p. 2 | 3742 - The Sin of One by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Apr 30, 1912

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 39, No. 18.

3742 — The Sin of One

By Editor

Why did the whole company of Israel suffer defeat from the people of Ai because of the sin of one man, and why did his entire family suffer death by stoning and fire because of his sin? Why, in the same connection in the American revision, is the "accursed thing" called the "devoted thing"? It would seem as tho "accursed" and "devoted" were two opposite words. I have been a member of the Bible Band ever since it was started, and have received much comfort and blessing since following the readings. No. 698.

1. God would have His people understand that they are all bound together. As expressed by the apostle Paul in Romans 14, "None of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself;" or in 1 Cor. 12:26, "Whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it," etc. Cain thought to say that he was not his brother's keeper; he would throw off his responsibility by letting his brother care for himself. When the children of Israel entered Canaan, God rolled away the reproach of Egypt from them. They passed through the Jordan even as they had passed through the Red Sea, by His great power and mercy. The one thought which ought to have impressed them was to be clean from all sin. The first victory that was given them God gave wholly. The walls of Jericho were thrown down by the invisible army of God while the children of Israel were simply marching around it with the ark of God, in order that they might witness God's power.

Seemingly that victory, which was given by God alone, made them self-confident, and in substance they said: "Why, Ai is a little bit of a city; there is no need of a whole lot of us going up there. We can send simply a few men, and they will overthrow that city." What Israel ought to have done before going to Ai was to seek God to know what He would have them do. He had given them one city, doubtless He would have given them other cities in the same way that He gave Jericho. They wanted to do something of themselves, and those who were sent there and defeated may have been men who were entirely and wholly self-confident. So it may have been with all that were slain. Then, too, they ought to have sought God from the very first defeat, and learned just what was the cause. We may not be able to see all the particulars ourselves; but Israel had sinned. They were so bound together in one (and so ought God's church to be) that if one member suffered, the other members suffered because of it. If one sinned, others suffered in consequence of that sin. His family evidently were connected with him in it. We know that God is just; and we could come to no other conclusion than that his family stood with him in that sin in every respect, consequently perished with him.

2. The term "devoted" is the better term—devoted to God for whatever purpose God chose. Sometimes that purpose was destruction. So the Amalekites were devoted to destruction. Sometimes it was for use in the sanctuary service, devoted to God for that purpose; but when men perverted a thing which God had devoted, in their own service, or purpose, or work, it became an accursed thing, like all other blessings of God which are perverted; the blessing becomes a curse, righteousness becomes sin, life becomes death.

We wish that all our Bible Band readers would stay by the reading of the Band as has this dear soul. We are sure they would find it a constant blessing all the way.