If you think that you can say and do whatever you like without there being consequences, then think again. We reach a very enlightening story in chapter 20 of the book of Genesis, the first book in the Bible.
Now this is a period before God has given the Jews the Mosaic law. Human beings are simply aware that God exists, and that there are indeed norms for moral behaviour – and that behaving in the right or in the wrong way has consequences for good or ill.
The story goes that Abimelech the king of Gerar was attracted to Abraham’s wife Sarah and arranged for her to be brought into his own household. Abraham had not identified Sarah as his wife for fear that the men of Gerar might kill him in order to take Sarah from him. He therefore said that she was his sister, not identifying the fact that she was indeed his wife also – she was his half sister; they had a different mother.
God warned Abimelech that he had committed a serious sin and would die unless he put the matter right immediately. Abraham was then placed in the position of having to admit to the king that he had lied, and that he had done so out of fear for his life.
How often do we tell lies out of fear of telling the truth ?
We have all done it. But there are always unwelcome consequences and the truth emerges eventually. So we end up having to confront our fear anyway – and because we did not do the moral thing in the first place, we also face the additional shame of being discovered as telling a lie. The situation gets worse.
Don’t tell lies in the first place. As the Ten Commandments and Jesus teach,
THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS
God tells us these things for good reason.
Abraham deceived himself and so he deceived the king. But God still operates according to his moral law and he will enforce that law. That law, again in the Ten Commandments and according to Jesus and his apostles says:
THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY
Sexual indiscretion is rampant in these days. It is persistently and explicitly encouraged and condoned in the media.
But God’s law does not change. And his law is there to keep us on the right side of the spiritual principles and effects which control our physical, visible world.
If we believe in the evils persistently peddled as good in our modern world, we will suffer the consequences. But if we obey God, understanding and believing that his spiritual laws are always at work, then we will see his blessing and protection.
Remember what the apostle Paul wrote to the Galatian believers, chapter 6.
BE NOT DECEIVED, GOD IS NOT MOCKED: FOR WHATSOEVER A MAN SOWETH, THAT SHALL HE ALSO REAP.
FOR HE THAT SOWETH TO HIS FLESH SHALL OF THE FLESH REAP CORRUPTION; BUT HE THAT SOWETH TO THE [HOLY] SPIRIT SHALL OF THE [HOLY] SPIRIT REAP LIFE EVERLASTING.
AND LET US NOT BE WEARY IN WELL DOING, FOR IN DUE SEASON WE SHALL REAP, IF WE FAINT NOT.
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