” teach me what I do not see; if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?
“we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands”
Hos 14:2 Take with you words and return to the LORD; say to him, “Take away all iniquity; accept what is good, and we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips.
Hos 14:3 Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy.”
Job 34:32 teach me what I do not see; if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?
Joel 2:17 Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, “Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”
Luke 18:13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
Hos 14:4 I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.
Psalms 51:2-10 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
Being a humble servant does not mean we have reached our goal of serving God. Note the responses of people in scripture who sought to live in a way that honored and glorified God. “I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.” Against you, you only, have I sinned”, “God be merciful to me a sinner”, “Teach me what I do not see, if I have done iniquity I will do it no more”, “Cleanse me from my sin”. “For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” – These are all said in light of knowing God and His holiness and promises. How do we know if we sin against God? Does it depend on how we feel? Does it depend on what the culture around us deems right and wrong? Spend time in His word seeking it to be a light onto your soul for the purpose of honoring and glorifying God. His word is able to shine bright in darkness, give strength in weakness, hope in uncertainty, and peace in chaos. Keep it close to your heart, mind and soul.
