What will be the result of trying to hide one’s sin?
(2 Sam 11:1-27; 12:1-23; Psa. 32:1-7; 51:1-19; 1 John 1:9) Blog July 18-24, 2021
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: In this life rest is essential. God gave humanity daily and weekly rest before sin entered our world. With the entrance of sin work became more difficult and rest became more essential. Daily cares tend to destroy time for rest and striving for selfish desires only make matters worse. We can add to our lack of rest by complaining and being discontent with God’s provision, his appointed leaders, his despised messengers, or with God himself. The Sabbath rest is a symbol of more than one kind of rest. It not only provides a weekly day of rest but also one of the things it symbolizes is the rest from personally striving for salvation. We are invited to rest in Jesus’ perfect life for our salvation.
The Great Thief
1. What factor, more than any other, produces depression and robs a person of peace and rest? It is the guilt of unforgiven sin that, more than any other factor, robs a person of peace & rest & produces depression (Psa. 119:165; Isa. 57:20-21; John 10:1, 10).
2. What condition brought exceeding sorrow to Jesus? Jesus became exceedingly sorrowful without peace & rest when our sins were laid on him in Gethsemane (Isa. 53:6; Matt. 26:37-38).
3. What is “guilt”? Guilt is not a feeling, but rather it is a fact. It is the fact of having committed a sin! A person can be guilty without knowing it (Ex. 20:7; Lev. 4:13-14; 5:17).
4. Why does sin produce the feeling of guilt? Sin produces the feeling of guilt because we were created with a conscience that originally was informed by the principles of love recorded in God’s Law (Gen. 4:6-7; Rom. 2:14-15; 1 Tim. 1:5, 19).
5. Why do some people not feel guilty when they really are guilty? A person can be guilty but not feel guilty if their conscience is seared or uninformed. (Some people feel guilty when they are not guilty because their conscience is misinformed.) (Lev. 4:13-14, 27; 1 Cor. 8:7; 1 Tim. 4:2; Tit. 1:15)
6. What alone can remove guilt? Only the shed blood of Jesus can remove guilt (Heb. 9:14, 22; 1 John 1:7).
7. At what price was the blood of Christ shed for us? Peter calls Christ’s blood precious & Paul writes that it was an infinite sacrifice for the second person of the Deity to leave the joy of heaven & become man & not just any man, but rather a servant of men, & that in order to die, & not just any death, but rather the cruel death of the cross, & that not for anything he had done wrong but rather for our wrong doing, & not just for yours & my sins but for the sins of the whole world which he bore in his body suffering the torment of hell for every human being that has ever lived. This was only possible because he was infinite Deity (Phil. 2:5-8; Heb. 2:9; 1 Pet. 1:19; 2:24; 1 John 2:2).
8. By what means can a person have the shed blood of Jesus applied to their guilty conscience for the removal of their guilt? John says “If we confess our sins, he [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins; and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.) (1 John 1:9).
9. What can we do to educate our conscience? We can study God’s standard like David did, ask God to purge our conscience, & confess & forsake all our sins (Psa. 119:165; Heb. 9:14)
A Great Example
10. How did King David’s sin against Bathsheba and her husband, rob him of peace and rest? David records his experience, remembering how, amidst his continual groaning, God’s hand became more & more oppressive on him while his body fluids dried up & his bones deteriorated (Psa. 32:3-4).
11. Besides the guilt and loss of physical strength, what additional burden occupied David’s life after committing adultery with Bathsheba? David took on the additional burden of trying to hide his sin (2 Sam. 11:6-15).
12. What does David and Bathsheba’s son Solomon say will be the result of trying to hide one’s sin? Solomon says: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper.” (Prov. 28:13; 1 Chron. 22:9).
13. How long did David refuse to confess his sin with Bathsheba? Apparently David delayed confessing his sin for about 9 months (2 Sam. 12:14-15).
14. How did God prick David’s conscience in order to get him to confess his sin? God in mercy sent the prophet Nathan with a story to David that made him see the enormity of his sin (2 Sam. 12:1-9).
15. Through what means did David find relief from the guilt, stress, and unrest that came as a result of his sin? David found relief from the guilt, stress, & lack of rest by confessing his sin to God (Psa. 32:1-5).
16. When David confessed his sin to God what else did he ask God to do for him? David asked God to be merciful to him, to cleanse him from his sin (to justify him), to create in him a clean heart (to sanctify him), to renew a right spirit (attitude) in him, to not take his Holy Spirit from him, & to restore the joy of his salvation (Psa. 51:1-12).
17. What had David lost when he sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah? David lost the joy of his salvation even though he did not lose his salvation (justification) nor God’s Holy Spirit (Psa. 51:8-12).
The Great Results
18. What did David resolve to do when he was forgiven. David resolved to teach God’s ways to other sinners, to sing aloud of God’s righteousness, & to show forth the praises of a merciful God (Psa. 51:13-15).
19. What should we learn from David’s resolve to teach God’s ways, sing of his righteousness, and show forth his praise? It should become clear that the evidence that one is truly forgiven is the visible fruit born in their life of teaching, singing, & praising God, for they now have redeemed the time spent in hiding their sin & in self-justification & are free to serve others. (Eph. 5:15-16; Luke 7:47).20. In conclusion, what is the price of rest? Rest for humanity was purchased by the infinitely precious gift of God’s dear Son who gave his life a ransom for all (Psa. 49:8; Mark 10:45; 1 Tim. 2:6).