“The lady doth protest too much.”

A line from the play Hamlet, by William Shakspeare, spoken by Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother. She is watching a play, and a character in it swears never to remarry if her husband dies. The play is making Hamlet’s mother uncomfortable, because she herself remarried almost immediately after the murder of her first husband.

The lesson here is about a measure of truth that can often be found in fiction. Yesterday I said that those bound firmly in sin will protest the loudest. We hear it every day because of the advent of social media. Now with the onset of the latest social helper, AI, the invention of intelligent answers, the real danger is allowing others to do the thinking for us.

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

When we allow the internet, phones, apps, tweets, and everyone influence our thinking, we will find ourselves less likely to seek God’s help. I have reasoned with God and I have never won an argument. No one wants to be wrong all the time. Those clinging to sin because it controls every aspect of their thoughts and actions will never admit they are wrong.

No one repents until they know they are wrong. Reasoning with God will always expose sin for what it truly is, unholy. It is a comparison. God is holy and being in His presence will always make us feel small and insignificant. Those are human feelings associated with past behaviors.

“Once a woman has forgiven her man, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast.” –Marlene Dietrich

That is good advice, good secular advice, but is it based in godly wisdom?

Colossians 1:14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Forgiveness is tied directly to redemption.

International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia

Redeemer; Redemption:

re-dem’-er, re-demp’-shun (paraq, “to tear loose,” “to rescue,” padhah, ga’al; agorazo, referring to purchase, lutroumai, from lutron, “a ransom”):

We do not think of forgiveness as being set free ourselves, but we should. Unforgiveness has a hold on us that keeps us from loving one another. The secret to forgiveness is putting love first rather than retaliation. There is a little of Marlene’s wisdom in that. Just a little.

Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

At the time that John the baptist appeared in the wilderness with a new message from God, the religious ruling class was stuck in the muck. They had control and had no intention of loosening their grip.

To be fair with these learned men, the prophets had been quiet for 490 years. They had seen fakes come and go without anything new taking control of the narrative. John was crazier than most and did not look like a threat. They did not see God’s hand upon him. The message, new as it was, was finding its way into the hearts of the people. Repent.

The ruling class had no intention of repenting, they had the robes, John wore animal skins. The fact that Adam wore animal skins when he was cast out escaped them.

Going against convention can be difficult. There is comfort in consistency and affirmation even if those with the robes hold themselves above the common man. John avoided them and went to the common man. His appearance said he was common and void of pretense. 

Humility was an uncommon characteristic during those days. It was a new thing.

Then John said the one thing that upset the ruling class more than just preaching repentance.

John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

The ruling religious class was in the sacrifice for sin business. Everyone came to them to offer up sacrifices and that was their primary function. If Jesus could take away the common man’s sin, the priesthood could end. The whole reason behind the ruling religious class was to be elevated up the ladder of success to become the Chief Priest.

Look around today and ask yourselves this one question. Has mankind’s ambition really changed all that much? Won’t those in power do anything to maintain control?

At this point that comment placed politics in view. Please do not assume this is about political power. It is about sin and the hold that sin has over mankind. It is pervasive and exists in every arena of life.

The only cure for the stranglehold that sin has over mankind is Jesus Christ. Those caught up in it will defend their position rather than repent and break those chains. The stronger that hold, the louder the noise they make in defending their sins. Doesn’t that sound familiar?