Who Can Say?
“Who can say, ‘I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin’?” Proverbs 20:9
Insight
Rhetorical questions have their advantages, but my experiences with them doesn’t feel good. When I would break something in the house growing up, and of course my parents knew, they would still come to me and ask, “I wonder who broke that?” It seemed like a test to see if I would tell the truth and own up to my mistake. But, when used correctly, rhetorical questions can help us wrestle with important questions.
King Solomon, considered one of the wisest men to walk the earth, poses an important question for us today: Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from sin?”
The answer is obvious; no one can. I can recall so many days of trying to clean my heart up. I would watch something inappropriate, say hurtful words, take a few dollars from my mom’s purse, talk poorly behind someone’s back, and so many other acts that would make me feel so unclean. Anytime we feel unclean physically the remedy of a shower is quick and easy. But there is no heart-wash in the world we live in for a dirty heart. And dirty hearts, when left unattended, only continue to get dirtier.
Solomon’s question is not meant to be left unanswered. Solomon was trying to get us to see that our efforts in cleaning ourselves up are useless. Yet, we are not doomed to a dirty heart forever. Jesus steps into our mess.
He takes our hearts with all of its sin and dirt, and He washes them clean (1 John 1:7). Jesus makes clean what we spent so long making dirty. He does it with grace and joy knowing that our beating hearts are restored. For those of us who follow Jesus, He will make our hearts His dwelling place (Ephesians 3:17). When Jesus is dwelling in our hearts, the sin and the dirt can no longer exist. We stand before God with clean hearts and He looks at us and calls us His children.
So, your answer to this rhetorical question is important. Your answer should not defeat you and make you feel bad. We all have the same answer. But the reason we answer is because it serves as a reminder that WE cannot make our hearts clean, but Jesus can, and He did.
Reflection
What does a pure heart look like lived out in our world?
Prayer
Father, thank you for coming down into the dirt and the mess to clean me up. When I was full of sin and dirty, You still made a choice to die for me, and cleanse me from it all. I am grateful to stand before You as your child, I pray to see the opportunities I have to point others toward Your love. I love You Father, and pray all of this in Your holy name, Amen.
Port City writer Davy Nance wrote today’s devotional.
