Wash Me Clean

Wash Me Clean

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgement. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. 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. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.”

What is an iniquity? I was finding myself asking this question as I was reading this. It is a word that we hear often in scripture but some of us might not really know what it means. I looked to my friendly online resources for help and came up with the following definition of iniquity: an immoral or grossly unfair behavior. This verse touched on iniquities and how David pleaded with God to wash him clean of all of his iniquities. Sin is detestable to our Savior, and through his grace and his son dying on the cross, we are saved from certain death. God has the power to forgive and wash us clean. My past week has been thrown in different directions with different emotions with extended family being in the hospital, kids with different schedules, and me being extra exhausted at the end of each day and not spending the appropriate time with my wife, let alone my heavenly Father. Through this, I have found myself more frustrated and not at peace with a lot of things that are relatively easily handled throughout the day to day ‘grind.’ This is not only unfair to my family, but unfair treatment to my Father in heaven. Reading through this passage has reminded me that we don’t have to go through a ton of work (like offering burnt sacrifices) to bring us back to our Lord and Savior, but just a broken spirit and a contrite heart (feeling remorse). Come to the Father with humility in your difficult times and your iniquities will be washed away. 

As we start this week, be humble before the Lord and bring to Him all of your unfair behavior, and he will bless you. 

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)

-Tim