Ngunit kung hindi ninyo gagawin ang inyong sinabi, magkakasala kayo laban kay Yahweh. At ito ang tandaan ninyo: tiyak na pagbabayaran ninyo ang inyong kasalanan.

Mga Bilang 32:23

“Nobody will find out,” the mayor reasoned. Kaya naman nung inalok siya ng pera ng contractor to win a flood control project, he said yes. He wasn’t always corrupt. During the campaign, he even promised to make life better for the people, but after getting elected, his priorities changed. Now it wasn’t about helping others but helping himself. In 2 years, his net worth quadrupled. How can his modest salary explain his quick accumulation of wealth?

Many people think and act like this mayor. They make all sorts of excuses for their questionable actions: “Everybody’s doing it,” or “Tao lang,” or “Other people will do the same thing given the chance.” But can a person really get away with doing evil?

Moses says no. In fact, in Numbers 32, he warned the tribes of Reuben and Gad that if they failed to keep their word and fulfill their pledge to help the other tribes, it would be a sin against the Lord. May consequences daw na kasunod ang hindi pagsunod. After all, we can’t hide from our holy God who sees everything we do — good or bad.

The mayor learned his lesson the hard way. A strong typhoon hit their area, affecting many people. Pati ang sariling bahay niya ay hindi nakaligtas. Nalubog ang lahat ng luxury cars niya. Later on, an investigative journalist released a story on corruption in the government, naming him as one of the dirty mayors. With his name and reputation tarnished, he quit politics. Now he’s saying, “If I could only turn back the clock, I would not have taken that bribe.”