Week 2
Psalm 51:7-8 “Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness, let the bones which You have broken rejoice.”
When God begins to work mightily in the heart of a sinner, He makes the sinner to know the horrible sin in his life. This often leads to a troublesome soul and even to despair. The sinner sees his or her sin in such a fashion as to wonder, “How, oh how, can I be clean before God?”
The gospel of Jesus Christ promises the believing sinner that because of the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross, the believer is cleansed deeply and thoroughly from the wretched sin that dominates and characterizes his life. The cross of Jesus Christ has such power, it has such cleansing power, that no matter how deep and dark the sin may be, the believer is cleansed, forgiven, and restored through the merits of Christ on the cross.
Although David wrote the 51st Psalm before Jesus came to this world, he understood that there was forgiveness with God. The Mosaic Law and its sacrificial system provided a framework for the Old Testament saints to understand that God wanted sinners to be cleansed of sin. This Law taught them in the Old Testament that there was forgiveness with God. Every animal sacrifice in the Old Testament anticipated and foreshadowed the coming of Christ and His great atoning sacrifice on the cross.
Thus, in these verses we hear New Testament concepts of the gospel: “Purify me…and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” There is for those come to faith in Christ a lifetime of purity, cleansing, and forgiveness. Even as we continue to sin in this life, the Christian regularly and consistently pleads with the Lord just as David did to apply the merits and atoning work of Christ to his soul and life. The result is cleansing, purification, and restoration of fellowship with Jesus.
Note how David anticipates his experience in God’s cleansing work. He writes, “Make me to hear joy and gladness, let the bones which You have broken rejoice.” When God forgives our sins and when God cleanses us from all sin, He makes us to “hear joy and gladness.” Our hearts leap with joy! Our souls skip with delight in knowing that God has done this great thing to us and with us. The breaking of the bone is an analogy of conviction of sin. The heaviness of guilt is gone, the broken bones are healed, and life is restored, blessed, and renewed.
Here we have the precious promise of the gospel in the words of King David in the Old Testament. The promise of God to those who come with a contrite heart to beseech the mercy and cleansing of God is real and powerful. Let nothing deter you from coming to Jesus and asking Him for forgiveness, cleansing, and restoration of soul and life. He will do the work that needs to be done, because He has already paid for this forgiveness and cleansing on the cross.
Prayer: Dear Lord, please forgive me of my sin this day! Please restore Your fellowship with me through the fresh application of Christ’s atoning merits won and achieved at the cross. Thank You. Amen.