Thurs Devo - Compassion through Consequences

Last week we saw how God stepped in and personally confronted Miriam and Aaron on their prideful opposition against Moses. God was rightfully angry with them, asked them thought provoking questions and then left them with a consequence.

Numbers 12:9-12        ⁹ The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left them.

¹⁰ When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous—it became as white as snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease, ¹¹ and he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. ¹² Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.”

God doesn’t take sin lightly. He punishes sin. The consequences aren’t to get even, though. If He got even with us every time we sinned, we would all be dead! God shows compassion through His consequences. The consequences are to help train us so that we recognize our sins, repent, turn back to God and ask for His help. That’s exactly what happened here. Aaron immediately repented of his sin, acknowledged it as foolish, and asked for mercy (instead of making excuses and passing the blame, as he did in the golden calf incident in Exodus 32).

When you and I experience consequences for our sins, do we get mad at God? Do we make excuses? Do we blame others? How will you and I fully acknowledge and confess our sin and turn back to God with a sincere desire to love and serve Him with His help? Then, we can view our consequences as God’s compassion!

Yesterday, Kent also talked about compassion and focused on how we are to be compassionate with others. When we realize how compassionate God is with us, then we can be compassionate with others. Next week we will see a great example of that in Moses as he responds to Aaron’s plea for mercy…

Alice