David in cried in Psalms 51:2, "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and in verse 7b "Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow" and in verse 10 he pleads, "Create in me a clean heart, O God..."
Sin always leaves a stain on the soul that no natural soap and water can remove. Guilt is not easily removed from the mind and heart. For sin is never superficial but it seeps beneath the pores of the skin right down into the bones, causing corruption and decay. There is not one part where sin does not adversely affect a person.
Only through the blood of Jesus are we washed and made whole. Titus 3:5 speaks of the "washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit". The original word for "washing" means a bath and "regeneration" means to be born again.
No wonder King David cried that the Holy Spirit not be taken from him. For no other power could deliver him from the terrible transgressions he had committed.
Likewise, we have an enduring promise in 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sins that He is faithful and just to forgive and purify or cleanse us from all our unrighteousness. The word cleanse in this passage means to be "unstained".
As believers we are made new (and being regenerated) through the power of the Holy Ghost so when we honestly confess our sins, the Lord removes the stain sin leaves behind.
As for David, he used a very unique word in Psalms 51:2 for washing. One primitive root means to make clean by "trampling with the feet". The implication is washing garments with fuller's soap. Washing cloths to make them clean and bright with fuller soap is mentioned in Micah 3:2 and implied in the whiteness of the Lord's garments in the transfiguration.
God not only forgives but makes us spotless and bright!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
A Cry from the Cave
Psalms 34, 57 and 142 are wonderful Scriptures for troubled times.
David wrote these Psalms while staying in a cave. He was fleeing from Saul who was in hot pursuit. Then David tired to seek refuge in the enemy's territory only to run after pretending to be insane in front of King Achish (I Samuel 21:10-15 and 22:1-2).
Once at the cave of adullam, he was surrounded by men who were in distress and in debt or had some grudge against the ruling authority.
Through this dark and unsettling time, David poured out his heart to God for help and mercy.
Psalms 34:6 says, "This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
Psalms 57:2-3, "I will cry out to God Most High, to God who performs all things for me. He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Shelah.
And Psalms 142:1 "I cry out to the Lord with my voice: with my voice to the Lord I make my supplication. I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble."
Do you see a common theme running through these Psalms?
When we are in trouble and surrounded by trouble (or by troubled people) we need to cry out to the Lord. Don't let the these circumstances shut your mouth, steal your voice or cause you to go silent and isolated. Rather call out to God for help! He delights in hearing the voice of His children. Like a good and wonderful father, God is moved by our cries. He delights to save and deliver us from our troubles.
And notice another theme running through these Psalms. David almost always returns back to a place of praise. He is grateful for the works God has and will do in his life. David has not lost his mind nor was he corrupted by the discontented men surrounding him. Rather he changed them into mighty men of valor because David chose to hold on to God's promises to deliver him.
Shall Not Want
Psalms 34:9-10 says, "O fear the LORD, you his saints: for there is no lack to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing."
At times our appetites can be liken to a roaring lion.
We are rarely satisfied long enough to enjoy being well fed, well provided for or having a terrific day. For the most part, we live in a discontent society that is constantly looking for the next wow factor..something bigger, better and immediate. There is a gnawing in the pit of our stomach of the possibility of missing out on something. Or the fear of being without which drives much of our appetites and desires.
Sadly, we in turn are consumed by those very things we relentlessly pursue.
David gives us the key of being full and fulfilled: the fear of the Lord. When we stand in awe of the greatness and goodness of God, we don't need to look for something or someone else to meet our needs and desires. For the fear of the Lord gives us a proper perspective of our desires.
Also, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). When we fear the Lord we can ask for those things we desire, but with His wisdom. We can rationalize any of our desires to sound reasonable. Reverence of God's nature teaches us that we don't come to Him asking for foolish things that can be consumed on our own pleasures, but rather what pleases Him.
And when we learn to fear the Lord, we receive a deeper understanding of His goodness. He will not withhold anything He determines is best for us. Though we might not be able to understand completely what we think is best is very different from what He desires for us.
At times our appetites can be liken to a roaring lion.
We are rarely satisfied long enough to enjoy being well fed, well provided for or having a terrific day. For the most part, we live in a discontent society that is constantly looking for the next wow factor..something bigger, better and immediate. There is a gnawing in the pit of our stomach of the possibility of missing out on something. Or the fear of being without which drives much of our appetites and desires.
Sadly, we in turn are consumed by those very things we relentlessly pursue.
David gives us the key of being full and fulfilled: the fear of the Lord. When we stand in awe of the greatness and goodness of God, we don't need to look for something or someone else to meet our needs and desires. For the fear of the Lord gives us a proper perspective of our desires.
Also, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). When we fear the Lord we can ask for those things we desire, but with His wisdom. We can rationalize any of our desires to sound reasonable. Reverence of God's nature teaches us that we don't come to Him asking for foolish things that can be consumed on our own pleasures, but rather what pleases Him.
And when we learn to fear the Lord, we receive a deeper understanding of His goodness. He will not withhold anything He determines is best for us. Though we might not be able to understand completely what we think is best is very different from what He desires for us.
Monday, January 2, 2012
He Makes All Things Possible and New
On New Year's Eve thousands from all around the world gathered in Times Square in eager anticipation of the ball dropping at the stroke of midnight. Apart from the celebration, there's seems to be some urgency to let the waning hours of 2011 quickly slip away in hopes of a new year, a new chapter. Perhaps this year might be better than 2011.
A year promising a stronger economy or peace where the world has known wars, healthier minds and bodies or personal success or anything but what 2011 failed to delivery.
Likewise, for the believer with each passing year, there's a deep longing for the promises spoken through God's Word to be realized in our lives. And with the promise comes a sense of newness, renewal and refreshment. For all those that gather around the clock watching for the stroke of midnight to signify another year, hopefully a better one, most only turn away feeling much the same as they did just minutes before. Had anything really changed?
Yet God who is outside of time makes all things possible and new...including a new year at His choosing for those who hope in His word.
Take Abraham for instance. In Genesis 18:10, God said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son." It might not have been a new year by the ancient calendar of their day, but it was new year for both Abraham and Sarah. God's promise of a son was made possible and it meant a new year in the life for the couple who were about to be parents.
For those without Christ, Romans 5:6 offers a new year at anytime: "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly" (NIV). And for those in Christ, His mercies are new every day (Lamentations 3:23).
Happy New Year!
A year promising a stronger economy or peace where the world has known wars, healthier minds and bodies or personal success or anything but what 2011 failed to delivery.
Likewise, for the believer with each passing year, there's a deep longing for the promises spoken through God's Word to be realized in our lives. And with the promise comes a sense of newness, renewal and refreshment. For all those that gather around the clock watching for the stroke of midnight to signify another year, hopefully a better one, most only turn away feeling much the same as they did just minutes before. Had anything really changed?
Yet God who is outside of time makes all things possible and new...including a new year at His choosing for those who hope in His word.
Take Abraham for instance. In Genesis 18:10, God said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son." It might not have been a new year by the ancient calendar of their day, but it was new year for both Abraham and Sarah. God's promise of a son was made possible and it meant a new year in the life for the couple who were about to be parents.
For those without Christ, Romans 5:6 offers a new year at anytime: "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly" (NIV). And for those in Christ, His mercies are new every day (Lamentations 3:23).
Happy New Year!
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