The High Price of Indifference

Today's Reading: Numbers 33:1-4
____________________________
As I read these first few verses of Numbers 33, my first reaction is to praise God for his faithfulness to the Israelites. He had rescued them from the oppression of the Egyptians and miraculously paved the way for their deliverance. In the midst of this celebration, however, there is also a great sense of loss for the Egyptians. Can you imagine everyone having to bury their firstborn child? It is horrific.

The hardest realization for the Egyptians is that it all could have been avoided. What if Pharaoh's heart had yielded? What if the people of Egypt had said, "enough! We yield!" None of this would have been necessary. Unfortunately, the hearts of sin did not yield and most of the people of Egypt became indifferent. As a result, they had to be rudely awakened by so much loss and suffering.

Many people today choose to turn a def ear and a blind eye toward the cause of faith in the world. There are people oppressed by sin, persecuted for the faith, and lawmakers wildly forsaking the God of the people. While people remain indifferent to these things, God will not long wait before he brings judgement. Those who choose to be blind to the suffering will soon bring the suffering upon their own heads.