Tonight's Bible Study was awesome... Jacki did a great job of teaching on the story of Abraham and what happened when he finally confessed all of his sins to Abimelech. He not only confessed the sin he had just committed, but he confessed for every time he had committed that sin:
And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake. And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.
~Genesis 20:11-13
Based on Abraham’s statement, we can tell that he didn’t just commit this sin one time, but every place that he and Sarah went. For whatever reason, God protected him not to endure any repercussions each time he committed the same sin (Genesis 12). God protected his wife and made sure that no man defiled her despite her proclamation that Abram was her brother, not her husband. He lied repeatedly, but the Lord kept him and his house protected.
However, because Abraham didn’t confess for what he had done, he allowed the door for that sin to remain open. His fear in not trusting God to protect him wherever he went, despite the Lord’s promise to him, weakened his faith and thereby allowed room for sin.
It never occurred to me that God's promise to Abraham didn't come to fruition until AFTER he confessed his sin to Abimelech (Genesis 20). And it wasn't that he confessed his sin to God - for God already knows everything we do and don't do - but that he confessed his sin to the one he sinned against. We don’t read of Abraham lying about his wife being his sister again after this. He had CLOSED the door to that sin by his confession. The Word promises us that:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ~ 1 John 1:9
How often do we rationalize that sin need not be revealed to "protect" others feelings? How often do we sit in prayer with the Lord and ask His forgiveness and forget to ask it of those we have sinned against? How often do we allow our own will and fears to take precedence over the Lord's will for us to be in complete and total righteousness through our abiding in Him and following His commandments?
Even when Adam and Eve sinned in the beginning by eating fruit from the tree, when God came to them they each confessed that they “did eat” the fruit from the tree of knowledge (Genesis 3:12-13). Though God made them leave the Garden of Eden, He remained with them and clothed them before they left. They had serious repercussions for their sin, but the Lord stayed with them and blessed them with children.
So what happens if we do NOT confess our sin? A prime example of a man who did NOT confess his sin comes directly after Adam and Eve’s story:
And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. ~Genesis 4:8-10
What is amazing is that Cain HAD to know that God knew what he had done, yet his heart was so far from God and filled with pride that he would NOT confess the sin he had committed. The consequences Cain had to endure for his sin and for not confessing it are tremendous:
And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. ~Genesis 4:11-12
Cain was so wrapped up in his punishment that he still didn’t repent for what he had done. God’s love is so great for us, and despite Cain’s irreproachable behavior towards the Lord, God promised to protect him from anyone who might hurt him for what he had done.
And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. ~Genesis 4:12-15
Sin separates us from the Lord, even though He loves us so very much. We make a choice when we sin to step away from God. When we confess and repent for our sin, He is faithful to forgive us and bring us back under his wing. However, failing to confess our sin only furthers the hardening of our hearts to the point that we actually walk away from God, just as Cain did:
And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. ~Genesis 4:16
Cain chose to leave the presence of the Lord! Can you imagine? The stronghold sin can have when it wraps around your soul is tremendous and if we continue to try and hide it and do not confess it, we are physically pushing God away from us. Not only that, but we are passing this down to our own children! Cain’s generational line continues on in the same evil fashion as his father. And in the following chapter, Cain is actually omitted from the genealogy of Adam in the 5th chapter of Genesis!! Cain’s sin and lack of confession had created such a disparity in his relationship with God that he was completely removed from the list of Adam’s descendants because he chose to walk away from the Lord. God blessed Adam and Eve with Seth after this whole mess as a replacement for Abel, and he is the only child listed in the genealogy.
Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He [Jesus] was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. ~1 John 3:4-9
Jesus died on the cross for our sins and when we sin, it is just like crucifying Him over and over again.
We must learn from Abraham’s example that in order to close the door on any sin we commit, we must confess in faith that God will forgive us and cleanse us from that sin – no matter what that looks like. For if we do not, we are children of the devil and we will never produce fruit (John 15:1-8). Not only that, but we are making a choice to separate ourselves from the Lord so that He will no longer hear our prayers:
Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. ~Isaiah 59:1-2
The Lord is faithful to us and may we never forget that. He forgives us the moment we confess and truly repent. Then He makes us new.
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