What would it look like if your sin had to be put on public display?

Not hidden.
Not quietly confessed.
But announced—seen by everyone.

It’s an uncomfortable thought… but in 1 Samuel 6 and 7, we see something surprisingly close to that.

After capturing the ark of God, the Philistines quickly realized their victory came at a cost. Their false god Dagon was humiliated, their people were struck with disease, and fear spread throughout the land. They knew they had offended the true God—and they knew something had to be done.

So they did something unusual.

They created physical representations of their guilt—golden tumors and golden rats—and sent them back with the ark as a kind of offering for their sin.

It’s a strange and striking picture… but it raises an important question for us:

How do we deal with our sin?

Thankfully, God hasn’t required us to display our failures for the world to see. Instead, He has made a way for us to come to Him humbly, confess our sin, and be forgiven.

But that doesn’t mean confession is casual—or that repentance is optional.

So what does true repentance actually look like?

And in today’s New Testament reading, Jesus reminds us that we need to be ready and watching for His return. So, how can we know if we are ready?

Let’s take a closer look at both subjects.