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"I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will
confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin"
(Psa. 32: 5).
Parallel with this is the experience of Psalm 51::
"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness: according unto the
multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from
mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and
my sin is ever before me. Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in
Thy sight" (Psa. 51: 1-4).
When we turn to the epistles that speak of the grace of God to the church, we shall
find that in some places where the Authorized Version reads "knowledge", the true
meaning is "acknowledge". In the first epistles of John, where experimental truth,
associated with walking in the light, is the theme, "confession" is used in much the same
way as "acknowledgment" is used elsewhere.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness" (I John 1: 9).
Before the prodigal son "came to the father", he "came to himself" (Luke 15: 17, 20).
Before he experienced reconciliation and wore the best robe, he had said:
"Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be
called thy son" (Luke 15: 18, 19).
The moment that salvation becomes our realized possession the Lord is pledged to
lead us out and on. We have but to read the book of Exodus to see this plainly set forth.
From the moment the blood of the Passover had been shed and the hour of deliverance
had come, Israel never lacked a leader. Moses may go the way of all flesh, but Joshua is
there to take his place, and over and above all human agency, we find the pillar of cloud
and fire that never left the people throughout their pilgrimage. Let us therefore turn our
attention to the experience of being led by the Lord.
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths" (Prov. 3: 5, 6).
From these words it is evident that the acknowledging of the Lord is fairly
comprehensive. It is impossible to acknowledge the Lord unless our trust in Him is with
"all our heart" and in "all our ways". Very often no other "leading" is necessary than to
stand at the parting of the ways, look ahead, and see whether following the one or the
other would involve some denial of the Lord. If this is seen to be so, the matter is settled,
and prayer for guidance at such times may too much resemble the attitude of Balaam
(Numb. 22: 13, 19).
This acknowledgment of the Lord in all our ways is very finely brought out in the
story of Abraham's servant, who said:
"I, being in the way, the LORD led me" (Gen. 24: 27).