“Who wants to go to the aquarium today?” Mother called. Mary and her sister and brother whooped with delight. They loved to go to the waterfront, and a visit to the aquarium would be a special treat on this summer day. Mother said they would be meeting some of their friends there. It promised to be a day of fun.
When they arrived at the aquarium, their friends were waiting for them. They all paid the admission charge and went into the cool building.
The children were fascinated by the brightly colored fish swimming in the windowed tanks. There was even an eel! And they had never seen so many different kinds of starfish.
“Oh, look at these giant crabs,” someone shouted. In another tank an octopus was attached to the tank walls by the strong suction cups on its eight long arms. I wouldn’t want those powerful arms to get a hold on me, thought Mary.
The last room in the aquarium had a large open tank. When Mary and her friends leaned over the edge they saw seals of all sizes swimming and diving in the water. The seals poked their furry brown heads out of the water as they dove and played, hoping someone would throw them a bite of fish.
Nearby was a sales window where visitors could buy a bag of small fish to feed to the seals. Mary wished she could buy some, but Mother said no.
As Mary leaned over the edge of the pool watching the seals, she had an idea - she would pet one of those furry, soft-looking heads! Quickly she reached out and touched the nearest seal as it came up for food. Before she could pull her hand away the seal bit her, raking its sharp teeth down her finger.
“Ouch, he bit me!” Mary squealed, more surprised than hurt. As she backed away from the tank, she saw that she had been leaning over a sign. It read:
“Don’t Touch the Seals—They Bite!”
That sign was meant for Mary as well as everybody else. Just because she had not bothered to read it did not change the fact that those seals would bite. And lots of people have not bothered to read the Bible. They have not read God’s warnings about the serious results of sin. However, that does not change the fact that unforgiven sinners will be punished. “The wages [results] of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life [every unforgiven sinner] was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).
The aquarium director took Mary and her mother into his office and kindly bandaged up her bloody finger. He was sorry about what had happened, but Mary knew that it was her own fault. She had not read nor obeyed the warning sign that was right in front of her and, as a result, had gotten herself into trouble.
How kind of the director to give Mary first aid for her hurt finger. And how kind of God to offer to spare you from the results of your sins. Though the first part of Romans 6:23 warns that “the wages of sin is death,” the second part presents God’s remedy— “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Will you accept God’s remedy for your sins just as Mary accepted the director’s first aid for her hurt finger?
Mary’s finger healed quickly with only some tiny scars to remind her of how unwise she had been. But punishment that never ends is waiting for any who turn away from God’s remedy for their sins. Have you accepted God’s remedy? Are you forgiven?
ML-04/09/1995