Most people view sin as a private or earthy matter. Yet, every sin is against the Lord. In truth, men can sin against the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
No doubt, some nations have seen more of the Lord’s mighty works than others. Those nations are accountable for all that they have known and experienced.
Men tend to fret over the motives behind others’ actions. Instead, men should trust the Lord to deal with the motives at the judgment seat of Christ.
Every believer will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ to give an account for his stewardship while living upon this earth. Perhaps no one understood this quite like the apostle Paul. He was the apostle of the Gentiles (Romans 11:13) and had a special calling as a steward “of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1). He spoke often about the fact that the gospel had been put in his trust (1 Thessalonians 2:4; 1 Timothy 1:11; Titus 1:3). The apostle Paul feared what would happen if he failed to fulfil his stewardship (1 Corinthians 9:16-17) because he knew a time of accounting faced all believers including himself. Though Paul’s calling was special, the fact that he would give an account was not unique to him only.
To communicate is to make something common. Communication can be accomplished in a variety of fashions. Communication can be between (1) an individual and his or her heart, (2) a person and the Lord, or (3) two or more people. According to Psalm 77:6, to commune with someone or something is to make “diligent search.” This thought may seem a bit foreign or odd today, but consider what takes place when people communicate. When someone communicates, words or thoughts are exchanged. Since words or thoughts originate in the heart (Matthew 12:34), communication is the searching and revealing of the heart. Communication discovers and makes known things of the heart to both participants.
The Bible shows us that even heathen kings know it is proper for a woman to honour her husband. Some might suggest that because these words were spoken by a heathen, the reader should discount them, but these truths are supported elsewhere in scripture. For instance, Ephesians 5:33 says that the wife is to reverence her husband. Sara honoured Abraham, even to the point of calling him lord (1 Peter 3:6). Even Abigail, who had a husband that was a man of Belial, honoured her husband when she kept David from ending Nabal’s life (1 Samuel 25:23-33). A woman who honours her husband honours the Lord. She does so because the Lord commands it, not because her husband necessarily deserves her honour.
There are many stories of those overcome with a sense of embarrassment resulting from their actions while under the influence. As they increasingly yielded to the power of strong drink, they did things they later regretted once sober. This is what the Bible means about alcohol when it says it causes men to “stumble in judgment.” No doubt many of God’s people like Noah (Genesis 9:21-25) and Lot (Genesis 19:31-36) had regrets as they became sober. The Bible tells of Nabal who “was very drunken” and foolishly refused to help king David (1 Samuel 25:1-17, 36). When he came to himself, Abigail told her husband all that had transpired during his drunken stupor. After he heard of his foolish actions, the Bible says that “his heart died within him” (1 Samuel 25:37).
Only a foolish man thinks he can hide anything from the Lord. This includes his thought life. The Lord knows all man’s thoughts (1 Chronicles 28:9) which includes the good (Malachi 3:16) and the bad (Psalm 94:11). David expressed this truth to the Lord when he said, “Thou knowest . . . my thought afar off. . . . For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether” (Psalm 139:2-4). The Lord Jesus Christ often exhibited this capability during His earthly ministry (Matthew 12:25; Luke 5:22; Luke 6:8; Luke 9:47; Luke 11:17). Even the written word of God reveals this ability by being “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
The Lord laboured to reveal, inspire, and preserve His words for man to read, learn, and study. Did He do so but then insure that no one could possibly understand? No! The Lord gave man His word with the expectation that each believer would read it and heed what it says. In Isaiah 34:16, the Lord commanded His people to “Seek . . . out of the book of the LORD, and read.” In fact, a constant theme of the Lord’s rebukes, during His earthly ministry, pertained to man’s failure to read the scriptures. In Matthew 12:3, the Lord rebuked the Pharisees for their failure to read about the exploits of David. In another place, the Lord rebuked the Sadducees by saying, “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). The Lord obviously expected His people to know and heed His word.
Murmuring is a grievous sin harmful to everyone involved or impacted. When God’s people murmur, they do so because their heart is not sufficiently focused upon the Lord. Various forms of the word murmur occur forty times in the word of God. Interestingly, the number forty throughout scripture is frequently connected to a time of testing or trial. The vast majority of these occurrences reflect people who were displeased with something the Lord was responsible for doing. Their displeasure with the Lord caused them to voice their frustrations to others. Murmuring generally manifests itself outwardly, but at its root is a heart problem (Matthew 12:34; Matthew 15:19). It comes as no surprise that the medical community uses the term murmur to describe a heart problem.
