Bible Commentaries

A CLEAN HEART

‘Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.’

Psalms 51:10

Three things must happen before anything can be created. The Spirit of God must move upon the face of it, the word of God must speak to it, and the blood of Christ must wash it.

I. If you wish to be God’s children indeed, the Holy Spirit must work in your heart.—As the Spirit moved over the face of the waters, so must the Holy Spirit move in your heart. The Holy Spirit is often compared to water, because water makes clean.

II. The Bible is the Word of God.—When God made the world, He spake with His mouth. Now His speech is in the Bible. In Ephesians 5:26 we read: ‘That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word’—that is, the Bible.

III. And Jesus Christ, we know, must cleanse us too.—‘The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.’

IV. Suppose you have a clean heart, will it keep clean?—Here comes the beauty of the text. It says, ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God’; and the next part says, ‘Renew it’—‘Renew a right spirit within me.’ This is what we want every day. If clean to-day, it will be dirty to-morrow. Therefore we must say, Renew it over and over again. ‘Renew a right spirit within me.’

Rev. James Vaughan.

Illustration

‘We learn at once what David meant by a clean heart. He meant a heart which loathes and abhors all forbidden indulgences of the flesh. I do not read Society novels; but I have seen criticisms in secular magazines which seem to show that a fixed abhorrence of the sins of uncleanness no longer prevails as it should do in our midst. If men and women loathed these vile sins they would not read books which are dominated and permeated by them. There are many, I fear, who, while abstaining themselves from acts of impurity, find a secret and sinful pleasure in throwing open the whole realm of thought and imagination to uncleanness and sensuality. And yet the control of our thoughts and imaginations is more than half the battle in maintaining personal purity. A clean heart is one which never harbours an unclean thought. Those thoughts and imaginations which the lascivious entertain with pleasure and delight, the pure in heart turn away from with disgust. And a clean heart is always a cautious and watchful heart. It runs no unnecessary risks. It prays, with all earnestness and sincerity, “Lead us not into temptation.” This is why God’s people are so careful and strict as to what books they read, what company they associate with, and what places of entertainment they attend. David’s sin was due to an unguarded look. It is no exaggeration to say that half an hour’s licence to the thoughts and imaginations, letting them roam at will through forbidden regions of sensuality and uncleanness opened to us by novel or picture or play, may leave upon us such a stain that ten, twenty, or thirty years will not see the end of the mischief done.’

‘The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit.’

Psalms 51:17 (Prayer Book Version)

Notice one or two of those accepted sacrifices which from time to time have been set up in our world, and which the Holy Spirit has recorded for our humiliation, our comfort, and our happiness.

I. The repentance of David was the repentance of a fallen child of God.—If we can say that David’s confession was the cause of his forgiveness, in a truer sense we may say David’s forgiveness was the cause of his repentance. It was none other than the fountain of God’s forgiving love that opened the fountain of a penitent spirit.

II. The case of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, was as dissimilar to that of David as it is possible for the manifestation of the same grace to be in two places.—Manasseh was a dissolute, godless man for more than half the years of his life. David was aroused by a voice, Manasseh by an iron chain. Out of the depths he cried to God. Sorrow made him acquainted with himself; prayer made him acquainted with God.

III. The history of the Ninevites stands out with this signalising mark, that our Lord Himself adduced it as the very standard of true repentance, by which others at the last great day shall be measured and condemned.—The distinguishing feature in their repentance was that it was national.

IV. Mary was saved at Jesus’ feet; Peter by a look from Jesus’ eye.—With each God deals separately—as He pleases, and as each requires. But in all sin is the parent of the sorrow, sorrow is the parent of the joy, and joy is the parent of holiness. Grace and the God of grace are the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever, ‘all in all.’

—Rev. James Vaughan.

Illustration

‘I would cherish the sense of sin’s ugliness. Here is something directly opposed to the Divine nature which has been implanted within me. Here is something which prevents and interrupts my obedience to the Divine will. Here is something which breaks my fellowship with my Divine Friend. Ah! sin is hateful and loathsome. I would cherish, too, the sense of my helplessness when it confronts me. With all the knowledge I have gained of Christ, with all the love I feel for Him, with all the zeal I throw into His service, I cannot rid myself of His adversary and mine. So my heart is humbled and broken. Yet One there is Who can roll the strangling load from me. I praise God for Him.’