Prosperity and Proverbs 28:13

God is compassionate and merciful to those who confess and renounce sin. God wants His people to be prosperous (more on that below). God wants His people to have an attitude of repentance.

God is talking about prosperity (Proverbs 28:13), but not in the way I look at prosperity. There are numerous and obvious examples of those who have prospered in worldly ways without obeying God’s command to confess sin. Without repenting of their sins they will have their rewards here on earth. I don’t think this is the kind of prosperity God is mentioning. I prosper for and in His kingdom when I obey His commands. I get the blessing of sanctification when I participate in God’s kingdom. Sometimes this process of sanctification is difficult and doesn’t feel all that much like a blessing, but it is in this way I prosper. He gets the glory not me.

When I read the word conceal in this passage I thought of the garden of Eden. Adam and Eve tried to conceal their sin by hiding in the garden, but God found them. The darkness that is sin wants to remain in the darkness because it does not like the light that is the glory of God. My sin needs to be out in the open. I need to confess it and renounce it. A spirit of repentance should be my heart’s desire. I will find God’s compassion and mercy when I deal with my sin in this way. I shudder to think what I will find when I don’t.

Deal with my sin as God has commanded. Confess it and forsake it. Turn away from sin and turn to God. To do anything else is to live in darkness.