Yadah

Proverbs 28:13-14

      13 The one who conceals his sins

      will not prosper,

      but whoever confesses and renounces them

      will find mercy.

      14 Happy is the one who is always reverent,

      but one who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

Examine / Explain

A man who hides his sins will not move forward toward success, but the man who throws down the hidden knowledge and lets loose of that knowledge will find compassion. The fear of the LORD brings us happiness. However, the one who desires sin more than God will always lean towards evil.

How do I apply this to my life?

Bible hub states that the Hebrew word for confess is yadah and the word for intimate knowledge is yada. Could we cast our intimate knowledge of sin away from us in the fear of the LORD, and we will prosper in His grace and loving-kindness? Not a prospering of material wealth but a prospering in an image of Christ in our daily lives. If I hide my intimate knowledge of sin from those around me, my heart will become hardened to God. I will be blind and deaf to the Holy Spirit showing me where to go and telling me what to do. But in the confession, in the renouncing of my sin, I can have a heart of flesh sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Because in my confessing, I proclaim that I have a reverent fear of the Lord more than I fear the world. I would rather set boundaries to guard my heart that the world will never understand than keep pursuing actions that will keep me from His presence.

What is my response?

Father, I need a heart of flesh, not a spirit of flesh. I need my heart to be receptive to You and not hardened by sin. I need Your conviction of my sins against You and of others. I know you won’t make me confess anything, give me the desire to have intimate knowledge of who You are, and through that knowledge, I will share what You already know about me. That’s the thing: You already know all the details of my life better than I do. So confessing is just admitting where I failed You to You. And confessing to others is admitting that I fail, and they can hold me accountable for the lessons that I should have learned. Help me stay there. Help me dwell in Your presence more that I dwell in my sin. Thank You for being the God of mercy and compassion. Thank You for the Holy Spirit and Your Son dying for my sins. Amen.