The Consequences of our Actions

February 27, 2009

Today's Reading: Leviticus 26-27 and Acts 13

Have you ever wondered how the people got the word of God back in Moses' time? I suppose it could have been written on scrolls, or something, but I'm pretty sure that a system of written documentation had not been invented yet. Especially amongst a nomadic culture as the Israelites.

I guess I've always imagined Moses standing up in front of the entire assembly, reading this aloud. Of course, since there were 600,000 Hebrews (not counting women and children) Moses would have to really project his voice so everyone could hear him. I mean, it isn't like they had loudspeakers back then.

It would have been a real hardship if you were a spectator. Not only would you have to listen to tedious treatises on law, but there was probably no place to sit. I suppose that you could kneel, because no one would stand for this long. All those bodies in one place, along with the desert heat would easily make for one long day.

I'm surprised that I've never bought this up before, and it really isn't my main point. By the time Leviticus gets to chapter 26, it is winding up for a conclusion. If Moses did do this whole speech before the crowd thing, then I'm sure the masses were probably thinking: "Oh thank God, he's winding up his sermon. I feel like I've been here for an eternity".

The first part of chapter 26 describes what will happen if the Israelites follow the Lord. It describes a prosperous, but not necessarily problem-free existence. The next part is what happens if the Israelites don't follow the Lord, and it is riddled with how there will be problems a-plenty. My favorite line from this section is in verse 19, which describes that the heavens will be as iron, and the earth brass. You got to love imagery like that.

I believe that these Levitical promises apply today. Ever try to do something that the Lord wanted, and reaped a very bad consequence? Yeah, me too.

This was what happen to this one false prophet named Bar-Jesus. That actually is his name, I did not make it up. It actually is more of a description that anything, like someone who is "barring Jesus" from entering the premises like a bouncer at a high-class club.

Anyway, this Bar-Jesus just doesn't shut up, so Paul turns around and curses him. He is then struck blind "for a season", and I couldn't think of a greater New Testament example of Leviticus 26 than this.

However, have you noticed that God doesn't always work this way? Like when we do a bad thing, sometimes we don't get punished for it right away, like this false prophet who suddenly found himself blind? Think about all the ruthless businessmen who live on a crooked system of false promises. No, sometimes it takes a while before we reap what we sow, and it may or may not be pretty.

Just imagine if whatever action we did had immediate consequence. Think about it this way: when you do something, picture yourself going into the future to see what the full repercussions of your actions have wrought. You might be surprised at how much your sins have brought you prosperity, and how little your good deeds have helped mankind.

Still, there exists another plane of existence that we haven't even touched yet. This is where it really counts. The issue is that we may never see the full effect of our actions. This is one of those things that an "instant gratification" society is going to have to deal with.

So what am I trying to say? You reap what you sow. That's nothing new, but remember this little corollary: "In between the sowing and the reaping is a season". In other words, you may not see what you actions do right away.