January 28

Jan 28 - Today from Proverbs 28 we look at verse 11
"A man tormented by the guilt of murder will be a fugitive till death; let no one support him."

The writer of this Proverb used an extreme circumstance - but Jesus broadened the context considerably in Matthew 5:21, 22 where He says, "You have heard it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment." How many of us know someone who is harboring anger toward a brother (brother in this instance means fellow man)? Wow! Jesus moves us from the letter of the law to the spirit of the law, "Love your neighbor". We need to continually define 'death' in our own hearts as 'separation'. When one person hates another, there is a separation that occurs through judgment. In the civil law system, murder is certainly a greater crime than hatred. But in the moral law system, Jesus says they are equal. Now, back to our proverb. "A man tormented by guilt" is a person who has not experienced release from their guilt. There are only two options for such people; to die in their guilt, or to receive pardon for their guilt. The punishment for murder in the O.T. is death. Five hundred, or even five thousand hours of community service won't help. The torment of guilt most often begins with fear for one's own life. One becomes a fugitive. In the N.T. we discover that the sentence for any moral crime is death. "The wages of sin is death." Some people run from God their whole lives because they believe God is angry with them and that if they turn to Him He will carry out a brutal sentence."Let no one support him." The worst thing we can do for people who labor under the torment of guilt is to support them. "Hey, everyone feels that way some time or other. It's only human." Or, "Yeah. I don't blame you for hating him. He is a nasty wicked person who deserves to burn in hell." We must not support a non-repentant heart and try to ease their guilt. The best thing we can do is act as a peacemaker. We need to tell that person that there is a way to be free from the torment of guilt. We find the solution in verse 13, "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." Torment of guilt can be a tool of the Holy Spirit and an opportunity for a witness. For a nonbeliever, it is an open door to hear the good news, "God isn't angry with you any more. He has made a way for you to be free from the guilt of sin. . . " For a believer, it is an invitation to come to the throne of grace anew, to receive mercy. God's mercy is rich. Our only obligation is to humble ourselves and come to Him and confess and renounce the sin that torments with guilt. Once we do that, "He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us" (1 John 1:9).
There is no god like our God!