Why did the all-knowing God say he would come down to check out something that men were doing? Surely he could already see it.
Perhaps God made this demonstration of "checking out a rumor" not for his own sake but for our sake. Far too often we begin to act on something we have heard (and, unlike God, something we do not know for sure), and then we end up saying things or doing things that were unnecessary at best or even harmful.
(Proverbs 18:13) warns us to "Listen before you answer. If you don't, you are being stupid and insulting."
"If you hear it said about one of the towns the Lord your God is giving you to live in that wicked men have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray, saying, 'Let us go and worship other gods' (gods you have not known), then you must inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly. And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you, you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. Destroy it completely." (Deuteronomy 13:12-15) (NIV)
I am struck by the repetition in these instructions. "You must inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly" and "if it is true and has been proved…." It would have been possible to say simply, "investigate, and if it is true," but God knows us. He knows that we tend to condemn too quickly, and so he is warning us to be quite sure (as individuals but also as churches) before we start to condemn.
This piece of wisdom comes from the deuterocanonical book Ben Sira: "If you hear that a friend has done something wrong, ask him about it. Maybe it isn't true. If it is true, he won't do it again. If you hear that a neighbor has said something he shouldn't, ask him about it. Maybe he didn't say it. If he did, he won't say it again. If you hear something bad about a friend, ask him about it. It might be a lie. Don't believe everything you hear. A person may say something carelessly and not really mean it. Everyone has sinned in this way at one time or another. If you hear something that makes you angry with your neighbor, ask him about it before you threaten him. Leave the matter to the Law of the Most High." (Ben Sira 19:13-17).
- 14 MARCH -