At first glance, the Cape buffalo resembles the domesticated water buffalo. But it is a different animal entirely. Wild, powerful, and fiercely protective of its herd, the Cape buffalo has long been feared by hunters. Stories tell of wounded buffalo turning back to confront those pursuing them.
I once heard a safari account that has stayed with me. A woman said that hunters camping nearby had killed a buffalo. That night, she heard a thundering commotion. According to her account, buffalo entered the hunters’ tents and killed the men, while the people in the other tents survived.
I cannot verify the details of that account. Yet I kept thinking about the tents that were spared. If I had awakened to that noise and lived to see morning, I would have felt relief. Then I might have asked a harder question: Why was I spared? Was I any better than those who died?
That question came to mind when I read what happened after Korah, Dathan, and Abiram rebelled against Moses and Aaron:
Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly.
Numbers 16:31–33 (NKJV)
God’s judgment was swift. The earth opened beneath those involved in the rebellion, while the rest of the assembly remained. The passage shows that God knew who He was judging. But it does not invite me to stand among the survivors and declare myself innocent.
I have rebelled against God in my own ways. I have wanted my will instead of His. When I read about judgment, the question is not only Why them? It is also Why has God been patient with me?
The answer leads me to Jesus Christ. God has shown His love and mercy by offering His Son to sinners. Through faith in Jesus, we can be forgiven and reconciled to God. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and helps us grow to be more like Christ.
God’s patience is a gift, but it is not a promise that I can put off responding to Him forever. Jesus will return as King and Judge. I do not know when that day will come. I do know that today, His invitation remains open.
The image of those untouched tents still troubles me. It reminds me how easily I can take another morning for granted. I have been given time to turn to Christ, trust Him, and live in the mercy I could never earn.
Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.
#faith #trustinggod #christianity #jesuschrist #bible #seekinggodswill #truth #sanctification #godisincontrol #godhearsourprayers #salvation #providenceofGod #Capewaterbuffalo #Numbers16:31-33
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The question that stayed with me was this: if I had been in one of the tents that survived, would I have thanked God for another morning—or assumed I deserved it?
What has made you pause and think about the mercy you’ve received?