“WHY DID GOD KILL A MAN FOR
PICKING UP STICKS?”
No.
It was against God’s law … and the penalty was
death. God told them not to do any work on the Sabbath … and picking up
sticks
was work.
No,
God is pure, holy and sinless and demands that
from everyone. God has the right to do that. God demands 100% absolute
sinless
perfection from everyone. The man was breaking the law. He was a sinner
and worthy
of death.
Correct
… but that’s the difference between man’s
laws and God’s laws. You can go before a
judge today for speeding and he’ll let you off with a fine … but you
won’t go
to the gas chamber.
Yes,
the Bible says we are all sinners (Romans
3:23), and furthermore, if we commit one sin, we have committed every
sin in
God’s eyes … as the scripture says
“For
whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet
offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10)
The man
picking up sticks, and he knew it (James
4:17), and was guilty of all the worst offences against God’s law –
murder,
rape, stealing, lying and so on … and so it is today … one speeding
fine and we
have just proven we are murderers, rapists, thieves in God’s eyes.
Correct.
It’s called grace … the
longsuffering, mercy and tenderness of God.
The
real penalty for speeding, death, has been paid
for … and it’s not a money fine (Galatians 3:24). God saw what pathetic
and
helpless sinners we all are and came down to earth and obeyed and fulfilled
his own laws on his behalf … and then he went back into
heaven
(1 Timothy 3:16).
All our
sins past, present and future have been
paid for … your sin debt has been cleared … if you are still trying to
atone
for past sins, you are wasting your time. If you are still trying to
work your
way into heaven … you’re spinning your wheels. There’s no need. It’s
already
been done. You just have to believe on the man, God himself in the
flesh, who
did it on your behalf. That is … be fully persuaded (Romans
4:21).
Because God, Jesus Christ, paid your sin debt you can ask him to
save you.
“Jesus please save me … you died for my sins!”
Yes …
it is … isn’t it!
But back
to the ‘pick-up sticks’ man. He knew he
was breaking the law. It seemed but a small offence but he was breaking
the law
and he knew it … profaning the sabbath was a capital crime (Exodus
31:14) and
gathering sticks to make a fire to cook food went against what they had
occasion for the day before (Exodus 31:15).
My
dear fellow, God is total love and total
wrath … at the same time. What is sin today? For a start it’s
breaking your
own standards (James 2:10) … that’s even apart from God’s standards. Your
decision? You’re a sinner and going to hell … but your fine, your sin
debt, for
past and future sins, has been paid for. Ask Jesus to save you (Acts
16:31).
Will you
ask him?
Harley
Hitchcock
www.
AustralianBibleMinistries
.com