On this fourteenth morning of waiting for Pentecost Sunday (June 8), my heart is greatly encouraged by verse 2 in which David implores,
"Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin."
Psalm 51:2, NIV
I shared earlier that the idea of washing brings three words to mind -- water, soap, and friction. Yesterday, I pondered the word "water"; today, allow me to reflect on soap.
Last summer, my dishwasher stopped working properly for a time. It was a bit inconvenient but my family sought to make the best out of a less than ideal situation. Toward that end, we decided to clean our dishes by hand for a while. It turned out to be a tremendous blessing as God's gracious hand led me to a wonderful learning moment.
One fine summer evening, thanks to a friend's wonderful garden, I made this yummy pasta sauce with fresh tomatoes, herbs, garlic, and olive oil. When it was time to clean the tomato-stained skillet, I began pouring water into the oily container when something quite ordinary occurred -- the water and the oil naturally separated.
I didn't even give it a second thought.
Then, lo and behold, soap entered the scene and everything changed. Gradually, the water and the oil moved away from center stage as the washing persisted. I continued with what I was doing, almost absent-mindedly and after a little while, the skillet was completely clean, dried, and shiny.
Usually, that would be the end of it.
I mean, who writes a post about washing dishes by hand?
However, God kept stirring the pot of my heart and mind, insisting there was a lesson for me to learn there.
You see, soap represents power. Containing properties that are hydrophilic (water and anything that will mix with water) and hydrophobic (oil and anything that will mix with oil), soap has the ability to form tiny clusters that trap and suspend oil (and fat and dirt and grime, etc). This combination of clusters is called a micelle. And since the micelle itself is soluble in water, it then can easily be washed away.
When soap and water come into contact, the hydrophilic part of the soap forms the outer surface of the micelle whereas the hydrophobic constituents of the soap group together on the inside of the micelle.
Light bulb!
The aha moment came.
My mind and heart began to see some connections.
What is called water?
God's precious and holy Word is the water of grace.
What is oil or grime or fat or all-around nastiness?
The collective sin of this world is the oil of which we speak. The holiness of God and the wretchedness of mankind will always be at odds with each other until soap comes into play.
What is soap?
The righteous and pure blood of Christ is the powerful soap of faith.
When we acknowledge the power of the blood, the hydrophilic part of us longs to hear and read and meditate and memorize and heed the Word of God. Then, we surrender the hydrophobic part of us -- our sinfulness -- to be enveloped by the giant micelle of God (Christ's righteousness).
Therefore, when we accept the gift of Christ's blood and live on God's Word, sin is revealed and exposed. And when we repent and confess our sins to Christ and trusted friends or confidants or mentors, our sin is trapped and taken away from us -- we are rendered clean.
What a wonderful, gracious Savior we serve!
Thank You, Jesus!
Holy Spirit of the living God, I thank You for teaching me so faithfully and so generously. Help me not to hoard Your instruction; rather, guide me to share it and bless the Father's other children as You see fit. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen!
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