![]() ![]() Recently I felt a need to take inventory of my spiritual house. It hurts to have the Lord of the universe show us how small and helpless we are without His guiding presence. “Purge me with hyssop.” How often do we ask God to reveal secret sins or attitudes that we have been ignoring or perhaps were truly blinded by? Praying such a prayer is not easy. It is during these moments that I believe it is so important to pray what David prayed. So instead we keep shoving it to the back of the shelf. Why do we do what we do? What are our goals? How is our thought life? What about our attitudes to those around us? Perhaps there is something in the back closet of our hearts that we know needs to be thrown away, but we’re not quite ready to give it up yet. I think it is important for us to take inventory of our lives every now and then. Life is treating us well and while we may not be blatantly choosing to sin, there are still things in our throne room that don’t need to be there. But there are other times when we become complacent. There will be times where we yield to temptation and we will have to seek forgiveness for our sin yet again. We also recognize that this initial cleansing does not give us liberty to continue doing whatever we want. We understand that to become a Christian means that we confess our sins and turn away from our sinful lifestyle by allowing Jesus to wash us clean with His blood. Do they need some spring cleaning? Are there things that need to be organized and put away? Where in the world do we start? Isn’t it interesting that just as hyssop was used in the Old Testament for purification sacrifices it was also used when Jesus became the ultimate Sacrifice? When Jesus hung on the cross He was given a vinegar-soaked sponge placed upon hyssop. When the Lord passed over Egypt to destroy the Egyptians, He would not suffer the destroyer to come into their homes. The children of Israel were commanded to take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in blood, then strike the lintel and doorposts of their homes. (Leviticus 14) In the book of Numbers the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to burn a red heifer with cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet as a purification for sin. These items were dipped in the blood of a sacrificed bird, then that blood was sprinkled seven times over the person with the leprosy. In the Old Testament hyssop was used in conjunction with cedar wood, scarlet, and a living bird to cleanse from leprosy. It is believed that this plant has antibacterial properties, which is probably why it is associated with cleansing in the Bible. Hyssop is a bitter plant from the mint family. ![]() What is hyssop and what is significant about it? He implored, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalms 51:7. After he sinned with Bathsheba, David recognized that he needed a cleansing from the Lord. King David is one of my favorite examples of someone who actively cleaned his spiritual throne room. When was the last time we purged His room? Are there cobwebs to knock from the corners and secret sins shoved into the back of the closet that must be thrown in the trash? We can relax and enjoy life.ĭo we have the same attitude towards our spiritual house? Our hearts are the throne rooms for the presence of the King of Kings, Jesus Christ Himself. We collapse onto the sofa, clutching our favorite coffee drink, and we breathe a deep sigh of relief and contentment. Cabinets get organized, the windows are washed sparkling clean, and the refrigerator no longer has science experiments lurking in the depths. We can't wait to purge our belongings to eliminate unwanted or unused junk. What is it about the coming of Spring that makes us throw open all the windows in the house and commence to scrubbing everything from the ceiling down? We become invigorated by the notion of a spotless house and we're spurred on by the warm scented breezes flowing through the trees. ![]()
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