He That Covereth His Sins Shall Not Prosper

Proverbs 28:13(KJV)

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

The text above is a quite popular one and it has been commonly used in the context of confessing a wrong deed (e.g., theft, lie, immorality, etc.) to your spouse, parents, and ultimately your pastor/church, in order to avert the curse that you will not prosper in life if you continue covering it (i.e., keeping it a secret).

But is that actually the context the author intended to communicate, seeing that this same "offence" is what was concluded as Adam's undoing?

Job 31:33(KJV)

If I COVERED my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom.

So, who should Adam have confessed his sin to?

There was nobody else in existence except his co-transgressor—Eve. Mind you, it's important to take into cognizance the fact that he told God what he did wrong:

Genesis 3:12(KJV)

And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I DID EAT.

This shows that the issue here was beyond trying to keep it a secret.

So, what exactly is the context then?

Psalms 32:1-2(KJV)

[1]Blessed is he WHOSE TRANSGRESSION IS FORGIVEN, WHOSE SIN IS COVERED.

[2]Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

This is in the context of SALVATION—the forgiveness of sins.

You see that the COVERING of sin is actually not the problem; the issue is about WHO is doing the covering.

"Cover" here is from the Hebrew word, kâsâh, which in this context has a meaning beyond trying to mask something (this attempt becomes futile when the mask is taken off); it actually means TO TAKE OUT OF SIGHT never to be seen again.

Our text (Proverbs 28:13) points to a man trying to ATONE for his sins BY HIMSELF; he's trying to redeem/justify himself and hence, shield himself from the concomitant consequences ALL BY HIMSELF (just like Adam).

Such will not prosper.

What does this mean? Is this talking about not making it in life? No.

"Prosper" here is translated from the Hebrew word tsâlach, which in its basic form means to succeed in an ambition; to successfully achieve a goal.

See

Isaiah 54:17(KJV)

No weapon that is formed against thee shall PROSPER; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Isaiah 55:11(KJV)

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall ACCOMPLISH that which I please, and it shall PROSPER in the thing whereto I sent it.

So, contextually, there is usually a goal to be achieved.

"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper." Prosper in what? In his attempt to cover his sins. This means HE WILL NOT SUCCEED IN COVERING HIS SINS; his effort to do so will be in vain.

Why? Because it is something only God can do for man.

Psalms 32:1-2,5(KJV)

[1]Blessed is he whose TRANSGRESSION is FORGIVEN, whose SIN is COVERED.

[2]Blessed is the man unto whom THE LORD IMPUTETH NOT INIQUITY, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

[5]I ACKNOWLEDGED MY SIN unto thee, and mine iniquity have I NOT HID. I said, I WILL CONFESS MY TRANSGRESSIONS UNTO THE LORD; and THOU FORGAVEST THE INIQUITY OF MY SIN. Selah.

From verse 5,

(1) "Hid" is the same word, kâsâh, which means "cover".

(2) This reveals that the opposite of hiding/covering one's sin is ACKNOWLEDGING it.

(3) The "confession" in this context is not done to man but to THE LORD.

(4) The result of the acknowledging/confession is the forgiveness of sin by God.

"...but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." (Our text)

"Confesseth" is translated from yâdâh in the Hebrew (from verbal origin—"ydh"), which describes lifting or throwing one's arms upward IN SURRENDER. It means to ACKNOWLEDGE or ADMIT. You can see how it was used in tandem with "acknowledge (yâda‛)" in Psalm 32:5 above, and thus, draws our attention once again to points (2), (3), and (4) above.

"Forsake" is ‛âzab in Hebrew; it means to abandon. In this context, it suggests LETTING GO, further explaining what it means to "confess" (acknowledge).

This explains why there is no extra criterion given in our corresponding text (Psalm 32:5) beyond CONFESSING/ACKNOWLEDGING; FORSAKING means the same—TO SURRENDER/LET GO. You were holding on to your sin before but now, you are giving it up.

Such will have mercy (main text)/will be forgiven (corresponding text).

If a man must receive God's salvation, he must not cover his sin; this means he must acknowledge his sinful state. This admittance shows that he is choosing to rely on God's provision of atonement and not depend on his own effort.

1 John 1:8-10(KJV)

[8]If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

[9]If we confess (acknowledge) our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

[10]If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Like Charles Spurgeon would say, "Man's covering is worthless and culpable." We cannot atone for our sins by our works.

Titus 3:5-6(KJV)

[5]NOT BY WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH WE HAVE DONE, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

[6]Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ OUR SAVIOUR.

Isaiah 26:16-18 explains that man's attempt to justify himself is an adventure in futility, like a pregnant woman who gives birth to wind instead of a child.

Hence, when Paul would quote our corresponding text (Psalm 32:1-2), he explained it in the context of receiving God's salvation by NOT depending on our works BUT BY FAITH.

Romans 4:3-8(KJV)

[3]For what saith the scripture? ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

[4]Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

[5]BUT TO HIM THAT WORKETH NOT, BUT BELIEVETH on him that justifieth the ungodly, HIS FAITH is counted for righteousness.

[6]Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth RIGHTEOUSNESS WITHOUT WORKS,

[7]Saying, BLESSED ARE THEY WHOSE INIQUITIES ARE FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS ARE COVERED.

[8]BLESSED IS THE MAN TO WHOM THE LORD WILL NOT IMPUTE SIN.

The covering of our sins is an action from God premised upon our believing in him.

So, Proverbs 28:13 means:

"He that tries to atone for his sins by himself will not succeed in doing so, but he that acknowledges his sins to God will be forgiven."

This verse is in the context of SALVATION and NOT in the context of conduct. This is a pre-salvation verse NOT post-salvation.

If you are saved by faith in Christ Jesus, your sins have been covered (taken out of sight as though they never existed).

Blessed?

Victor Ibosiola (c) 2021

In part, an excerpt from THEODICY: Investigating God's Character (A 12-Hour Defence of God's Nature in the Midst of Evil)

BELIEVERS' BIBLE CONFERENCE 2018