“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Prov. 28:13).
There are many ways that men have tried in dealing with sin. One way that some use to seek to justify their shortcomings is through excuses. Adam did this in the garden (cf. Gen. 3:12) as well as the woman (cf. Gen. 3:13). Aaron blamed the people for the making of the golden calf (cf. Ex. 32:21-25) as did king Saul (cf. 1 Sam. 15:20-21) in his not obeying the Lord. Excuses are found throughout the Bible as examples of what not to do when sin is exposed. Consider some examples in the Bible where confession without excuses and forsaking brought mercy from God.
- The Proclamation of Judah. Moses recorded the incident where Judah brought forth children through his daughter-in-law Tamar in Genesis 38. It is through one of these children that the Christ would come (cf. Matt. 1:3). When Judah did not fulfill his promise to Tamar in the giving of his son Shelah to her for a husband, she dressed in the clothes of a harlot and sat by the wayside where Judah would travel by. Judah saw her and being motivated by the flesh contracted to give her certain things for his being with her. She deceived him in the act and conceived twins with Judah in the process. When it was told Judah that Tamar had “played the harlot” (Gen. 38:24) and was with child, Judah set forth the decree to have her burned (cf. Gen. 38:24). When she revealed by the tokens of the man by whom she was with child that it was Judah himself that was at fault, the text states, “And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more” (Gen. 38:26). No excuses were made and no further sin with her was done. Such is a keen example of confessing and forsaking.
- The Penitence of David. David’s attempt to cover his transgression in the death of Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, and then the taking of Uriah’s widow to himself for a wife after she was already with David’s child (cf. 2 Sam. 11) brought a sermon by the prophet Nathan to David. When David’s sin was exposed (cf. 2 Sam. 12:1-12), the text then states, “And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die” (2 Sam. 12: 13). David wrote Psalm 32 against the background of this scene. He stated in the psalm, “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin” (Ps. 32:5). Here again is a great example of confessing and forsaking without excuses.
- The Prodigal’s Confession. Jesus gave a parable about a young son who wasted his inheritance in a far country. When he was at the lowest point of his life in dire need, “he came to himself” (Luke 15:17). He arose and went home to his Father and said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son” (Luke 15:21). The father went immediately into action to rejoice with the restoration and reconciliation of the son (cf. Luke 15:22-24). No excuses were made. This is what the Lord is seeking in a poor and contrite spirit (cf. Isa. 66:2).
Jimmy Clark