“Of Cover Ups and Mercy”
“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13, English Standard Version)
“You’re only as sick as your secrets.” (Twelve-step saying)
I want to live a H.O.T. life: Honest, Open, and Transparent. Sad to say, I don’t always. I think I’ve opened up to those who need to know about my big struggles. However, not so much on little things. At least, I want to think they are little things. And, in any case, little hidden transgressions have the same tendency as termites and cancer: They eat away at us from their places of concealment.
And let’s face it. This world is not really geared for honesty, openness, and transparency. Neither is any of us. We play at hide and seek when we’re young. As we get older, it’s not a game anymore. We work at hiding—and hope that no one finds us.
In Proverbs 28:13, the Hebrew words translated “confesses” and “forsakes” are participles. Participles are verbal nouns. In other words, they are a cross between nouns and verbs. In Hebrew, when participles have a verbal thrust, they often suggest repetitive action that flows from the very character of a person. They often suggest a continual or repetitive action.
If this is true of the participles in Proverbs 28:13, the verse could be unpacked in the following manner:
“Whoever makes a habit of concealing his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who makes a habit of confessing and forsaking them will obtain mercy.”
Now, we are really good at confessing the wrong-doings of other people. However, Proverbs 17:9 says that this is precisely what we ought not to do. In fact, the same words are used for concealing transgression as in 28:13!
The word for “forsaking” is a strong word. It is used in Genesis 2:24 for a man forsaking his father and mother to marry his wife. It is also used of divorcing a wife. Sometimes, we think that it is enough to confess our sins. It isn’t. We need to forsake them.
And, as much as I would like to believe it—and as much as you would like to hear it—this is not a one shot deal. When people come to faith in Christ, that is only the beginning. That’s when the real battle begins.
We tend to think that mercy is about God’s kind treatment of us when we’ve messed up. That’s true. But there is another, harder truth: Mercy is also given to those who confess and forsake their transgressions.
I’m not saying that living a HOT life is easy. However, honesty, openness, and transparency set us up to receive mercy. And that is hot!
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