The smallest splinter can cause great pain. And the most trouble. The other day I was spreading some mulch into our flower beds and silly me, I didn’t put on gloves. Sure enough, a splinter poked me good right in the fingertip. When it happened, it didn’t hurt very much, the real pain came afterwards. You see, if not removed, that splinter will really cause trouble. It will sit just below the skin and agitate with every move. If still not removed it will continue to cause revolt in the body, the area getting red and sore. Eventually you’re going to have to deal with the problem of that splinter. And that means digging it out.
I have a super sharp pocketknife that is the perfect size and shape for digging out splinters. The problem is, it’s always hard to do even a little cutting on yourself. Growing up, Dad would always do the splinter surgery. He had a steady hand, a great eye, and it was always better to be able to turn away and have someone else do the digging. Folks, the idea of a splinter is just like lingering sin in our life. If not removed, it will only get worse. It will constantly be painful, only escalate in its intensity, and eventually you will have to deal with it. But in this case, no one can do it for you. You’ll have to do the digging and get that sin removed from your life. And folks, until you do, God will not let you forget it.
Today we see the issue of a splinter of sin. And it became known to David and the people of Israel through a famine. Not just a small one, but three years of it. Three years of no rain which means no water and no food. A huge problem for an agrarian society. Well, a huge problem for any society that likes to eat. What is ironic though, is that after a stretch of time, David took it to the Lord. The irony is how different people see natural phenomena today. If a famine happened today, most would be quick to blame global warming, local weather patterns or even the stars, but hardly anyone would say God could do it. People will do just about anything but give credit to God for having that type of power. But David knew. He knew that this power could only come from the Lord, so he “seeks the face of the Lord.” (2 Samuel 21:1)
Sure enough, there is a splinter of sin within the country. To find it you have to travel all the way back to Joshua 9. Joshua was moving through the Promised land, clearing out the peoples that had rejected God. But along the way, he was craftily tricked by one tribe, the Gibeonites. You might recall that they dressed up in old clothes with weathered shoes and even had old crumbly bread to show Joshua. Even though they were only from a few miles away, they convinced Joshua that they were distant, weary nomads. And they asked for the safety of a treaty. Even at the expense of offering themselves to be the slaves of the Israelites. The treaty was made, the deal was done. And folks, when a treaty is made in the name of God, it sticks.
God tells David that Saul violated this treaty and killed many of the Gibeonites. The splinter of Saul’s sin has been festering for almost 25 years, and God says it’s time to deal with it. Now, it’s quite odd to think that God would judge the entire nation of Israelite for Saul’s sin some 25 years later. But folks, the sin lied within the nation of the Israelites and whether you like it or not, God judges nations just as he does individuals. In fact, there are numerous times in just the last 6 months that I have seriously wondered if what we’re seeing in the U.S. is the hand of God. The hand of God judging a people that have rejected Him and done what is right in their own eyes.
But let’s back up and look at the power of a promise. Joshua made the treaty with the Gibeonites some 410 years before Saul took the throne. Saul killed many of the Gibeonites some 25 years before the famine affected the nation of Israel. Doesn’t it seem odd that God is just now dealing with a broken promise? This brings up a few great points about what God thinks about promises.
One, God expects us to keep our promises. No matter what excuse you can cook up, God says if you make a promise, keep it. Two, God expects nations to keep their promises too. A promise is a promise whether it be from a chef, a CEO, a president, or a governmental body. Three, time does not diminish the power of your promise. Even if 25 years has passed, the promised that passed your lips is still as relevant to God as the day you spoke it. And four, God’s correction for breaking a promise can come years after the offense. We see in chapter 21, each one of these play out.
Folks, our sin is no different than a broken promise. In fact, it is one and the same. And admit it, you know better when you sin, but you do it anyway. Sin is anything we say, think or do that displeases and disobeys God. And all sin has a price. You must address your sin or it will only fester as it waits on you to deal with it. Look at how our four points of a broken promise line up with sin in our lives.
One, God expects us to keep our promise. We are to admit, apologize and repent of our sin against Him. If not, He will patiently wait and bring famines until we relent. Two, there are sins of individuals and there are sins of nations. God will judge both. The individual will see personal famines in their life and nations will see famines that affect the entire land. Until repentance is offered and the splinter dealt with, the pain will ensue. Three, time does not matter. If not dealt with, that sin you committed in high school is to God, just like it happened yesterday. Regardless of what you think or feel, time does not diminish, alter, or reduce your unrepented sin. God is beyond time, and He sees sin throughout time as exactly what it is. A transgression against Him. And four, God can and will judge all sin. It might be done immediately or it might be done well into the future. But it will be dealt with if not repented of.
Today if you are weathering some extreme famine in your life, search your heart. Are you harboring some secret sin in your life? Are you secretly looking at porn late at night? A secret that is tearing you apart? Are you secretly drinking too much, keeping it carefully hidden from friends and family? A secret that is unraveling your life? Are you tending to an extramarital affair, spending untold time covering your tracks to keep it hidden? Have you broken a promise to a friend years ago and to this day the relationship remains broken? Friends, you can hide sin from others and you can even live in denial with yourself, but you can’t hide sin from God. And just like a splinter, that sin will wait on you and remind you of its presence with constant discomfort and pain. Get rid of that sin just like a splinter, do some digging and remove it forever. Get it gone. Admit to God exactly what your sin is. Apologize to Him for doing things that hurt Him. And then friends, repent. Turn from that sin and head in the other direction, the direction towards God.
You see staying close to God will keep you away from sin, but staying close to sin will keep you away from God. Make the right choice today. Get right with God, dump your sin, and claim a life that is happy, joyous and free.
God bless you!
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