Oh, that smells delicious. There on the stove is a bubbling pot of spaghetti sauce (or gravy) that has been cooking all day. The full pot is heavy and not easy to maneuver and then it happens – it slips from your grip and the pot crashes to the floor and in an instant sauce is everywhere – it has splashed on you, on the stove, on the cabinets and somehow there are even spots on the ceiling.
That is a picture of sin. Sin splatters.[i]
…be sure your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23
…that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled… Hebrews 12:15
We may think that some of our sins are personal- not visible – and not harming anyone else but Scripture paints a different picture. Sin splatters.
I think of the Biblical illustration of David and Bathsheba. What took place in the privacy of his own chambers perhaps he thought would be “harmless,” yet his sin splattered far and wide. It led to murder (David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.” 2 Samuel 11: 14-15) grief and mourning (When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband 2 Samuel 11:26); death (the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David… On the seventh day the child died. 2 Samuel 12:15, 18), and rebellion against his own house (Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun’” 1 Samuel 12:11-12).
Our sin may not be murder or adultery – but we do not sin in isolation. We are members of families, churches, companies and communities. Sin changes us in subtle, nearly imperceptible ways and since sin changes us it changes our interactions with others. Our sin may splatter on anyone close to us. When we are tempted, part of Satan’s lie is that it feels so personal- like it is a decision that affects only us – but that is a lie. Sin splatters.
Blessings,
Diane
[i] The word picture is not original with me – I heard this phrase in Sunday’s sermon.
Written By Diane Hunt:Diane Hunt serves on the board of America’s Keswick and provides ministry support from her home in North Carolina. She is also a biblical counselor and women’s event speaker. For more information about having Diane speak at your next event please contact her at dhunt@americaskeswick.org.
Think About This: “You are always looking for something to which you can attach your identity, your hopes and dreams, and your inner peace. Whatever controls the worship of your heart controls your choices, words, emotions, and actions.” ―
The Daily Bible Reading: Matthew 4 | You can download our 2021 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here.
