An excuse some use to justify sin is the claim “no one will know.”
In 2 Samuel 11, David fell into this kind of thinking. In that chapter, David committed adultery with Bathsheba, and then told lies and had Bathsheba’s husband put to death, all in attempts to “hide” his sin (2 Sam. 11:14-15). Following Uriah’s death, David took Bathsheba to be his wife, and seemed to think his sins were “covered up.”
Yet, God was not fooled. The end of the chapter says “the thing that David had done displeased the LORD” (verse 27). David’s sin did not go unnoticed or unpunished (2 Sam. 12).
As David learned, we can’t hide from Him whose judgment matters most. Hebrews 4:13 says “There is no creature that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.”
Hypocrisy leads one to focus only on appearing righteous in the eyes of others. Sincere obedience leads one to be righteous, no matter how many people are watching. The righteous know that God is always watching. May we walk with righteous integrity, and never make the excuse “no one will know” to justify sin.
– Michael Hickox