It is only the fool who makes the remark above, for the Scripture tells us: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1). Psalm 14, a wisdom poem, along with its identical twin, Psalm 53, contains what some call “profound deliberations on human depravity.” David’s desire for deliverance (14:7) provides the chorus for his two preceding comments on depravity, as some outline this way:
A) His take on depravity (14:1-6):
1. He addresses the universality of depravity in verses 1-3
2. He points out the futility of depravity in verses 4-6
B) The chorus on deliverance (verse 7):
1. The wish for deliverance (7a)
2. The worship attending deliverance (7b-c)
LISTEN UP!
We rejoice that Tide washes out dirt so powerfully! We thank God our clothes can be made fresh and clean. But what about the dirt and grime and stains of sin? “For though you wash yourself with lye, and use much soap, yet your iniquity is marked before Me, says the Lord God” (Jeremiah 2:22). Soap may wash off bodily dirt and grime, and detergent may do the same for clothing, yet it takes something else to cleanse the heart from the stain of sin.
The ESV reads, “…the stain of your guilt is still before Me…” (Jeremiah 2:22). What “stain of guilt” was the prophet referring to? Verse 19 of Jeremiah 2 makes it clear: “Your evil will chastise you and your apostasy will reprove you…” Evil and apostasy were serious stains in God’s eyes [for clarification see 3:6, 8, 11-12, 22; 8:5; 31:22]. And how shall we be cleansed?
THE WORD
Malachi 3:2 warns, “But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:” God is like “fire” and “soap.” He is spiritually able to do what natural purifiers can never do. The fire will burn away dross, and the fuller’s extra strong soap will whiten—both spiritual actions designed to purify the heart. For the non-repentant sinner, the fire will burn externally (Gehenna/HELL); for the saint who has repented, the “soap” will spiritually cleanse away all stain of sin.
Consider the meaning behind the Hebrew word for soap: Hebrew: Boriyth=alkali // bor=lye (for its cleansing), to purify // from baw-rar, a primary root: to clafify (i.e. brighten), examine, select: make bright, choice, chosen, cleanse, polish, purge (out).
JESUS’ BLOOD
The Apostle John writes: “…the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Blood stains, but Jesus’ Blood is no ordinary blood; it is Divine. Consider the meaning behind the Greek word used for “cleanses” in the scripture above:
Greek: katharizo // (literally/figuratively)=to make clean, purge, purify, make pure.
BACK TO TIDE
While Tide is a mixture of alkyl sulfate and sodium tripolyphosphate, “a combo that creates molecules that grab hold not only to dirt and grime but also to water so that it all rinses away, leaving clean fabric.” Yet the blood of Jesus is God’s provision to cleanse us of all sin and the spiritual stains it leaves.
Realistically, God sees all our sins. We may try to wash them off or hide them away with man-made devices and substances, yet only the Blood of Christ can truly wash us. Ancient Israel tried to convince the Lord that they were not polluted (Jeremiah 2:23). Yet the guilt of idolatrous Baal worship was a serious stain upon them—they were DEFILED/POLLUTED. Israel was guilty of loving alien gods, hence adultery as well as idolatry, and those sins were and ARE considered abominations unto the Lord God.
CONCLUSION
There is no doubt that the generation in which we live can be likened to what Proverbs describes: “There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filthiness. There is a generation—oh how lofty are their eyes! … a generation whose teeth are like swords, and whose fangs are like knives, to devour …” (Proverbs 30:12-14). The true solution to the spiritual dirt pollution is BLOODY REVOLUTION! The blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin.
— Gen. Jim, POW