M-G: 8.8.13 // Reaping the Ripples

Why are boys obsessed with throwing rocks into water holes like puddles, ditches, canals, ponds, lakes, or something really huge like a gulf or an ocean? Not only did I do this as a boy growing up in south Florida, but I also did it as a young man and as a young adult; okay, I still do it! Now that I am getting older than dirt, if I look long enough at one of these water holes, I will get an itch to find a rock and throw it into the water or try and skip a flat rock across the surface. It’s a male thing to love to skip and splash with rocks; it’s in our DNA. Come to think of it, perhaps we can trace this trait back to David who was a rock thrower of sorts. Since this mystery of a male's rock-throwing nature has finally been resolved, women can blame God for this male obsession...?

Growing up in a sleepy coastal town in the sixties, I loved to go to this pond that had a wall of glades surrounding it, except for a small beach area for access. When no one was around I would throw a rock out toward the middle and watch the ripple reach the shore. Then I would see how many times I could skip a flat rock over the surface of the water; the best I ever did was five, or pretend to drop bombs on the surface for splash effect or to spook any possible water moccasins or gators. Afterward, I would go swimming. I am unsure if that was an effective deterrent, but I never got bitten by a snake or became gator bait, for obvious reasons!

Just like there is a ripple effect on the surface with throwing a stone into the water, there is in the spiritual world a ripple effect when we willfully sin against God, but the consequences of setting unexpected things in motion are not limited to the spiritual realm but to the physical world as well. This is clearly seen in the Genesis account of the Fall of Man. The one and only prohibition was given to Adam in the Garden in chapter 2 of Genesis, 

“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; (16) but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (17).

Since there is no record of God directly telling Eve, it is assumed Adam relayed that vital piece of information to Eve, however, she took it on her own to expand upon the prohibition (Cf. Gen 3:2-3, “… nor shall you touch it, lest you die.”). Then sometime in the future, we read in chapter 3, “… she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate” (6). The ripple effect of sinning in knowledge by Adam (Gen 2:16-17) was universal in scope and still rippling today (Gen 3:16-19; cf. Rom 8:20-22).

Currently, I am attending a study on Gen 1-11 with Michael Womack (ThM, DMin) at First Baptist Church of Cleveland, Tennessee on Wednesday nights. In relation to the ripple effect, he made this statement, “When we sin in knowledge, we invite every consequence into our lives.” Whenever I threw a rock into a placid pond, I couldn’t stop the ripples. What I had set in motion was going to play out until it reached the shore. Tragically, when we sin in knowledge, the shore may be a lifetime away!

When we reach the place of 1 John 1:9 spiritually as a believer, we are forgiven, but God does not take the consequences of our disobedience away; it will play on out in the physical realm. And if after forgiveness, we don’t forgive ourselves, it will continue to play on until we forgive ourselves. This is why it is so vital not to sin in knowledge, but don’t think if I choose to remain biblically ignorant I lessen my vulnerability. God forbid! Listen, we are held accountable to the written Word whether we sin in ignorance or in knowledge. Sinning in knowledge is intentional. Adam sinned in knowledge, but I would go so far as to say that willful ignorance is intentional as well. I read a disturbing stat today.

“About 98 percent of all people that say they believe in Jesus Christ have never read the Bible through once.” An e-Sword module entitled, Bible Statistics, “Mountains,” (source not provided in the module so take this statistic with a grain of salt).

All sin is directly against God. Joseph and David were very aware of that. Joseph chose not to sin in knowledge (Gen 39:9), but David did and reaped the ripples (2 Sam 12:13). The law of the harvest is unavoidable – “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal 6:7). For every choice (to obey or disobey God) there is a consequence; for every consequence, there is a choice (to obey or disobey God).

The real killjoy theology is not in obeying God but yielding to the deceitfulness of sin: pleasurable in the now but bitter in the after. Sinning in knowledge is the invitation of all the consequences of that sin, but I also think that sinning in ignorance is a door opener, too! True happiness is hardwired to holiness (Psa 1:1-2); I cannot stress that enough! The old Gospel song was right on target, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."  Otherwise, you and I will be reaping the ripples of disobedience.

Reaping the ripples of obedience is far better, yes? Now, if I could just find a real placid pond or lake around here and a good flat rock or two, I might try to beat my record of five skips. Those kinds of ripples are easy on the mind and body. <><