Day 12: You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. Psalm 51:17
From the very beginning, God has been teaching his children to confess their sins. When Adam and Eve first sinned, God came to them in the Garden asking them questions He already knew the answers to: “Where are you?…. Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” When Cain was considering murdering his brother, God asked, “Why are you so angry? Why is your face downcast?” After he murdered Abel, God asked, “Where is your brother Abel?…. What have you done?” When Balaam was headed to Balak to curse the Israelites for profit, so focused on that mission that he didn’t notice the Angel of the Lord standing in the road and forcing his donkey to turn away, God opened the donkey’s mouth to ask, “What have I done to make you beat me these three times?”
Confession is good for us. David wrote in Psalm 32:
When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy on me;
My strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Unconfessed sin can make us depressed or cranky. It can even make us physically ill. It can hurt our relationships with other people. And it can hurt our relationship with God. Cain killed Abel rather than confess his bitterness toward his brother. David had Uriah killed rather than confess his sin of adultery. Judas killed himself rather than confess his sin.
Jesus taught the importance of confessing sin. In the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. The Pharisee thanked God that he was such a good man, not like the robbers, adulterers, and tax collectors. He fasted twice a week! And gave a tenth of all he had! Yet, the Tax Collector prayed, “God have mercy on me, a sinner.” Jesus reminds us that it is the tax collector whom God sees as righteous. Our good works will never gain us a place in heaven. Our good works will never even earn us forgiveness. Jesus did the good work necessary for our forgiveness. All we can do is confess that we need the forgiveness Jesus earned for us.
Luke 15 contains three parables — The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, and The Lost Son — that show us God’s joy when sinners repent. In each one, when the lost thing (or person) is found, the owner (or father) throws a party. “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10)
God loves you. He does not want you to perish in your sin (Ezekiel 18:32) so He pleads for you to repent and live. Out of His great love for you, He sent His Son to die for you so that you might be healed by His wounds. It is His joy to forgive you. For He has promised to hear your confession and have mercy upon you. (Pro 28:13 ESV)
Readings: Psalms 32 and 51, Luke 15 and 18:9-14
Immanuel Lutheran Church 