Dathan and Abiram refuse to appear before Moses because he "yanked [them] out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill [them] in the wilderness." (16:12)
The people start grumbling against Moses and Aaron because God sent lightning to cremate the men offering incense. The people said, "You have killed God's people!" (16:41)
Once again, the rebellious people incur the wrath of God. Families swallowed up whole and pitched into hell. 250 cremated on the spot by lightning. A quick moving plague that killed 14,700 people before Aaron could atone for the people.
Chapter after chapter, the Israelites keep blaming their leaders when the real issue is their own sin, not the actions or perceived sins of their leaders. At the root of their dissatisfaction and rebellion against Moses and Aaron are their own sins of pride, selfish ambition, dishonesty, and stubborn rebellion against God.
It's not so different with me. When I'm dissatisfied with circumstances or people, my knee-jerk reaction is to look to place blame elsewhere. "If only THEY would change/behave/do-it-my-way, then things would be better/different/right," whether that's my husband, my kids, or other people in my life.
It's much harder to take the time to look at myself and to acknowledge my own sin - my selfishness, my stubborn pride, my demandingness, my need to accomplish. That requires self-awareness, laying down my pride, and a strong desire to live in reality. Honestly, it's a battle in my heart and mind everyday to stay out of the trap that the Israelites have fallen into, of blaming others for my sin.
Thankfully, when I do make it a priority to listen to God and allow Him to point out the sin in my life, He is always gentle and trustworthy. When I engage my heart and actively confess my sins, He faithfully removes my dissatisfaction and desire to blame, and He replaces it with gratitude and fellowship with Him. (Note to self: it's a much more joyful way to live than just being irritated and dissatisfied most of the time!)
It's much harder to take the time to look at myself and to acknowledge my own sin - my selfishness, my stubborn pride, my demandingness, my need to accomplish. That requires self-awareness, laying down my pride, and a strong desire to live in reality. Honestly, it's a battle in my heart and mind everyday to stay out of the trap that the Israelites have fallen into, of blaming others for my sin.
Thankfully, when I do make it a priority to listen to God and allow Him to point out the sin in my life, He is always gentle and trustworthy. When I engage my heart and actively confess my sins, He faithfully removes my dissatisfaction and desire to blame, and He replaces it with gratitude and fellowship with Him. (Note to self: it's a much more joyful way to live than just being irritated and dissatisfied most of the time!)
Count yourself lucky - God holds nothing against you, and you're holding nothing back from him.
When I kept it all inside, my bones turned to powder, my words became daylong groans.
The pressure never let up; all the juices of my life dried up.
Then I let it all out; I said, "I'll make a clean breast of my failures to God."
Suddenly the pressure was gone - my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared.
God-defiers are always in trouble; God-affirmers find themselves loved every time they turn around.
Celebrate God. Sing together - everyone! All you honest hearts, raise the roof!
Psalm 32:2-5, 10-11May God give me the grace to seek His Face with an honest heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment