Word of Encouragement (08/22/2023)

So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the LORD and fasted on that day and said there, "We have sinned against the LORD." And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. (1 Sam. 7:6)

The Israelites experienced the humiliating defeat at Ebenezer and Aphek, losing the ark of the covenant to the Philistines, who had it in their possession for seven months. Without any help from the Israelites, God intervened and brought the ark back into the territory of Israel by destroying the statue of Dagon and striking Philistia with tumors. The ark stayed at Kiriath-jearim for some twenty years (7:2). It was moved to Kiriath-jearim from Beth-shemesh because some people there looked upon the ark and the LORD struck seventy of them. It was obvious that the ark of the covenant was both good and dangerous—good because it represented God’s presence; dangerous because it represented the presence of a holy God. So, we are told in 7:2, “...all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD” because it was not where it was supposed to be—Shiloh (1 Sam. 1:3).

By this time, the boy Samuel grew up, serving as Israel’s judge. Sensing the people’s desire to be reconciled with God, he told them to put away the foreign gods and commit to serving the LORD only (7:3). People heeded this call and gathered at Mizpah according to Samuel’s command. This is the prayer of confession they offered at Mizpah: “We have sinned against the LORD” (v. 6).

There is much to be desired in this confession, granted that could have been an abbreviated version of their actual prayer. While the full content is not provided, it may be an accurate representation of the spirit of their prayer. Notice how general their confession was: they confessed that they had sinned against the LORD, but they did not mention how they had sinned against Him. Of course, their act of repentance—putting away the foreign gods from their homes and villages—made it clear that their sin was idol worship. We can say that actions speak louder than words, and they should be commended for the tangible demonstration of their penitence.

Even so, there are times when words should accompany actions. This is true especially when we are dealing with our sins. Some may find it easier to just confess and ask for forgiveness than to repent (which is to make amends and change one’s behavior). Others may prefer to just repent without acknowledging their sins. The former may feel bad for what they did but not bad enough to change; the latter know that they did wrong and have the will to change, but have too much pride to confess and ask for forgiveness. Both are wrong, aren’t they?

How is your confession to God? How is it to others? Does it have both necessary elements?

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