Living in a Covid-19 World: Day #28

You 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 reminds us that actions have consequences. I can imagine an old, toothless cowboy saying this out of the side of his mouth: “If you wanna dance, you gotta pay the fiddler.”

We live in a world where people don’t think that their actions will catch up to them. This hasn’t changed in our Covid-19 World. We’ve heard politicians say one thing in public (“wear a mask,” “don’t travel to the cottage,” or “don’t gather in groups larger than five people”), and do something completely different. What’s worse, once caught in the act, their pictures are posted all over social media.

However, this is far from the teaching of the Scriptures. Listen to the words of Proverbs Chapter 28:

The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. (v. 1)

A man tormented by the guilt of murder will be a fugitive till death; let no one support him. (v. 17)

He whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but he whose ways are perverse will suddenly fall. (v. 19)

The Proverbs teaches that sin cannot be concealed. It will reap a harvest in due time, just like God told Moses: You can be sure that your sins will find you out. (Numbers 32:23b)

However, 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 has been 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.