One More Thing About Hyssop

Last week I wrote about hyssop and how this little shrub features prominently in two locations in Scripture: when the Israelites used it to paint the doorposts with blood during the Passover in Egypt (Exodus 12) and when the soldiers gave Jesus sour wine on a sponge during his execution (John 19).

But there’s one more prominent inclusion of the word that should catch our attention. It’s found in Psalm 51:7:

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

It seems like such a strange, detailed request for a plant from a man who is in the middle of confessing his life-altering and life-ending sins of adultery and murder. Hyssop might have some medicinal qualities, but not enough to bring back Uriah from the dead or heal the grieving heart of Bathsheba!

So why hyssop?

David is confessing between the “already” and the “not yet” of hyssop, blood, and sacrifice. Already the blood of the first Passover had protected Israel from death and made their exodus to freedom and the land of promise possible. Already the Mosaic system of constant animal-blood sacrifices covered the sins of God’s people.

But the promised, final Passover Lamb had not yet come. Not yet had the soldiers offered Jesus sour wine on a hyssop branch, which David himself prophesied in Psalm 69. Not yet had the blood of Christ been spilled, once and for all, in the final moment of sacrifice that forever ended any need for further sacrifice.

In his moment of confession between the “already” and the “not yet”, David is crying out for the one thing that anyone who acknowledges their sin will cry for—cleansing.

When your sin really does become ugly to you, when it produces pain in your heart and sickness in your stomach, you celebrate forgiveness, but you want something more. You want to be clean.

You long to be once and for all purified from all sin whatsoever. You want your sin to be once and for all washed away. You want to be free of every dark residue of sinful thought, desire, word, and deed.

Yes, you can rest in the fact that you stand before God dirty yet unafraid because of his comprehensive and freely given grace that cleans you. You can celebrate that his forgiveness of you is full and complete.

Yes, you should rejoice that his mercy is new morning after morning, but you should also grow tired of needing and seeking forgiveness day after day.

Do you mourn the hold that sin has on you? Are you frustrated with the way that sin seems to infect everything you do? This is because we, too, live between the “already” and the “not yet.”

Already Jesus has come, but not yet has he returned to take you home with him forever. Already your sin has been forgiven, but not yet have you been fully delivered from it. Already Jesus reigns, but not yet has his final kingdom come.

Already sin has been defeated, but not yet has it been completely destroyed. Already the Holy Spirit has been given, but not yet have you been perfectly formed into the likeness of Jesus. Already God has given you his Word, but not yet has it totally transformed your life. Already you have been given grace, but not yet has that grace finished its work.

So, like David, in between the “already” and the “not yet” of your everyday life, cry out to God for cleansing. Know that in Christ, you stand before him perfectly clean, whiter than snow. But be prepared for painful purification, knowing that cleansing often comes through hardship.

And rest, knowing that a day is coming when every atom of sin will be eternally cleansed from your heart, and the former struggle of sin will have passed away forever.

A Prayer for Today: Lord, as I live in between the “already” and “not yet,” please help me to rejoice in the mercy you extend to me that is new every morning. Help me to mourn the sin that still has a hold on me and affects everything I do. Prepare me for the painful purification I need, knowing that cleansing comes through hardship. I need you, God, and that will always be a good thing. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.

God bless,

Paul Tripp

Discussion Prompt for Children

• If Jesus has already saved us from our sin, but has not yet destroyed all the effects of sin in this world and our lives, what do you think we need the most as we live in between the “already” and “not yet?”

• If someone gets really dirty playing outside, what do you think they should do before going to bed at night? Why is getting clean something important?

• If we are really spiritually dirty because of our sin, what do you think we need the most?

Reflection Questions

1. What have been some of the difficulties you have faced as a person living in between the “already” and “not yet?” How have those challenges frustrated you? How have they made you more godly? More wise? More mature?

2.When your sin has become really ugly to you, what avenues have you taken to try to get clean and rid yourself of it? How have those avenues failed you? What have those failed avenues taught you about forgiveness, cleanliness, healing, and acceptance in Christ?

3. In what ways have you mourned the sin that has had such a hold on you in the past? How has that sin frustrated you over time?

4. When it comes to your sin struggles, how have you been impacted by the fact that you currently live in the “already” but “not yet”? How have you cried out to God for cleansing? If you haven’t cried out to him for cleansing, take some time to do that right now.

5. Why do you think cleansing often comes through the avenue of hardship? Why is that a good thing? How could that be a painful experience for you?

6. What next steps is God calling you to take as you process his mercy and desire to be cleansed of your sin?