In this daily Bible reading is the account of God instructing Moses regarding dividing the promised land among the tribes of Israel. The land was to be apportioned according to the size of each tribe. The size of each tribe was determined by the census taken at the end of the Exodus journey.
God also pointed out to Moses that none of the people who had previously refused to occupy the land would be entering the land. They had all died during the 40 year Exodus march through the wilderness. Only their offspring would be allowed to enter.
I believe this demonstrates that God will indeed punish people for the sins they commit in their lives. The Bible says, ‘whatever you sow, that you will reap.’ God’s punishment for our sins may not happen immediately in our lives, but it will happen.
When people sin and suffer no immediate consequences, they may think that they will not be punished. However, I believe that at some point in their lives they will suffer consequences for the sins they have committed. Because of the sometimes long time delay between sin and the consequences for sin, people may not perceive the linkage between the sin and the consequence.
We see much suffering and pain in this world. Many are afflicted in one way or another. I believe that sin is the root cause for most afflictions. If people would rightly perceive their suffering to be a consequence for sin, they would then be motivated to avoid sinning.
