Acceptable Confession
573
God because the brother whom you wounded is the property of God,
and in injuring him you sinned against his Creator and Redeemer. The
case is not brought before the priest at all, but before the only true
mediator, our great High Priest, who “was in all points tempted like as
we are, yet without sin,” and who is “touched with the feeling of our
infirmities” and is able to cleanse from every stain of iniquity.
When David sinned against Uriah and his wife, he pleaded before
God for forgiveness. He declares: “Against Thee, Thee only, have
I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight.” All wrong done to others
reaches back from the injured one to God. Therefore David seeks
for pardon, not from a priest, but from the Creator of man. He prays:
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy loving-kindness:
according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my trans-
gressions.”
True confession is always of a specific character, and acknowledges
particular sins. They may be of such a nature as only to be brought
before God, they may be wrongs that should be confessed before
individuals who have suffered injury through them, or they may be
of a general kind that should be made known in the congregation of
the people. But all confession should be definite and to the point,
acknowledging the very sins of which you are guilty.
[640]
When Israel was oppressed by the Ammonites, the chosen people
made a plea before God that illustrates the definite character of true
confession: “And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We
have sinned against Thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and
also served Baalim. And the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Did
not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the
children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? ... Yet ye have forsaken
Me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. Go
and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in
the time of your tribulation. And the children of Israel said unto the
Lord, We have sinned: do Thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto
Thee; deliver us only, we pray Thee, this day.” Then they began to act
in harmony with their confessions and prayers. “They put away the
strange gods from among them, and served the Lord.” And the Lord’s
great heart of love was grieved, was grieved for the misery of Israel.”
Confession will not be acceptable to God without sincere repen-
tance and reformation. There must be decided changes in the life;