Whiter Than Snow

Psalm 51:7

"Purge me with hyssop and I will be clean, wash me and I will be whiter than snow."

Being from Texas and not familiar with much snow, Colorado was amazing to me. It was like a postcard! Every rooftop was covered with over a foot of snow. There was no bare ground to see, all was covered and with white. It was so vivid and picturesque. It was absolutely beautiful.

I have heard that there are different types of snow. I could actually see some subtle differences. The most obvious was the difference between snow that man had tread upon and the untouched snow. Tracks of any kind, human or otherwise, show up very distinctly. So, the pure stuff, the completely virgin, unadulterated snow was a sight of unique perfection.

This made me ponder on Psalm 51 verse 7. This is David's famous song of confession for his sins in the incident with Bathsheba and Uriah. He confesses his sin, expresses a repentant heart and seeks the mercy and forgiveness of God. It is in this context that David appeals to the cleansing hand of God and states that if God cleanses him then he shall be whiter than snow.

After being surrounded by pure snow, I am not sure that there is anything that can be whiter than snow. This seems impossible. And that is exactly what Psalm 51 is indicating.

My sin is so grievous that no amount of human scrubbing can completely remove all indications of its filth. Sin not only is filthy it stains. The stain of sin cannot be removed by any natural means. It takes a supernatural effort. Indeed, it takes a miracle to cleanse the human heart to the point that it is "whiter than snow."

This is exactly what God has done. Psalm 51 verse 7 alludes to this miracle when it says, "Purge me with hyssop and I will be clean." Hyssop was a plant that the branches of were used ceremonially in temple worship. Specifically the branch of hyssop was dipped in the blood of the sacrifice and then sprinkled for atonement from sin.

It is blood that cleanses us from sin. Not just any blood, but the perfect blood of the spotless Lamb of God. Jesus Christ shed His blood for our sin. He gave His blood so that we can receive the miracle of forgiveness.

This is the forgiveness that cleanses from sin. This is powerful cleansing. It doesn't cover over dirt but removes it completely. It is only through the blood of Jesus that you and I can be "whiter than snow."

Thank You Jesus for your blood. I too confess my sin and ask you to purge me, cleanse me, and make me whiter than snow.