Our little Shitzu, Murphy needed a bath the other day. We usually call him “Sir MurphALot”. Well, certain antics with a dead fish by the lake resulted in a new name,”Sir StinksALot.”
Thus began the scrubbing.
Two rounds of shampoo.
One (half-hearted) attempt at tooth brushing.
Two rounds of heavily perfumed conditioner.
Bam! No more Sir StinksALot!
By the time the tubby was done I could tell Murph felt better and goodness know I felt better. As I scrubbed him up I couldn’t help but think about how good it feels to be clean.
According to google.com clean by definition means “free from dirt, marks or stains.” It also can mean “morally uncontaminated; pure; innocent.” Nothing captures the desperate need of a man’s desire to be morally clean than David’s Psalm 51. There are so many things I love about this amazing prayer. The soul scrub God so graciously offers through this petition is a gift indeed. But there’s more to this piece that moves me——it’s the story behind it and the man that prayed it.
David had been caught in the sin of adultery. He lusted after Bathsheba and pursued infidelity with her. What happened next is best described in the book of James.
“Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:15
Bathsheba became pregnant. David, upon learning of Bathsheba’s pregnancy, ordered the murder of her husband. I can’t imagine the grief in Davids heart. No doubt the little that was left of David’s relationship with God was now shattered completely.
When David was confronted with the stench of his sin what he did next blows me away.
He ran to God.
David knew his sin stunk. He knew he was in desperate need of a bath. But unlike me, his first response was to run towards God, not away from him. What a testament to how deep and intimate his relationship with God must have been. As David ran to the temple was he remembering day’s in the field watching sheep? Could he almost feel the closeness of God as he recalled time spent with him in the hills? Did memories flash though his mind like a camcorder on playback as he thought on God’s many acts of protection and faithfulness? The lion that nearly decimated his sheep? The terror inducing Philistine monster named Goliath? The crazed King Saul determined to slay him?
Every recollection must have felt like a knife. Surely as David knelt in the temple what he really knew was that his unfaithfulness far exceeded the boundaries of a marriage. No, his faithlessness was against God and God only.
And yet…
David trusted God. He believed in the goodness of God and more than anything He knew he couldn’t, wouldn’t live without Him. David just wanted to be clean.
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51
I want to learn from David. It’s so easy for me to want to hide from God when I’ve failed. And yet the truth of the matter is, God just want me to be clean. He rejoices when I run to Him looking for a bath! Our cleanliness is so important to God He gave more to the cause of clean than we can comprehend.
If you’re feeling stink in your own life be encouraged dear one. And run. Run to where the water flows. Run to where clean scent abounds. Run to the one who’ll grab you, hold you and kiss you smack dab on your muddy forehead. Cuz He doesn’t see the dirt. He only sees the cross.
Your DoAhead Friend,
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