Ya Gotta Pay the Fiddler

He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. (Proverbs 28:13)

There’s a Texas saying that always reminds me that my actions have consequences. I can imagine an old, toothless cowboy saying this out of the side of his mouth as he haggles with a potential customer: “If you wanna dance ya gotta pay the fiddler.”

The problem is that we live in a world where many times it seems that the unrighteous prosper; that their actions don’t catch up to them. However, this is far from the truth. Listen to the words of the following verses:

The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. (Prov. 28:1)
A man tormented by the guilt of murder will be a fugitive till death; let no one support him. (Prov. 28:17)
He whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but he whose ways are perverse will suddenly fall. (Prov. 28:19)
But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that your sins will find you out. (Numbers 32:23)

The Proverbs teaches that sin cannot be concealed. It will reap a harvest in due time. But the offer of the Gospel is that those who confess their sin and turn from their ways find freedom. This is the message of I John 1:9 when it says: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

This is not to say that there are no consequences of our sin, but the fiddler is paid from Another’s pocket. Jesus came to pay a price we could not pay, and erase a debt that was not his. This is the gift offered to those who will believe in Him and call on His name.