Regrets! Ever had them? Ever said to yourself, “If only I had listened to the advice given to me!” or “If only I had not given into temptation and walked down that street!” If only!
Jesus once told a story of such a person. We call him “The Prodigal Son” and it is found in Luke 15:11-32 as follows:
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So, he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father. (vv. 11-20)
Later in the story, we discover from his rather unhappy oldest son, talking to his father, that this son of yours … has squandered your property with prostitutes… (v.30)
In Proverbs 5:7-14 one of these “If only” moments is described in a hypothetical way as the father is warning his sons of the consequences of falling into the hands of the adulterous woman (v.16). He strongly advises:
7 Now then, my sons, listen to me;
do not turn aside from what I say.
8 Keep to a path far from her,
do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you lose your honor to others
and your dignity to one who is cruel,
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth
and your toil enrich the house of another.
And then the “If only” moment is described:
11 At the end of your life you will groan,
when your flesh and body are spent.
12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!
How my heart spurned correction!
13 I would not obey my teachers
or turn my ear to my instructors.
14 And I was soon in serious trouble
in the assembly of God’s people.”
Neilson comments: This “warns us sharply and hauntingly, not only are we threatened with ruin, but as part of God’s people we suffer ruin in the midst of the ‘congregation,’ or the assembled family of believers. Ultimately our shame is before the Lord and in his house – his family.” (# 55)
And then the words of Goldsworthy: “Such folly can only bring a deep sense of regret and sorrow in old age when one reflects on the squandering of life and reputation for the sake of brief moments of pleasure.” [see Oscar Wilde’s words in previous Post] (# 53)
Of course, all these truths apply to sin in general, not just in the realm of our sexuality. But let me finish on a more positive note and that means considering the rest of the story Jesus told in Like 15. Here we see, despite our sin and shame, the wonderful compassion of God our Heavenly father as reflected in the response of the prodigal’s father:
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. (Luke 15:20-24)
Far better not to stray as the prodigal son did, and as the father warns against in Proverbs 5, but if we do fail (and who doesn’t), and are full of regrets, by the grace of God that does not have to be the end of the story.
The Apostle John wrote in I John 1:5-9:
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Worship and Wisdom - Psalms and Proverbs 