“Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me” (Ps 19:13). Presumptuous sins! These are sins committed not through weakness or the enemy’s stealth, but from our own deliberate action. They are sins that we engage in against our own best judgment and in spite of the light of our conscience, purposely self-inflicted because we seek some momentary pleasure or advantage.
I was reminded of this verse on a visit to the Caribbean, where a beautiful but deadly plant grows in profusion. The “Lucky Nut” tree, or yellow oleander, has striking yellow or apricot flowers, but it has a deadly secret. All parts of the plant are very poisonous if ingested. But, for some reason, the deadly seed is considered by many natives as a “lucky nut”—hence its nickname. Parents even place them in infants’ hands as a good luck charm! Fooled by fading flowers; grasping seeds of death. Oh Lord, keep us from the foolishness of presumptuous sin!