Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. (Psalm 51:11, NIV)
It may surprise you to find that only two Old Testament passages refer to the “Holy Spirit.” There are plenty of references to “the Spirit of God,” but the name we so often use occurs only in Psalm 51 and Isaiah 63. And here’s what those passages have in common: God’s holiness contrasted with our lack of it.
In golf, we all recognize the feel of a purely struck shot. More regularly, however, what we produce is anything but pure—the thud of fat, the ring of thin, the slash of a weak cut, the arrhythmia of a snaphook. All so very ugly. Like David’s sin.
The king after God’s own heart wrote Psalm 51 after the exposure of his sin with Bathsheba. Through the prophet Nathan, God had called out David’s adultery and murder. Two heinous sins. Add to them the secrets David was keeping to cover them up. The unholy stench was filling the palace, and maybe the only guy who wasn’t catching a whiff of it was the source himself.
His holiness cannot bear our sin. But oh, the wonder!—his forgiveness most certainly can!But once the stink was pointed out to him, David showed why he had God’s heart. He fell into humble repentance. He saw the stark contrast between the unholiness of his actions and the holiness that is God. And he begged for the continuance of God’s holy presence by His Spirit, the very holiness that exposed him.
No slinking. No cowering. No disabling guilt.
Just wretched honesty and a yearning for the One who had laid him out.
But let’s be certain of one thing: We cannot leave this to David alone. In Isaiah 63, the prophet recorded God’s observation of his people (note the plural!). Despite his love for them, “they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit” (v. 10). We are just as capable of unholy living as the most infamous sinners of all time. And each time we sin, we draw the line again between God and us. His holiness cannot bear our sin. But oh, the wonder!—his forgiveness most certainly can! His grace is ours if we will return to it like David, coming with humble contrition.
—
Jeff Hopper
Originally published January 17, 2011
Copyright 2011 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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