Repentance & Ps. 51, pt.5
About 1/2 way through his prayer, David seems to hit a turning point where it's apparently becoming more real, more believable, that he may indeed find the forgiveness for which he's been pleading and the joy he once knew in "You only." There seems to be a renewed hopefulness emerging in verses 10-13. It's a hope we can know, too.
Again and again David's prayer is fulfilled in the New Testament experience. David cried out for a clean heart. Sin has dirtied us. We do not deserve to be in God's presence, yet that is the very place in which we are invited to dwell. We are cleansed by the blood of the Sacrifice Lamb, sprinkled clean and invited into the Holy of Holies. He cried out, "take not Your Holy Spirit from me." For the follower of Christ, the Holy Spirit has been given as an earnest of our inheritance. (An earnest is something given to confirm a promise. If the promise is not kept, the earnest is forfeited. For example, when you buy a house, you put up "earnest money" as a promise that you really do intend to buy this house, not just get them to hold it while you look for something else. If you do not follow through, you forfeit your earnest.) God gave the Holy Spirit. He (the Spirit) cannot be forfeited. He is God's promise of full payment to come - of being in His presence in this lifetime as our earthly heritage, and of our eternal home in heaven, forever before the throne of God.
David longed for the joy of salvation and a "willing spirit." The cleansing of repentance brings joy in the Lord. It opens us to the sustenance of a willing spirit. His Spirit is given to both will and work for His good pleasure. He has made us new creations, no longer slaves to sin. Although housed in the flesh, our spirit, the new man within us, is inherently good, desiring to love and honor God. It is willing, though the flesh is weak, to walk in a manner worthy of Him, to please Him in every respect, to bear fruit in every good work, and to increase in the knowledge of Him. It is willing to trust Him and to receive from Him whatever He brings, to the point of giving thanks for all things. It is willing to do what He says, constrained by the love of Christ.
Oh, the joy of His cleansing blood. The joy of cleansing is the motivation to share the good news. It is powerful enough to bring positive results to the sharing - "sinners will be converted to You." The world needs this joy.
Feel free to leave comments or questions. If you want references for some of the statements above, let me know. I'd be glad to post them.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Clean Up on Aisle 7!
Repentance & Psalm 51, pt 4
Hyssop was used in the Passover to sprinkle blood in the cross-shaped pattern above and on each side of the doorway of the homes of the Israelites. It was also used in the ceremony for a leper who had recovered
from his disease. Perhaps these things were in mind when David prayed in verse 7: "Purify me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow."
I believe was really sweating it out as he prayed this entire Psalm. In verse 8, he describes himself as having broken bones - crushed by the holiness of God. I don't think he was entirely sure God would forgive Him for what He had done. I do believe He was absolutely convinced there was no hope but to throw Himself on the mercy of God - a mercy He had experienced from a God whom He knew and loved intimately in times past. He knew if God was willing, he would be truly cleansed, and once again know joy and gladness in His relationship with God. There may be times we feel the same way - our heart is as filthy and hideous as the infected wounds of the leper; we're crushed by the guilt of our sin. But, we have something even David didn't. We have the ultimate sacrifice. We can come to the Father as one already healed, saved, by the shed blood of the Passover Lamb on the cross of Calvary. There is no doubt, no room for dispute. I shall be clean. It is accomplished, and it applies to me. I need only to turn to Him (repent, change direction), receive His cleansing, rest in it, and experience joy and gladness in fellowship with Him.
David's sin was "ever before him." He'd done what was evil "in God's sight." His only hope was in God's willingness to stop looking at his sin. Only if God was willing to turn away and leave David's sin behind was there any hope of David being able to do so as well. So, he prayed, "hide Your face from my sin." Whether David fully experienced this freedom in his life, we are not told. However, the fulfillment of His prayer came on the cross as God hid His face from our sins and Jesus cried out, "My God! My God! Why have You forsaken me?"
How awesome is that?
Hyssop was used in the Passover to sprinkle blood in the cross-shaped pattern above and on each side of the doorway of the homes of the Israelites. It was also used in the ceremony for a leper who had recovered
from his disease. Perhaps these things were in mind when David prayed in verse 7: "Purify me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow."
I believe was really sweating it out as he prayed this entire Psalm. In verse 8, he describes himself as having broken bones - crushed by the holiness of God. I don't think he was entirely sure God would forgive Him for what He had done. I do believe He was absolutely convinced there was no hope but to throw Himself on the mercy of God - a mercy He had experienced from a God whom He knew and loved intimately in times past. He knew if God was willing, he would be truly cleansed, and once again know joy and gladness in His relationship with God. There may be times we feel the same way - our heart is as filthy and hideous as the infected wounds of the leper; we're crushed by the guilt of our sin. But, we have something even David didn't. We have the ultimate sacrifice. We can come to the Father as one already healed, saved, by the shed blood of the Passover Lamb on the cross of Calvary. There is no doubt, no room for dispute. I shall be clean. It is accomplished, and it applies to me. I need only to turn to Him (repent, change direction), receive His cleansing, rest in it, and experience joy and gladness in fellowship with Him.
David's sin was "ever before him." He'd done what was evil "in God's sight." His only hope was in God's willingness to stop looking at his sin. Only if God was willing to turn away and leave David's sin behind was there any hope of David being able to do so as well. So, he prayed, "hide Your face from my sin." Whether David fully experienced this freedom in his life, we are not told. However, the fulfillment of His prayer came on the cross as God hid His face from our sins and Jesus cried out, "My God! My God! Why have You forsaken me?"
How awesome is that?
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Psalm 51, pt 3
It took two blog posts to get thru verse 1? hmmm. Let's see if I can pick up the pace.
Unlike Pilate, who symbolically washed his hands after turning Christ over for crucifixion, David knew that the source for true and total cleansing was God Himself, and so he had hope of being fully cleansed. Do you feel you can never be clean because of the stain of sin on your life? Cry out to God, and know that He will hear you, and He is both willing and able to wash you completely clean.
In vs. 3 David says, "For my sin is ever before me...." "For" is a reference to what precedes it. It is because he cannot shake the awareness of his sin that David cried out in the opening verses for cleansing. Is your sin "ever before you?" What does that mean? I think in part it is a reference to the difficulty we have forgetting our failures and letting them go, and forgiving ourselves. Even long after a failure, a casual word, a scene from a TV show or movie, the words to a song, can spark a memory. Beyond that, just the idea of spending time in the presence of Holy God, at some point has to make you realize you're not worthy to be there. Awareness of sin should cause us to run to God, not hide from Him. Nothing's hidden from Him anyway.
Okay, David took another man's wife to bed. We don't know how willing she was in this, whether she was longing to be with the king, or if she was too intimidated to say no. Then he had Uriah killed, involving his army commander in the crime. Together, David and Bathsheba suffered the death of the child conceived through their union. Nathan said David had shamed God before the enemies of Israel. It wasn't a secret sin at any level. Yet, David says, "Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight...." All sin, ultimately, is against God. No matter who else is involved or affected by it, it is against God. He alone is perfect and sets the standard for holiness and righteousness. It is when we let other things take the place in our lives that belongs to Him alone that we wind up doing things that are evil. It's letting other things take His place that constitutes sin in the first place and results in the actions we recognize as "sins." The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not lack. My God shall supply all my need.... If I truly believe that, I will act on the basis of that truth and not seek to meet my needs in any shallow thing the world offers. Whatever the outward expression of sin may be, it comes down to this - putting something or someone in the place that belongs to God alone.
"...what is evil in Your sight" is another phrase that can be taken a couple of different ways: It could be the things God "sees as" evil. I think it also recognizes that God "sees" everything we do, and nothing is hidden from Him. We all come into this world subject to sin. It's pretty much guaranteed, that at some point, we're going to (verse 5). But in direct contrast to the condition of fallen man, verse 6 declares that God desires truth in our innermost being and in the hidden part He will make us know wisdom. Isn't that awesome? What hope it brings. What He wills, He does. His command is His promise. The fact that He desires truth in our innermost being is His promise that He will endeavor to put that truth there. This is the God that spoke and the "bang" of His voice was so "big" that the universe came into being. I think He can handle putting His truth in your heart and mine. There is the basis for peace, hope, forgiveness, cleansing. God wills it.
Unlike Pilate, who symbolically washed his hands after turning Christ over for crucifixion, David knew that the source for true and total cleansing was God Himself, and so he had hope of being fully cleansed. Do you feel you can never be clean because of the stain of sin on your life? Cry out to God, and know that He will hear you, and He is both willing and able to wash you completely clean.
In vs. 3 David says, "For my sin is ever before me...." "For" is a reference to what precedes it. It is because he cannot shake the awareness of his sin that David cried out in the opening verses for cleansing. Is your sin "ever before you?" What does that mean? I think in part it is a reference to the difficulty we have forgetting our failures and letting them go, and forgiving ourselves. Even long after a failure, a casual word, a scene from a TV show or movie, the words to a song, can spark a memory. Beyond that, just the idea of spending time in the presence of Holy God, at some point has to make you realize you're not worthy to be there. Awareness of sin should cause us to run to God, not hide from Him. Nothing's hidden from Him anyway.
Okay, David took another man's wife to bed. We don't know how willing she was in this, whether she was longing to be with the king, or if she was too intimidated to say no. Then he had Uriah killed, involving his army commander in the crime. Together, David and Bathsheba suffered the death of the child conceived through their union. Nathan said David had shamed God before the enemies of Israel. It wasn't a secret sin at any level. Yet, David says, "Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight...." All sin, ultimately, is against God. No matter who else is involved or affected by it, it is against God. He alone is perfect and sets the standard for holiness and righteousness. It is when we let other things take the place in our lives that belongs to Him alone that we wind up doing things that are evil. It's letting other things take His place that constitutes sin in the first place and results in the actions we recognize as "sins." The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not lack. My God shall supply all my need.... If I truly believe that, I will act on the basis of that truth and not seek to meet my needs in any shallow thing the world offers. Whatever the outward expression of sin may be, it comes down to this - putting something or someone in the place that belongs to God alone.
"...what is evil in Your sight" is another phrase that can be taken a couple of different ways: It could be the things God "sees as" evil. I think it also recognizes that God "sees" everything we do, and nothing is hidden from Him. We all come into this world subject to sin. It's pretty much guaranteed, that at some point, we're going to (verse 5). But in direct contrast to the condition of fallen man, verse 6 declares that God desires truth in our innermost being and in the hidden part He will make us know wisdom. Isn't that awesome? What hope it brings. What He wills, He does. His command is His promise. The fact that He desires truth in our innermost being is His promise that He will endeavor to put that truth there. This is the God that spoke and the "bang" of His voice was so "big" that the universe came into being. I think He can handle putting His truth in your heart and mine. There is the basis for peace, hope, forgiveness, cleansing. God wills it.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Repentance, pt.2 - Ps. 51:1
Okay, so maybe "Repentance" is not going to be the best on-going title for this series of posts. It definitely is the theme of David's prayer. However, there is also hope, rejoicing, deliverance, and victory over temptation.
In the Model Prayer, any reference to seeking forgiveness is preceded by praise and adoration of the Father, an appeal that His kingdom come, His will be done, and our daily needs be met. Sometimes in the course of our praying, as we look at the holiness and the provision of our loving Father, we are confronted with our own sin. There are other times, however, when all we can see is the blackness of our hearts, and the only response we seem able to voice is a crying out for forgiveness and mercy.
Several years ago, as I was involved in an intercessory prayer ministry, I found myself spending a lot of time in Psalm 51. I found that I often needed to include repentance early in the process of intercession. Although I had always thought of this Psalm as dealing with repentance for "extreme" immorality, since it was written in response to David's sin with Bathsheba, it became an integral part of my prayer life. Even if your sin seems nowhere as dark as that for which David was repenting, this is a wonderful passage to guide you in repentance, and to open your eyes to the depth of love revealed in God's provision for our salvation.
In verse 1, David begins by acknowledging the absolute sufficiency of God as the source for his forgiveness. At the same time he was seeking God's forgiveness, David was acknowledging God's greatness. He had long walked in a knowledge of the deep lovingkindness of God, of His never-ending/always new compassion. Even though the depth of his sin forced him to forego his often eloquent words of praise, it was David's deep awareness of the goodness of God which was the basis for his confidence in coming to God in repentance. He didn't approach God flippantly presuming upon God's willingness to forgive. He was painfully aware of the seriousness of his sin. We shouldn't take our sin lightly either. Nonetheless, do not doubt the willingness of God to forgive, not only as the basis of His lovingkindness and compassion, but also in direct proportion to the abundance of His lovingkindness and compassion. What matters is not how bad you are, but how good God is.
David proclaimed in Psalm 103:10-12: "He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." How much more real this truth should be to us who can say with Paul, "But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:4-7).
I was saved at a young age. I knew little of sin, grace, or righteousness. I only knew I was a sinner, could not save myself, and needed to accept what Christ had done for my salvation by opening my heart to Him. However, He knew me well. He knew not only the sins of a small child, but also of an adolescent, and a grown man. In His mercy - His great and marvelous mercy - He saved me anyway.
Ps.51:1 (from my heart): O God, I was without hope because of my sin, yet in Your holiness You saved me. By Your grace, You gave me hope and eternal life. Now, again, Lord, be gracious to me in proportion to Your lovingkindness. In proportion to the greatness of Your compassion, blot out (soak up, eliminate) my transgressions (all the ways I have broken, and do break, Your law and fall short of Your will for me). Lord, I know so little of Your love, for I spend so little time with You. Yet I do know You love me. You have given me life and breath. You have forgiven me so much already. In proportion to my sin, and compared to Your holiness, I deserve to be a charred pile of ashes on the floor before You. Yet through the blood of Jesus, my High Priest, You invite me to enter boldly before Your throne to receive mercy and find grace to help in this time of need. And God, I need You now more than ever.
In the Model Prayer, any reference to seeking forgiveness is preceded by praise and adoration of the Father, an appeal that His kingdom come, His will be done, and our daily needs be met. Sometimes in the course of our praying, as we look at the holiness and the provision of our loving Father, we are confronted with our own sin. There are other times, however, when all we can see is the blackness of our hearts, and the only response we seem able to voice is a crying out for forgiveness and mercy.
Several years ago, as I was involved in an intercessory prayer ministry, I found myself spending a lot of time in Psalm 51. I found that I often needed to include repentance early in the process of intercession. Although I had always thought of this Psalm as dealing with repentance for "extreme" immorality, since it was written in response to David's sin with Bathsheba, it became an integral part of my prayer life. Even if your sin seems nowhere as dark as that for which David was repenting, this is a wonderful passage to guide you in repentance, and to open your eyes to the depth of love revealed in God's provision for our salvation.
In verse 1, David begins by acknowledging the absolute sufficiency of God as the source for his forgiveness. At the same time he was seeking God's forgiveness, David was acknowledging God's greatness. He had long walked in a knowledge of the deep lovingkindness of God, of His never-ending/always new compassion. Even though the depth of his sin forced him to forego his often eloquent words of praise, it was David's deep awareness of the goodness of God which was the basis for his confidence in coming to God in repentance. He didn't approach God flippantly presuming upon God's willingness to forgive. He was painfully aware of the seriousness of his sin. We shouldn't take our sin lightly either. Nonetheless, do not doubt the willingness of God to forgive, not only as the basis of His lovingkindness and compassion, but also in direct proportion to the abundance of His lovingkindness and compassion. What matters is not how bad you are, but how good God is.
David proclaimed in Psalm 103:10-12: "He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." How much more real this truth should be to us who can say with Paul, "But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:4-7).
I was saved at a young age. I knew little of sin, grace, or righteousness. I only knew I was a sinner, could not save myself, and needed to accept what Christ had done for my salvation by opening my heart to Him. However, He knew me well. He knew not only the sins of a small child, but also of an adolescent, and a grown man. In His mercy - His great and marvelous mercy - He saved me anyway.
Ps.51:1 (from my heart): O God, I was without hope because of my sin, yet in Your holiness You saved me. By Your grace, You gave me hope and eternal life. Now, again, Lord, be gracious to me in proportion to Your lovingkindness. In proportion to the greatness of Your compassion, blot out (soak up, eliminate) my transgressions (all the ways I have broken, and do break, Your law and fall short of Your will for me). Lord, I know so little of Your love, for I spend so little time with You. Yet I do know You love me. You have given me life and breath. You have forgiven me so much already. In proportion to my sin, and compared to Your holiness, I deserve to be a charred pile of ashes on the floor before You. Yet through the blood of Jesus, my High Priest, You invite me to enter boldly before Your throne to receive mercy and find grace to help in this time of need. And God, I need You now more than ever.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Repentance, pt.1
If there really are any absolutes - clear, definite rights and wrongs - and, especially if there is an ultimate absolute - a holy God - what should our response be when we have chosen to do what is wrong. The obvious response, in Christian terms, is repentance. Most likely, you've heard this interpreted in books or sermons as a change of mind, or a change of direction - going one way, realizing it's wrong, and turning 180 degrees and heading the opposite direction.
How do you really do this? How does the moment of change take place? Is it simply a moment of choice, a mental decision, that when made, all is said and done? I'd have to answer, "Yes. --and, no."
Most of the Christian life can be explained as a moment of decision followed by a lifetime of process. Even salvation is describe in scripture in past, present and future tenses. I submit that repentance involves a moment of decision followed by an on-going process as well. One of the best examples of the nature and process of repentance is found in David's response to his own sin in the prayer recorded as Psalm 51.
King David is described in scripture as a "man after God's own heart." Yet, he took another man's wife to bed in an adulterous affair. Then, to cover his sin, he murdered the man by arranging to have him killed in battle. I've heard several people over the years use the life of David and the "man after God's own heart" idea to as an excuse to reject God. "If David's an example of the heart of God, I don't want to follow [or believe in] a god like that." I've heard some say it with such an air of condescension they obviously think themselves pretty smart for coming up with it. In reality, they're just showing off their own lack of understanding, but that's their excuse nonetheless.
Being true to your beliefs is easy when you don't have any. It's another matter altogether when you recognize there really is a God, He really is holy (pure, righteous), and to live in His presence you need to be holy also. When there is such an incredibly high standard to which to aspire, the odds of failing are significant. The Bible admonishes us to be holy, to be perfect. It also acknowledges we cannot be, particularly not on the basis of our own abilities and efforts. God desires for us to know that He exists (which we can only know by faith), and to know that He rewards those who seek Him. Corollaries include the fact that He desires good for us (not that each experience on earth will be good in and of itself - we will have troubles and tribulations on this earth. However, He will use each situation to bring about good in us - that we may become more like Him. It's a process. It's growth. It takes time. It begins with salvation. It begins with repentance. It begins when we faith Him. It continues all through life.
David understood that, probably more after his colossal failure than before. His sin drove Him to seek God even more passionately. Over the next couple of blog posts, let's look more closely at Psalm 51. What are your thoughts about it? Have you read this Psalm? Have you contemplated? Can you at all relate to it? Is it depressing to you? Or is it a cause of celebration and rejoicing? Please post your comments. And please tell others to check out this series of blog posts.
How do you really do this? How does the moment of change take place? Is it simply a moment of choice, a mental decision, that when made, all is said and done? I'd have to answer, "Yes. --and, no."
Most of the Christian life can be explained as a moment of decision followed by a lifetime of process. Even salvation is describe in scripture in past, present and future tenses. I submit that repentance involves a moment of decision followed by an on-going process as well. One of the best examples of the nature and process of repentance is found in David's response to his own sin in the prayer recorded as Psalm 51.
King David is described in scripture as a "man after God's own heart." Yet, he took another man's wife to bed in an adulterous affair. Then, to cover his sin, he murdered the man by arranging to have him killed in battle. I've heard several people over the years use the life of David and the "man after God's own heart" idea to as an excuse to reject God. "If David's an example of the heart of God, I don't want to follow [or believe in] a god like that." I've heard some say it with such an air of condescension they obviously think themselves pretty smart for coming up with it. In reality, they're just showing off their own lack of understanding, but that's their excuse nonetheless.
Being true to your beliefs is easy when you don't have any. It's another matter altogether when you recognize there really is a God, He really is holy (pure, righteous), and to live in His presence you need to be holy also. When there is such an incredibly high standard to which to aspire, the odds of failing are significant. The Bible admonishes us to be holy, to be perfect. It also acknowledges we cannot be, particularly not on the basis of our own abilities and efforts. God desires for us to know that He exists (which we can only know by faith), and to know that He rewards those who seek Him. Corollaries include the fact that He desires good for us (not that each experience on earth will be good in and of itself - we will have troubles and tribulations on this earth. However, He will use each situation to bring about good in us - that we may become more like Him. It's a process. It's growth. It takes time. It begins with salvation. It begins with repentance. It begins when we faith Him. It continues all through life.
David understood that, probably more after his colossal failure than before. His sin drove Him to seek God even more passionately. Over the next couple of blog posts, let's look more closely at Psalm 51. What are your thoughts about it? Have you read this Psalm? Have you contemplated? Can you at all relate to it? Is it depressing to you? Or is it a cause of celebration and rejoicing? Please post your comments. And please tell others to check out this series of blog posts.
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