The Cover Up

The mainstream media are full of it. The social media are awash with it. Despite the best intention of the superinjunction, it appears that there's no one who doesn't know about the Premiership football player. An attempt to cover up wrongdoing by someone famous with plenty of money to pursue court orders and sue Twitter users. But it's not just famous celebrities who have something to hide.

All of us have things we're ashamed of, things we wish we hadn't said or done, things we don't want people to know about. Each of us try to hide them, to cover up our sins and pretend they aren't there. Even David, the great king, tried to do the same when he committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. He resorted to murder to keep his sin secret, only to be confronted by Nathan the prophet.

Having tried to keep it quiet, keeping silent, he felt the Lord's hand heavy on him, his conscience weighing him down. There was only one answer, only one way to deal with his hidden sin:

I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,"
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. (Psalm 32:5)

While David had tried to hide his sin from everyone else, and seemed to be getting away with it, he could not hide it from the one who already knew about it. The Lord sees all things, and knows the end from the beginning. Therefore the only answer was for David to not cover it up any more, but make a full, frank, and free confession of his sins. As David did not cover his sins any longer, he discovered an amazing truth:

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit. (Psalm 32:1-2)

When David uncovers his sin, he discovers that God has covered his sin. It sounds like a paradox, but it's what happens with us as well. As we confess our sins and lay them bare before God, we find that he has covered them, dealt with them, satisfied the punishment for them, so that they are no longer an issue.

We know, better than David, how our sins are covered - it's on the cross, through the precious blood of Christ, which settles our account, which clears our guilt, and which covers our sins.

It's one thing to commit sin; much worse to then try to cover it up. That famous footballer (whoever he is!) would be better discovering the power of uncovered sin which is covered by the blood of Christ.