Sin can be pleasurable for a time, but what we can’t see is the great burden it leads to in life. It is like a load on our shoulders that serves no purpose other than to weigh us down. David spoke about the heaviness of sin in his life:
For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness. I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. Ps. 38:4-6
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David is talking about sin overwhelming him and what a heavy burden it was. It made him feel stinky, troubled, weighed down, and sorrowful. That is not the way the Lord wants us to live. He wants us to have abundant life (John ), not a life of bondage (Luke )… and sin brings bondage. Whether or not you see or feel it, sin will affect your spirit, mind and body as well as your relationships with others and with the Lord.
But… there is hope for us in the Lord. He hears our cry (Ps. 3:4) and delivers us (Ps. 56:13) out of the bondage and death we have brought into our own lives with our sin. So, how does this happen? Let’s read further:
For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God. v.15
For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin. v.18
Forsake me not, O LORD: O my God, be not far from me. Make haste
to help me, O Lord my salvation. v. 21,22
David keeps on trusting and hoping in God, but he also does something about his sin. He exposes/ announces it- in other words, he takes responsibility. He doesn’t blame someone else, fate, or the wickedness surrounding him, but acknowledges it as his problem. Then, David expresses his sorrow for his sin. (Do we really ever consider how much our sin hurts the Lord? He must be saddened to see us live under such bondage and heaviness when He has offered us so much better.) Then David continues to cry out for the Lord’s help.
There is forgiveness in Christ if we go to Him and confess (1Jn. 1:9). Turning away from the sin (repentance) is also important. Ez. says, “Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.” Heb 12:1 says, “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us…” In other words, we have an action to do- repent, turn, and lay aside the sin. And keep crying out to God for mercy and help, for our help comes from the Lord (Ps. 121:2) for as long as we live. (Ps. 116:1,2)
Lord, help us to despise all unrighteousness in this world and in our lives. Let us see the burden of sin, give us strength to turn from it and a desire for true freedom in You. Hear our cries oh Lord, and help us!