Guilt Be Gone
David knew a lot about sin and its consequences. Scripture does not try to hide the sin, failings and weaknesses of its heroes. It does not try to whitewash faults and even gross sins. Moses killed a man. Saul (I’m not sure we can call him a hero) deliberately disobeyed the Lord in allowing King Agag to live after he was told to destroy him (1 Sam. 15) and also when he stepped in and took the place of a priest in offering a burnt offering. (1 Sam. 13). He tried to kill David and chased him for months on end. David failed many times, most notably with Bathsheba in committing adultery and having her husband killed. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, failed so many times it’s hard to count them. He accumulated horses against the Lord’s command, and had an unbelievable weakness for women. (300 wives and 600 concubines!!). Moses disobeyed the Lord and hit the rock instead of speaking to it. I could go on and on, but you get the picture. Some of these we do not consider gross sins, but we do not view sin the same way that God does.
David also knew a lot about forgiveness. (Probably because he had to seek it so often!!) Psalm 32 starts off with “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven and whose sins are covered. (Notice “transgressions” and “sins” are plural!!) Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him.” He talks about how he felt when he did not confess to the Lord, when he was trying to hide his sin. (Not fun.) He recounts talking to himself (I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord). Then he makes an astronomical statement. “You forgave the guilt of my sin.” (Verse 5)
This verse in the Amplified version of the Bible reads “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord -- continually unfolding the past till all is told; then you (instantly) forgave me the guilt and iniquity of my sin. Selah (pause and calmly thing of that)!
It’s one thing to have your sins and transgressions forgiven, but another thing to have the guilt forgiven. Only God can do that. Guilt can be debilitating. There is study after study of the affect of guilt on a person. Many people know they are forgiven for whatever they did but they cannot rid themselves of the guilt. They go through life with the burden of guilt on them. But not only does the Lord forgive our sins, he can remove the guilt.
No wonder David says we are blessed, (happy, fortunate and to be envied).
If you are struggling with guilt, follow David’s example. Go the Lord, confess all to him until all is told (like peeling the layers off an onion). Be transparent with him, hiding nothing. He will forgive and remove the guilt so you can go out with a new relationship with God and a freshness of anointing to live for him.
Tomorrows Bible Reading - Leviticus 26, Psalm 33, Ecclesiastes 9, Titus 1
God is good all the time,
Naomi Brinkman
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