S. S. Times Exodus 5:3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews has met with us: let us go, we pray you, three days' journey into the desert… d: — "Let us go... lest He fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword." It is right to have in mind the fact that God will punish us if we refuse to do as He tells us to. It may answer for other people to talk about needing no other motive to well doing than love; but you and I are not always influenced by love alone. If we knew to-day that we could do wrong with entire impunity — do a little wrong, I mean, a pet wrong, a wrong that no one would know anything about, and that wouldn't seem to harm anybody very much any way — could do it without any suffering or any punishment; do you think we should be just as strong for the right as now, while we know that the disclosure and the punishment of sin is sure? Well, even if you and I think so, God doesn't take that view of it. God threatens as well as entreats. He holds up the danger of punishment for sin, as welt as the rewards of loving and serving Him trustfully; and God doesn't make any mistake in so doing. (S. S. Times.) Parallel Verses KJV: And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword. |
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