The confession of the sins of the people over a period of time makes a long list. The Sin List is a recounting of the history of Israel from the Salvation from Egypt to the Exile in Babylon. The rebellion, the idolatry, the unbelief is staggering and startling in its depth and scope. But then, a confession of the sins of our own lifetimes could just as revealing. We also confess our sins and sincerely repent of them.
The purpose of this laundry list is to beg the mercy of God and ask for salvation and deliverance from exile; once again. The implicit hope is that the Lord will see how sorry we are and take pity. This is a false hope because, while sincere repentance is necessary, it is not the sincerity or sorrow or the penitence itself that moves God to forgiveness and salvation; it is the compassion and lovingkindness of God himself. For us, it is the blood of Jesus that causes Him to forgive and save.
“He repented according to the multitude of his mercies.” It is always “for the sake of Christ” and not because of our repentance that God repents. In this way the great Enemy, Sin, is overcome.