18. Confession

Confession Confession of Israel,when assailed by the Ammon­ites:Judges 10:10 We have sinned against Thee, because we have for­saken our God and served the Baalim.

Another confession and prayer:Judges 10:15 We have sinned. Do Thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto Thee; only deliver us, we pray Thee, this day.

Confession of Israel at Mizpah:1 Samuel 7:6 We have sinned against Jehovah.

David’s confession after numbering the people:2 Samuel 24:10

I have sinned greatly in that which I have done. But now, O Jehovah, put away, I beseech Thee, the iniquity of Thy servant, for I have done very foolishly.

Ezra’s prayer,on hearing that the Jews had inter­married with their heathen neighbors:Ezra 9:6-15

O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to Thee, my God; for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our guiltiness is grown up unto the heavens. Since the days of our fathers we have been exceeding guilty unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to plunder, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. And now, for a little moment, grace hath been shown from Jehovah our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in His holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little re­viving in our bondage. For we are bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended loving kindness unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the ruins thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken Thy commandments, which Thou hast commanded by Thy servants the prophets, say­ing, “The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land, through the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, through their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their filthiness. Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their prosperity for ever; that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.” And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great guilt, seeing that Thou, our God, hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such a remnant as this, shall we again break Thy commandments, and join in affinity with the peoples that do these abominations? Wouldest not Thou be angry with us till Thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape?

O Jehovah, God of Israel, Thou art righteous; for we are left a remnant that is escaped, as it is this day. Behold, we are before Thee in our guiltiness, for none can stand before Thee because of this.

Ezra’s prayer,[1]after the people had confessed their sins:Nehemiah 9:6-37 [1] This prayer is introduced in the Greek version by the words, “And Ezra said.”

Thou art Jehovah, even Thou alone. Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things that are thereon, the seas and all that is therein, and Thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth Thee.

Thou art Jehovah, the God who didst choose Abram and bring him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and didst give him the name of Abraham, and Thou didst find his heart faithful before Thee, and didst make a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite, and the Girgashite, to give it unto his seed; and Thou hast performed Thy words, for Thou art righteous.

Thou didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and didst hear their cry by the Red Sea, and show signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his ser­vants, and on all the people of his land; for Thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them, and didst get Thee a name, as it is this day. And Thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their pursuers Thou didst cast into the depths, as a stone into the mighty waters.

Moreover, by a pillar of cloud Thou didst lead them by day, and by a pillar of fire by night, to give them light in the way wherein they should go. Thou didst come down also upon Mount Sinai, and speak with them from heaven, and Thou didst give them right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and com­mandments, and make known unto them Thy holy Sabbath, and give them commandments, and statutes, and a law, by Moses Thy servant. Thou didst give them bread from heaven, for their hunger, and didst bring forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and didst command them that they should go in to possess the land which Thou hadst sworn to give them. But they and our fathers dealt proudly and hardened their neck, and hearkened not to Thy commandments, and refused to obey, neither were they mindful of Thy wonders that Thou didst among them, but hardened their neck, and set their head to return to their bon­dage in Egypt. But Thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and rich in love, and Thou didst not forsake them. Yea, when they had made them a molten calf and said, “This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt,” and had wrought great provocations, yet Thou, in Thy manifold mercy, didst not forsake them in the wilderness: the pillar of cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way, neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them light and the way wherein they should go. Thou didst also give Thy good spirit to instruct them, and didst not withhold Thy manna from their mouth, and didst give them water for their thirst. Yea, forty years didst Thou sustain them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wax old, nor did their feet swell.

Moreover, Thou didst give them kingdoms and peoples, which Thou didst allot; so they possessed the land of Sihon, King of Heshbon, and the land of Og, King of Bashan. Their children also didst Thou mul­tiply as the stars of heaven, and Thou didst bring them into the land concerning which Thou didst say to their fathers that they should go in to possess it. So the children went in and possessed the land, and Thou didst subdue before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and didst give them into their hands, with their kings, and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. And they took fortified cities, and a fat land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns hewn out, vine­yards, and olive yards, and fruit trees in abundance; so they ate and were filled, and became fat and de­lighted themselves in Thy great goodness.

Nevertheless, they were disobedient, and rebelled against Thee, and cast Thy law behind their backs, and slew Thy prophets that testified against them to turn them again unto Thee, and they wrought great provocations. Therefore Thou didst deliver them into the hand of their adversaries, who distressed them; and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto Thee, Thou didst hear from heaven, and, according to Thy manifold mercies, Thou didst give them saviors who saved them out of the hand of their adversaries. But after they had rest, they did evil again before Thee; therefore Thou didst leave them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them; yet, when they returned, and cried unto Thee, Thou didst hear from heaven, and many times didst Thou deliver them according to Thy mercies, and testify against them, that Thou mightest bring them again unto Thy law. Yet they dealt proudly and hearkened not unto Thy commandments, but sinned against Thine ordinances—which, if a man do, he shall live—and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear. Yet many years didst Thou bear with them, and testify against them by Thy spirit through Thy prophets, yet they would not give ear; therefore Thou didst give them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. Nevertheless in Thy manifold mercies Thou didst not make a full end of them, nor forsake them; for Thou art a gracious and merciful God.

Now therefore, O our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and loving kindness, let not all the travail seem little be­fore Thee that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all Thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day. Howbeit Thou art just in all that is come upon us, for Thou hast dealt truly, but we have done wickedly; neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept Thy law, nor hearkened unto Thy commandments and Thy testimonies wherewith Thou didst testify against them. For they have not served Thee in the time of their kingly rule, and despite Thy great good­ness which Thou didst show them, and the large and fat land which Thou gavest them, they have not turned from their wicked deeds.

Behold, we are servants this day, and as for the land that Thou didst give unto our fathers, to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it; and it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom Thou hast set over us because of our sins. Also they have power over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.[1]

[1] The conclusion of this prayer seems to have been lost. It is natural to expect at this point a petition for the restoration of Israel.

Confession of Job,after hearing the speech of the Almighty:Job 40:4-5 Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer Thee?

I lay my hand upon my mouth.

Once have I spoken, but I will not repeat it;

Yea, twice; but I will do so no more.

Another confession of Job:Job 42:2;Job 42:5-6 I know that Thou canst do all things, And that no purpose of Thine can be restrained.

I had heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear, But now mine eye hath seen Thee;

Wherefore I retract and repent In dust and ashes.

Jeremiah’s confession,at his call:Jeremiah 1:6 Oh, Lord Jevovah! behold, I know not how to speak; for I am a child.

Ideal confession of penitent Israel:Jeremiah 3:22-25

Behold, we are come unto Thee, for Thou art Je­hovah our God. Truly the hills, the noise upon the mountains,[] is deceitful; truly in Jehovah our God is the salvation of Israel. But the shameful thing [] hath devoured the labor of our fathers from our youth, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. Let us lie down in our shame, and let our confusion cover us; for we have sinned against Jeho­vah our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah our God.

[3] The text is somewhat uncertain, but the reference is apparently to the worship in the sanctuaries on the high places.

[4] That is, idolatry.

Confession of the heathen that idolatry is vain:Jeremiah 16:19 Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, vanities among which there is none that can help.

Praise of Jehovah and confession of national dis­obedience:Jeremiah 32:17-23

Oh, Lord Jehovah! behold, Thou hast made the heavens and the earth by Thy great power and by Thine outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for Thee. Thou showest loving kindness unto thou­sands and dost recompense the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them—the great, the mighty God, Jehovah of hosts is His name; great in counsel, and mighty in work, whose eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men, to give every one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings; who didst set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt even unto this day, both in Israel and among other men, and didst make Thee a name, as at this day, and didst bring forth Thy people out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terror, and didst give them this land which Thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey; and they came in, and possessed it, but they obeyed not Thy voice, neither walked in Thy law. They have done nothing of all that Thou didst command them to do; therefore Thou hast caused all this evil to come upon them.

Daniel’s prayer after reading Jeremiah’s prophecy of the seventy years’desolation of Jerusalem:Daniel 9:4-19

Oh, Lord, the great and dreadful God, who keepeth covenant and loving kindness with them that love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, and have dealt perversely, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even turning aside from Thy precepts and from Thine ordinances. Neither have we heark­ened unto Thy servants the prophets, that spake in Thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto Thee, but unto us confusion of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel that are near and that are far off, through all the countries whither Thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against Thee. O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against Thee. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him, neither have we obeyed the voice of Jehovah our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets.

Yea, all Israel have transgressed Thy law, even turning aside that they should not obey Thy voice; therefore hath the curse been poured out upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses, the servant of God; for we have sinned against Him. And He hath confirmed His words which He spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil; for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us, yet have we not entreated the favor of Jeho­vah our God, that we should turn from our iniquities, and have discernment in Thy truth. Therefore hath Jehovah watched over the evil, and brought it upon us; for Jehovah our God is righteous in all His works which He doeth, and we have not obeyed His voice. And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought Thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten Thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly. O Lord, accord­ing to all Thy righteousness, let Thine anger and Thy wrath, I pray Thee, be turned away from Thy city Jerusalem, Thy holy mountain; because for our sins and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Thy people are become a reproach to all that are round about us.

Now therefore, O our God, hearken unto the prayer of Thy servant, and to his supplications, and cause Thy face to shine upon Thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake. O my God, incline Thine ear, and hear; open Thine eyes, and behold our desola­tions, and the city which is called by Thy name. For we do not present our supplications before Thee for our righteousness, but for Thy great mercies’ sake.

O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do. Defer not, for Thine own sake, O my God, because Thy city and Thy people are called by Thy name.

Ideal confession of penitent Israel:Hosea 14:2-3

Take away (our) iniquity altogether, and let us receive good [] (at Thy hands); so will we render Thee the fruit of our lips.

[1] The text here is somewhat uncertain.

Assyria shall not save us, we will not ride upon horses,[] neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, “Ye are our gods”; for in Thee the father­less findeth mercy.

[2] That is, we will make no league with Egypt (any more than with Assyria). They forswear foreign help and idolatry.