HEBREW WORD STUDY – A PURE HEART – LEV TAHOR לב טהור  Lamed Beth   Teth Hei Vav Resh

Psalm 51:10: “Create in me a clean heart, O’God and renew a right spirit within me.”

I remember years ago an orthodox Jewish rabbi, showed me a special room in his house. It was filled with books, all books about God. Commentaries on the Torah, the Talmud, the Mishnah. I remember how he picked up one book and said: “You Christians, you read the Torah like any book outside this room. You must read the Torah with your heart and then you will understand the words God spoke through David.” That struck me: “The words God spoke through David.”

So, I begin to read the Psalms as if it were my own heart cry. I come to Psalms 51:10 and examined my own heart, my own motives, and my own longings. I realized how far I was away from God and I longed for that “clean heart.” I begin to feel what David must have felt in his heart. David had committed sins that had separated him from the presence of God. It wasn’t the consequences of his sin that troubled him, he was willing to accept that. In fac,t the consequences for his sin according to Jewish law should have been the death penalty. He committed both adultery and murder. Yet the prophet told him he would not die. In fact the prophet told him he was forgiven. But David had a broken heart, broken over the separation that his sin had caused between him and His God. You would think that having your sins forgiven, and the consequences of the sins removed would be enough. Maybe for many of us it is enough. “Well my sins are forgiven and I’m on my way to heaven, praise alleluia.” But for David it still left him with a broken heart.  

The Talmud tells a story which may explain David’s broken heart. There was a King who had a son that he loved very dearly. Whenever the son needed anything, he would come to his father and ask and the father would willingly grant it. However, the son soon became disobedient to the father. The father tried to correct him but the disobedience continued. Finally, the King called a servant and commanded him: “Whenever my son needs anything let him ask you and you must give to him generously.” The servant asked: “But why give him anything if he is disobedient?” The king, the father replied: “I love my son, I do want him to be in need, however, I cannot look upon him in his disobedience so he cannot come to me with his request, so I will grant his request through you so I do not have to look upon him.”

Maybe for some of use it is enough that God still answers prayers, still provides for us.  But for David that was almost irrelevant. He longed to feel the presence of God, he ached for those times when he and God shared their hearts while he was just a shepherd boy.  He knew his heart was not right with God. He wasn’t in this relationship for a paycheck, he just wanted things to be ok between him and God.

As I read this passage I began to beg God for a clean heart. Although I knew the score between him and I was settled 2,000 years on a cross and that He is my Heavenly Father. I also knew there were areas of disobedience in my heart that prevent me from enjoying that relationship with Him. I can’t change the attitudes of my heart, so like David, I had to plead with God to change it for me.

David’s heart was broken because the God that he so loved, could not look upon him.  Thus, he cried out: “Lev tahor bara’ ti” Create a pure heart for me. David tried mightily to make things right with his God. But he finally realized that his only hope was for God to bara (create, form out of nothing) a pure heart. Not only that but to renew a right spirit.  The Hebrew words are chadesh to restore and nakon which means to focus as in focus my spirit within me. David is not only asking for a new heart but a restored spirit and a spirit that is focused on God and not the things of this world that would lead him into disobedience. 

 To this day I recall that moment I prayed for a clean heart. Jesus died so He could create a clean heart. Yet, I felt no different. I still felt troubled. So, I went back to David’s heart and found that he also felt the same way, but he asked God to open his lips and then his mouth will speak forth praise. God opened my lips but my mouth was not speaking forth the praise.  

I laid down and closed my eyes and in my mind’s eye (a vision?) I saw a burning bush.  I saw Moses before the burning bush kneeling and saying: “I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” God responded: “I will be your mouth and teach you what to say.” So, I just relaxed and said what I honestly felt in my heart and expressed my love for God. It wasn’t audible, but it was very clear in my mind and heart, I head God say: “You and I, we’re ok!” 

I looked forward to that day in eternity when I see Jesus face to face and I will hear once again those beautiful, precious words; “You and I, we’re ok!”

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