Today's Treasure:
"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"
Psalm 51: 7 - 8
Read Psalm 51 aloud
In five words or less, what was David's theme in this chapter
cleansing/renewing his broken spirit
David's sin had injured many people. Why do you think he said, "Against you, you only, have I sinned?"
I personally believe that when the Lord is the center of your heart, He should always be the first concern of your heart. In Psalm 51, David wanted all of his focus to be on the sin he committed against God. The other people that are hurt by our sin must come second to confessing to God. If we truly repent, God will stand by us and help us rectify the other relationships that have suffered from our sin.
In verses 10 - 12, what six requests of God did David make?
1. Create in me a pure heart
2. Renew a steadfast spirit within me
3. Do not cast me from your presence
4. Do not take your Holy Spirit from me
5. Restore to me the joy of your salvation
6. Grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me
Beth specifically studies the following verses from the Psalm:
Verse 1 - "Have mercy upon me, O God."
Usually when we go to the Lord with prayer, we begin with praises to his name and an introduction to enter into His presence. David is so overwhelmed by his sin that he feels an urgency to immediately ask the Lord to show him mercy.
Read Isaiah 59: 1 - 2
what can sin cause?
Sin separates us from God and he cannot hear us
"According to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion"
David called on the God of love and compassion. Only the basis of covenant love could David dare ask for mercy.
Verse 2 - "Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin"
Do you realize that God is great enough to cleanse us of ALL our sins?
Describe your feelings when you know God has cleansed you from your sin.
I am overjoyed. I feel whole and complete. I feel like I can start all over again and God sees me as His innocent child
Are you able to accept that ALL your confessed and rejected sins have been completely forgiven? What do you think holds you back from accepting God's complete forgiveness?
I have actually come to the point in my life when I can accept that All of my sins are completely forgiven. We need to understand that just because we remember the sin doesn't mean God hasn't forgiven us. God wipes the sin away from His memory. It is important for us to remember the pain the sin caused in our relationship with Him so that we do not commit it again.
Verse 3 - "For I know my transgressions."
Are you carrying a sin with you that you know is wrong, but you refuse to give it up. You justify it in your mind, and you cannot bring yourself to live without this sin in your life. Satan is very good at using our human frailties to make us believe our sins are so big that God could never forgive us of them. So, we decide to keep them. Then, the sin separates us from God, and our lives begin a downward spiral that can only be stopped when we recognize our sin for what it is. I can promise you that living without the sin is much easier than living with it. I have yet to have a sin in my life that didn't cause me much more trouble than good. If you are afraid to give up a sin, confess that fear to God. He can work you through the fear, and you can take baby steps to complete renewal. Remember, God knows our hearts. That is what He is most interested in.
Verse 4 - "Against you, you only have I sinned"
When we offend God with our sin, that is what causes the greatest heartbreak. When we begin to look at our sin as a personal "slap in the face" to our mighty God, sin takes on a whole knew meaning. God grants us the amazing privilege of having a deep and personal relationship with Him. He longs to hear us describe Him as our best friend. How do you feel when you sin against your best friend on earth that you must physically look in the eyes? Well, you should feel even worse about offended your Father in heaven if you proclaim Him as your best friend.
Read Genesis 39: 6 - 10
Who is the man in this scripture that had to opportunity to sleep with another man's wife (as David did)?
Joseph
What is the one question he asked his pursuer?
"How then can I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?"
Please take time to read this scripture if you are not familiar with it. Joseph did what was right in the eyes of God. He was not rewarded immediately, but keep reading!!!
Verse 5 - "Surely I was sinful at birth"
Here, David is acknowledging the huge part that sin plays in human nature. We are sinful being without the hand of God guiding us through our lives.
Since your salvation, have you ever come to the stunning realization of your own depravity apart from Christ?
What impact did this "poverty of sin" have on you?
I realized that I had to have a daily dependence on God to remain as close to Him as possible. A daily dependence on the world leads us away from Him.
Verse 6 - "Surely you desire truth in the inner parts"
God wants us to be vulnerable to Him. He wants to know the deepest part of our souls. In order to share in relationship with Him, we have to open our hearts and live completely to His works. That is why it is so important to me that I share things with all of you in an open manner. I know I have shared things about my life with you that many people would not be open to sharing. If I kept all of these things closed up, how am I offering my life as a sacrifice to God? Do you know how many of us walk around looking at others thinking, "How are their lives so perfect? I bet they have never...." When we are willing to open up and share the sufferings of our heart, we begin to realize that all of us have experienced pain. There isn't one individual on the earth that has a perfect life. Don't fool yourself into believing that lie from Satan. Doesn't it make it easier to deal with sin that you have suffered through when you know someone else in the body of Christ has been there too? If you knew you could help another individual grow closer to Christ by sharing your imperfections, why wouldn't you?
What have we learned over and over again from Jeremiah 17:9 about the nature of the heart?
The heart is deceitful above all things
According to John 8: 32, what will knowing the truth do for us?
The truth will set you free
Have you ever found truth to be painful but liberating?
Oh, Yes!!!!
Verse 7 - "Cleanse me with hyssop"
For the people of the Old Testament, hyssop carried a powerful ritual and symbolic message
Read the first mention of hyssop in Exodus 12: 22 - 23. Why do you think David referred to hyssop in his prayer of repentance?
They hyssop was used to spread sacrificed blood over the door frames of the Israelites to save their homes from the death angel as it passed over. It kept the destroyer from entering their homes. David wanted to keep the destroyer from entering his body.
Verse 8 - "Let the bones you have crushed rejoice"
Can you think of a time when you rejoiced after finally being broken by God? If so, what caused your rejoicing even though the process was painful?
I remember the night that I truly dedicated my life to following Christ!!! I was completely broken after a Bible study that I was doing right before my wedding with a group of women my age. This Bible study was my first encounter with Sandy Broome. She agreed to write the study for us and lead it in our homes. When I met Sandy, it was one of my first experience with an individual that truly lived a dedicated life to Christ. I yearned to be more like her, and my heart began to break. Over the course of the study, my sins became so apparent to me that I knew things had to change. I remember going home this specific evening and falling on my face before God. I sobbed and begged Him to accept me as I was and help me become who He wanted me to be. I will never forget that night because it changed me forever. No, it didn't happen overnight. I can tell you that it was the biggest turning point in my life with Christ. I was so broken over my sin that night, but I still rejoice about it to this day!!!
Verse 9 - "Hide your face from my sins"
David was embarrassed for God to see him with this sin all over his body. Yet, we need to know that God already knew David's sin. Despite how dirty it was, He still wanted David to come to Him. He still loved David and wanted to forgive David. The amazing thing is that He feels the same about us!!!
Verse 10 - "Create in me a pure heart"
I have to recite Beth's point on this one...I love it!!!
The Hebrew word for create is "bara". Also used in Geneses 1:1, the word "refers only to an activity which can be performed by God" and describes an "entirely new productions". David was admitting his need for something only God could do. Pure hearts never come naturally. In fact, a pure human heart is perhaps God's most creative work!
Verse 11 - "Do not... take your Holy Spirit from me"
Do you remember that David actually saw God remove His spirit from Saul? David watched first-hand how God can leave an individuals life and it lead to the person's destruction. For this reason, David is pleading with God to never leave him.
Verse 12 - "Restore to me the joy of your salvation"
Read John 15: 10 - 11
Which of the following activities is the precursor to "complete joy"?
obedience
In order to find joy after we repent, we must be willing to be obedient and turn away from the sin. We cannot repent, continue living in the sin and expect to find joy and peace with God.
Verse 13 - "Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you"
Who better to share with other the joy of the Lord than those of us who have been completely renewed by God. This is confirmation that it is our responsibility to share with others when the Lord renews us of our sins. Now am I saying that we need to share every detail of our sins with each individual we come in contact with? No, no, no!!! We are to use wisdom and share only what is necessary to help others see the role that God played in renewing us of the sin. It is important that we do not make the sin itself enticing when we share. Our point is to make the love of God enticing!!!
I know this was a long study, but I am sure we all feel blessed by it!!! Thanks for hanging in there today!!!
love you all,
Tiffany
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