Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after. Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.
1 Timothy 5:24-25
Ross Simmons was working on renovations to his home in the Australian coastal town of Kiami in July of 2026 when he made a startling discovery. Inside a bricked over fireplace in the house was a copy of Antiquities of Athens, a book checked out of the local library some 150 years earlier. Simmons believes the book was probably read by his great, great grandfather and somehow kept rather than being returned. Based on the schedule printed on a sticker inside the book, the fine would be just under $20,000 in today’s money but the library has waived any penalties. Library manager Michelle Hudson said they had put the book on display in a history collection. “We’re not going to allow it to go back out again. We don’t want to wait another 150 years for this book to be returned,” Hudson said.
Ever since the Garden of Eden the first response toward sin has been to hide and try to cover it. We hope that if no one finds out that we will be able to get away with what we have done. This approach never works. In almost every case, our attempts to hide wrongdoing lead to even more wrongdoing. And no matter how artfully we try to conceal our sins and even if we manage to keep most people in the dark, God still sees, and there are always consequences. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). Rather than trying to put up a brick wall and hide our sins behind it, we should rush first to our merciful Father and confess. Then we should do everything in our power to make things right. A person who is not willing to “return the book” has not yet properly dealt with the problem and still needs to repent.
