05 May 2019

A Few Thoughts on Proverbs 28:13


Proverbs 28:13 NASB He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.

Perhaps, the context of these various proverbs would include verse 14. Proverbs 28:13-14 NASB He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. How blessed is the man who fears always, But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

There is one thing a person does wrong in verse 13—conceals.
There are two things a person can and should do in verse 13—confess and forsake.

The words:
B1 Conceal
C1 The Hebrew word is כָּסָה kâçâh (Strong’s H3680) and means cover up something, conceal, hide from view.
C2 Genesis 18:17 NASB The LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
B2 Transgression
C1 The Hebrew word is פֶּשַׁע peshaʻ (Strong’s H6588) and means leaving loyalty and rebellion.
C2 1 Samuel 24:11 NIV See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. See that there is nothing in my hand to indicate that I am guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life.
B3 Prosper
C1 The Hebrew word is צָלַח tsâlach (Strong’s H6743) and means to succeed, profit, to accomplish what one sets out to do.
C2 Genesis 24:21 NLT The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether or not the LORD had given him success in his mission.
B4 Confess
C1 The Hebrew word is יָדָה yâdâh (Strong’s H3034) and means to throw stones in various contexts. It is a revealing, not a denying. Depending on context it can also mean praise.
C2 Daniel 9:20 NLT I went on praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people, pleading with the LORD my God for Jerusalem, his holy mountain.
B5 Forsake
C1 The Hebrew word is עָזַב ʻâzab (Strong’s H5800)and means to loosen, leave, forsake, stop, and quit doing something.
C2 Examples
D1 Ruth 1:16 NASB But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.
D2 Proverbs 2:13 CSB from those who abandon the right paths to walk in ways of darkness,
B6 Compassion/mercy
C1 The Hebrew word is רָחַם râcham (Strong’s H7355) and means to show love and compassion.
C2 Psalm 103:13 NASB Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.

The meaning
B1 Covering up sin, denying it, damaging those who revealed it and those asking questions.
B2 God will be against this person. God will get His revenge sometime, some place.
B3 Confessing sin, admitting, and acknowledging the damage to others, brings God’s compassion.
B4 Note both admitting one’s sins and forsaking sins are needed. Just confessing means little. The forsaking shows repentance and change. This is seen in action both in public and private.

An example
B1 Unfortunately, there has been sexual sins committed by pastors, ministers, and religious workers. These have been denied, excused, and covered up. If that isn’t bad enough that the sinner covers it up, the other leaders, sometimes the highest positions in a group or denomination cover it up, too.
B2 Politicians, teachers, medical, etc. do the same with money, fraud, etc.

Notes
B1 Just confessing is not enough. A change, a repentance, needs to be noted.
B2 Three examples
C1 2 Chronicles 33:9-12, 15-16 NLT But Manasseh led the people of Judah and Jerusalem to do even more evil than the pagan nations that the LORD had destroyed when the people of Israel entered the land. The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they ignored all his warnings. So the LORD sent the commanders of the Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon. But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought the LORD his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. ... Manasseh also removed the foreign gods and the idol from the LORD's Temple. He tore down all the altars he had built on the hill where the Temple stood and all the altars that were in Jerusalem, and he dumped them outside the city. Then he restored the altar of the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings on it. He also encouraged the people of Judah to worship the LORD, the God of Israel.
C2 The whole book of Jonah: God commanded that Jonah go and preach in Nineveh, but he rebelled, was being chastised, repented, and instead of running away from God’s command to preach, he went and did preach. The city of Nineveh was evil, doing evil, and thinking evil. Hearing of the judgment of God coming upon them, they humbled themselves, repented, and that generation did not do those evil things (but their descendants did and were punished ~150 years later).
C3 Luke 18:9-14 WEL He told this parable to certain [people] who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on others.
10 "Two men went into the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 "The Pharisee stood and prayed this way with himself, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men: extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12 “‘I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.'
13 "The tax collector standing in the distance wouldn't even as much as look up to heaven but beat on his chest saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner.'
14 "I tell you—this man went down to his house justified instead of the other, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
B3 If I sin
C1 If I sin and only God knows, I confess my sin to Him and forsake my sin.
C2 If I sin against one person, and they alone know it, I confess my sin to God, go to the offended, confess my sin, make amends, and forsake my sin.
C3 If I sin against one or many, and many know about it, I confess my sin to God, go the the offended and publicly confess my sin, make amends, and forsake my sin.
B4 Some notes about forgiveness and after care:
C1 Do not seek revenge. (NOTE: If a crime has been committed in private or public, it MUST be reported to law enforcement. Abusers often claim, reporting a crime is seeking revenge. Abusers are liars. Don’t let any pastor, pastors, elder board, etc. tell you, “Leave it here. We will take care of it. Those pastors and/or elder board are LIARS).
C2 Leave the punishment to God. (NOTE: God’s choice of punishment might be a judge sentencing the guilty party to prison).
C3 There is no such thing as forgive and forget. Sin leaves scars, permanent scars. Don’t believe such a lie.
C4 Seek counseling. Do not seek so-called Nouthetic Counseling, now termed Biblical Counseling, for they tend to revictimize the victim and comfort the abuser, criminal, sinner, etc.
C5 Beware of false promises, fake tears, fake commitment, fake solutions, and so-called peace offerings (gifts and other nice things).
C6 Abuse must be gotten away from. Divorce is necessary.
C7 We must confess. It is acknowledging a truth. Healing starts with acknowledgment.
C8 The Holy Spirit convicts people of sin. John 16:8 CSB "When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment:
C9 We must not resist God’s Spirit, when He convicts us of sin.

There is a balm in Gilead
To make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead
To heal the sin-sick soul.


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