But how many actually realize the long term, good health benefits that are achieved over one’s life time by simply sincerely repenting, or turning away from, our sins, to God through his Son Jesus Christ, who takes away all of the guilt and sorrow that sin causes and restores vitality and joy to our soul, the essence of our very beings and lives?
So many people suffer needlessly by holding onto their sins by not repenting and all sorts of medical problems can result because of it. I could go on and on with the medical problems sin causes, but I will use as an example taken from Psalm 32.
The psalmist David tells us “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” "Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile."Take a look at the third verse in Psalm 32.
Guile is deceitfulness.
“When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long”. (A bone waxing out is to decay.)(In today‘s medical terminology, we call this arthritis and degenerative joint disease.)
And verse four reads: “For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah”Orthopaedic doctors will tell you your bones and joints need a moisture known as synovial fluid. This fluid’s main function is to act as a lubricant, or moisture, to your joints, in the same way that your car engine needs oil to keep it lubricated and running. Without this fluid, your joints and bones will decay, and degenerative joint disease or arthritis will set it.
Blessed indeed are those who have given up their sins to our Lord Jesus Christ and have received a complete pardon for the wrongs we have done against Him. God no longer sees any wrong in us. He only sees the blood of His Son that covers all of our sins, and gives us an eternal home with Him when we leave this world.
How about you? Have you turned to the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins? You cannot hide any sin from God. He knows everything about you, and your sins will make you physically sick in one way or another, in time, if you refuse to let go of them by surrendering to the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness. David tells us in Psalm 32 of the great love and mercy the Lord has for us. The Bible tells us that God is always ready to forgive our sins and keep us under His grace. 1 John 1:9
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"Purge me with hyssop" reminds me of something I just now read earlier, about the use of vinegar and myrrh mixed together. (I am being reminded of herbs mentioned in the Bible and to how they are used - neither here nor there with your quote regarding hyssop, other than also being herbal and why.)
ReplyDeleteI found this of interest, did not know this or hadn't thought of this in such depth, regarding Jesus' Crucifiction and the giving to him of vinegar, which in my mind I always thought more punishment - yet it may have served a purpose back then, either mixed with myrrh, as a pain reliever - or in Jesus' case, straight vinegar that would not relieve pain and might intensify it, but at the same time give him the strength to carry on to the end and say the words He knew needed said.
Here is the link and quote explaining this curiosity:
http://www.custance.org/Library/2MEN/Part_I/chapter2.html
Page 14:
"As a supreme example, consider one instance referred to in Matthew 27:34 and Mark 15:23. It was customary for a drink of vinegar and myrrh to be offered to men condemned to be crucified if they were felt worthy of this mercy. The drink was a palliative, and according to Alfred Edersheim it was prepared by a kind of Ladies Society in Jerusalem. (23) It was usually offered to the victim just before the actual elevation on the cross.
Apparently it had been found to bring significant relief against the first terrible pain and shock of crucifixion, and many must have thanked the women for their mercy as the body was wracked by the agony it entailed.
The Lord Himself must certainly have been aware of this merciful provision, but even so as a man He had first to taste the drink to know for sure what was being offered to Him. And He certainly would know what it was by tasting it, since apparently it was bitter to the tongue. Even in the agony of those moments, having identified its nature He resisted the temptation to find relief and refused it (Matthew 27:34). It is true that He accepted vinegar which was later offered to Him (John 19:30), but vinegar was not a palliative and it would almost certainly be needed to enable Him to speak and say the things He had yet to say from the cross. The fluid loss from his body resulting from all the scourging wounds He had received would have placed Him in a state of terrible dehydration and probably well-nigh speechless. The temptation to take the previous palliative must have been almost overwhelming.
It is therefore perfectly in accord with divine justice that the judgment of man should have been placed entirely in the hands of One who was both the Son of God by eternal generation, and the Son of Man by embodiment in time, and who was tempted in his human condition in a way quite impossible for Him in his divine nature."
This is off-subject from the gist of your own article - none-the-less, the herbal reference immediately brought to mind this other, which I just recently read and thought others might find interesting too.