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

It's cool to find strands of the Gospel written into the Hebrew Scriptures 1000 years before the birth of Christ.  Proverbs 28:13 is just such an instance -- beautiful in its breadth and brevity of meaning.

Really, this verse is a succinct summary of what we can find in 1 John 1:5-9, where it says, "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you:  God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.  If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

And it really makes sense, if you think about it.  Proud and self-sufficient people -- who are of course just as flawed and fractured as the rest of us, whether they admit it or not -- do not get much mercy, from God or from other people.  But when there is an admission of personal guilt and imperfection, there is hope for a restored relationship with God and with others.  This was the hope of Solomon.  And it's my hope today, too.