Who can understand his errors?

” …cleanse thou me from secret faults. “

Psalm 19 speaks loudly:

“for its full effect we need divine grace to show us our faults, acquit us, restrain us from the practice, and free us from the power, of sin.” JFB

“God knows a great deal more evil of us than we do of ourselves. In many things we all offend, and who can tell how often he offends? It is well that we are under grace, and not under the law, else we were undone.” MH

“Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me.” Psalm 19:13

John Gill adds, ” …the petition supposes, that these may be committed by good men, if left to themselves; and that there is a proneness in them to them; and that they would rush into them, were they not kept back and restrained by the powerful and efficacious grace of God.”

Sounds like sins necessitate the need for grace discernment. Yes, we need grace for discernment to see our faults, grace to acquit us, and grace to restrain us from their practice, and then free us from their power.

“It does not, refer to any one specific offence, but it means that he would be free from the transgression which would exist if he were not cleansed from secret faults, and if he were not kept back from presumptuous sins. He would be saved from the great guilt which would ensue if he should give unchecked indulgence to secret faults.” Barnes

In reflecting upon the Fall of Adam, an unknown author remarks, “He had aspired to independence of God, and thus destroyed his harmony with the world above him. The world below him over which he was made to rule, now aspired to independence of him, set up, so to speak, its own wisdom and will in opposition to his, and thus destroyed its harmony with him.”

Unknown Author from” The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

The many complications from sins, even secret sins, could be farther reaching than imagined.

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Galatians 6:7

“For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption;

but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Galatians 6:8

James 2:12-13  adds, “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.   For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy;

and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. “

Jesus proclaimed, “I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Matthew 9:13

God delights in mercy; we are saved by it, in Titus 3:5

Secret faults are hidden in self preservation, blind spots they become as we hide them from our consciousness. We can presume to not own these covered in fig leaves. David hid his sin with Bathsheba for over 9 months, but God sent Nathan to him.

  “And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.  The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:   But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.   And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.   And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.  And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man.”2 Samuel 12:1-7

It was God’s mercy that David was not consumed, Lamentations 3 teaches that “His compassions fail not, they are new every morning.” He reaped in his unrepentant state, as with Adam, destroying harmony with heaven and earth.

In closing,

Psalm 139:23 reminds us to pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” 

Thankfully mercy is renewed daily, as we draw nigh to God He will draw nigh unto us. keep thyself from presuming against God’s grace love ya