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I TOLD YOU SO

    How we dread these words which are usually heard after we have made a mistake.  They may remind us of wise advice not heeded or of persistent stubbornness in pursuing our own way.  They may help us recall forgotten truths which have been pushed aside by less important things.  They may be helpful in causing us to pause and reconsider.

    These words can be uttered by parents, spouses, or teachers.  They can be accompanied by dismay, disgust, and even anger.  They are sometimes used in condescension by someone gloating over being proven correct.  We may even say them ourselves as in, "Go ahead and say 'I told you so'."  But they may also be spoken in love and remorse by those who find no pleasure in our pain.  They sincerely do not want us to suffer additional hurt and heartaches.  The apostle Paul's "weeping words" in Philippians 3:18-19 come to mind.

    The Lord, in effect, reminded Israel through His prophets, "I told you so." (See Isaiah 40:21; 44:8.) His repeated warnings regarding the effects of sin went largely unheeded.  He had said, "Your sins will find you out." (Numbers 32:23)  Their failure to remember and apply this principle led to sorrow and misery multiplied many times over.

    In the Olivet discourse concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, Jesus declared to His disciples, "Behold, I Have told you before." (Matthew 24:25) Just one chapter earlier He had lamented, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" (Matthew 23:37)

    It is in our best interest to heed the warnings of God revealed in the Bible.  They are not empty words and so much idle chit-chat.  They are rather words of inspiration which are true, relevant, and eternal. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)  This eternal word of the Lord will be the standard of judgment in the last great day. (John 12:48)

    Would it not be much better to give heed now than to hear Him then say, "BUT, I TOLD YOU SO"?

                                                                  Edward L. Anderson

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