purge me with hyssop, and i shall be clean;
wash me, and i shall be whiter than snow.
let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
[psalm 51:7-10]
sin comes with a repercussion: death (romans 6:23).
david’s sexual sin with bathsheba was no different. bathsheba became pregnant by david and bore a son. when the prophet nathan confronted david about his sin, God had some hard news for david to hear:
“nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child who is born to you shall die.” [2 samuel 12:14]
the word for “scorned” in hebrew is “naats,” which is literally translated, “to spurn; to treat with contempt.”
david’s sin treated God with contempt, which had to be paid for by the death of david’s own son.
our sin treats God with contempt, which was paid for by the death of God’s own son.
“for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” [2 corinthians 5:21]
God condescended himself into the only perfect, innocent baby that would eventually take the punishment for our sins.
“but he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.” [isaiah 53:5]
Christ’s death and resurrection is the only reason why we, like david, can call upon the name of the Lord, knowing that in Christ we…
… will be purged of our sin.
… will hear joy and gladness.
… will rejoice with broken bones.
… will have our iniquities be blotted out completely.
… will have a clean heart.
… will have a right spirit before holy God.
thank you, Jesus, for loving God so much that you were obedient before, during, and after the cross. we praise you for your nature of completeness, as you wash us completely clean. we rejoice that we will leave our brokenness behind and live with you forever- not because of anything we did, but solely what you did. thank you for paying for our sins, Jesus. bring us to our knees in repentance, faith, and trust of you. be king over our hearts today. amen.
~ jm