Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-08-19

not possible for him to do this for
himself, particularly as it was not
outward holiness but truth in the in
ward life that IT, God de desired The
who had been born in sin to reach.
David was not Offering this heredi-
tary tendency as a reason why it
was necessary for God to get rid of
his sin for him, to do something
which he could not possibly do for
himself.
Look at the other, verbs which he
used in his request to God. Purge"
with the hyssop, because it was
with the hyssop branch that the
blood was sprinkled on the offerer.
ness on the ground of atQnement, a
substitutionary sacrifice. The inni-
cent babe had died in his stead, fore
shadoWing the Innocent Son of God
dying for the guilty and making it
possible for God to be just and yet
Him as their substitute.
make me to hear'-the joy and
gladness had been there all along, but
the sweet psalmist's harp had been
silent for a year; he had no ear for
his ears-he wants them unstopped
so he can hear all the joy and glad
ness that God is giving to those who
have ears to hear.
Hide thy face" for as long as
David's sin was before Gods face
David was a condemned and isolat-
ed man. He wanted his sin behind
Gods back, the only safe place for
his sin or ours.
Create" the same Hebrew word
used in Gen. /. The heart that has
as an entirely new heart. The same
material may be used but a new
creation is necessary. Reformation
will not suffice; regeneration, re-crea-
alton is necessary, so after that Da-
vid was new creation.
Renew" right spirit within me
make new the kind of spirit that will
not desire the wrong thing. And
this is what happens to the regen-
Grated soul. We become a new Gre
ton so that the old things have pass
ed awaWyW, and all things have be-
come new.
Holy Spirit. David must have had
in mind the fatal result of the spirit
of God leaving Saul; he didn't want
to run the risk of having anything
like that happen to him.
Conservation
Cast me not away from thy pres,
ence-for whole year Dayid had
suffered Punishment from God. He
couldn't stand that any longer.
"Restore." Yes, he had known
he wanted to be back now, he got 1t
in larger measure.
uphold" the idea is to, let me
lean against you so as to hold me
up. If God grips. you there is no
chance of you falling.
Deliver me"-that is, snatch me
away out of danger, the danger of
blood outlines here, for as a result
of David's sin-and he couldn't get
away from this idea, yet Uriah and
the baby were both dead, and his son
Ammon was dead.
Open"-unstop a mouth that had
been closed tightly, and praise would
follow. Anything that God required
he would gladly giYe-but that was
not anything material, it was brok-
en- and a contrite heart, and that Da-
I wonder if you have noticed that
David uses fifteen Hebrew verbs in
this prayer? Fifteen is three times
five. Three is the number of divine
perfection and five is the number of
grace. David led by the spirit of
phasizes, in the very. number of
words he uses that it is only by
divine grace that such forgiveness
can be had-not by works of right
eousness, but by the free grace of
God. Two of these verbs are used
the number of incarnation. 1t was
only by the death of the incarnate
Son Of God that your sin or mine,
can be plotted out, or washed so that
no Vestige remains.
Furthermore, did you notice that
he uses three words to express his
sin, but uses them seven times
transgressions CD iniquity, sin (2)
iniquities, and son. He could not
have expressed more perfectly his
utter failure-sin is missing the
mark, transgression is running Grass
Gods will (rebellion) iniquity is
failure to keep your life parallel
with the will of God When he
uses the singular he refers to his at
titude; when to- the plural to his va
rious acts.
This Psalm will never be out of
date-it is one of the songs of the
heart that never grows old. Has it
ever struck yet responsive chord
in your heart? Is there yet any
unconfessed sin there?
God waits to be gracious.