Unwanted Lesson From A Cow!

That stubborn cow! I was driving it to the barn for milking, but it didn’t want to move. I waved and hollered at it, but it didn’t move. Finally, I became angry and kicked it in the leg, and I then had many reasons to repent. The cow did move, and I did get it to the barn and milk it. As far as I know, the cow did not remember that event. She didn’t even act like I hurt her feelings. She had just experienced the momentary hurt of my kick on her leg.

But I remembered it. Besides getting the cow to move, the kick inflicted a lot of pain on my own foot, especially my big toe. Oh, it hurt!! So, I limped around for a few days. But whenever my father came around, I was miraculously healed and walked without a limp. My dad did not tolerate cruelty to any animals on our north Wisconsin farm. If he found out, I knew I would have more to cope with than a sore foot. So, I was brave and managed to walk without a limp when he was around.

I knew I was guilty. I knew that my pain was self-inflicted. But I didn’t want to admit I was suffering because of my own sin – and I certainly didn’t want anyone else to know – especially my dad.

There can be several reasons why we suffer. It can be a normal sickness, an injury, or many other reasons. But the Bible teaches that some suffering we experience is because of our sin. We like to explain it away and give different excuses to people asking about our suffering. But deep in our hearts, we know we suffer because of our foolishness or sin.

David is an excellent example of this type of suffering. (2 Samuel 11-12). He stayed home from war at a time when kings went out to fight. David was relaxing on his roof and “just happened” to notice a beautiful woman bathing on the roof of a house nearby. Instead of looking away, he “just happened” to keep observing her, then desiring her, then arranging for her to come to his house, and then committing adultery with her.

At any point along this trail of events, he had the opportunity to stop and not follow through. But he chose not to stop.

Then began a series of events that David never wanted. The woman, Bathsheba, became pregnant while her husband was away at war. In an attempted cover-up, David ordered her husband, Uriah, back from the battlefield and sent him home to Bathsheba. That ploy didn’t work. Then he sent a secret message, by Uriah, to Joab, his chief war commander. The message was, “Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him that he may be smitten and die.” (2 Samuel 11:15). Uriah died in battle.   After the time of mourning, David took Bathsheba in marriage.

Shortly after that, God sent Nathan, the prophet, to David. Nathan confronted David with his sin, and finally, David confessed to his sin of adultery and murder. Nathan told him that the Lord had put away (forgiven) David’s sin, and he would not die. But because David had given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child of Bathsheba would die. Also, the sword (battles) would never depart from his house. David had tried to commit adultery secretly. Now, the Lord would cause him to be humiliated publicly. Out of his own household, evil would arise, and David’s wives would be taken and molested openly and publicly.

David had sinned secretly, and God had forgiven him. But he would suffer the consequences openly so that all could see.

The consequences came quickly. The baby died. Battles and wars continued. His son, Amnon, raped his daughter, Tamar. Absalom, his son, murdered Amnon. Absalom fled but later was allowed to return to Jerusalem. Absalom then “stole the hearts” of the people (2 Samuel 15:6) and gathered an army to revolt against David, causing David to flee from Jerusalem with his own army. Absalom then humiliated his father by taking his wives openly in the sight of all Israel (2 Samuel 16:21-22).

In the following battle, David’s army won, but David’s son, Absalom, was killed. David’s lament is recorded in 2 Samuel 18:33.  “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

Job is an example of a faultless man suffering through God’s testing. He learned and grew from it. “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10).

But when we suffer because of our own sin, we should not say the Lord is testing us. We have inflicted this trial on ourselves. We need to repent and get back on track with the Lord.

Does God actually inflict consequences on believers? Ask Ananias and Sapphira, who, out of pride and deception, made a pretense of enormous generosity. (Acts 5:1-11). Consider the warning concerning partaking in the Lord’s supper in an unworthy manner or attitude. (1 Corinthians 11:29-31). Contemplate the “sin unto death” for the believer in 1 John 5:16-17. Give heed to the warning from Paul about church discipline for an unrepentant believer living in immorality. (1 Corinthians 5:4-5).

When born-again Christians go through trials, they should ask themselves these questions. Is this trial because of a sin I have committed? If the answer is yes, make amends immediately.

If your answer is no, ask the Lord to show you what He wants to teach you through this trial. Paul had the “thorn in the flesh,” so he could learn that God’s grace was sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12:7-1). The early church in Jerusalem experienced testing, so they would scatter and spread the gospel to other nations and peoples. (Acts 8:1-4).

Peter wrote his first epistle to help Christians through testings and afflictions caused by opposition to the gospel. Some of our testings are because God wants us to no longer live the rest of our time in the flesh to the lusts of men,  but to the will of God. (1 Peter 4:1-2). We must discern and live by what is important to God and not live for our desires.

My challenge today to every Christian going through trials is to ponder why. If it is because of your sin, repent, and make things right with God immediately. However, if God is using this trial to train and mold you better for His service, yield to Him right now. Ask the Lord to help you be a willing vessel in His hand for whatever he wants you to be and to do.