Have you ever come across the prayer of David in Psalm 51 where he expresses his heart’s great desire to God: “Purge me with Hyssop and I shall be clean?” I read this early this morning & began to wonder, why Hyssop?
As I began to read up a bit on this plant common to the Mediterranean regions what I learned about Hyssop that was perhaps most remarkable was that it was quite an unremarkable plant. Solomon talks of plants “from the Cedar tree…to the Hyssop,” denoting how its stature was the least among plants.
When Jeremiah was pulled from the filth and mire of his imprisonment in the days of Zedekiah, we are told that he was ultimately pulled from that pit by Ebed-melech using “old cast clouts and old rotten rags.”
God tells us that He uses lowly things for His work:
“But God hath chosen the foolish things
of the world to confound the wise; and God hath
chosen the weak things of the world to
confound the things which are mighty;” 1 Corinthians 1:27
God used the lowest shrub, the Hyssop, to apply the blood of redemption to the doorposts in Egypt to protect his people from the death angel. Temple priest would later use this lowly bush to apply the blood of sacrifice to the altar. “Rotten rags” were used to rescue Jeremiah from the dungeon.
Maybe you thought you weren’t important enough, or educated enough, or experienced enough, or strong enough, or wise enough, or talented enough to be used by God in His work. I have news for you: the more those things are true about the person God uses, the greater the certainty that He will get the credit.
You could be just who God is looking for today.
Jerry Kaifetz
Thank you for this beautiful post.
I hadn’t read this prayer of David in Psalm 51, so today I get a little bit more “educated” and encouraged.
When I got called to this cause I am in now, I “wondered” and asked GOD: “Why me?” I am an average citizen, no public speaking experience, and don’t know all the issues. As if “GOD” himself spoke directly to me: HE said; “BUILD IT THEY WILL COME!!”
I absolutely know I could not do this without GOD’s grace and HIS divine intervention.
All the glory goes to the LORD above!
Thank you!