Baseball fans in general and Yankee fans in particular were launched into various stages of emotion yesterday when baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez acknowledged that he knowingly used illegal performance-enhancing substances.
For some, this open admission brought about a resurgence of bitterness and anger at yet another baseball player bringing stain and disgrace to our national past time. For others, A-Rod's tell-all with Peter Gammons of ESPN brought forth a sense of heartache and disbelief that one of the best players in the game-- one who as recently as 2007 announced his freedom from steroids to Katie Couric--- has been hiding a lie for more than six years.
Speaking personally as a Yankee fan, I was dismayed but not surprised to hear that another one of the Bronx Bombers has been linked with steroid use. But as a Christian, I saw in A-Rod's admission a powerful, living illustration of a long-standing biblical principle given to us from the pen of Moses that all of us would be wise to remember today:
"...and be sure your sin will find you out." -Numbers 32:23
Now, while this principle from sacred Scripture isn't a guarantee that God will expose every last surly detail or sordid sin in this life-- the truth of the matter is that sin by nature is difficult to disguise and cover up. It's like a festering sore--- an embedded splinter under the skin--- that hurts the mind and the soul (see King David's experience in Psalm 51). Trying to keep known sin under wraps is like trying to keep an inflated volleyball submerged in a swimming pool--- you can't do it forever. Soon enough its going to come to the surface, and in most cases it comes bursting forth in all its vileness and sickening aftermath.
Certainly, A-Rod is the most current example of this principle at work, but he is by no means the first. Both sacred Scripture and secular society provide dozens of examples of those who attempted to veil their sins only to have them vetted before the blazing light of day: Samson (Judges 13-16), King David (2 Samuel 11-12), and Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5). And in more recent times, who can forget the media uproars that occurred with the public downfalls of Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, or even Ted Haggard? Surely this week's fervor over Alex Rodriguez's admission will not be the last time we see a person's sins splashed out like a kicked-over soda can.
So what is the continuing lesson for us, in the face of yet another tragic example of Numbers 32:23?
We must always remember that regardless of what our fellow man sees, we are always before the face of God-- an all-seeing, ever-present God whose view is inescapable. Every action, thought, word, and deed must be accounted for before Him whose name is "Holy, Holy, Holy". As believers, we are daily called to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). In addition to that biblical mandate, we need to understand that in His almighty wisdom and justice, God may see fit to expose our sin and allow us to reap the just reward of our sowing. Therefore, our understanding of God's holiness and the consequences of our actions should both work together to deter us from making those devastating, life-staining, sinful choices.
If only we would give ourselves to more diligent "fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12) before the face of God--- we wouldn't be forced to do it before the bright lights, cameras, and eyes of a watching world.
Be sure to read this informative article posted yesterday by Dr. Albert Mohler on the growing scourge of pornography in America.
