Create Clean Heart Inside Me

Four words. Na only dat one e take. One prophet look one king for eye and talk: Na you be di man. And di most powerful man for Israel no get anywhere again to hide.

We dey for Jerusalem, inside di palace of King David, about three thousand years ago. David na di shepherd boy wey face Goliath, di man wey write songs to God. But David don do something terrible. E take Bathsheba, di wife of another man, Uriah, one loyal soldier for im army. Then, to cover am, David arrange make dem kill Uriah for battle. Months don pass. David don marry Bathsheba. Life for di palace dey go on as if nothing happen. But di Bible talk am simple: di thing wey David do no please Di Lord.

So God send Nathan, one prophet, go meet di king. Nathan no start with accusation. E tell story. Two men dey for one city, e talk. One rich, e get sheep and cattle wey pass counting. Di other one poor. All wey e get na one small female lamb. E buy am and raise am together with im children. E dey eat from im plate, drink from im cup, and sleep for im arms. E be like daughter to am. One day one traveller come visit di rich man. And instead make e take one of im own animals for di meal, di rich man take di poor man lamb, and serve dat one instead.

David stand up, e vex well well. As Di Lord dey alive, e talk, di man wey do dis thing deserve to die! E must pay back four times, because e no get pity. And Nathan talk, quietly: Na you be di man. Then Nathan give God message. I make you king. I rescue you from Saul. I give you everything, and I for still give you more. Why you despise my word? Trouble go come your own house because of dis. Di room quiet. David no call di guards. E no give excuse. E talk: I don sin against Di Lord. And Nathan answer: Di Lord don put your sin away; you no go die. Painful consequences go still dey. But God don forgive David.

Later, David do wetin e don always dey do with di feelings wey deep pass for im heart. E write song. Di heading of Psalm 51 talk say e write am when Nathan di prophet come meet am. E start like dis: Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving kindness. David no blame anybody else. I know my wrongs, e talk. My sin dey always for my front. Na against you, God, I don sin. Then e ask make God wash am. Use hyssop clean me, and I go dey clean: wash me, and I go white pass snow. And then di line wey people don pray for three thousand years: Create clean heart inside me, O God; and make right spirit new inside me. No throw me away, e beg. Give me back di joy of your salvation. Then I go teach other people your ways, and dem go turn come back to you. David know say animal sacrifice no fit fix dis one. Wetin God want, e talk, na heart wey don break and wey humble. And dat kind heart, God no go ever turn am away.

Why David mention hyssop? Hyssop na small plant wey get plenty branches. For di law of Moses, dem dey dip bunch of hyssop inside water or blood and sprinkle am on people wey dem dey make clean, for example after dem touch dead body or after dem recover from skin disease. So when David talk say, use hyssop clean me, e dey use di picture of one ceremony wey e know well. But e dey ask God make e do am imself, for inside.

Nathan story dey for Second Samuel chapter twelve, and David prayer na Psalm fifty-one. One king wey do big wrong, wey talk di truth about am, and ask God for brand new heart. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When you don do wrong, wetin dey help you stop to hide and say sorry to God and to di people wey you hurt?