Presumptuous Sin

 13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Ps 19:13

I had to do a bit of dive on what it meant to be presumptuous in general. There are different definitions, but this one is useful when thinking about sin. “Behavior perceived as arrogant, disrespectful, and transgressing the limits of what is permitted or appropriate.” When I searched for presumptuous sins, I got a smattering of different thoughts.

·                 The sin of presumption starts out with committing small sins presuming that God will forgive them. But over time our conscience will become dulled to sin and we will be led to presume that God will forgive our mortal sins. (https://www.catholic.com).

·                 Presumptuous sin is intentional willful. It is doing something boldly, brazenly, audaciously, arrogantly, rebelliously, defiantly. Remember verse 31 says that it brings despite on God's Word. And, if we commit such a sin, we are doing it in defiance of what God has said. (Refers to Num 15:30-31 KJV https://www.bibletools.org)

·                 It is assuming or taking something for granted, guessing or hoping something is true on the basis of probability or mistaken belief, based on wrong or incomplete facts, thoughts and ideas, rather than solid facts including the correct interpretation of God's Word. (https://www.bible-dictionary.info)

I think the Catholic definition really hit it on the head even if they distinguish between small sins and mortal sins. David recognized that if he engaged in sin, knowing it was sin, would be doing it defiantly and against what the Lord had forbidden. Then as these mount up (getting dominion over him) he would blameless of greater sins. Num 15:30-31 in current translations uses the word defiantly instead of presumptuously as the KJV does. So the pattern fits with the first two explanations.

The third explanation comes from another definition of presumption. Presumption in that an assumption has been made before a course of logic results in an action or attitude. You might say the whole of evolutionary thought is presumptuous. It certainly leads to wrong conclusions and a world view that is anti-God and anti-Christ.

This is a big warning to make sure that I do not presume to know things that will lead me to defy what God has said is should or shouldn’t do. Lord, help me to keep from defying you and letting that attitude fester into rebellion.