The Consequences of Hasty Decisions

​“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go up to this mountain of Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the sons of Israel.  When you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was; for in the wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against My command to treat Me as holy before their eyes at the water.’ (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)” Numbers 27:12-14

After the plague that resulted in the death of 24,000 Israelites, the Lord commanded Moses to be hostile to the Midianites because of their deceitfulness towards the Israelites.  Because of the plague, Moses was also to conduct a census. When the census was completed, the laws of inheritance were enforced.

The Lord then spoke to Moses and commanded him to go up to the mountain of Abarim. There, Moses would see the Promised Land that the sons of Israel would soon enter.  After Moses saw the land, he was to be gathered to his people just as his brother Aaron had. The Lord reminded Moses that he would not enter into the Promised Land because of the consequence of his rebellion in the wilderness of Zin.  It was in Zin that Moses responded and made a hasty decision, which resulted in rebelling against the Lord. When Moses rebelled, he did not treat the Lord as holy before the eyes of the Israelites but instead, he reacted in anger and hostility (Numbers 20:1-13).

Although Moses was forgiven for his hasty decision to rebel against the Lord, Moses still had to face the consequence of his sin. This would serve as a reminder that forgiveness of sin does not remove the consequences of sin. To experience the consequences of sin does not mean that the Lord does not love His children, but it does mean that He is holy and that He must be honored and obeyed (Hebrews 12:6-11).
 
Before making decisions, think of the consequences of your decisions, whether good or bad. It's true that the Lord loves and forgives; however, He must remain true to His perfection. For He is not only loving, but He is also holy, pure, and must deal justly with sin. Although children of God are loved, redeemed, and forgiven after true repentance, no one is exempt from the punishment and consequences of sinful decisions. Therefore, in the future, do not make decisions in haste, but choose prayerfully, wisely, and always make God-honoring decisions.