He was so tough that he would toss a family out in the cold to further his interests.
The Scobeys rented from Ben Weaver, a shrewd local Mayberry businessman. When Lester, the dad, missed one month’s rent payment due to insufficient funds, Weaver was ready to foreclose. No grace…no mercy…merely a get-out-of-my-house notice. Since Andy was sheriff, he had the unpleasant task of serving the eviction notice. Barney, however, conceives the idea for a “Save the Scobey House Fund”—part of which entailed a rummage sale at the jail. As one local farmer mulled over the items, he came upon one gadget he’d never seen before. Perhaps Andy knew. He asked. Andy replied, “If I knew what it was, it’d cost you….” No idea what the identity was…no idea what the purpose was either. (“Andy Forecloses”)
God has a lot to say about sin, but I’ve often wondered what purpose it serves. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)
That God is sovereign is unquestionably assumed and stated throughout the Bible. Yet if he’s all-powerful as his Word relates, why doesn’t he stop sin? Surely this would be the magic ticket for my success at obeying his commands—which is, after all, what he craves.
Though I can’t know why God doesn’t squash sin, there are at least two conclusions that help me deal with its presence. First, sin must serve some purpose; otherwise God would eliminate it. Second, sin’s presence gives me a choice. The ability to choose makes me human. It did Adam and Eve and everyone since them. God gave them the choice to obey by avoiding the fruit of the one and only tree he forbade them to eat from. He also left room for their disobedience.
Sin’s presence is God’s constant reminder that there are healthy and unhealthy choices in life. Choices that either take us in his direction or Satan’s. Which ones are you making?
Prayer: Give us power, holy God, to choose Your ways above all others.
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