Executive Privilege
He that conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. Proverbs 28:13 NASB
Conceals – This Hebrew word is kasa. It is used in poetic contrast with the word for “forgive” (nasa’). The root meaning of the word is “to cover.” It is used to describe a covering on the ground, frogs covering the land and covering the body. Here the meaning is “to hide.” The remarkable fact here is not the word itself, but the declaration by God that our attempts to hide our sins will cause us to fail. In the Hebrew view of life, sin is not an act separated from its consequence and punishment. Sin is an umbrella concept that includes the deed and the judgment. No sin ever goes unpunished, even the ones “nobody” knows about. Why? Because sin has its own judgment built into it.
Over the centuries our view of the legal system has allowed us to draw a dividing line between the sinful act and the consequence of sin. It is the same dividing line we draw between a crime and the punishment for that crime. This leads to incredible moral confusion where actions that are clearly reprehensible go unpunished and consequences do not flow from evil actions. But this does not happen in God’s world. God’s idea of justice is not based in our idea of the rule of law. We are Greeks in that regard. God is Hebrew. Efforts to conceal our disobedience will bring downfall. God’s ethical and moral structure is written into the fabric of life.
How many times have we seen cultural heroes attempt to avoid consequences by hiding their actions? How many times have we witnessed the exposure of corporate giants, celebrities and politicians caught in webs of deceit? God reminds us that no one is given partiality when it comes to His rules. We are all the same. Furthermore, none of us can assert “executive privilege” when it comes to covering up sin. We might think that we are the rulers of our own lives. We might believe that we have the right to conceal what we wish. But that never applies to sin. That doesn’t mean we should stand on the street corner and reveal our faults to the world. It means that we must live as if all those faults were visible. Any hint of superiority is immediately erased. Any arrogance gone. Humility is what’s left – and an enormous sense of gratitude that God spared us the shame of actually revealing all we have done.
For years my life was filled with secrets. Always those secrets resulted in harm to me and to others. Twelve Step people know that secrets have power over your life. Only exposure kills the grip of destruction. We become free when we let go of our efforts to hide – from ourselves, from our families, from our friends and from God.
May your secrets be revealed so that you can be free.
Topical Index: conceal, kasa, secret, hide, executive privilege, Proverbs 28:13
~ Blessed are the ones whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered ~ (Romans 4:7)
~ Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the LORD ~ (Psalm 144.15)
~ But ADONAI our Elohim is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against Him ~ (Daniel 9.9)
~ For God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself ~ (2 Corinthians 5:19)
~ to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them who are sanctified by faith that is in Me ~ (Acts 26.18)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7DMXBzVH74
We become free when we let go of our efforts to hide – from ourselves, from our families, from our friends and from God.
May your secrets be revealed so that you can be free.
Amen & Amen
Hiding from ourselves is the most difficult one to let go of. It involves deception and we don’t know when we are deceived because we are deceived! I can’t remember who first quoted that but they were pretty smart.
Only the Spirit of Elohim by the word of Elohim can reveal our self deceptions. And You Skip help us tremendously in that area.
Shalom Shalom 🙂
This is powerful. It is freeing just to be reminded of this truth. I needed to hear this again, and it has already brought me a measure of peace and comfort. Amen and Amen!
“It means that we must live as if all those faults were visible. Any hint of superiority is immediately erased.”
Well put.
There is a “boat” we all are in. Call it a “boat” or better yet, a “condition.” We are “all”- Jew or non- “sinners”. There is none righteous (rightly-related)- no, not one. ~ For “all” (including the one writing these words) have sinned and have fallen short of (the arrow has missed the mark) of the glory of God ~.
What is sin? – (would it be better to say “what is NOT sin?). What do the scriptures say? Please, -not my opinion nor my perspective- what does our Bible, the word of God, the scriptures say concerning the current state of the sheeple?
~ “All” we like sheep have gone astray- we have turned every one (does this include me?) every one to his own way- and the LORD has laid the iniquity (twistedness) of us “all” (a rather inclusive word, isn’t it?) on Him ~ (Isaiah 53.6) Who, (pardon my construction) is “Him?”
He had no tears for His own griefs,
But sweat drops of blood for mine.
There is a Savior and there is a Shepherd. and He said unto Thomas (the Doubter)- ..
~..no man comes to the Father, but by Me ~ (John 14.6)
any man. all men. no man. Seems to be, at the same time both exclusive and inclusive- wouldn’t you say? The Way of the cross is very, very narrow.
(again) what do the scriptures say?
~ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God ~ ( 1 Corinthians 1.18)
The message of the cross. The Word of the cross. The Good Word of the cross. – The Gospel. (Good News). Christ was crucified. The Just (Him) for the unjust (me).
A cannonade of questions:
~ Who is he who condemns?
It is Christ who died, yes rather, –
Who was raised from the dead?
(It is Christ)
Who is at the right hand of God?
(It is Christ)
Who also makes intercession for us?
(It is our LORD)
Who is this King of glory? –
and..?
The answer is- Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus (who is the) Christ, -“all of the Above.” The Way. The Truth. And The Life.
“In Him” was/ is Life and the Life was/is the Light of Men. We serve (have we forgotten?) a Living Savior, ONE who has conquered death, sin, hasatan and the grave. ~ We are (today) “more than conquerors” through Him who loved us, –
(Who loved us until His dying breath?)- and loves us still today? For we serve a Victorious Conquering Sovereign Shepherd/King- the LORD Jesus,- the King of the Jews and Healer of all the nations of the earth, the Lamb of God who has taken away (through the blood of His cross) the sins of the world including, (Hallelujah!)- my own.
~ For the Logos of the tslav (the execution stake) is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God ~ (1 Corinthians 1.18)
Friends, the ground is level at the foot of the Cross. And “whoever will”- may come and drink of the Water of Life freely. (Revelation 22.7)
~ Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare ~ (Isaiah 55.2)
~The thief comes not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I AM come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly ~ (John 10.10)
There is a Savior and there is a Shepherd. He said unto Thomas (the Doubter)- ..
~..no man comes to the Father, but by Me ~ (John 14.6)
any man. all men. no man. Seems rather exclusive- wouldn’t you say? The way of the cross is very, very narrow. And what does the scripture say again? ~ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God ~ ( 1 Corinthians 1.18)
The message of the cross. The Word of the cross. The Good Word of the cross. – The Gospel. (Good News). Christ was crucified. The Just (Him) for the unjust (me).
A cannonade of questions:
~ Who is he who condemns?
It is Christ who died, yes rather, –
Who was raised from the dead?
(It is Christ)
Who is at the right hand of God?
(It is Christ)
Who also makes intercession for us?
(It is our LORD)
Who is this King of glory? –
and..?
The answer is- Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus (who is the) Christ, -“all of the Above.” The Way. The Truth. And The Life.
“In Him” was/ is Life and the Life was/is the Light of Men. We serve (have we forgotten?) a Living Savior, ONE who has conquered death, sin, hasatan and the grave. ~ We are (today) “more than conquerors” through Him who loved us, -(Who loved us until His dying breath?)- and loves us still today. We serve a Victorious Conquering Sovereign Shepherd/King- the LORD Jesus,- the King of the Jews and Healer of all the nations of the earth, the Lamb of God who has taken away (through the blood of His cross) the sins of the world including, (Hallelujah!)- my own.
~ For the Logos of the tslav (the execution stake) is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God ~ (1 Corinthians 1.18)
The ground is level at the foot of the Cross. And “whoever will”- may come and drink of the Water of Life freely. (Revelation 22.7)
~ Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare ~ (Isaiah 55.2)
~The thief comes not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I AM come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly ~ (John 10.10)
Sorry, I’m a little behind but I have a question: How can I relate this to the following texts?
Pr 17:9 He who covers/conceals a transgression seeks love, yet he who repeats the matter separates one from his close friend.
Pr 25:2 It is the glory of Elohim to conceal a matter, And the glory of kings to investigate a matter.
Isn’t it interesting that God asks us to drag our own sins and shortcoming out into the open yet when it is in regards to others we need to handle it quite differently. In short the question for all of us is, “what are we seeking?” unity and life (restoration) or division and chaos (death) for our communities of faith and ourselves. God always addresses the motive that drives the activity, so should we. If I find out a brother or sister is engaged in activities that are outside the bounds of community obedience, I don’t “go tellin’ ” others of their shortcomings but rather I address them with the intention of restoration and in love for them because of the harm they are doing (or are about to do) to themselves and others around them.
As for Pr. 25:2 look at what Yeshua’s answer is when his disciples asked him why he spoke in parables. God doesn’t intend for it to be “easy” for us, He wants us to have to search hard for Him. To be a king has many benefits but along with it comes great responsibility. If we’re in the kingdom of God, we’re in training. That may seem a bit overwhelming but we have great resourses 🙂 !
Thanks Robert.
I also asked this question because I wondered that if we shouldn’t conceal it, who do we need to tell? But I just noticed that the text is not about telling others, but the opposite action of hiding our sins is confessing our sins AND forsake them.
Thanks Skip
I have noticed for a very long time that the sinner/criminal who doesn’t “get caught” rarely gets away scot free. The rude person, the arrogant, selfish, greedy, or cruel person usually create a climate around themselves that is seldom happy even in prosperity. Disaster, illness, and “bad luck” can and often lead to just recompense.
Where as the good can often find peace in the most dire or circumstances. A quote from Viktor Frankl of an insight that came to him during his incarceration in a Nazi concentration camp. “A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth – that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire.”
The Lord sets choices before us all Deu 30:19 “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life ,” it is up to us to choose which.
A hidden sin is never hidden from God even if it is hidden from ourselves. Something else I have noticed about myself and others. A vice or habit of another that bugs me the most is often a fault of my own that I don’t want to see in me. So I find that if there is a mannerism of someone else that I find particularly annoying that is often a clue to look to myself, and make the appropriate course correction. Not something I always want to do. It is so much easier to find fault with someone else. And so much harder to admit and confess to our own. An unflattering reflection with a little insight though can go a long way.