Featured He Who Covers Sin Shall Not Prosper

Many times one initial sin not confessed and dealt with turns into a massive infection of sin that consumes a person and multiplies sin. It makes the person blind to his own sinful obsessions. This verse identifies the Sin and the God-given cure.
Prov.28:13
He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.
Proverbs 28:13 - He who conceals... - Verse-by-Verse Commentary
Adam Clarke Commentary
He that covereth his sins - Here is a general direction relative to conversion.

1. If the sinner do not acknowledge his sins; if he cover and excuse them, and refuse to come to the light of God's word and Spirit, lest his deeds should be reproved, he shall find no salvation. God will never admit a sinful, unhumbled soul, into his kingdom.

2. But if he confess his sin, with a penitent and broken heart, and, by forsaking every evil way, give this proof that he feels his own sore, and the plague of his heart, then he shall have mercy. Here is a doctrine of vital importance to the salvation of the soul, which the weakest may understand.


The biblical Illustrator..

2. In respect of ourselves. There is no sin to which our nature more strongly inclineth us than this of covering and excusing our sin.

It is the very nature of sin, not only to infect the soul, but to bewitch it, that it shall either not feel it or not be willing to evaporate and expel it.

Though God hath set up a tribunal in our hearts, and made every man a judge of his own actions, yet there is no tribunal on earth so much corrupted and swayed from its power and jurisdiction as this.

No man is so well pleased with any cheat as that which he putteth upon himself. Our conscience checketh us, and we silence it; sin appeareth, and we cover it.


This covering of sin is more natural than any sin beside. We cannot name any that agreeth with all natures and complexions as this doth. Excuse, as a servant, waiteth upon all, and is officious to offer attendance on the foulest. God hath imprinted upon man a natural shame of sin. God left this impression of shame upon us to keep us within compass, that we should not commit sin.

But, too often, what was made as a means to prevent sin is made a cloak to cover it. Shame is a good buckler to oppose against sin.

 

A common covering for sin is lies and religious activities. A person will admit and confess to lesser sins in an attempt to cover the more damaging sin. They might even ascribe religious motives to their covering of the sin.
This does not go unnoticed, however, nor does it help.
Biblical Illustrator.
Covering sins

Men’s sins are often well known, when they flatter themselves that they are unknown, and the attempt to conceal deceives none but themselves. Sin is in itself too odious to appear without some disguise, and most men wish to be thought better than they are; but the policy is both weak and dangerous. To attempt to hide our sins from the eye of God is atheistical and vain. The mantle of Divine love is sufficient to cover all iniquity, and the interposing blood of atonement to secure from the inflictions of eternal wrath. There is also a love among brethren which covers a multitude of sins, and forms an amiable part of the Christian character. A truly good man will be tender towards every one’s failings but his own. The charity we exercise towards others is, however, very different from those excuses which we are too apt to form for ourselves.


I. Who are they who may be said to cover their sins?

1. Those who endeavour to conceal themselves under falsehood, as did the servant of Elisha.

2. Those who palliate and excuse themselves in sin, by endeavouring to shift the blame on others, belong to the same class.

3. The attempt to dissemble and disguise sin, by specious pretences, is another way of covering it.

4. There are some who even justify and plead for sin, and these certainly can need but little disguise.

5. Sin is sometimes covered by vain and ineffectual endeavour to satisfy and atone for it.


II. Consider the folly and danger of every false disguise. “Shall not prosper.”

1. His hopes shall be disappointed, and the end he had in view defeated. It is of no use to deny, to palliate, or in any other way to hide our sins, for God hath set them all in the light of His countenance.

2. Artifice and disguise shall not prosper, even as to our temporal interests.

3. Those who indulge in any manner of deceit shall be utter strangers to spiritual prosperity. Sin is the distemper of the soul; and covering it with false disguises only tends to increase the evil, and make it more dangerous.

4. A course of dissimulation will end in utter ruin and despair. God will neither be deceived nor mocked.

 

Reformed,

.

7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

 

Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
13 He that denieth his sin shall not prosper;

But he that acknowledgeth and forsaketh it shall obtain mercy.

Thus is this proverb translated by Luther, and thus it lives in the mouth of the Christian people. He who falsely disowns, or with self-deception excuses, if he does not altogether justify his sins, which are discernible as פּשׁעים , has no success; he remains, after Psalms 32:1-11, in his conscience and life burdened with a secret ban; but he who acknowledges (the lxx has ἐξηγούμενος instead of ἐξομολογούμενος , as it ought to be) and forsakes (for the remissio does not follow the confessio , if there is not the accompaniment of nova obedientia ) will find mercy ( ירחם , as Hosea 14:4). In close connection therewith stands the thought that man has to work out his salvation “with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).

 

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper,.... God may cover a man's sins, and it is an instance of his grace, and it is the glory of it to do it, but a man may not cover his own: it is right in one good man to cover the sins of another, reproving him secretly, and freely forgiving him;

but it is wrong in a man to cover his own: not that any man is bound to accuse himself before a court of judicature, or ought to expose his sins to the public, which would be to the hurt of his credit, and to the scandal of religion; but whenever he is charged with sin, and reproved for it by his fellow Christian, be should not cover it, that is, he should own it; for not to own and acknowledge it is to cover it; he should not deny it, which is to cover it with a lie, and is adding sin to sin; nor should he justify it, as if he had done a right thing; nor extenuate or excuse it, or impute it to others that drew him into it, as Adam, which is called a covering transgression, as Adam, Job 31:33; for such a man "shall not prosper"; in soul or body, in things temporal or spiritual; he shall not have peace of mind and conscience; but, sooner or later, shall feel the stings it; he shall not succeed even in those things he has in view by covering his sins; he shall not be able to cover them long, for there is nothing covered but what shall be revealed; if not in this life, which yet often is, however at the day of judgment, when every secret thing shall be made manifest; nor shall he escape the shame and punishment he thought to avoid by covering it, as may be observed in the case of Achan, Joshua 7:11; in short, he shall have no mercy shown him by God or man, as appears by the antithesis in the next clause;

but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy; who confesses them to men privately and publicly, according to the nature of the offences, from whom they find mercy; but not to a priest, in order for absolution, which no man can give; sin is only in this sense to be confessed to God, against it is committed, and who only can pardon it; and though it is known unto him, yet he requires an acknowledgment of it, which should be done from the heart, with an abhorrence of the sin, and in the faith of Christ, as a sacrifice for it; and it is not enough to confess, there must be a forsaking likewise, a parting with sin, a denying of sinful self, a leaving the former course of sin, and a quitting the company of wicked men before used to, and an abstaining from all appearance of evil; as is and will be the case, where there is a true sight and sense of sin, and the grace of God takes place: and such find "mercy", pardoning grace and mercy, or pardon in a way of mercy, and not merit; for though the sinner confesses and forsakes it, it is not that which merits pardon and mercy in God, who is rich in it, delights in showing it, and from whom it may be hoped for and expected by all such persons; see Psalm 32:5. So the Targum and Syriac version, God will have mercy on him.

 

I. Who are they who may be said to cover their sins?

Concealing sin by the use of falsehoods is a sure indicator

Blame shifting to take the focus off of exposed sin

dissemble; conceal ones true motives, feelings , or beliefs,
specious: superficially plausible, but actually wrong

4. There are some who even justify and plead for sin, and these certainly can need but little disguise.

They put a happy face on sin
5. Sin is sometimes covered by vain and ineffectual endeavour to satisfy and atone for it.

pleading false repentance or forgivness

 

Well RM,
I always welcome help. What do you have for me?
Have you considered this proverb at length?
It is multi faceted. Which of the commentators do you think has opened it up the best so far?

 

Matthew Henry wanted us to know this?

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible
Here is,

1. The folly of indulging sin, of palliating and excusing it, denying or extenuating it, diminishing it, dissembling it, or throwing the blame of it upon others: He that thus covers his sins shall not prosper, let him never expect it. He shall not succeed in his endeavour to cover his sin, for it will be discovered, sooner or later.



There is nothing hid which shall not be revealed. A bird of the air shall carry the voice. Murder will out, and so will other sins.

He shall not prosper, that is, he shall not obtain the pardon of his sin, nor can he have any true peace of conscience.

David owns himself to have been in a constant agitation while he covered his sins, Psalm 32:3, Psalm 32:4. While the patient conceals his distemper he cannot expect a cure. 2. The benefit of parting with it, both by a penitent confession and a universal reformation: He that confesses his guilt to God, and is careful not to return to sin again, shall find mercy with God, and shall have the comfort of it in his own bosom. His conscience shall be eased and his ruin prevented. See 1 John 1:9; Jeremiah 3:12, Jeremiah 3:13. When we set sin before our face (as David, My sin is ever before me ) God casts it behind his back.

 

JonC,

I am discussing a proverb with commentary by Godly men.I have not mentioned hatred as you insert yourself here and suggest.
I do not care what it "seems like to you" as your ideas are off topic

Let's see what you have been posting about, maybe that will be instructive;
1]

Dealing with Inappropriate Conflict on Online Boards
Dealing with Professing Believers Walking in Sin in Online Boards
Making Assumptions
Online Forums, Christian Conduct, and Sin
Matthew 6:15 and Forgiveness

Looks like it is you playing one string on the guitar as they say

Maybe you have a troubled conscience, I do not know, but I haveasked you to stay off my threads as you just go off topic and disrupt the threads,I did not go on your threads so you imported your thread onto mine.I have explained that if I want to know what you think I will ask, I have repeated that several times.

How nice of you.

They also can speak for themselves. I know many have come to conclusions about you also, but that is not the topic here is it?

 

"Revmitchell,

 

Charles Bridges commentary on Proverbs is a well known Classic. Lets see what he offers;
13. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. God and man each cover sin; God in free unbounded grace (Ps. lxxxv. 2); man, in shame and hypocrisy.


The sinners here contrasted are chargeable with the same guilt. But how opposite are the remedies adopted, and their several results!

The contrast is not between great sins and small, but between sins covered, and sins confessed and forsaken.


Whoso covereth the smallest sin, shall not prosper. Whoso confesseth and forsaketh the greatest, shall find mercy.
Love covereth" our neighbour's sins (Chap. x. 12); pride our own. The proud sinner naturally wishes to be; thought better than he is. His sin must have some cover.* He must at least give it a good name. Isa. v. 20.) He would cover it, if possible, from himself; putting it out of mind; banishing all serious thoughts; stifling conviction; and then trying to persuade himself that he is happy. To escape evil consequences, a lie is resorted to.†

Or if the facts are too plain to be denied; 'the worst part is unfounded. We were not in it so much as our neighbour.' Ignorauce, good, or at least not bad, intentions, custom, necessity, strong temptation, sudden surprisal, the first offence; constitutional infirmity; even the decrees of God‡--one or more are pleaded in palliation.

Or to save our honour--rather our pride--the blame must be shifted on another.

Even God himself is made accountable--a secret but daring charge! carrying with it its own self-contradiction. Indignantly he challenges the proof, and lays the sin at the right door. (Isa. 1. 1. Jam. i. 13.) More commonly, but most wrongfully, it is laid upon Satan. The most of his power is, that he is a tempter. And no claim could he have ever established, had not we willingly sold ourselves to his service. Our father Adam--again--must bear the burden. 'Must our "teeth be set on edge" for the "sour grapes which he ate?" (Ezek. xviii. 2.) Must the unborn children be held responsible for the inheritance, which their father lost? 'But it was the nature that sinned, of which we are a component part. We "were in his loins" (Heb. vii. 10) at the time, and therefore we share his responsibility. Our own personal sin has ratified the deed by our own free and repeated consent. All these * Cicero stamps confession of wickedness as disgraceful and dangerous (turpis et periculosa. Cont. Verrem, Lib. iii.) Thus does Heathen morality develope the pride of depraved nature. † Cain, Gen. iv. 9; Rachel, xxxi. 34, 35; Joseph's brethren, xxxvii. 31-35; David, 2 Sam. xi. 15, 25; the adulteress, chap. xxx. 20. Comp. Jer. ii. 23; Peter, Matt. xxvi. 70; Ananias and Sapphira, Acts, v. 1-8. Is not this a sad propensity in children? The first offence may be trifling. But the fear of punishment induces a lie. Another lie is necessary to cover the first. Every step adds to sin. ‡ Jer. vii. 10. (Comp. Calv. Instit. b. iii. c. xxiii. § 12-14. § Adam and Eve, Gen. iii. 12, 13. Comp. Job, xxxi. 33; Aaron, Exod. xxxii. 21-24; Saul, 1 Sam. xv. 20, 21; Pilate, Matt. xxvii. 24 26. CHAP. XXVIII. 13. 539 attempted transfers are vain coverings. Conscience bears witness to the truth, that no man takes harm but from himself. But even this admitted--man with ceaseless ingenuity still attempts to frame a cover, for his sin.

Some supposed good deeds are put forth as a compensation. (Mic. vi. 6, 7.) And by balancing good and evil respectively against each other, he hopes to establish some preponderance in his favour. Yet all these fig-leaf coverings (Gen. iii. 7) for his nakedness only shew his determination to hold his sin, and his pride of heart, which would rather hide it from God himself than submit to receive free mercy as a self-condemned sinner.

These attempts however to cover sin shall not prosper. The voice of an offended God summoned Adam from his hiding-place to receive his sentence. (Gen. Ill. 9.) "The voice of Abel's blood cried from the ground," and the murderer became "a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth." (Ib. iv. 10-12.) Conscience lashed Joseph's brethren with the sin of bye-gone days. (Ib. xlii. 21.) Sauls covering his sin cost him his kingdom.1 "The leprosy of Naaman clave to Gehazi and his seed for ever."2 The proud accusers of their fellow-sinner were "convicted by their own conscience."3 "There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves."4 Their darkest deed is wrought in the open face of an all-seeing God, and "set in the light of his countenance,"5 to "be proclaimed upon the house-tops" before the assembled world.6

 

pt2.
This unsuccessful attempt to cover sin, while it adds to the guilt,7 is fraught with misery.8 The love of sin struggles with the power of conscience. The door of access to God is barred.9 Christian confience is clouded;10 and, unless Sovereign mercy interpose, it must end in the sting of "the never-dying worm." The covering of the disease precludes the possibility of the cure. Only the penitent confessor can be the pardoned sinner. Long indeed is the struggle, ere every false cover is cut off; ere the heartless general confession--'We are all sinners'--is exchanged for the deep-felt personal acknowledgment, "giving glory to God. Thus and thus" have I done. Behold I am vile. What shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth."11 But glorious is the divine victory over pride and sullenness, when this first act of repentance, this first step of return (Luke, xv. 17, 18), is heartily accomplished. God needs not confession for his own information. But he demands it for our good. It brings no claim on his mercy. But it is a meetness for the reception of it. Christ has fully satisfied the claims of justice. 1 1 Sam. xv. 21, 23. 2 2 Kings, v. 27. 3 John, viii. 9. 4 Job, xxxiv.-22. 5 Ib. xxxiv. 21. Ps. xc. 8. 6 Luke, xii. 2, 3. Eccles. xii. 14. 1 Cor. iv. 5. 7 Isa. xxx 1. 8 Ib. xxviii. 20. 9 Ps. lxvi. 18. 10 Ib. xxxii. 3, 4. 11 Jos. vii. 19, 20. Job, xl. 4

 

Bridges continues;

Let us now contemplate, on the other hand,

II. The benefit of true penitence—

True repentance consists of two parts; a confessing, and forsaking, of our sins—

[Confession is of absolute and indispensable necessity. We never can humble ourselves aright without it. Nor ought we to rest in mere general acknowledgments: we should search out our sins: we should say, “Thus and thus have I done.”

We should go farther, and enter into the particular aggravations of our sins, in order the more deeply to affect our own hearts, and to fill our minds with self-lothing and self-abhorrence. Not that God needs to be informed: he knows all our iniquities, and all the circumstances with which they have been attended. But by spreading them all before God, we give the more glory to him as a God of infinite mercy and compassion; at the same time that we prepare our own minds for a due reception of mercy at his hands.

But, besides this, we must forsake our sins. If we hold them fast, it is a clear proof that our repentance is not genuine.

Nor must we forsake them merely as a man parts with a limb, which, if not amputated, would destroy his life: we may indeed take into our consideration the danger arising from them, as our Lord tells us in the case of “a right hand or right eye,” which, if retained, would plunge us into everlasting perdition: but we must regard them as odious, and hateful, and abominable; and long for deliverance from them as we would for deliverance from the most lothsome disorder.

These two, a confessing, and forsaking of sin, must go together. Supposing we could put away our sins for the future, it would still become us to bewail those which are past: and, if we bewail them ever so bitterly, still must we not rest without gaining the victory over them, it is the union of them both that marks true penitence;

Sin not properly dealt with leads to other sins involved in the cover-up. We see that in this comment;

But, besides this, we must forsake our sins. If we hold them fast, it is clear proof that our repentance is not genuine.

If it is not genuine it of necessity, Hypocrisy performed as mere eye-service as a man-pleaser which intent is to further cover the root sin.
Richard Baxter addressed this in His book the sin of manpleasing;
As in other cases, so in this, iniquity consisteth not simply in the heart's neglect of God, but in the preferring of some competitor, and prevalence of some object which standeth up for an opposite interest.
And so the obeying man before God and against him, and the valuing the favour and approbation of man before or against the approbation of God, and the fearing of man's censure or displeasure more than God's, is an idolizing man, or setting him up in the place of God.

It turneth our chiefest observance, and care, and labour, and pleasure, and grief into this human fleshly channel, and maketh all that to be but human in our hearts and lives, which (objectively) should be divine. Which is so great and dangerous a sin, partaking of so much impiety, hypocrisy, and pride, as that it deserveth a special place in my directions, and in all watchfulness and consideration to escape it.

As all other creatures, so especially man, must be regarded and valued only in a due subordination and subserviency to God. If they be valued otherwise, they are made his enemies, and so are to be hated, and are made the principal engine of the ruin of such as overvalue them. See what the Scripture saith of this sin: Isa. ii. 22, "Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?" Matt. xxiii. 9, "And call no man your father upon the earth; for one is your Father which is in heaven." ver. 8, "And be not ye called Rabbi, for one is your Master even Christ: but he that is greatest among you shall be your servant" Jer. xx. 15, "Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm." Psalm cxviii. 6, 8, 9, "The Lord is on my side, I will not fear what man can do unto me. It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man,-yea, in princes." Job xxxii. 21, 22 "Let me not accept any man's person, neither let me give flattering titles unto man: for I know not to give flattering titles; in so doing my Maker would soon take me away." Job xxi. 4, "As for me, is my complaint to man? "Gal. i. 10, "Do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be a servant of Christ." I Cor. iv. 3, "But with me it is a very small thing to be judged of you, or of man's judgment." Luke xiv. 26, "If a man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." "Blessed are ye when man shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven," Matt. v. Ii-, 12. "Not with eye-service, as men-pleasers," Eph. vi. 6; Col. iii. 22. I Thess. ii. 4, "So we speak, not as pleasing men but God, who trieth our hearts." Jude 16, "Having men's persons in admiration because of advantage." This is enough to show you what Scripture saith of this inordinate man-pleasing, or respect to man: and now I shall proceed to direct you to escape it.