0524 FAITH VS SIGHT

KNOWLEDGE VS SIGHT PART ONE

The Exodus event is the story of the generation when God had the most direct interaction with his people. Imagine it: Every day they received manna. They planted no crops, and they did little outside trading. Their shoes did not wear out, and for forty years their clothes did not go out of style! (Okay, I made that last part up.) You get the point.: The Lord provided for them every single day. And yet, instead of God’s direct providence leading them to lives of MORE faith, it seems to have done the opposite quite often.

 

Ungrateful Israelites! How could God’s direct interventions be taken for granted like that? You would think they would be the generation most known for their faith.

 

And yet, despite all that God does supernaturally for the nation, we find Israel with less and less faith! Surprise! Some committed idolatry. Others committed sexual immorality Some tested Christ. And still some grumbled. 

 

How can God’s direct intervention into human affairs become such a failure? Is it because “faith” and “sight” can be the opposite of one another? The only other time when God took such an active role in human history was when His son, Jesus, walked the earth. And we killed him. Literally. Wait! Could that be true?

 

Could this mean that the more God gives us “sight” into his ways, the less “faith” we have? The more we are provided for, the less impressed we are, and the more unimpressed and self-willed!

 

When I think of the book of Exodus, I think of it as being a story about national deliverance, and sin, and punishment, and restoration. And it is all that, and more.

 

But it is also given to us to teach us about sin and righteousness. More specifically, the book of Exodus is there to provide us with examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things. We find some of the people of God committing idolatry. In fact, becoming idolaters. Some commit sexual immorality. Some test Christ, and some grumble. All of them faced the death penalty, and their stories were written down for us, so that we will not make the same mistakes they did.

 

That’s when Paul makes the application statement: “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 

I think I have my feet under me. I imagine myself to be mature and dependable, being led through life by the Holy Spirit within, being as cared for as if I were one of God’s people being led by God’s own hand through the wilderness, as if God himself was with me (“Emmanuel!”) and I was safe within his hand. And I say by faith, “Jesus, take the wheel!” And I sit back and take a nap spiritually while Jesus does all the work for me.

 

This is the moment of danger. Do you see it? I have become so used to God’s providence that I have become complacent. And because it has all come so easily, I am especially vulnerable to fall into sin. Think of all the famous Christian celebrities and preachers who have fallen in a big way, even while outwardly it seems they had it all together. “Be careful,” says Paul. Then he goes on:

 

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

 

It’s good to know that any and every temptation that I have faced is the same basic temptation that all other human beings have faced. It may come in a slightly different form, so that I missed being ready for it, but before long my flesh will lead me into sin. 

 

The good news is that there is always time to repent! Amen.

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