Unintended Consequences

Sometimes we totally forget about deeds we have done. However, just because we receive God's forgiveness and we ourselves may forget about the seeds we've sewn, there are still consequences and repercussions and they are not always predictable.

Think about the treaty between Israel and the Gibeonites. God instructed Israel to utterly destroy the inhabitants of the promised land, but the Gibeonites tricked Israel into signing a treaty with them. Later when Saul was King of Israel he sought to utterly destroy the Gibeonites in conflict with the treaty. God did not bring wrath to Israel until well after Saul was dead and David was King. So the issue was long forgotten when Israel began to experience a famine. David sought the Lord and asked why the famine? God reminded David about the treaty and that Israel failed to keep its promise. David asked God what to do and God responded. David allowed seven of Saul's descendants to be put to death. These may have had nothing to do with breaking the treaty, but there is always a consequence. This story reveals that God is merciful. Once David obeyed the Word of God and provided restitution the famine was lifted.

David didn't start crying or complaining about what was fair. He asked God what to do and then he executed. David didn't say to himself, Hey none of this is my fault or I'm not responsible for this mess. Instead he just did what God wanted. When Israel made the treaty with the Gibeonites they had no idea what it would lead to. These are unintended consequences. As Christians let's begin to seek God to help us steer clear of unintended consequences in our lives. We won't have to worry about lack and want if we obey the voice of God without question. We can relax and know that He knows what's best for us when we stop holding grudges and judging others. There are consequences for every word that utters forth out of our mouths meant to harm someone else and boost our own egos. There are consequences for choosing our will over God's whether the enemy tricked us or not. Once we put action into motion we should recognize that there will be a response and a reaction.

Let's live our lives doing all we can to seek God's face and to please Him; to lift Him; to acknowledge that He is sovereign. Let's be careful to allow God to order our steps. Let's be thoughtful of the lives we affect; of our words and our deeds. Sometimes our worst enemy is inaction. Follow David's example. He asked God what to do. Then he acted based upon what God told him. God will do the rest. Our feelings are inconsequential.