Numbers 32:20-24: a reflection

20Moses said to them: “If you will do this thing, if you will arm yourselves to go before the LORD to the war, 21and every one of your armed men will pass over the Jordan before the LORD until he has driven out his enemies from before him, 22and the land is subdued before the LORD; then afterward you shall return, and be clear of obligation to the LORD and to Israel. Then this land shall be your possession before the LORD. 23“But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out. 24Build cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which has proceeded out of your mouth.”

As the tribes of Reuben and Gad ask to settle east of the Jordan, Moses binds them to keep their promise to help the other tribes fight, and warns them soberly of the cost of failing to. If you will not do so, he says, behold, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out. The warning is a sobering truth: sin does not stay hidden. However concealed it may be for a time, be sure your sin will find you out; it has a way of coming to light, of being exposed. We may imagine our sin will stay buried, unknown, without consequence; but the truth is that sin does not finally stay hidden. Sin, however concealed, tends to surface; it finds us out.

Notice the sobering truth Moses names: be sure your sin will find you out. He does not say sin might be discovered; he says be sure it will find you out. Sin does not finally stay hidden; however concealed for a time, it has a way of surfacing, of coming to light, of finding out the one who committed it. We may think our sin is buried, safe, unknown; but sin is not so easily kept hidden. It finds us out, in its consequences, in its exposure, before God if not before others. The comforting illusion that hidden sin has no consequence is just that, an illusion; be sure your sin will find you out. Sin, however hidden, does not finally escape notice; it surfaces and finds out the sinner.

That is worth taking to heart, for our sin does not finally stay hidden; be sure it will find us out. We can be tempted to sin in secret, imagining that what is hidden will stay hidden, that concealed sin has no consequence; but Moses' warning stands: be sure your sin will find you out. Sin does not finally stay buried; it surfaces, it comes to light, it finds us out, if not before others then before God, who sees all. There is wisdom in living honestly, as those whose deeds will come to light. Do not imagine that hidden sin will stay hidden, without consequence; be sure your sin will find you out, as Moses warned. Live honestly, remembering that hidden sin does not finally stay hidden but will find us out, as Moses warned the tribes, be sure your sin will find you out; for sin, however concealed for a time, has a way of surfacing and coming to light, before God if not before others, and the illusion that secret sin escapes consequence is one we do well to abandon, living instead as those whose deeds are open before God.

Lord, as the tribes of Reuben and Gad ask to settle east of the Jordan, Moses binds them to keep their promise to help the other tribes fight, and warns them soberly of the cost of failing to. If you will not do so, he says, behold, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out. The warning is a sobering truth: sin does not stay hidden. However concealed it may be for a time, be sure your sin will find you out; it has a way of coming to light. Show me the sobering truth Moses names: be sure your sin will find you out. He does not say sin might be discovered; he says be sure it will find you out. Sin does not finally stay hidden; however concealed for a time, it has a way of surfacing, of coming to light. I may think my sin is buried, safe, unknown; but sin is not so easily kept hidden. It finds me out, in its consequences, before you if not before others. The comforting illusion that hidden sin has no consequence is just that, an illusion. Take that to my heart, for my sin does not finally stay hidden; be sure it will find me out. I can be tempted to sin in secret, imagining that what is hidden will stay hidden; but Moses' warning stands. Sin does not finally stay buried; it comes to light, before you, who see all. There is wisdom in living honestly. Keep me from imagining that hidden sin will stay hidden, without consequence; help me live honestly before you, Lord, remembering that my sin will find me out, as Moses warned the tribes.