April 27-Whiter Than Snow

Joshua 17-18

Psalm 51:6-10

Proverbs 12:8-10

Luke 17

“Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:7-10

“Cleanse me with hyssop.” Hyssop is a common herb that grew in Bible times and can still be found in many varieties today. It has beautiful purple flowers and a strong mint smell. In the days before there was a whole aisle at the grocery store dedicated to cleaning supplies, herbs and other things found in nature were used for cleaning. Hyssop has detergent properties and was often used in cleaning sacred places such as temples. It is interesting that we find hyssop mentioned in Exodus 12:22. It was used to apply the blood of the Passover lamb to the doorposts so that the Angel of the Lord would pass over the homes of the Israelites as He struck down the first born in all of Egypt. It is mentioned in Leviticus 14:1-8 where it was used to dip into the blood of a bird and sprinkle over a person to cleanse them from leprosy.

We see hyssop used again in John 19:29 to lift the sponge of wine vinegar to Jesus lips as He hung on the cross. David was using something that would have been familiar to everyone in his day. It would be similar to us saying “cleanse me with bleach so that I can be clean.” The next phrase says “wash me and I will be whiter than snow.” The word used here for wash me is the one used for washing clothes in his day, which was done by beating and pounding the dirt out of the clothes. David is asking God to do whatever it takes to beat the sin out of him and make him whiter than snow. He was deeply remorseful and heartsick over his sin and was begging God to forgive him. He didn’t just want a quick shower; he wanted a good “scrubbin” so that the filth and dirt of his sin could be removed. He wanted to be able to stand before His Father and enjoy the intimacy of their relationship as he once had. As we saw with the prodigal son, our heavenly Father is always waiting with open arms to welcome us back and restore our relationship.