In the Old Testament time, in order for God to forgive the Israelites for their sins, they had to confess their sins to God and offer animal sacrifices. The blood of the animals would cover their sins, and their relationship with God would be restored until they sinned again; then, they had to repeat the process. The problem of the Israelites in the Old Testament is that they used their confession of sins and sacrifices of animals to escape the judgment of God but continued to live in sin. As a result, God did not forgive them, but he judged them because of their sins. David continued to pray in Psalm 51:16-17, "You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God." When King Saul did not obey God's instructions, he offered animal sacrifices to God, but God knew that Saul's heart was not willing to repent of his rebellion. Thus, Samuel confronted him, "But Samuel replied, "What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22)."
When we confess our sins, God expects us to turn away from them and walk in obedience. If we are not willing to do so, God will not forgive us. David knew about this, and so he acknowledged before God that his offering was a broken and repentant heart, for God would not reject a humble and repentant heart. God will only hear our confession when we are sincere to change; otherwise, God will not accept our confession. God always looks at our hearts and not necessarily our actions. The Israelites would bring animal sacrifices to God, yet afterward, they oppressed the poor, took advantage of others, committed adultery, and even worshipped the gods in the land.
We must remember that God does not tolerate sin in our lives. God gave us a way to deal with our sins through confession so that we can be forgiven, but a confession of sin cannot be used as a license to sin. An attitude that says, "I can do whatever I want because when I confess my sin to God, He will forgive me. After I confess my sin, I can continue to live whatever I want," will never be forgiven by our God. We must turn away from our sins in order for God to listen to our confession of sin.
Ask yourself these questions for application: (Think through carefully, meditate on the questions while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) Why is it important for me to turn away from my sins after I confess them to God? Does God look at the sincerity of my heart to change when I confess my sins to God? What is an acceptable confession of sin to God?
Write down all the worries you face today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, I humbly come before you this morning with a repentant heart to ask forgiveness for every sin that I have committed. I confess all my sins to you this morning, and please forgive me. Now, oh God, please help me to turn away from my sins and walk in obedience to you. Please change my rebellious heart so that I may continue to walk in your ways. In your name, Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen.
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