Preschool
And be ye kind one to another. Ephesians 4:32
Reaping for Sin
Memory Verses
Primary
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another. Ephesians 4:32
Junior
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32
Background Scripture: Genesis 42–43
Lesson Scripture: Genesis 43:1–14
Introduction
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption” (Gal. 6:7–8). Our reaping for sin is a law of God that cannot be altered and one we dare not overlook. It is Satan’s pleasure to obscure the reaping while sin is being committed. Though Satan would keep us in blindness and bondage of sin, God delights in forgiving the penitent sinner. By God’s mercy through Christ’s sacrifice our sins are forgiven. The reaping for sin may not be completely negated, but it need not reach into eternity.
Key Verse
Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after (1 Tim. 5:24).
Lesson Scripture
Genesis 43:1 And the famine was sore in the land.
2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.
3 And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.
4 If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food:
5 But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.
6 And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?
7 And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?
8 And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.
9 I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:
10 For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time.
11 And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
12 And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight:
13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man:
14 And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.
Studying the Lesson
Joseph’s brothers gave little or no thought to the consequences of selling their younger brother to the passing traders who ultimately took him to Egypt. Joseph was possibly in his late teen years, and his brothers despised him because of his dreams. They viewed him as boastful and disrespectful, deserving of their mistreatment. They were driven by anger, jealousy, and envy and felt justified in the suffering they inflicted on their brother. They were sure their sin was sufficiently covered and confident they could convince Jacob, their father, of their innocence.
Years went by. To them, Joseph was out of mind and forgotten. Even so, they must have often recalled that terrible day when their brother was carried away by the Midianite merchantmen. They likely tried to assuage their conscience with human reasoning, feeling they had spared Joseph’s life and were not guilty of murder. However, the memory of their brother’s cry could not be erased from their minds.
When famine struck their land, Jacob’s family was in trouble and needed food. Unless they could find provisions, they would die. They learned that Egypt had the food they so desperately needed. To save their lives, they would need to travel to Egypt and buy corn. God, in His providence, was using this crisis to provide an occasion for the reconciliation with their thought-to-be-lost brother, who by this time was close to forty years old. But first they would be brought to their knees, acknowledging to one another their wrong. “And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us” (Gen. 42:21). They were not only guilty of wrong; they were also defiled and unclean. They had hoped their sin was forgotten, never to be brought up again, but sin does not just disappear.
In their trips to Egypt to buy corn, they experienced several inexplicable happenings that repeatedly pointed back to their sin. They were left with no other explanation than that they were being punished for what they had done. The story of Joseph and his brothers has a warm and inspirational ending. Joseph loved his brothers even though they had hated him and cruelly treated him. He now saw God’s hand in these events. Out of love and lonesomeness he made himself known to his brothers, and they in turn were bitten with the weight and guilt of their sin. The forgiveness given them by Joseph was Christlike—mercy shown to the guilty.
Practical Truths for Today
We have an inherent inclination for sin. If we would clearly see the guilt and shame sin brings, we would be more afraid of sinning. Sin begins in our minds; the flesh urges us to enjoy ourselves. When committed, sin leaves us afraid and defiled. “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:14–15). The consequence of sin is rarely seen at its conception, but death is the end result. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezek. 18:4).
Sin carries with it deception and blindness. Sin can rob us of our friends and money, and we are left as the prodigal son. ”How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!” (Luke 15:17). Sin takes us where we do not intend to go; sin spoils our dreams and makes mockery of our good intentions. The darkness that sin brings damages our mind and body, often leading to physical and mental illness. Regret and disappointment trail us, and a sense of uncleanness beclouds our being. Similar to Joseph’s brothers, sinners feel caged in and blocked at every turn, with no escape or light.
While we personally suffer for our sins and are accountable to God for the things we have done amiss, our disobediences and sins also affect and influence others about us. The failures of parents and leaders can cast their shadow on those who follow them. Satan blinds our eyes to this unpleasant truth as long as we walk in darkness. But when God’s light shines upon us and we repent, we see how we have failed others. We lament the example we have set for our children and brethren in the church of God. When we have repented and God has forgiven us, we acknowledge the damage done by our carnality and would like to repair the damage. While reaping for sin is a cross we must shoulder, by God’s grace the reaping is softened. Though we are not able to erase the past, we can, nevertheless, be saved and live a happy, fruitful life.
Godly sorrow for sin and humble acceptance of Christ’s blood removes the defilement of sin. When our sins are forgiven, we love God for His undeserved pardon. Every sinner forgiven and redeemed through the blood of Christ feels love and sorrow similar to the sinful woman who came to Jesus at Simon’s house. “Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little” (Luke 7:47).
We experience the comfort of God as He blots out the judgment against our sins. “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:7). The Christian’s divine nature is, by the power of God, stronger than the sin nature. We can live victoriously—free from sin— and be saved when we appear before God on judgment day. Those who refuse to repent will face eternal reaping for sinful living; that will be terrible beyond what words can describe. Let us settle our sin account while we live!
Questions
- How do we understand Joseph’s consolation to his brothers? “Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life” (Gen. 45:5). Does God use someone’s sin for good?
- Do future generations reap for our sins? If so, how?
- How much reaping for sin is annulled through repentance?
- How can young people flee youthful lusts (2 Tim. 2:22)?
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).