”He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.“
Proverbs 28:13
A colorful use of word play is employed to build an insight into the concept presented.
To better understand the idea, we will examine the meaning behind contrasting words.
Cover and Confess
The idea behind the word cover is that of getting dressed. Think for a moment about getting dressed and how someone might wear a certain outfit because it covers up something the wearer does not want everyone to see. This is the same idea utilized in a sense of someone attempting to hide something they do not want the world to see.
In contrast, the idea of confess comes from the idea of, “from the hand.” This is utilized because it puts a thing out in the open.
There is another concept which binds these two ideas together. It comes from the thing being covered and hidden or out in the open and thrown away. The main lesson comes from the idea the thing which was hidden but should be thrown away, is poison. If you hold it close and cover it up it will poison you with its rot and decay but if you pull it away from your heart and throw it far from you the disease and destruction can start healing.
When we re-state the passage understanding the contrast being presented we see something which might paint a picture like this:
When you choose to love something which is bad for you, as you hold it close and hide it from the world, it will poison you and eventually bring about your destruction. However, if you pull it from its hiding place throwing it away and leaving it behind, then you can begin the healing process.
The word, “sins” as is used here can easily be translated transgression.
This word come from the concept of crossing a boundary. So in essence, we are being told not to hide the boundaries we have crossed with or against ourselves or others. In my minds eye I see things like addiction, infidelity, hatred, bitterness, envy, strife, anger, grudges and more being the sins portrayed here. We cross lines we should not have crossed and those things eat us from the inside out because they are poison to our soul, mind and body.
When we get rid of the toxin we can begin to prosper, we can move forward, grow, bear fruit and bring success. This is only possible when we stop hurting ourself.