Staying a little off-balance
No one who conceals transgressions will prosper,
but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
Happy is the one who is never without fear,
but one who is hard-hearted will fall into calamity.
Most translations, have, for the first half of the second proverb above, something like “Happy are they who always fear the Lord,” but there is no object for “fear” here–the King James has “Happy is the man that feareth alway.” I don’t have my Bible tools with me, but I will take it for granted that God is not, in fact, mentioned here. So the New Revised Standard Version translation above, “happy is the one who is never without fear” is the less adorned one. (The interlinear Hebrew Bible [PDF of Proverbs 13] seems to indicate this is correct).
I like the idea of always being carrying around a little fear–whether this is awe before the Lord, or trembling because of one’s own sinfulness, or a bit of humility about one’s acting and thinking in the world. The contrast is to hard-heartedness: when one is sure of one’s position, unaffected by the cares and concerns of God or others. Being a little off-guard can be a spiritually rich place.
One way to do this is by being ready to confess one’s sins to one another, as the first proverb recommends. If I will not conceal my transgressions to God and to others–if, instead, I know that I will reveal them to God and to others, I will carry with me a bit of “fear,” a bit of knowledge of the consequences of my failures to act rightly. And so, perhaps, I will be “happy,” or blessed to be able to forsake those sins.
All easier said than done. There is wisdom in these proverbs, and perhaps in my commentary; I know I should follow this advice.
