The Encourager
“"Commits A Trespass Against the Lord" - Heath Rogers”
"COMMITS A TRESPASS AGAINST THE LORD"
by Heath Rogers
In a sermon two weeks ago, we studied David's statement from Psalm 51:4 - "Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight…" I made the comment that David was aware that he had sinned against Uriah, Bathsheba, his servants, and the entire nation. However, all this vanished away as he considered the enormity of his guilt before God. A good lesson needs to be learned from the man after God's own heart.
All our sin, regardless of who is hurt by our actions, is ultimately committed against God Himself.
Joseph responded correctly to the sexual advances of his master's wife: "There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (Gen. 39:9). Young Joseph understood the sin of adultery is ultimately a sin against God because it violates His law.
These two men believed that any sin was ultimately a sin against God. What does God say about this?
Monday night, brother McKibben led us in a study of Abraham lying to Abimelech in Genesis 20:1-14. I noticed something God told Abimelech in verse 6. "Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore, I did not let you touch her" (emphasis mine - HR). Long before Joseph or David lived, God had established that the sin of adultery is a sin against the Lord Himself.
Leviticus chapter 6 offers more light on this subject. In giving instructions regarding offerings and restitution, the Lord said: "If a person sins and commits a trespass against the Lord by lying to his neighbor about what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or about a pledge, or about a robbery, or if he has extorted from his neighbor, or if he has found what was lost and lies concerning it, and swears falsely - in any one of these things that a man may do in which he sins" (Lev. 6:2-3, emphasis mine - HR). All sins we commit against others are first and foremost sins against God.
Denominational writer R.C. Sproul is noted for these excellent comments regarding sin:
"Sin is cosmic treason. Sin is treason against a perfectly pure Sovereign. It is an act of supreme ingratitude toward One to whom we owe everything, to the One who has given us life itself. Have you ever considered the deeper implications of the slightest sin, of the most minute peccadillo? What are we saying to our Creator when we disobey Him at the slightest point? We are saying no to the righteousness of God. We are saying, 'God, your law is not good. My judgment is better than Yours. Your authority does not apply to me. I am above and beyond Your jurisdiction. I have the right to do what I want to do, not what You command me to do.'
The slightest sin is an act of defiance against cosmic authority. It is a revolutionary act, a rebellious act where we are setting ourselves in opposition to the One to whom we owe everything. It is an insult to His holiness…" (R.C. Sproul, The Holiness of God, 151-152).
A Bible Verse to Meditate on This Week:
Proverbs 16:28
A perverse man sows strife,
And a whisperer separates the best of friends.
