Shall We Pay the Price?            Carl McMurray

 

Genesis 16 is the classic account of figuring things out on our own. Sarai, the wife of Abram had not borne her husband a child in spite of God’s promise of an heir. No doubt her faith in God heightened her expectation of a child, but when the child was not forthcoming she set about ‘making’ the prophecy come true by giving her handmaid to Abram as a surrogate. You know how that turned out. Dispute and division in the camp of Abram and eventually a people that caused much trouble for the nation of Israel later and a race of people that have caused much grief for many more in the world even up to this day. Why couldn’t Sarai have just waited on God’s way?

 

Moses pulled the same stunt in Egypt by killing the Egyptian slave master. After all. wasn’t he supposed to free Israel? Of course the answer is that God had his own plan for freeing Israel in a way that would glorify Him, and this wasn’t it. It cost Moses a few sleepless nights on the run and the next 40 years learning patience behind a herd of sheep. Why couldn’t Moses have just waited on God’s way?

 

King Saul couldn’t wait on Samuel for the sacrifice on one occasion so he figured to do it himself and lost a kingdom over it. The nation of Israel went to war against the tribe of Benjamin on one occasion and thousands of brave lives were lost because they couldn’t wait to ask God’s instruction. On and on we see men figuring out how to do thing better and faster without waiting on God’s way and paying a price for it.

 

Human nature remains the same as we see folks figuring out how to get ahead in life by lying, cheating, putting others down. and various other shameful practices instead of seeking the genuine respect and reward that comes from honest work. They pay the price later. In the religious world churches have planned and schemed on how to reach the whole world with mass media and billions in contributions. Does anyone really believe this is any more effective than genuine heart to heart, one on one sharing the gospel from sincere motives. Prices are paid in compromised doctrine and loss of credibility. How many different plans and ways of salvation have men invented to make it easier and more appealing to the human palate, instead of just accepting God’s instruction on how we might be saved. There will be a price to be paid.

 

The plans and the schemes of men have great appeal at first and in the beginning almost always seem to be better or faster or more efficient. But there are prices to be paid. God’s ways are the ways that are ALWAYS right and CANNOT be wrong. Be patient and rest in his promises. Wait for the reward and fear not the consequences.