Have We Said?

Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment? (Malachi 2:17)

Have we said: Don't punish youthful pranks. It could ruin their lives.

Have we said: That's not really a baby, it's just a bunch of cells.

Have we said: That's not really a sin, it's a social issue.

Have we said: What difference does a license make. They’re in love.

Have we said: Marriage doesn’t matter. They’ll just live together anyway.

Have we said: Maybe their next marriages will work out. This one just didn't.

Have we said: There are many ways to reach God, this is just one of them.

Have we said: Their cause is just, it's just different from our own.

Have we said: It must be OK or God would openly punished them

And, there are pages and pages of other ways for us to say that evil is good. We have many ways of saying that God has blessed someone just because they have (wealth / success / beauty / friends -- select one or more). And, of course, there are thousands of ways of saying that if “it” were wrong, God would have stepped in with punishment. Since He has not, “it” can’t be wrong.

God must be tired of hearing that. It's been done from the beginning. Wasn't it the serpent who told Eve that God really didn't mean what He said?

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:16-17 KJV)

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: (Genesis 3:4 KJV)

Yep. Satan continues to use the old bait and switch. “Is this what God told you?” Then he turns around and says “Well, God was wrong.”

And, we fall for it. In fact, we’re looking for it. For the way to do as we please, then remove ourselves from the results of our actions. For example, Eve didn’t jump right in and follow the serpent’s advice. Instead, she analyzed the situation:

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. (Genesis 3:6 KJV)

Wow, it was good, pleasant and desirable. Then comes the rests of the analysis: “If I want to do (This) and God says (This) is wrong, then God must be wrong” Sounds logical, doesn’t it? And, why not ask my best friend to join me. There is safety in numbers. Eve could actually say “Everybody’s doing it” and be right!

That line won’t work today. There are plenty of people around living within God’s commandments. Not all the time, not every second of their lives – but they have Someone:

Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; (Hebrews 7:25-26 KJV)

That is the greatest story ever told, the greatest gift ever given, the greatest opportunity open to mankind. And, the base of my repeating Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. (2 Corinthians 9:15 KJV)