Some of my daily reading this week has been in Psalm 51. If you have never read this particular chapter, it is so powerful. It’s only 19 verses, but I have read over them at least a handful of times this week.
This Psalm was written at the point when David had sinned in murder, adultery, the covering of His sin, and his heart has been hardened against repentance. Nathan (the prophet) had to confront him to get him to the point of Psalm 51:1. He is pleading with God to have mercy on him. To wash away his iniquity…cleanse him from his sin. You can sense the desperate pleas to God by David in his brokenness. I really liked verses 7-10 and the mention of hyssop, so I am going to put them here and tell you something interesting that I learned.
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” -Psalm 51:7-12
I was curious about this hyssop plant. In the Bible and Old Testament covenant, hyssop was used as a purifier. In Exodus, it was used to spread the sacrificed animal blood around the door frames at the first Passover. In Leviticus, it was used in the ceremonial cleansing of a leper. It was also used to cleanse someone that had touched a dead body in Numbers. Even better, the wine at the cross that was given to Jesus was transferred to him on a hyssop branch.
Now why is this important? Well, in studying I was lead to Psalm 75:8. There, The Word says, “For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.” 😳. The wrath of God is like the image of this cup filled and those who have rejected Him will face his judgement, draining the cup to the bottom.
Okay, now let’s look at Jesus. He talks to James and John and tells them, “Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?” (Mark 10:38). Jesus even goes to The Father in the Garden of Gethsemane and says, “Take this cup from me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” (Mark 14:36). Jesus took the cup of God’s wrath and drank it for all mankind. When that hyssop branch was held to the mouth of Jesus, I couldn’t help but see the symbolism of all the Old Testament cleansing come flooding back. I wonder if that’s how the people standing there watching Jesus on the cross felt, because they knew the scriptures.
God was showing them and is showing us today that it wasn’t the blood on the doorpost spread with hyssop, or the blood of animals sprinkled on someone with hyssop that did the cleansing.
It was Jesus’ blood.
When you look at the Old Testament hyssop, it was symbolizing Jesus and what would happen on the cross. Now, I don’t believe that David seen this in his mind, but I do believe he had faith in God and His cleansing power through the hyssop. When he says, “purge me with hyssop” and “create in me a clean heart, O God…”, I can’t help out see Jesus on the cross as The Atonement for my sin!
God doesn’t miss any detail or leave any doubt that His Word is powerful. We can’t forget that everything that is put in scriptures has purpose and is breathed from the mouth of God. Jesus is our hyssop…he cleanses and purges our heart to be pure and renewed. Not to mention, I just love that the plant is purple…the color of royalty. We are joint heirs with Jesus…royalty…when the cleansing takes place!
You are never too far away that Jesus can’t reach you. Live on that today, friends! It’s sure to make for a sunny day!
