Men are just not wired for it.  The ‘subtlety’ sequence is clearly missing from the male genome. And lacking subtlety is the ultimate mantrap.  She asks “What do you think of my haircut?” Or “Which of these paint colors do you think will look best?”  The novice blithely assumes only facts are involved, that analysis is the path to success, that these questions are as contextless as “What is the square root of 256?”   And the mantrap of subtlety is sprung.  

The ladies in our lives are fluent in subtlety.  Like a spawning salmon, capable of discerning the chemical signature of their birth-ponds to parts per billion, women get subtlety.  They read all the signals men miss.  They understand emotional contexts men don’t even know exist.  They know that effective communication is not through words alone.

Men often struggle with subtlety in communication.  Perhaps you’ve seen the YouTube video that parodies this through a mythical product called the “Manslater” which claims to use “emotion and female logic deciphering technology” to bridge the subtlety gap.  But there is one area of subtlety in which man, and in fact, mankind, excels.  And that is with respect to our sin.

The Bible records for us that Satan is the most subtle of all the creatures the Lord God created.   He weaves fact and fiction into a tapestry of sin that makes the hideous appear radiant and the malignant seem beneficent.   He gives the shine and luster to our sin.  He calls it empowerment.  He appeals to our pride as he leads us not to become uber-menschen, but slaves. 

Satan, Abaddon, Apollyon, The Accuser is the King of Rebels, the destroyer.   He does not seek your allegiance or your love, only your complicity.   He does not want your worship.  He wants only your death.  And by making you complicit in his rebellion, he thinks he can weaponize the justice of God.   He is subtle.  He sells his deception well.   And has taught us his craft when it comes to holding on to our sin in the face of both God’s justice and God’s grace.

Pharaoh is a perfect example of this.  Egypt is in ruins.  The plagues ravaged the land, the animals, and the people of Egypt.  The gods of Egypt are silent.  And all that gave Egypt her strength was shattered.   Yet, when the last hailstone melted, the heart of Pharaoh did not.   He reneged on his promise, and held on to his slaves and his sin.  And now Moses and Aaron have appeared again before him.   In a bold move, Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?”

Often men just will not see where their sin has taken them.  They refuse to see that their lives have been ruined by it.  That it cannot be weathered.   Pharaoh is in no position to bargain, yet he attempts to bargain with God.  He places demands, stipulations, conditional asterisks and double daggers on his obedience to the Lord of heaven and earth.  He drives out those bring God’s word of grace.  Then even when suffering the righteous judgement of God in the plague of locusts, he offers only a self-serving repentance and fails to comprehend that much more than Egypt has been ruined by his sin. 

What about you?  Are you as subtle as Satan when it comes to clinging to your sin?   Have you justified it?  Blamed others for it?  Despised any who lovingly point it out?   Rejected the Word of grace that calls you to repentance?    Pharaoh loved his sin.   It brought unparalleled destruction to his life, to all he loved, to all he stood for.  Yet he would not let it go.   Join us as we examine Exodus 10:1-20 as we consider the plague of locusts and see how Pharaoh’s response warns us of the grave dangers of subtly clinging to our sin.

We meet on the square in Pottsville, right next to historic Potts’ Inn at 10:30 am for worship.  Get directions here or contact us for more info.  Or join us on Facebook Live @PottsvilleARP or YouTube.