"Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. "
Psalm 51:7
BATHE ME, LORD
Read It: Psalm 51:4-13
David teaches us something very important in Psalm 51:4. Ultimately, all sin is committed against God. That's why we must come to Him with a contrite spirit. When the Lord calls us out for our sin, He doesn't want excuses. If David had tried to excuse himself, restoration would have halted right there. The tragedy of moral failure is our failure to own up to moral failure. We write it off to being human or making a mistake, like the guy who once told me, "I'm a man." I said, "I know. That's not the point. The point is that you are a Christian man. Therefore, when you are judged by God, you simply say, `You've got me. I'm guilty."' David pleaded for cleansing with hyssop, a branch that was dipped into the blood sprinkled on the altar. It was a plea for forgiveness. Without it there could be no joy or wholeness (v. 8). If you are carrying unconfessed moral sin, that's why you have no peace, no power, no sense of God's presence. That's why your prayers are not being answered, because when you don't come clean with God, He doesn't hang out with you. David wanted a spiritual bath.
Some of us need one too. Some of us men are filthy. We wallow in the muck and mire of pornographic literature. ture. We choose our movies based on the amount of sex, and we become defiled. We need cleansing, and the good news is that God is ready to bathe us if we will confess our sin to Him. Let me give you more good news. Even if you've messed up morally, God can still use you to teach other transgressors His ways (v. 13). You can tell potential homosexuals they don't have to go that way, because you've been there, and it's a dead end. You can tell potential adulterers that adultery is not the way to go, because you know the price you paid. What does God want from someone who has committed moral sin? He doesn't want denial, excuses, or a cover-up. He wants a broken heart. If your heart is broken over your sin today, you're a candidate for a spiritual itual rebound. Think About It God answered David's prayer. David bounced back, and God used him. God will do the same for you.
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