“Sir, it has been stated that you have had many adulterous relationships, is this true, or not true?”
Mr. Clinton, with anger in his voice for being asked such a question, looked that reporter in the eye and said, “If it was true, I would not tell you!” And he walked away from the reporter.
Mr. Clinton did not have to tell anyone, but one thing we know for sure, even if you are president of these United States, Numbers 32: 23, “...ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.”
Before we consider our text, we need to consider the context in which we find it..
Moses said these words when Israel came to the land of Jazer. They were about to enter the promised land, but the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the princes of the congregation, and said to them, (our paraphrase), “This is such a wonderful sheep land we are presently in, let us have this land instead of the land on the other side of Jordan.”
In Numbers 32:6, Moses said, in so many words, “You mean you want to sit here on the East side of Jordan while your brothers go across and do all the fighting?”
Then it would seem Moses detected something was not right about this request. He made an accusation against them. In verses 7-12 he told them they were doing the same thing their fathers had done. They were trying to discourage the people of Israel from entering the promised land.
Remember, earlier Moses had sent spies out from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land. Two spies, Joshua and Caleb came back with a good report and said that they were “well able” to take the land and encouraged the people to go at once. But all the other spies discouraged the people from going. They told of the giants. saying that the giants were so big the Israelite people would be “as grasshoppers” in comparison.
However, these tribes defended themselves saying, “No, we are not doing the same thing our fathers did!” They then went on to tell Moses how they would support the nation in fighting with them to drive out all the enemies then they would come back and settle in the land just outside the promised land.
Evidently Moses was not completely convinced they were telling the truth...
Now we come to the remarkable verse of our text. Moses told them that if they would not do as they promised then, Numbers 32:23, “...ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out.”
Look at THREE things in this small verse:
I. WE SEE SOMETHING DEPENDABLE.
God’s Word says, “...be sure...” This is something DEPENDABLE!
He did not say “MAYBE,” or “PERHAPS.” He said, “...BE SURE...”
In other words, this is something you can DEPEND ON! There is no way one can sin against God and get away with it.
There was something wrong with the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh. They had the promise of God that they could enter the promised land, but instead of wanting to enter, they were content to dwell on the wrong side of Jordan.
Illus: They represent so many today who are content to dwell on this side of heaven. The way they figure it:
• If they could double their income.
• If they could get a bigger house.
• If they could get a more luxurious car.
They would be willing to forget about the promise of heaven and make this their heaven.
They desire no better paradise than they can find here on earth.
After Moses rebuked them, and charged them with not wanting to go on to the other side of Jordan to wage war against the enemy, and they assured him that was not the case. Moses consented for them to come back and make their homes in that place once they fought with their brethren so they could dwell in the promised land.
But, Moses told them that if they did not keep their word they would be sinning against “the LORD,” and that there was something they could DEPEND ON. He said, “BE SURE your sins will find you out.” They went and did as they had promised to do, but God could not have been pleased with their desire to remain outside of the promised land.
It is interesting that when the Assyrians invaded Israel in 732 B.C., the first two tribes to be taken into captivity were the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh which were the same tribes who wanted to live east of the Jordan River on land they had already conquered.
We see something DEPENDABLE in this verse. God said, “...be sure your sin will find you out.” We also see something else in this verse.
II. WE SEE SOMETHING DECISIVE.
Notice, He said, “...be sure YOUR SIN will find you out.”
Have you noticed that most folks are concerned about everyone else’s sins, but they are not concerned about their own? For example, often it is the biggest sinner in the neighborhood who talks about everyone else in the neighborhood, and those folks are not half as evil as himself.
In John 8, we have the report of the men who brought a woman to Jesus that they had caught in the very act of adultery. We read in verses 3-9, “And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.”
You and I know that they could not throw those stones because they were also guilty of sin. They knew to condemn her by stoning her, they would also be condemning themselves.
Moses said, “...be sure YOUR SIN will find you out.”
• We have seen something DEPENDABLE - “BE SURE.”
• We have seen something DECISIVE - “YOUR SIN.”
Also...
III. WE SEE SOMETHING DEFINITE.
Again we read, “...be sure your sin WILL FIND YOU OUT.”
The fact is, we all know people have sinned many times and it seems they have gotten away with it.
• Some have committed murder and gotten away with it.
• Some have robbed people and gotten away with it.
• Some have cheated on tests at school and gotten away with it.
• Some are having affairs, and no one knows about it.
Illus: A pastor confronted a lady with the fact he had evidence she had been having an affair. She did not deny it. She continued to have extramarital affairs. Perhaps for as many as 20 years she has been doing this, and to this day her husband has no idea she is being unfaithful to him. She is very active in her church. She sings in the choir. The people she attends church with have no idea she is doing this, but she is and she seems to have been getting away with it.
• Young people have become involved in illicit sex and seem to have gotten away with it. Their parents have no idea they are doing this.
• People have told dirty, rotten lies on someone, and completely destroyed that person’s good name, yet it seems they have gotten away with it.
• Some sow seeds of discord and disgrace the name of God in their communities and have destroyed churches, and it seems they have gotten away with it.
Many people have done bad things and it seems they have gotten away with it.
Illus: You can go to any police station and find files on unsolved crimes from murder to kidnapping.
But when you notice what this verse is REALLY SAYING you see THEY HAVE NOT GOTTEN AWAY WITH A THING. Again we read, “...be sure your sin WILL FIND YOU OUT.”
Notice, no one may ever find out what some have done. The Bible does NOT say, “...be sure SOMEONE will find you out;” it says, “...be sure YOUR SIN WILL FIND YOU OUT.”
That is, you might go through life without anyone knowing of an evil you have done, but God assures us that we can not sin without OUR SIN FINDING US OUT.
HOW DOES SIN FIND PEOPLE OUT? In many ways.
1. Sin “finds people out” in their finances.
Sin is expensive!
Illus: In South Carolina a man became “addicted” to playing video poker. He is a retired military man who now works a secular job. As soon as he gets his monthly check from Uncle Sam he heads for the machines. Also, every week, a good portion of the weekly salary goes into those machines. On one occasion he put all of his salary into a video poker machine. When he ran out of money, he sold his car and put all of that money into the machines and then had to walk home.
Sin is expensive!
Look at the money people have wasted, especially those who have been addicted for many years! Did you know that many who have been addicted to alcohol and many who have been on drugs would become millionaires if instead of putting that money into those things they had put it all into an IRA for approximately twenty years?
Instead, now sin has found them out and they will die in poverty.
2. Sin “finds people out” in their family.
This is a sinful nation in which we live. All over America the divorce courts are in session non-stop. DO YOU KNOW WHY?
Because people thought they could cheat on their mates and get away with it. But, sin FOUND THEM OUT. They lost their families. Their sin found them out.
3. Sin “finds people out” in loss of health.
There are some who secretly had homosexual relationships and no one knew they were involved in that deplorable sin. But, one day they went to a doctor and found out they had AIDS. Their sin FOUND them out.
4. Sin “finds people out” in loss of happiness.
Some could have had happy lives. They had all the “breaks” of life up front, but they played around with sin and it FOUND them out.
Illus: Samson wanted to “play around” with Delilah, but she was not playing, and before Samson died we see him being humiliated, being mocked, shamed. He died with his enemies.
He could have had such a wonderful life, but SIN FOUND HIM OUT and STRIPPED him of HIS HAPPINESS.
5. Sin “finds people out” throughout eternity.
Sadly, most of all, sin will FIND PEOPLE OUT FOR ETERNITY! They may have gotten away with sin in their lifetime on earth, but at the Great White Throne judgment they will give account for every sin they committed. When the Lord tells them, “Depart from me into everlasting damnation,” they will recognize what fools they were and they will know they have not gotten away with anything.
Conclusion:
I. WE SEE SOMETHING DEPENDABLE
II. WE SEE SOMETHING DECISIVE
III. WE SEE SOMETHING DEFINITE
Today we are playing around with the word, sin.
Illus: When the Monica Lewinsky tapes were aired they revealed Linda Tripp told Monica she could not lie about her adulterous affair to the grand jury. Monica told her she could because what she and the president had engaged in could not be considered to be a sexual affair. Linda Tripp said, “What do you call it then?” She replied, “We were just messing around.”
Now listen, we can call sin anything we want to, but it is still sin!
Illus: You can go to your medicine cabinet and pull out a bottle of strychnine and label it sugar, but that will not make it any less dangerous.
God’s warning is still, “...be sure your sin will find you out.”
