October 17, 2010 - Sirach 5:4-7 Sin and forgiveness

Today's reading is from the Apocryphal book of Ecclesiasticus, or the Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach:

"Do not say, 'I have sinned, yet what has happened to me?'
for the Lord is slow to anger.
Do not be so confident of forgiveness that you add sin to sin.
Do not say, 'His mercy is great, He will forgive the multitude of my sins.'
for both mercy and wrath are with Him, and His anger will rest on sinners.
Do not delay to turn back to the Lord,
and do not postpone it from day to day;
for suddenly the wrath of the Lord will come upon you,
and at the time of punishment you will perish."

It is so easy to fall back into sin. A door opens, and in we walk. Again. And again. And again. Sometimes I think the line between what is sin and what isn't becomes blurred. Perhaps we are blinded by our own needs, wants, desires and wishes. We may try to make something what we want it to be instead of what it is.

I think it's not the sinning that is warned against here, though there is that. It is the confidence that no matter what we do, or how often we do it...well, God will forgive me. It's okay. I'll just say I'm sorry and God will forgive me. Again. And again. And again.

God is not a vending machine, passing out forgiveness for a token. True repentance comes from the heart, and that is what God honors. But we are human, after all, and I believe God takes that into consideration when we are so quick to deceive ourselves once again that perhaps our sin wasn't really sin at all. It's just too darn easy to do that.

But God never fails to provide an "out." He knows how we are. He knows we are weak, and foolish, and sometimes downright stupid. He knows we deceive ourselves into actions that open the road to hell. He knows how we are. But He always gives us an "out." He always makes a way for us to escape. He always opens wide His arms to those who are truly repentant, even if we have sinned in the same manner more than once. What He is NOT is "easy." His forgiveness is not bought with glib words, but with a truly repentant heart. His forgiveness is not handed over with an "I'm sorry" that is not truly meant.

Much as we hate to think it, "mercy AND WRATH are with Him." God's punishment is very real. I've been thinking a bit about God's punishment. When I was a child, and I misbehaved, I was far more sorry for having disappointed my father than I was in fear of my mother's belt. Mom could beat me with the belt, and I hated it, but if I knew I had disappointed Daddy, that cut me to the quick, and I was far more repentant. I think maybe that's the way it is with God too.

So, yes, God's mercy is great. And yes, perhaps we count on that mercy just a little too much. It would be easier, perhaps, if one could be sure that one was sinning, because sometimes the line seems a little blurred. How can something that the world, and the Bible, and society knows to be wrong seem so very, very right? Is that how the devil traps us? By making evil seems good, and good evil?

It is a fine line we walk sometimes. A very fine line. And staying on the "right" side of the line is not easy. But even though we can always count on God's mercy if we are truly repentant, it is wise to remember that God has a wrathful side as well.

Blessings, Phoenix