Proverbs 28:13 (ESV)
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
Solomon might have been thinking of his father, Kind David, when he penned the above proverb. Perhaps he had even read one of David's poems that morning before he recorded his observation. In Psalm 32:2-3 we read,
Psalms 32:2-3 (NASBStr)
How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit!
When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away
Through my groaning all day long.
Solomon might have even recalled the circumstances behind David's confession. David had tried to hide the sin with Bathsheba (Solomon's mother) when he committed adultery with her and had her husband killed. He couldn't hide it. It burned within him. Maybe Solomon was reading Moses' account of the first family and thought of Cain who slew his brother Abel. Abel, though dead, cried out from the ground to God for justice. Abel could not hide. Maybe he was reading Joshua's record of the entry into the promise land and the story of Achan jumped off the page. Achan hid the treasure he stoled from Jericho under his tent. Joshua casts lots and it fell on Achan. Imagine the look on Achan's face. He couldn't hide the look or the treasure from a God who sees all. As one commentator put it:
One can "cover" the faults of another (Proverbs10:12), but not one's own sins (World Biblical Commentary).
On the other hand, when we confess to God and forsake our sin, God will have compassion on us. Maybe Solomon's words would play into Jonah's confession later when he would repent in the belly of the fish. Maybe John was reading this proverb when he wrote to the early church 1 John 1:9; God is faithful and just to forgive our sins. God knows we sin. He knows it before we know it. He is not worried about the sin; he made an allowance for that through His Son's death. He is concerned about our response to sin. Hide it and you will not prosper. Confess and forsake it and He grants compassion.
Live openly and receive open prosperity. We read in this proverb that a person who “conceals” a matter or a sin will not prosper. But, a person who confesses it will have compassion. When we live an open life we can experience the forgiveness of God and of others. When we don't confess our sins we lose out on the prosperity of forgiveness because God can't and others won't be able to forgive what they don't know. And, for those who don't want forgiveness the lesson is simply: No forgiveness, no freedom from guilt. We have the great hope of compassion, prosperity and freedom when we confess our transgression to God and others. See the last verses of the Book of James. God honors and sends healing to those who confess their sins.
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