Contemplative Bible Reading

Psalm 19:9a (English Standard Version)

the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;

This is a different way to express the fear of the Lord. “Clean.” What does that mean? The next phrase states that a clean fear endures forever. Things that endure forever have usually achieved some sort of perfection. There are no defects that allow decay. Clean, no defects, ready for time.

Ever wipe a white board only to see faint lines where those dry erase markers left a little bit of ink on the surface? That board isn’t clean. It is cleaner, but not clean. It isn’t ready for enduring time.

How do we make ourselves clean? We can’t. We can allow the blood of Jesus to clean us and make our fear of the Lord endure. Simple, huh. Let Jesus do the work. Why do we resist the gift?