We are in the midst of a series where we have been looking at the amazing concept that God, the Clean One, makes the unclean clean.
Today we jump into Psalm 51 where David cries out to God for mercy. David wrote this Psalm after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband Uriah killed. In verse 7 David says, “Purge me with hyssop and I will be clean.” What is David talking about here?
This alludes back to Exodus where Moses goes to Pharaoh and tells him, “Let God’s people go.” When Pharaoh is stubborn there is a series of 10 plagues. The final plague is the death of the firstborn. God instructs Moses in Exodus 12:22 to command the Israelites to kill a spotless lamb and place the blood of the lamb in a basin. Then they are to dip hyssop in the blood and use it to place the blood on the lintel and doorposts of the door of the house so the angel of death will “Pass over” their house and the first born will live.
We also see this in the law in Leviticus 14:4-7 when lepers were declared clean by a priest. A bird would be sacrificed, the blood would be collected, and hyssop would be dipped in the blood and sprinkled 7 times over the person who had leprosy. Both of these acts are a beautiful word picture of what Jesus would come and do for us once and for all on the cross to cleanse us from our sins.
In Hebrews 9 we see the picture of the priest going once per year into the holy of holies. It says that this was only a shadow of things to come. In verse 14 we read, “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”
Hebrews 10:14 goes on to say, “By by one offering He has perfected forever (past tense) those who are being sanctified (present progressive).” Jesus cleansed us by His blood. He gave us a new spirit. Our spirit man is clean. Our spirit man has been perfected forever because of what Jesus has done. Our soul is being sanctified.
Do you believe you are perfect in Christ? That’s why we can come boldly to His throne of grace – because of what He has done. He has purged us from sin and made us perfect in Him. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you this week who you are in Him.
