{Disclaimer: these are my rough teaching notes I use in my Mishkan Katan weekly broadcasts. There will be "typos". Proceed at your own risk, lol.You can find all my Mishkan Katan video teachings on my YouTube channel: genahood2818 . Look on the playlist called Messianic LAMB TV Network.}
Boker Tov! This morning we continue on in our Psalms study, by beginning to explore Psalm 51, the greatest psalm of repentance in the Tanakh. Actually, we finished Psalm 50 and began to discuss Psalm 51 last week, but we took an important little detour, to review the story of David and Bathsheba, the story which fueled the creation of this psalm, a story recorded in 2 Samuel 11 and the first half of 12.
Allright, let’s get started. Please find Psalm 51 in your copy of the Scriptures. You are probably already looking at it. That being the case, I will not read every verse aloud this time. Sometimes we do that; sometimes we don’t…
As already mentioned, the foreword identifies the author of the psalm as David. Verse two records the occasion of the psalm, the setting, if you will. Nathan the prophet, not to be confused with Nathan, David’s son, and the ancestor of Joseph of Bethlehem. Probably, David named that son after the prophet, Nathan, whom he obviously greatly respected. Not all prophets were inspired by Hashem to write Scripture, were they? Nathan was such a one.
The sages, particularly Dorash Moshe emphasize that Nathan did not go to confront David until after Bathsheba bore to him her first son. The references for this are 2 Samuel 11:27 and 12:2. This was at least 9 months after David’s initial transgression. Why did it take David so long to repent? The sages postulate that it was because he had come up with a number of “righteous” rationalizations, to excuse his sin. (I know none of us have ever done that, have we…??)
Yes, this was a very serious sin, actually two sins, because not only did David commit adultery with Bathsheba; he killed her husband beforehand. This next comment is not found in Scripture, but in the commentary to 2 Samuel 12:2 Alshich explains that it was a mercy Hashem waited this long to confront David or to punish him for his sin. Such a severe sin, committed by the agent of Hashem on earth, could only be atoned for by the forfeiture of another life. (David, in fact, affirmed this in 2 Samuel 12:5.) Alshich says that, in waiting until the child was born, who became ill shortly after birth and died soon after, his life took the place of his father’s.
Then, this is another strange story from the Midrash….again, not scripture, just commentary. The story is told that when David slew Goliath, he encountered Uriah the Hittite, who helped him find the place in Goliath’s armor where David could decapitate him. At that time, Uriah was not a Jewish convert. Uriah said he’d help David if he gave him, Uriah, a Jewish woman as his wife. David agreed. Hashem was angry with David for promising a daughter of Israel to a pagan, and therefore put Uriah and Bathsheba together, even though it had been pre-ordained from the six days of creation that Bathsheba should be David’s wife. Then, David usurped the plans of Hashem again when he prematurely took her as his wife, before the proper time.
As I said, it is commentary, part of the Oral Law.
Ok, verse 1, the first part. In the Hebrew it is “KhaNAYnee, Elohim, k’ khasDEHkhah, which literally means “show grace to me, Elohim, like your lovingkindness”. Here, David chose to appeal to Hashem not as the divine dispenser of mercy, but instead he called Him by the name that connotes the Enforcer of Strict Justice. I find that odd, don’t you? I mean, if it were me, I’d appeal to God’s merciful side, because I would know I could not ever, ever measure up to his standards of holiness.
In verse 1, the word “transgressions” is used, the plural, which indicates David is asking forgiveness for the two sins, the murder and also the adultery.
Verse 2 goes on to use the word “iniquity”, which creates a residue of sin even deeper than transgression, even an intentional transgression. A transgression is an obvious offense that is clear-cut. But, iniquity is more subtle, more covert, and therefore leaves a deeper stain, as a stubborn stain in fabric, which can be removed only by thorough washing. Yesterday, for example, I was about to re-wear a shirt that had not been laundered. I noticed near the hem of the back of the shirt that there was some sort of crumbly-like stain. I was able to take a rag and, more or less, brush it off the surface of the fabric. Such a blemish is a picture of UNintentional sin (a form of transgression). Had it been a deeper, more stubborn stain, I would have had to pre-treat it and launder it, perhaps more than once, in order to remove the deep-seated stain. This is the difference between transgression and iniquity.
In verse 3 we see that David did not attempt to hide his sin. This admission of guilt is in itself a virtue, although not a virtue sufficient to obtain forgiveness. Only God can absolve of sin, of course, and none of us is worthy of it. The verb tense David used here was the ongoing present tense, which indicates that he would never forget what he did, as long as he lived. He reiterated that when he said that his sin looms before him incessantly.
The sages have a difference of opinion about repeated confession of sin. Some believe that repeated confession of sin is like “a dog who returns to its vomit” to ingest it again, that once a sin is confessed, we should leave it there, in Christian terms that it is “under the blood”. Others say that repeated confession of our sins is desirable, and they use these words of David as “proof” of that position. However, there are some of us who so vigorously beat ourselves up over past sins that we begin to refuse to accept the Lord’s forgiveness. And, our constant self-berating of our souls renders us no good to the advancement of His kingdom. It instead causes us to believe we are unable to accomplish any good thing, nor are we entitled to receive any good thing from His hand. When we refuse to forgive ourselves, it warps our minds and souls, sometimes causing us to refuse to accept His forgiveness as well.
One example of how paralyzing and sidelining this attitude can be is found in Leviticus 9, where Aaron has to be convinced by Moses to accept the role of high priest. His egregious sin of allowing the golden calf incident to proceed, a horrible event that led to the deaths of thousands of people, was forever etched into Aaron’s mind. His key role in that must have haunted him the rest of his life, much as David was saying here in verse 3. Likewise, Aaron’s sin was “ever before him.” Therefore, Moses had to calm Aaron’s fears and persuade him that it was indeed Hashem’s calling that he be the high priest of the nation.
I believe the Bible teaches that we should confess all of our sins, return to Him and accept God’s forgiveness for them. As Yeshua said to the woman caught in the act of adultery, in John 8 - - “go and sin no more”. She was forgiven for her sins, but she was to not continue to sin in that manner any longer. As I taught a couple of weeks ago, some of you may not know that .. that story, that passage at the end of John 7 and the first part of John 8 does not appear in the earliest manuscripts of the book of John, and for that reason, most scholars believe it to have been an insertion by believers who lived hundreds of years after Yeshua lived.
We should not be so quick to dismiss this story, though, because it teaches a powerful lesson about repentance, the theme of Psalm 51. After all the accusers had crept away, there was just the God of the Universe and the woman who had been dragged from the arms of a man not her husband. Yeshua said, “I don’t condemn you either. Go, and from this point on, stop your sinning.” So many people love this story, because they want to stop at “I don’t condemn you either.” They eagerly will follow a God like that, a God who “loves me like I am”. But, that’s not what happened in this story. You can’t separate Yeshua’s first statement from His follow-up command, because they go together. He did not just save her from a physical death by stoning. He more importantly saved her from herself. Grace is real, but transformation is required. Grace and forgiveness do not mean that sin is overlooked or tolerated; it means that sin is obliterated. True salvation involves Yeshua meeting us in our mess, but it also means He does not leave us there. He is in the transformation business, because He is LORD.
But, I digress and must get back on track here.
As we looked at 2 Samuel 12:13, last week, we found David saying the same thing he said here in verse 4 of psalm 51. In 2 Samuel he said, “I have sinned to Hashem.” Here, it reads, “against you, and you only, have I sinned.” Common sense tells us that David also sinned against Uriah, Bathsheba, other soldiers affected by Uriah’s death and also the baby boy child Bathsheba bore, because, after all, his young life was cut short by the sins of his father. However, in some cases, the offense ran so deep that it could not be repaired in this life. Uriah, after all, was dead, as were some of the soldiers in his unit, affected by David’s decision to move Uriah to the front lines. David was unable to ask forgiveness of them. But, in the final analysis, no matter our sins, they all affect others to some degree and they all are offenses against Hashem, first and foremost. The sages suggest David referenced his sinning “in the eyes of God”, perhaps because this devastatingly horrible set of sins was set into motion by the lust of his (David’s) eyes.
The next verse, verse 5, teaches a very important truth about the nature of man. Many Jews believe that man is born “good”, that is that the soul is pure as the baby emerges from the womb, but most Christians believe that the legacy of our ancestors Adam and Eve is that the soul is born sin-sick, with a “sin nature”, so to speak and those who take the latter position cite this verse as proof of it.
Verse 6 teaches an extremely important truth, that we be honest with ourselves about our sins, our guilt before a holy God. It may say in your translation, “inner person” or “inmost heart” or “in the concealments” or something similar to these. There is a Hebrew word here “ShooKOTE”, which the sages say means “kidneys”, as the kidneys are concealed and covered with protecting fat. The ancient Hebrews considered the kidneys to be the seat of human intellect. References for this are Job 38:36 and Psalm 7:10 and Psalm 16:7.
Verse 7 now – - “Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.” These methods may seem a little strange to the non-Jewish mind. Turn with me to Leviticus 14:1-9. While you are turning I want you to keep this in mind. The most common form of leprosy, a highly-contagious skin disease of that day, was a form that turned the skin an unnatural “white”, with scaliness and oozing, in the most advanced stages. In that case, white was bad. However, in spiritual terms, white is good. So, we are going to see a play on words here shortly.
Parashah 28: M’tzora (Person afflicted with tzara‘at) 14:1–15:33
14 Adonai said to Moshe, 2 “This is to be the law concerning the person afflicted with tzara‘at on the day of his purification. He is to be brought to the cohen, 3 and the cohen is to go outside the camp and examine him there. If he sees that the tzara‘at sores have been healed in the afflicted person, 4 then the cohen will order that two living clean birds be taken for the one to be purified, along with cedar-wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop leaves. 5 The cohen is to order one of the birds slaughtered in a clay pot over running water. 6 As for the live bird, he is to take it with the cedar-wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird slaughtered over running water, 7 and sprinkle the person to be purified from the tzara‘at seven times. Next he is to set the live bird free in an open field. 8 He who is to be purified must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair and bathe himself in water. Then he will be clean; and after that, he may enter the camp; but he must live outside his tent for seven days. 9 On the seventh day he is to shave all the hair off his head, also his beard and eyebrows — he must shave off all his hair; and he is to wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; and he will be clean.
Now, I want to remind you of something else related to this. Look at Numbers 19:5-7. These are 3 verses from the Tanakh that concern the Red Heifer offering.
5 The heifer is to be burned to ashes before his eyes — its skin, meat, blood and dung is to be burned to ashes. 6 The cohen is to take cedar-wood, hyssop and scarlet yarn and throw them onto the heifer as it is burning up. 7 Then the cohen is to wash his clothes and himself in water, after which he may re-enter the camp; but the cohen will remain unclean until evening.
Do you see the recurrence of these same materials? Water, hyssop, scarlet yarn, cedar wood? It is said that the red heifer offering is a type for our Messiah, Yeshua, and if you have studied that offering you can see the parallels to His all-encompassing, atoning work.
Why cedar wood and hyssop? The cedar tree is a strong, towering tree, whose beams would later be used in the construction of the Temple. The hyssop bush, by contrast, is like sagebrush, lowly, unassuming, sort of like broom straw. The sages say that Leprosy is a punishment for arrogance and that David indeed was afflicted with leprosy during the months after he laid with Bathsheba and before he repented. Those who contracted leprosy were often viewed as proud and arrogant and they were afflicted because of their pride. By contrast, the man who lowers himself in humility to the height of the humble hyssop bush can receive healing. You may recall David asking Hashem to “test him”. Oh boy….be careful if you pray that prayer! I don’t ever want to pray that prayer. And, test him, Hashem did! What pride would lead a man or woman to pray that prayer! In addition to that, David’s actions toward Uriah and Bathsheba can certainly be described as arrogant and high-handed, as he disposed of Uriah and seized his wife.
Perhaps because of his physical leprosy, and certainly because of his spiritual leprosy, David is referencing these same materials here in verse 7 of Psalm 51. But, if you don’t read that verse with “Jewish eyes”, you will miss the significance of what he is saying. Similarly, Isaiah echoes this theme in 1:18 - - “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red as crimson, they shall be as wool.”
While we are on the topic of beautiful pictures of redemption in Scripture, let’s consider the Yom Kippur ceremony of the Azazel goat. Some of you are saying, “the WHAT”? I referenced this in my recent special about Yom Kippur. Part of the high priest’s ceremony on that Day of Atonement was to send one of two most perfect goats out into the wilderness, with a scarlet yarn tied around its head/neck. In the days of the Temple, simultaneously, a string of crimson yarn was hung in the Temple. It is said that after the Azazel goat, the one sent out to die in the wilderness bearing the sins of the people, died, the skein of yarn hanging in the Temple would turn from crimson to white. However, after the all-atoning work of Yeshua, that scarlet yarn never turned white again, during those 40 or so years between Yeshua’s resurrection and the destruction of the Temple. You may be asking yourself why it did not do so? The answer is found in Hebrews chapter 9, verses 11-28. I know I’m digressing, but this is so good, I can’t NOT share it. Turn there with me please.
11 But when the Messiah appeared as cohen gadol of the good things that are happening already, then, through the greater and more perfect Tent which is not man-made (that is, it is not of this created world), 12 he entered the Holiest Place once and for all.
And he entered not by means of the blood of goats and calves, but by means of his own blood, thus setting people free forever. 13 For if sprinkling ceremonially unclean persons with the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer restores their outward purity; 14 then how much more the blood of the Messiah, who, through the eternal Spirit, offered himself to God as a sacrifice without blemish, will purify our conscience from works that lead to death, so that we can serve the living God!
15 It is because of this death that he is mediator of a new covenant [or will].[a] Because a death has occurred which sets people free from the transgressions committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promised eternal inheritance. 16 For where there is a will, there must necessarily be produced evidence of its maker’s death, 17 since a will goes into effect only upon death; it never has force while its maker is still alive.
18 This is why the first covenant too was inaugurated with blood. 19 After Moshe had proclaimed every command of the Torah to all the people, he took the blood of the calves with some water and used scarlet wool and hyssop to sprinkle both the scroll itself and all the people; 20 and he said, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has ordained for you.”[b]21 Likewise, he sprinkled with the blood both the Tent and all the things used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, according to the Torah, almost everything is purified with blood; indeed, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
23 Now this is how the copies of the heavenly things had to be purified, but the heavenly things themselves require better sacrifices than these. 24 For the Messiah has entered a Holiest Place which is not man-made and merely a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, in order to appear now on our behalf in the very presence of God.
25 Further, he did not enter heaven to offer himself over and over again, like the cohen hagadol who enters the Holiest Place year after year with blood that is not his own; 26 for then he would have had to suffer death many times — from the founding of the universe on. But as it is, he has appeared once at the end of the ages in order to do away with sin through the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as human beings have to die once, but after this comes judgment, 28 so also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many,[c]will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to deliver those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Hallelujah! So, you see, IF this Jewish historical record by Josephus the 1st century historian is true, that the scarlet yarn never turned white again in the Temple after Yom Kippur’s Azazel goat was offered in the wilderness, it is a miraculous work by the hand of God, a writing on the wall, so to speak, that atonement is finished by and through the merits and finished work of Yeshua HaMashiach.
Let’s move on to verses 8 and 9.
(8) Let me hear the sound of joy and gladness,
so that the bones you crushed can rejoice.
11 (9) Turn away your face from my sins,
and blot out all my crimes.
The life of a leper was exceedingly sorrowful. For an extrovert like me, the isolation would have been devastating. In addition to that, the leper was forced to cry out, “Unclean! Unclean!” anytime an unsuspecting healthy person ventured too near. It was not a joyful, glad life the leper led.
What about this reference to crushed bones? David’s son, Solomon, who compiled the book of Proverbs said this in 15:30 “Good tidings make the bones fat.” The opposite, it follows, is also true: but mourning crushes the bones.
In verse 9 David is pleading for justification, recognizing that he himself is powerless to effect his own forgiveness or right standing with God. Only God Himself can make that right, can restore. Here he is not merely pleading for forgiveness regarding the sins of Uriah’s murder and Bathsheba’s defilement, he is asking to be forgiven for ALL his iniquities, his many and including his deepest, darkest sins.
Verse 10 is one I pray almost every morning when I awake. It says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” It is a prayer for sanctification, that daily and throughout the day cleansing by God’s spirit who lives in my innermost being. That spirit of God Who is the downpayment of my eternal salvation. Although I pray this in regard to sanctification, it equally can apply to a person seeking and needing justification, that initial act which begins the salvation relationship with our holy God. In both cases, it is only Hashem who can justify, make us right with Him, and only through the finished work of His Son, Yeshua, our Savior and our Lord, and it is only Hashem Who can sanctify, Who can stir up the embers of the eternal flame living within us, so that it burns brightly for His glory.
For those of us who belong to Yeshua, we have the assurance that He/His Spirit will never leave us or forsake us. This is a promise Hashem made in Deuteronomy 31:6-8, when encouraging Joshua before battle. It is a promise reiterated by the writer of Hebrews in chapter 13:5-6. Although David here expresses fear that God would remove from him Hashem’s spirit, this is not possible for the believer in Yeshua. We can’t, once we have married our soul to Yeshua, be cut away or snatched away from Him by any human or supernatural force. We can be in a position where our unconfessed sin stands in the way of full fellowship with Him, but we are His forever and ever. I truly think this is why Yeshua used the analogy of being “born again” with Nicodemus. You only have one earthly mother; and, your mother is definitely your biological mother. Nothing can change that. Similarly, when we are born from above, by God’s spirit, we are God’s spiritual child. We may become wayward from time to time, but that does not change the fact that we are His. Accordingly, as a good, good Father, He disciplines us, guides us, comforts us, loves us, molds us into the image of His only begotten Son, until we leave this life to be with Him eternally in the next world.
Doesn’t that bring you joy, O child of God? Doesn’t the security of that truth bring the joy of your salvation to your soul? This is the joy David spoke of in the next verse. As comforting and peaceful as that glorious truth is, the purpose for it is not to merely bask in it and skip through life just “tiptoeing through the tulips”. The purpose for it is found in the following verse, 13. He expects His Beloved to be models for the rest of the world, the pagan, unbelieving world.
A question we followers of Yeshua should ask ourselves daily is “How is my life teaching transgressors the ways of Hashem?” “How am I representing my God to an unbelieving world?” Some of us in the family of faith shy away from being too forward with others about this. We can pretty much manage the part of “living out” the gospel, but when it comes to speaking with others about their being on the path to eternal damnation, we are afraid. I know I am, to do this one-on-one. I think most of us, even though we love the Lord, could be better about this, becoming more “active” teachers, as opposed to being “passive” ones.
Verses. 14 and 15
(14) Rescue me from the guilt of shedding blood,
God, God of my salvation!
Then my tongue will sing
about your righteousness —
(15) Adonai, open my lips;
then my mouth will praise you.
These verses refer to David’s heart cry about taking Uriah’s life. David had killed many men in battle, but this is the type of shedding of blood the verse is referring to. There is no sin in being a warrior for one’s king or country, provided that soldier serves honorably. But, when David caused Uriah’s death, it was murder, a completely different standard of taking a life. And, it obviously haunted David, because he singles it out here for special mention.
Verse 15 is one I have prayed many a time just before coming on the air to teach here at Mishkan Katan each week.
I’ve taught on this before, but it bears repeating as we look at verses 16 and 17. David’s sins were not unintentional. They were intentional transgressions. The sacrificial system had no provision for intentional transgressions. The reason for this is that an intentional transgression includes a walking away from God in order to commit it, and the entire sacrificial system of offerings were about drawing near to God. How can a person draw near with an offering, while walking away from Hashem in the opposite direction? Not possible! Therefore, in repentance for intentional sin, the only acceptable “offerings” are those of a broken spirit and a crushed, humble heart, subdued in genuine, sincere repentance. Burnt offerings are insufficient to the point of being meaningless in this regard.
The last two verses of this psalm seem out of place. Let’s look at them.
(18) In your good pleasure, make Tziyon prosper;
rebuild the walls of Yerushalayim.
21 (19) Then you will delight in righteous sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then they will offer bulls on your altar.
During the time of this psalm’s writing, Jerusalem was a very prosperous city. During the reigns of David and particularly afterwards, of Solomon, the land of Israel was in its golden heyday. What is all of this about “rebuilding the walls of Yerushalayim”? The walls at this time in David’s day were perfectly fine! The sages say that these verses foretell the destruction of Jerusalem, and the First Temple about 400 years after the time of David. They say that the second Temple’s destruction is also foretold here. It is said that here in these last two verses, David is looking forward, down the corridors of Time, to the millennial Temple and the offerings that will be made there. In truth, the Temple that Solomon built was destroyed, as was the Temple that stood in Yeshua’s day. Since that time, although the walls of the city of Jerusalem have been rebuilt, the glory of that great city has not reached the pinnacle of grandeur it had formerly. And, it will not be until the return and millennial, thousand-year reign, of Mashiach (Son of David) that it reaches such heights again.
There will be offerings in the Temple in that day, and it is to these that the last verse of the psalm refers. Our translation, “burnt offering”, is in Hebrew the olah. The commentators say this refers to the daily burnt offerings that were offered continually every morning and evening. Isaiah also foresees that the daily (tamid in Hebrew) offerings will return to the millennial Temple. Then, the whole offering referenced here is believed by some of the sages to mean the meal offering brought by the priest, because it is burned whole. Isaiah 56:7 says, "I will bring them to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My House of Prayer; their burnt-offerings and sacrifices shall be favorably accepted upon My altar. My House shall be called a House of Prayer for all peoples.” We Gentiles are part of that “all peoples”. Isn’t that glorious?
King David was a complicated and amazing man, whose life teaches us great lessons, in this case, lessons about the nature of repentance and restoration of relationship with Almighty God.
No comments:
Post a Comment