Psalm 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Psalm 51 is David’s great psalm of confession after committing adultery with Bathsheba and arranging the murder of her husband.
It’s a model psalm showing us how to confess our own sins to God.

David understood the horribleness of his sin.
He cried for mercy, he pleaded for God’s grace alone.

The honest acknowledgement of sin, and statements of renewed commitment to God are great examples for us to use in our own prayers.*

David begged for mercy; not justice; He knew his sin was inexcusable.

Neither is ours.
In the above verse we see
Hyssop was a plant- used by the priests in the temple for ritual purifications.
It was dipped in water or in the blood of a sacrificed animal.
Then it was used to sprinkle upon someone or the altar.

It was a symbolic act of God’s cleansing our hearts before him.

Also “As White as Snow”.

Most people love a “white Christmas”.

But why is snow white when it’s actually just made of crystals of ice?

The reason is, when light waves of different frequencies (colors) hit the ice crystals, they are reflected off the snow so all the colors blend to create “white”—
the color that results when all color frequencies are combined.

While the writers of the Bible may not have understood the science of white snow, they understood this:
Snow was the whitest, or purest, thing they knew.

Pure white snow doesn’t have any marks or stains, and
thus they equated the image with sinlessness and holiness.

Daniel saw the Ancient of Days wearing a garment “white as snow” (Daniel 7:9).

John saw Jesus with hair “as white as snow” (Revelation 1:14).

When we see our sin, we know we need to be made as “white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18).

The more we see the holiness of God, the more we become aware of our need to be made pure as well. (Psalm 51:7).

The purer our habits, the closer to God we will come.

Jooley Mathew Z
🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

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Shalom 🙏
Blessed to be a Blessing to the Blessed People 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦

Giving to the God who has everything

We have heard or asked it again and again :
🔖 “What do you give the person who has everything ” ❓
🔖 ” How to give to the God who does indeed have everything “❓
Today’s reading passage will give us some insight.

📝 The setting of Psalm 50 is a court scene where God sits on his throne ( Zion ) as judge. The Lord calls his covenant people to account as they meet before him in worship at the temple, where they made a covenant with the Lord by sacrifice ( v 4-5 )

📝 Sacrifices were a part of the ritual that sealed the covenant ( Exo 24:4-8 ) and continued to be an integral part of Israel’s expression of covenant commitment to the Lord.

📝 God does not find fault with their obedience to the rituals regarding sacrifices and burnt offerings ( v 8 ) . Burnt offerings were gifts to God that were offered twice each day as well as on special occasions ( Exo 29:38-41; Lev 1:13 ) .
✅ But God object the attitudes of the people because they are thinking that He is depending on this offerings. So God reminds them that he does not need their animal sacrifices and other offerings ( v 9-13 )
✅ God does not rebuke the Israelites for failing to meet his minimal requirements for sacrifices and offerings. Instead, God reproaches them for the blatant sin and ingratitude( v 17-20 )

HOW DO WE GIVE TO THE GOD WHO HAS EVERYTHING? :
1️⃣ By giving to those who have nothing ( Mat 25:44-45 )
2️⃣ By praising him for his blessings to us ( 2Cor 8:9 )
3️⃣ By offering our thanksgiving to honour Him alone ( v 14-15 )

📌 Selwyn Hughes makes an important point about the sacrifice of generosity prompted by gratitude : “… I am not the owner, I am the ower “. That is the right order.

📌 Paul writes, ” God loves a cheerful giver” ( 2 Cor 9:7 )

📌 Asaph exposed the hypocrisy of the Israelites ( v 16-17 ) :
“What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips”?
“You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you”.
They can recite his laws and speak of his covenant as if they value it, but their actions reveal their contempt for him and his words.
They know the law, but chose to ignore it.

💞 Beloved Church, let us give our Time, Talents and Treasure
with a contrite heart of devotion and thanksgiving.
Let us stand firm in the faith because we are surrounded by hypocrites ( in today’s church ) who can recite God’s law but do not bother to keep them.
🙏 Dear God, I do not own anything. It is all yours. Show me how much I should keep for myself and what I should give back to you 🛐

Glory to God 🙌
✍🏻 Mark Boje
Arunachal Pradesh, India 🇮🇳