The Enticement of Sin

"Sin carries in it its own misery."  - John Piper

Throughout out lives, no matter how devout a Christian may claim to be, sin will always be walking right behind, ready to cause us to stumble. There is no escape from it. Sin oozes all around, tempting us, calling out to us. We are under constant assault by it.

The pleasure of sin is difficult, though not impossible, to resist. But even the strongest can give way to it, as we shall see. In 1 Samuel 14, we are presented with an account of the great victory over the Philistines by Jonathan the son of Saul.

Jonathan and his armorbearer slipped out the Israelite camp without his father's knowledge. With the help of the Lord, they, along with the rest of Saul's army, were able to thoroughly defeat the Philistines. But it's after the battle that our attention is turned to.

Following this exhausting battle, the men were not only tired, but hungry, and in need of nourishment in order to refresh themselves. However, Saul, perhaps with the intention of saving time in order to continue the pursuit of the Philistines, gave an order forbidding them to eat until later, or be cursed (1 Samuel 1:24).

Somehow, Jonathan wasn't aware of Saul's command. Soon, they happened upon a wooded area where honey literally dripped from the trees. Although the men were greatly tempted to taste it, they were even more afraid of Saul's curse. That is, everyone but Jonathan who dipped his spear in a honeycomb, put some honey in his hand, and tasted it (1 Samuel 14:27).

Because of this act Jonathan received a death sentence (1 Samuel 14:43-44). Fortunately for Jonathan, he was spared due to the intercession of the people (1 Samuel 14:45). We can apply Jonathan's story to our own struggles with sin. Any why not? He wasn't any different than you or I.

We, too, are engaged in a battle, albeit, an on-going one. Instead of the Philistines our adversary is Satan and all of his legions. And we must pursue Satan; keep him on the run. Victory is ours, but we can't afford to stop in the middle of our fight to sample the pleasures of sin, even for a moment, or we, too, will be given the sentence of death.

As the people pleaded with the king, reminding him that Jonathan was his son, who then pardoned him, there is hope for all of us thanks to God. The people of God, His Church, from every corner of the earth intercede for us in prayer.

They pray that God will pardon the sinner, canceling the sentence of death for the sake of His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. By the strength of intercessory prayer, and by the merits of Christ, there is always hope of escape, and chance of life for the sinner.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:13; Mark 14:38; Hebrews 2:18; Luke 22:40; Ephesians 4:27  

Prayer: Dear Lord, the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; both are opposed to each other; strengthen me that I may always take Your path, amen.

May God bless you,

Kaye