not only did Moses sin
because he failed to circumcise his son, but this was also an act of
disobedience. So often we are critical, and harsh, with those who commit sins
such as lying, murder, adultery; yet, other such sins, such as failing to
forgive, or failing to be kind, or having the means to provide for someone in
need, and ignoring that need (1 John 3:17-18) are easily overlooked. In Luke
10:30-37, Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan who came to the aid of the
man that was robbed, and injured. The two men who did nothing for that man are
a good example of James 4:17. There were other examples given in Scripture to
illustrate what this looks like. It is sad when a brother/sister sins (a sin of
commission) against another brother/sister, and the injured party refuses to
forgive, or does something to seek vengeance; yet, the person who refuses to
forgive or takes vengeances against the offender is not held to the same
standard as the one who committed the initial sin. Like Moses, the person who
does not forgive or seeks vengeance is guilty of both the sin of omission, and
being disobedient to God’s commands. We, as God’s children, need to be careful
about how we measure sin, and how we categorize sin. Before God, sins of
commission and omission are both sins that hinder our relationship with Him. If
we are not careful, we will find ourselves thinking that we are more righteous
than others. The Pharisee in Jesus’ parable about the Pharisee and the tax
collector, in Luke 18:9-14, thought that he was more righteous than the tax
collector. This portion of Scripture reads this way, ‘Also He
spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous,
and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple
to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood
and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other
men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast
twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the tax collector,
standing afar off, would not so much as raise his
eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a
sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who
exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”’
It is best that we see sin as God’s sees sin, and confess our sinfulness before
God as the tax collector did. Just because we do not do that “sinful” things
others do, does not mean that we are not sinning when we fail to do that which
we know God calls us to do, or when we fail to be, in our actions and
attitudes, who we know we ought to be in representing Christ here on earth.
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