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The Joy of Salvation
Psalm 51
By Pastor Raymond Wey
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow!
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken
may rejoice!
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities!
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within
me!
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit
from me!
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy
free spirit!
Living in this world presents a challenge to a Christian in all aspects
of his daily life. If he wants to survive, it is necessary that he sticks
close to God. He cannot allow himself to sleep spiritually, otherwise,
he will fall just like David did. David, who once was king - famous
and feared, anointed and appointed by God to reign over His people Israel
- committed adultery with another woman, and left her husband Uriah
in the hands of the enemy, who ended up killing him. He did all this
so that nobody would find out about the sin which he had committed.
Life went on as usual for David; as time past by, he no longer thought
about the terrible thing which he had done. As a result, God spoke through
the prophet to him, reminding him of the big sin which he had committed.
In the future, there is going to be a day on which God will uncover
all the sins that a person has ever done, including yours. If they are
not covered with the blood of the lamb, then there will be no justification
or hope. God let David face the bitter consequences of his horrible
deed head-on. David's anointing and joy disappeared, alongside with
the hope and expectation of salvation. The terribleness of God's absence
in his life hit David - he felt abandoned, and he longed for God's grace
again. He wanted grace, although he himself had not shown grace to Uriah
at that time. Sin knows absolutely nothing about grace: on the contrary,
it brings divine destruction and kills those who walk in its path. David
knew that he deserved to die as a result of his foolishness - now death
was waiting to take him. However, David did not give up; he did everything
that God required of him. He realized that his own righteousness could
never save him, and that the righteousness of God was necessary for
his salvation.
Do you realize that, too?