Psalm 51:5-9

"Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow."

{Psalm 51:7} (NIV)

The good news is that despite our utter state of sinfulness from conception, our Creator God desires us to be faithful instead of sinful. David gives credit to God for the wisdom he has been given to understand this truth. Then David acts on this truth and asks God to cleanse him, wash him, restore him and to remove any memory of David’s sin from God’s mind. 

This seems a little presumptuous on David’s part, perhaps even foolish. God is a holy, righteous Judge, who always does what is right. How can a person who is completely in the wrong, with no excuse for his actions, expect a righteous Judge who shows no favoritism, to completely absolve him from his crime and wipe out the record of his crime? Well, David asks God to do this with hyssop. Hebrews 9:19 tells us that Moses used hyssop to sprinkle the blood of the covenant on the people of God. As he sprinkled the blood on the people he told them, “this is the blood of the covenant”. 

Friend, do we have wisdom from God, like David had? Do we understand that God desires us to be faithful, and that He has provided a means for us to be restored to Him? When we see our sin, may we confess our sinfulness, and ask our Lord to cleanse with the blood of Christ, believing in our hearts that when God does that for us, we become whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole;

I want Thee forever to live in my soul.

Break down every idol, cast out every foe;

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow.

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

(James Ni­chol­son, 1872)

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