Defiant

I love my two-year-old daughter Yumi, but she is definitely starting to get more rebellious. Generally, it’s nothing serious.

Me: “Time to eat!”
Yumi: “I don’t wanna eat.”

My wife: “Time to take a bath.”
Yumi: “I don’t wanna take a bath.”

Me: “Time to go to bed.”
Yumi: “I don’t wanna go to bed.”

My wife: “Gotta change your diaper.”
Yumi: “I don’t wanna change my diaper.”

Usually, in these times, it doesn’t take much to get her to do what we want. But then there are times of absolute open defiance.

There was one incident we had at the breakfast table at the end of a meal.

When she’s finished eating, Yumi always has to say, “Gochisousama,” which loosely translated means “Thanks for the meal.”

But on this day, she refused to say it.

We wouldn’t let her get down from her chair, though, until she said it.

She started wailing and crying, but she wouldn’t say that one simple word.

I’m not sure how long it took. An hour maybe?

Anyway, it’s this type of attitude that God hates. And it’s something you see in these two chapters.

First there was the defiance of the Israelites in not going into the promised land.

Then there was the defiance of the Israelites in trying to go to the promised land against God’s orders.

And both times you see the people being disciplined for it.

Then in chapter 15, God told them what to do if they sinned unintentionally.

God hates all sin, but there are many times that we sin and we don’t even realize it until later.

And God said in that case, just offer a sacrifice, and all will be forgiven.

But the consequences for defiant sin were much harsher.

There was no sacrifice to make. They were simply cut off from the people.

That was the case with the man who broke the Sabbath.

This was not a situation where the man just happened to forget. He knew what he was doing was wrong. And yet he did it anyway.

Perhaps people warned him, saying, “Hey, you shouldn’t be doing that.”

But he ignored their words and did it anyway. And because he so blatantly sinned, with no compunction about it, God said he was to be put to death.

All of us sin. We’re sinful people. But do you sin willfully?

Sometimes people say, “Well, I’ll just sin, and then ask God for forgiveness.”

That’s an attitude of defiance toward God.

As the writer of Hebrews says, when you do that, you’re trampling Jesus underfoot and insulting the Holy Spirit. (Hebrews 10:29)

If you’re a Christian, God will forgive you, yes.

But that doesn’t mean you’ll escape sin’s consequences.

God forgave the people for their sin of rebellion in the desert. But even though he forgave them, he would not allow them into the land he promised them.

They suffered a lot of pain and sorrow because of their choices. And when we choose to deliberately defy God, we’ll find pain and sorrow from our choices as well.

As Paul wrote,

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7–8)