What are presumptuous sins?

The presumptuous sinner cannot plead ignorance; his sin is the violation of a well-known command. These two sins are the only ones here looked at for the land. The general character of the restored nation, as we have seen, is that all shall know the Lord (comp, Jer. 24:7; Ezek. 35:12). If any man notwithstanding knowledge commit sin, then immediate judgment follows. Thus it is distinguished from mere ignorance. To despise the word of Jehovah is presumptuous, it is sin apart from the nature of the thing done. An instance is given, for God teaches us both by example and precept. The children of Israel found a man that gathered sticks on the sabbath day, and he is put in ward until Jehovah declares His judgment upon him. All the congregation stone him. The same was done to another who had blasphemed the Name (of Jehovah). In the one case the act was sin because it had been forbidden. The other was sin even if there had been no command. The seemingly trivial character of the presumptuous sin recorded in Num. 15 is to show the absolute and perfect obedience to be rendered by Israel in that day, and the swift judgment is also in keeping with Isa. 65. As compared with Lev. 24 human judgment would see great disparity between the two, and while meting out the heaviest penalty to the blasphemer would look upon the gathering of sticks on the sabbath as of trifling import. But in divine things human judgment is always wrong. Each was equal to the other in guilt, despising the authority of God. If we saw nothing more than that the penalty in each case was death, this is sufficient warrant to pronounce them equally guilty, for God is righteous in judgment. But in truth their sin was essentially the same: both were presumptuous sinners; for He who said, "Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain," said also, "Remember the sabbath to keep it holy." Neither of these sinners could plead ignorance. Each violated the divine majesty, if not a well-known command.

A very important principle is suggested here, one that people are apt to overlook. Under the law the only sins that were provided for were those of ignorance. If a man did aught presumptuously, he was to die without mercy; no sacrifice was provided for that. So, in the nineteenth psalm, David says, "Keep back Thy servant from presumptuous sins" that is, sins done knowingly. "Who can understand his errors?" There are sins of ignorance. "Cleanse Thou me from hidden faults;" that is, faults of which I know nothing, and yet which are there unquestionably.

But when you come to the fifty-first psalm you find the sin of presumption: there is no question that David knew the awful character of the sin which he was committing. His conscience and heart were hardened for the time, and he went on in that fearful course which ended practically in murder. Then, when he came under the sense of that sin, after God had by the prophet Nathan touched his conscience, he could not plead ignorance, and therefore does not presume to bring an offering. There were trespass- and sin-offerings provided under the law; offerings for the sin too of a ruler, — but he could not bring that. He says, "Thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it." How could he bring a sacrifice for the very sin for which God declared there was no sacrifice?

But much worse than this are "presumptuous sins" (v. 13), for they involve the deliberate willful indulging in what we know is wrong, and when once we launch out in such a course, it is not long before such sins take control of us. May the Lord indeed preserve us from this dreadful danger. It is not usually sins of ignorance that cause us the greatest trouble, but sins we know are sins, yet we give way to them. The Lord knew we needed His preserving mercy for this, when He gave His disciples the prayer of Matthew 6:3, "And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

When God answers the prayer of verses 12 and 13, then David may say, "Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression." Does not every believer desire this to be true of him? This is the negative side, while verse 14 gives what is beautifully positive, — "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord my strength and my Redeemer." David knew that these two are closely related, for the words will not be right if the meditation of the heart is not. "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matt. 12:34). Yet even when the heart may be generally employed in appreciation of the Lord, we are so treacherous that we may allow unwise words to slip from our mouths. Well might we take to heart the earnest prayer, "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my mouth" (Ps. 141:3).

This surely was a presumptuous sin — it was flying in the face of a most plain and positive commandment of God. It is this that specially marks a presumptuous sin, and leaves it utterly inexcusable. Ignorance cannot be pleaded in the face of a divine command.

It is well for us to recognise the character of sins for which God made provision in the sin offering, as the divine command to Moses is, "Speak unto the children of Israel saying, if a soul shall sin through ignorance or inadvertance against any of the commandments of Jehovah, in things that ought not to be done, and do any of them … " The sacrifice was for unintentional sins, committed through unwatchfulness and lack of proper exercise in the fear of God. There was no provision made for sins of deliberate intent which manifested the high-handed assertion of man's will in defiance of God's commandments. Of wilful sin, it is written, "But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously … that soul shall be cut off from among his people, because he hath despised the word of Jehovah, and hath broken His commandment, that soul shall be utterly cut off: his iniquity shall be upon him" (Numbers 15:30-31).

Presumptuous sins were not pieces of moral iniquity, but direct insults to the majesty of the Law-giver, such as picking sticks on the sabbath-day. And now, when grace, and not law, is dispensed, when the effectual work of the Son of God is declared, presumptuous sin is putting dishonour on that by going back to carnal, legal, self-righteous confidence.

"Ye were presumptuous, and went up." Solemn admonition indeed! Well we may say: "Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults: keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins." Israel presumed on the promise of the Lord, and on their own confession of sins; and at the same time "rebelled against the commandment of the Lord." Presumptuous sin appears specially the danger of God's own accredited people. It is doing that which makes for our own credit, rather than that which is for the honour of Christ. In this there may be no moral element which the natural conscience can discern. There may even be the apparent confession of sin; and boldness of action in pleading the promise of God, humility and dignity outwardly presented, and yet God not acknowledged at all.

38 Remark that it is not merely what the law is, but what the heart knows it to be: the servant of Jehovah is warned by it. There is delight in it, according to the new nature, and the consciousness of relationship; for we are servants of God, though we have higher, more intimate and glorious, relationships. But in this confidence the effect of this nearness is to turn the eye to another point: the want of full self-knowledge, distrust of self. "Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret [faults]." In many things, although delighting in the word, and appreciating it when thinking of it, I may not have judged my own heart, or be able morally to prove it, so as to judge it according to that perfection: for there is growth in spiritual judgment. But there is integrity and confidence in the Lord, and he demands to be cleansed from his secret faults, and to be kept from all presumptuous faults - what one would commit with open disregard of God. Thus he would be undefiled, and be kept with God, not turning aside to idols or vanity. For small and neglected sins and unjudged confidence of heart lead to forgetfulness of God, and denial of Him in the truth. I do not speak here of security by grace, but of the path in which these evils lead.

Between sins of ignorance and presumptuous sins there is, of course, an immense difference. While all sin is, as already said, sin, and the want of knowledge can never justify us, with God's word in our hand, and Himself so accessible for our enlightenment, yet a sin committed in real ignorance does not shut out God as a sin against conscience does. If it were so, communion would be impossible to any, short of practical perfection. But He is tender and merciful, and of infinite compassion. It would not be this to pass over that which argues a spirit of "revolt," which trifles with His known will. Here, too, we must take care; for we may trifle with His will by refusing to seek the light, as well as by refusing to walk by it when we have it. And this, one must fear, is the cause of many blighted lives among the children of God. They do not know, indeed, the evil paths they are in, but they have, nevertheless, as it were instinctively, turned from and refused the knowledge. Not willing to be disturbed, or to abide the cost of truth, they give up seeking it, — at least, in the dreaded line. But they cannot so escape from the consequences, terrible as some day they will find them, of real disobedience.

We can find our safeguard only in the sanctuary. The Lord Himself is our constant necessity; and the self-distrust is wholesome that keeps us close to Him. So the cry here now: "Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins: let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright; I shall be innocent of great revolt." And the psalm ends with the longing desire for positive sanctification, — the acceptance of heart and mouth before God — this God, known in the power of His salvation ever (John 4:22), — "Jehovah, my Rock and my Redeemer."

"The statutes (i.e. the precepts, R.V.) of Jehovah are right, rejoicing the heart." What could be more grateful to the heart than to be lovingly directed in the way we wish to go? "The commandment of Jehovah is pure, enlightening the eyes." How much we learn of His mind by what He enjoins or prohibits! "The fear of Jehovah is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments* of Jehovah are true, and righteous altogether." Disciplinary judgments are not for the present joyous, but grievous (Heb. 12:11); but in the midst of trial faith owns them to be just and righteous; it never cavils with the ways of God, but as the Lord has said, "wisdom is justified by her children" (Matt. 11:19), knowing the object and end of them to be blessed — that we should be partakers of His holiness, and yielding the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby. "More to be desired than gold, yea, than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey, and the dropping of honeycombs. (marg.) Moreover, by them is thy servant warned, and in keeping of them (i.e. observing them and subjecting oneself to them, as to His commandments), there is great reward. Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults," i.e. from the sins I do without knowing it myself. "Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins." To sin, knowing it, is indeed presumption.