David and Jane had ridden their bikes about half a mile up Warrenville Road to play with their friends the Thompsons. When they got there the Thompson children showed them where a bear had torn down the wall of their barn the day before and had gobbled up all their chickens.
Soon they all were having such a good time playing that they forgot about the bear. David and Jane also forgot that their mother had told them to be home well before dusk.
When Mrs. Thompson called her children into the house for supper, David and Jane realized that it was already beginning to get dark. So they quickly hopped on their bikes and started down the road through the woods toward home, pedaling as fast as they could.
After several minutes of riding, they came to a long stretch of the road that was so overhung with tree branches that they shut out what little light there was left.
Suddenly David said, “Listen, Jane... there’s a bear!” And he began pedaling even faster.
Jane was just as scared as David and was trying to keep up with him, but she was a year younger and was not able to pedal quite as fast as he did. In her fright and hurry she wasn’t watching very closely where she was going. Suddenly a low-growing branch caught between the fender and wheel of her bike. The back wheel flipped up, throwing Jane over the handlebars onto the road. She was cut and bruised.
David had been pedaling so fast and was far enough ahead of Jane that he didn’t realize what had happened to her. He got home first and found their mother waiting at the door with a strong stick.
Jane was left behind and tried to pick herself up off the road, while thoughts of a bear were rushing wildly through her mind. She managed to pull out the branch, get back on her bike, and ride home.
When her mother saw her knees bleeding and her hands and face cut with her nose bleeding too, she decided Jane had already had enough punishment for her disobedience, and she forgave her.
We’ll never know if there was really a bear out there near the road. No one was going to go back to see, especially since it was nearly dark. All of us can certainly understand David’s and Jane’s being afraid of a bear. We would have done the very same thing — get away from there as fast as possible! Being afraid of something is nothing to be ashamed of. It is usually wise to be afraid. If a bear were really in the woods, the children’s fear made them do the right thing — get away from the danger as fast as possible — and it may have saved their lives.
There is another danger, and it is wise to be just as afraid of this danger as if it were a charging bear! In fact, this danger should be even more frightening. This danger is God’s anger against our sins. You and I each have sinned against God many times. “There is none righteous [good], no, not one.” Romans 3:1010As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (Romans 3:10). God hates sin and says it must be punished, and you and I deserve the punishment for our sins. This is really frightening because God punishes sin in that awful place called hell.
But we also have good news although God hates sin, He loves sinners — and that includes you and me! Because He dearly loves us He gave His own beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be the Substitute to bear the punishment for sin. While Jesus hung on Calvary’s cross, God punished Him for the sins of every person who will accept Him as their Substitute. “He was wounded for our transgressions [sins], He was bruised for our iniquities [sins]: the chastisement [punishment] of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:55But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5).
If you will accept the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, there is no more reason to be afraid of God’s anger about your sins. The Lord Jesus has been punished for your sins, and He also has washed them away forever.
ML-12/13/1987