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Wednesday 9/18/24
Thru the Bible: Psalm Book II: chapters 50-53
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Whiter than Snow
Psalm 50:1-23,
“(1) A Psalm of Asaph.
The Mighty One, God the LORD, Has spoken and called the earth From the rising of the sun to its going down.
(2) Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth.”
This is a prophetic Psalm which to my thinking points to the very end. This is a Psalm, prophetically describing and even warning of future judgment.
God is mentioned by three separate names here…
El, Elohim and Yahweh.
It is unknown if the significance of this was lost on the average Israelite or not, but if anyone had any doubts as to the judicial nature of this Psalm God being mentioned by these three names in order should have dispelled those doubts.
This succession of God’s names only appears in one other place throughout the whole of scripture and is found in Joshua 22:22.
You may remember that the land given to the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh – by their request – was on the other side of the Jordan. They requested this land and God, through Moses, allowed it because it was perfect for raising cattle. However, the condition was that the warriors of this tribe had to stand ready to fight with the rest of Israel in claiming their allotted portions of the land Promised to them – a term they readily agreed to. The account of this can be found in Numbers 32.
Once the whole of the land was settled the people of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh returned to their side of the Jordan. As they were returning it occurred to them that in future days the physical distance between them and the other tribes might cause a family and religious division as well. All the other tribes may say that they have no right to worship the God of Israel and so they decided to build an altar unto God at the entrance of their land. This was NOT intended to be a literal altar on which sacrifices would be made, but only a model of the real altar to serve as a reminder to all future generations that they serve the God of Israel.
Now unwisely they constructed this altar without informing the rest of Israel or its leaders so that they could understand its purpose and intent. So when the other tribes saw that they were erecting an altar, they assumed it was to a foreign God. They stirred up the leaders of Israel to come and confront these tribes on the other side of the Jordan and to destroy them. However, when confronted, Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh explained their intent and appealed to God by these three appallations that He judge them if the intent of their hearts were wrong.
When Phinehas the priest, son of Eleazar, heard this he and the other leaders were satisfied.
So now, Asaph in this prophetic Psalm of Judgment is calling God by these exact three names in the same order as did the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh. This can only mean a call for God to judge Israel.
In this Psalm “El, God, the LORD” accuses His sinful covenant people of violating the covenant and warns them that He will not spare them if they persist in their rebellion.
Ultimately this warning was to culminate in Israel’s rejection of their Messiah for which God set them to one side to bring in the Gentiles and then He will turn His attention once more to Israel. Nevertheless, the day of Israel’s rejection of Messiah Jesus, was simply the final brick in a structure leading to Judgment they had been constructing for hundreds of years and this time in history when Asaph penned these words were among them and served as a warning Israel ultimately did not heed.
All of this was mentioned again by John the Baptist when he saw the Pharisees and Sadducees come out to the Jordan where he was baptizing.
Let’s read what he said,
Matthew 3:1-12,
“(1) In those days John the Baptist came into the wilderness of Judea proclaiming, (2) “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
(3) For he is the one about whom the prophet Isaiah had spoken:
“The voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight.’”
(4) Now John wore clothing made from camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey.
(5) Then people from Jerusalem, as well as all Judea and all the region around the Jordan, were going out to him, (6) and he was baptizing them in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. (7) But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them,
“You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? (8) Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, (9) and don’t think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones!
(10) Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
(11) “I baptize you with water, for repentance, but the one coming after me is more powerful than I am – I am not worthy to carry his sandals!
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
(12) His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clean out his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the storehouse, but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable fire!”
So with this little lesson under our belts let’s continue reading this Psalm which was written anywhere from 900-600 years before John spoke those words.
“(3) Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; A fire shall devour before Him, And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. (4) He shall call to the heavens from above, And to the earth, that He may judge His people:
(5) “Gather My saints together to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”
Now this statement can be understood in two ways.
- Gather My saints to me – as when Jesus returns in the air to gather those who by faith in Him were faithful and made righteous.
- Gather all Israel to Me, those who claim allegiance by covenant.
Literally either understanding would point to truth even though most likely only one is the specifically intended truth here.
“(6) Let the heavens declare His righteousness, For God Himself is Judge. Selah
(7) “Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God! (8) I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices Or your burnt offerings, Which are continually before Me. (9) I will not take a bull from your house, Nor goats out of your folds. (10) For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills.
(11) I know all the birds of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field are Mine.
(12) “If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all its fullness. (13) Will I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats?
(14) Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High.
(15) Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”
This is like the final call. The call to the wedding feast in Jesus’ parable if you will. All those who were either already faithful or were teetering on the fence all called upon to make their decision firm.
When God calls the wicked here He is NOT referring to the world, because everything in this Psalm points to Israel as the audience. Besides, at the time of this writing the only ones who were in a position to heed or cast God’s words behind them were Israel.
“(16) But to the wicked God says:
“What right have you to declare My statutes, Or take My covenant in your mouth, (17) Seeing you hate instruction And cast My words behind you?
(18) When you saw a thief, you consented with him, And have been a partaker with adulterers.
(19) You give your mouth to evil, And your tongue frames deceit. (20) You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son.
(21) These things you have done, and I kept silent; You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you, And set them in order before your eyes.
(22) “Now consider this, you who forget God, Lest I tear you in pieces, And there be none to deliver:”
Forgetting God here is more about forgetting or rejecting His laws and moral authority.
“(23) Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”
Psalm 51:1-19,
David’s sin regarding Bathsheba is one of the most instructive in all of scripture.
By the direction and authority of the Holy Spirit, Samuel the prophet/Judge called David from shepherding his father’s sheep, to being King over Israel. David being the last and least of his brothers.
David came to slay Goliath, having already successfully defended his father’s sheep against a lion and a bear. This he did before all the cowering warriors of Israel by faith in God.
He then was summoned to Saul’s side for 7 years. During which time he sung psalms to comfort Saul and dispel the evil spirits tormenting him. He also in this time went to war with Saul and defeated more enemies than he. He was then hated and pursued by Saul for an additional 4 years before he became king.
David attempted to bring the Ark of the Covenant home to Jerusalem twice. Finally succeeding the second time.
David determines to build God a house and is told that would be for his son.
David enjoys victory over the enemies of Israel – the Philistines, the Moabites, a region of Syria, the Arameanians of Damascus, Edom, the Ammonites & Amalek.
He is kind to Saul’s grandson Mephibosheth – son of his friend Jonathan.
All of this David accomplished and gave praise to God. Then the spring of the following year when Kings typically went out to war, David sent Joab his nephew and commander of Israel’s armies to go make war while he stayed back in Jerusalem where he saw Bathsheba bathing one night from the roof of his palace.
He inquired about her and discovered she was married yet nevertheless, called for her and made her his own. She became pregnant and so to cover his adultery he sent for her husband to come back from war so that it might appear as if the child were his.
As you know Uriah did not have intercourse with his wife but stood vigil in protection of the king.
So David in desperation and an attempt to conceal his sin had Uriah place in the front lines of the battle where it was nearly certain he would die.
David then took Bathsheba for his own.
During all this time, though he was clearly aware of the sinfulness of his actions, he did not repent but rather attempted to press on by concealing them.
Over nine months passed before Nathan the prophet came and confronted David in his sin. The penalty for which was the death of the child.
This Psalm is the record of what transpired in David’s heart as he confronted his sin and failures as a king before God.
I think it is important to call to mind the details of this huge travesty in order to grasp from what depths David was crying out to God.
David went from increasingly callous to immediately sullen and genuinely repentant before God.
David did not defend himself like so many other future kings would when confronted in their sin. Rather he threw himself down to the floor of his throne room, tore his royal robes and cried out in admission and repentance before God and all who were present.
It is important to remember that these are not the actual words David spoke on this occasion. In fact this Psalm was not written for some time after this confrontation. We know this because David was told his child was going to die and so David immediately went into weeping, fasting and seeking God that He might relent.
It was not until after the death of his child that David washed himself, clothed himself, collected himself and eventually penned this inward reflective account of these events.
Some of these words might surprise you and we will address them as we read.
Also of note is that David, in writing this Psalm and committing it to the Chief Musician did not conceal his sin any longer. David wanted his sin to be turned into a praise story of God’s forgiveness and deliverance – that others might learn and avoid the same devastations David and those immediately connected with these events endured.
“(1) To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David When Nathan the Prophet Went to Him, After He Had Gone in to Bathsheba.
Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.
(2) Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. (3) For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.
(4) Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.”
Now this might seem confusing, for on the surface of it David seems to be claiming that the only one wronged here was God and that he had defrauded no one else.
At this juncture two possible understandings present themselves.
While it is true that this word sin is used elsewhere in scripture for wrongs committed human against human, I think this may be a statement intended to point out that in all reality, sin which is a breaking of the law, can only be committed against the One Who made the Law. In this case, it is even more poignant in that these laws are what they are because they reveal the character and person of God. So in a very real way, it is only against God anyone truly CAN sin. While without questions we wrong many others both directly and indirectly by our sin, the actual breaking of the law is against God Himself. Everyone else involved were wronged and their sufferings were collateral damages.
The other possible understanding of these words is that it was stated in hyperbole. The David was simply overstating the truth of His sin. That in attacking Uriah for example, he was actually attacking God. Taken to the full extent, David’s wrongs against his office, against those of his court who he involved in his sin, against Uriah and Bathsheba – in all of these he wronged it was not against them that he was rebelling but against God.
“(5) Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
(6) Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
(7) Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
So far as I know this is the first comparison between the cleansing of forgiveness and being whiter than snow or wearing white garments. Isaiah later in a prophecy about the cleansing power of Messiah’s blood said, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” – Isaiah 1:18.
The wording “purge me with hyssop” can be confusing as well.
I used to think that “cleanse me with hyssop” was a metaphor due to some antiseptic or antibiotic properties of the hyssop plant and so it was being used allegorically for a spiritual cleansing from sin.
As far as we can tell hyssop is from the mint family & has a strong smell. Its flowers are purple cups, which itself most likely has symbolism.
In truth, this is a reference to the hyssop branch which was the medium used to sprinkle either the blood of the sacrifice or water for various cleansings. This was first used for the application of the blood of the Paschal lamb before Israel’s exodus from Egypt.
So hyssop was NOT a reference to the cleansing agent, but like the cross of our Lord, it was the medium through which the cleansing agents of water and blood were applied. [See Lev. 16:15; Num. 8:7; Heb. 9:13; 1Peter 1:2]
In addition to its poetic use here in Psalm 51 we see hyssop used as
- Lev. 14:1-7 – cleansing from leprosy
- Num. 19:14-19 – cleansing a room from a corpse
- Heb. 9:19 – Referencing Moses’ cleansing the book of the law and the people.
Additionally it was one of the bitter herbs which was consumed with the Paschal lamb before the exodus.
For us it served its final purpose when it was used as the branch upon which the sponge filled with vinegar was given to Jesus at His crucifixion. It was a symbol of Jesus partaking of the bitter cup of our transgressions and God’s wrath for us.
“(8) Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice.”
Bones here are being used as a metaphor for his spirit which was crushed by an awareness of the gravity of his sin.
Then he asks God to hide His face not from his person, but from his sins. This is one of the early indications of a sin of the flesh. David is making a difference between who he is as God’s servant and the undeniable horror of what he has done.
This truth has its ultimate expression in the regenerate, who being totally cleansed in the spirit, taken from death to life and made new, still know the grief of sin committed through the weakness of the flesh and soul.
Paul addresses this in his famous diatribe against his human condition in Romans 7 where he says,
“(15) For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I do not do what I want – instead, I do what I hate. (16) But if I do what I don’t want, I agree that the law is good. (17) But now it is no longer me doing it, but sin that lives in me. (18) For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do the good, but I cannot do it. (19) For I do not do the good I want, but I do the very evil I do not want! (20) Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer me doing it but sin that lives in me.”
So in a similar but not identical manner, David sees himself as desiring to honor God, but that he struggles against another nature which he, through the weakness of his flesh, sometimes gives way to even with passion – later to be regretted.
Notice also that even though David clearly wants to avoid the clear legal implication and recompense of his sin – that being death and even the removal of God’s Spirit from him as king and prophet – his ultimate pain is that he wronged God through a treason most foul.
What a stark comparison between two leaders. Saul disobeyed God’s command in taking plunder from his enemies and in not killing the King Agag – when confronted by Samuel, admitted his guilt by implicating Israel in it. “(24)...I have sinned. I have transgressed the LORD’s command and your words. Because I was afraid of the people, I obeyed them. (25) Now therefore, please forgive my sin and return with me so I can worship the LORD.”
When Samuel refused, Saul grabbed Samuel which tore his robe. Samuel then told Saul that God had torn the kingdom from him and rejected him as king. Samuel still did not relent but pressed Samuel further by again admitting his sin, but requested Samuel to still honor him “before the elders and Israel” which revealed his real purpose for repenting. He was more concerned over the opinion of men than the decision of God! [See 1 Samuel 15]
David makes no excuses and owns his sin. He asks not just for forgiveness but for a clean heart from which he can serve God with loyalty and steadfastness. He also wants to enjoy the presence of God as well as His acceptance.
“(9) Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities.
(10) Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
(11) Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. (12) Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
(13) THEN I WILL TEACH TRANSGRESSORS YOUR WAYS, AND SINNERS SHALL BE CONVERTED TO YOU.
(14) Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
(15) O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.”
This was a common approach to God for mercy. If you destroy and do not forgive, what benefit is it to You? The dead cannot offer you praise.
“(16) For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.”
Then David shows a wisdom which only comes from knowing God. That God does not truly desire animal sacrifice. These are only necessary to cover man’s rebellion. What God truly wants is an obedient and loyal heart.
David now forsakes his former metaphor of “broken bones”(vs. 8) and simply says “broken spirit”.
“(17) THE SACRIFICES OF GOD ARE A BROKEN SPIRIT, A BROKEN AND A CONTRITE HEART— THESE, O GOD, YOU WILL NOT DESPISE.
(18) Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. (19) Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, With burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.”
Psalm 52:1-9,
“(1) To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation of David When Doeg the Edomite Went and Told Saul, and Said to Him, “David Has Gone to the House of Ahimelech.”
The account of this is found in 1 Samuel 21-22. It was after Saul had grown bitterly jealous of David due to the women singing songs when they returned from battle saying, “Saul has killed his thousands but David his ten thousands”. God sent an evil spirit to trouble Saul, but David played the lyre in an attempt to sooth Saul. Saul however, in rage, threw a spear at David trying to kill him.
David and some men who were loyal to him, fled from Saul and eventually came to Ahimelech the priest requesting bread for they were hungry. It was then that Doeg, servant of Saul witnessed this exchange and later told Saul of it. In response Saul commanded Doeg to kill the Ahimelech and all the priests of his family for aiding David. But Abiathar, one of Ahimelich’s sons escaped and told David all that had happened. David admitted to Abiathar that he had seen Doeg the day he came to the priests for bread and knew in his heart that he would go and tell Saul. So David claimed responsibility for their deaths (1 Samuel 22:22).
It was regarding this whole incident that David composed this Psalm. So we know that the evil man here is Saul.
“Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The goodness of God endures continually.
(2) Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. (3) You love evil more than good, Lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah
(4) You love all devouring words, You deceitful tongue. (5) God shall likewise destroy you forever; He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
(6) The righteous also shall see and fear, And shall laugh at him, saying,
(7) “Here is the man who did not make God his strength, But trusted in the abundance of his riches, And strengthened himself in his wickedness.”
(8) But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.
(9) I will praise You forever, Because You have done it; And in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good.”
You may remember that David would not take it upon himself to kill Saul but relied upon the Lord to deliver him from Saul and to deliver the kingdom into his power even as Samuel had anointed him many years prior.
Psalm 53:1,
“(1) To the Chief Musician. Set to “Mahalath.” A Contemplation of David. The fool has said in his heart,”There is no God.” They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none who does good.
(2) God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
(3) Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.
(4) Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call upon God?
(5) There they are in great fear Where no fear was, For God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you; You have put them to shame, Because God has despised them.
(6) Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When God brings back the captivity of His people, Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.”
Blessings!
Tri
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