Episode Transcript
Hello, I'm Dr. Kylie Fisher. Welcome to heavenly harmonies.
Mark, chapter one and verse nine says, it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptised of John in Jordan. Why was Jesus baptised? And what does this tell us about how we can be cleansed from sin? In the prayerful hymn, whiter than snow has many valuable insights about this. Stay with me to discover how its message can draw us nearer to the heart of God.
Sat we read from the voice in speech and song, page 432, that as a part of religious service, singing is as much an act of worship as is prayer. Is prayer important to your spiritual life, then singing should also be absolutely vital to it. And the next sentence in the voice and speech and song says, indeed, many a song is prayer.
And she also says that if we are taught to realise this, then we will think more of the meaning of the words that we sing and we will be more susceptible to their power. So let's see how we can apply this to our hymn for today. Whiter than snow.
Because, once again, this is definitely a prayer. And it starts out actually with directly addressing God, directly addressing Jesus. So the first words of this hymn are, Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole I want thee forever to live in my soul break down every idol, cast out every foe now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.
Now, that last line of the first verse is really the focal point of this song, that part that says, now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. So, clearly, the title also of this hymn is whiter than snow. So there we have it emphasised.
And that last line of the first verse is repeated in each of the four verses. And it's then further emphasised in the chorus, which says, whiter than snow. Yes, whiter than snow.
Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. So let's explore what does this mean. And let's turn to psalm 51, which is one of the places where these words come from, this idea of being whiter than snow.
So psalm 51, which is a prayer, psalm 51. And verse seven says, purge me with hisop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.
So the words of this hymn are directly coming from there, from that second part of that verse. And you also could look in Isaiah, chapter one, verse 18. It's got this same image.
Isaiah one, verse 18, says, come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. So Isaiah, one, verse 18 is another place that talks about being whiter than snow. But, yeah, I think the words of this hymn, as I said, they're really very directly coming from psalm 51 and verse seven.
And so when we look at the background of this psalm, it helps us to understand what this hymn is saying and also the significance of this to the life of Christ, which, as we've said this season, we're going through, and we're focusing on the life of Christ and might sort of think, well, that first verse doesn't really say much of anything about the life of Christ. And what I discovered as I was going through and thinking about different hymns to do, I discovered that we could probably do with some more hymns. And it would be really good if there were more well known hymns, actually, specifically on the life of Christ.
But there are many hymns that allude to things in Christ's life, and so this is one of them. And so, from understanding the story behind psalm 51, we can see how this hymn has relevance to the life of Christ and connects us to the life of Christ. So, psalm 51, if you look at the beginning of the psalm before the first verse, even, it says there that it is a psalm of David when Nathan the prophet came unto him after he had gone into Bathsheba.
So, basically, you can read in the history books, like second Samuel and so forth, that David, when he was older, when he was younger, he's described as a man after God's own heart. And certainly even after this terrible sin, he confessed his sin and so forth, and once again was brought back into harmony with God. But David, as he became a bit older and was secure in his kingdom and so forth, he sadly did wander off the path of right doing for a while.
And he committed some really terrible sins. First of all, he committed adultery with BathSHeba, and she then became pregnant. And then in order to try to cover up his sin, David had BathSheba's husband called back from a military campaign and then to try to get the husband to UriAh the Hittite.
Which just makes David's sin even worse, because this man, UriAh the Hittite, was not actually an israelite by birth. The HitTites were actually one of the worst enemies of Israel. But this man, UriAh, had chosen to serve God and chosen, of his own free will, to serve the God of Israel.
And so, yeah, DavId's treachery toward UriAh is just even worse when you consider the background of URiAh. So, yeah, basically, David's plan didn't work. And so he then sent a message by the hand of URiAh himself to JOab, the leader of the army, that he was to place UriAh in the forefront of the battle and then just withdraw and leave UriAh to be killed.
So it know, adultery, lies, deceit, murder, just all to try to cover up David's first sin. So David just really sinned. But then God in his mercy, did not forsake David.
He sent the prophet NAtHan. As we see from the beginning of this psalm, God sent the prophet Nathan with a message of rebuke for David. And David humbly accepted the message and he actually did repent of his sin.
And so psalm 51 is really David's prayer of confession and his prayer of repentance. And his prayer, which our hymn for today is based on. His prayer, which the hymn white and snow is based on, shows us the spirit of true repentance.
And so really, in order to understand this hymn and to give it right expression, we really need to understand what is the significance of DAvid's prayer and what is the nature of true RepeNtance, because the Bible also tells us, and we all really know in our heart of hearts that we have sinned. The Bible says, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So, yeah, let's have a look at the significance of this.
And so, like David, we may not have done these same things like murder, adultery, outwardly, but in our heart of hearts, we all have sinned. And so, like David, we need to experience this same repentance, the repentance which the Bible says is not to be repented of. So let's have a look at the significance of this to Jesus'life, and particularly in following through the life of Christ.
We have looked at his birth. We've looked a little bit at his childhood with the toil that he experienced as a carpenter in his father's shop. And so that brings us to the next event of Christ's life, which is his baptism.
And I think that you will see that this song has great significance to the baptism of Christ. And so we know from the book of Luke that Jesus was about 30 years old when he was baptised by his cousin John. And so let's just have a look at what the message of John the Baptist, who was the one specially chosen by God, you'll probably remember from previous episodes, if you listen to previous episodes, that John's birth was miraculous.
He was born to very old parents who had never had a child before. And so John's birth was miraculous. John was a special prophet and he was chosen specially to announce the coming of Jesus, the coming of the saviour of the world.
So Mark, chapter one and verse four tells us the message that John the Baptist preached. This is in a few other places, but this mark really succinctly summarises so many things. So let's have a look at it in Mark, Mark, chapter one and verse four says there John did baptise in the wilderness and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
So David's prayer in psalm 51 is prayer of repentance. And John the Baptist was preaching the baptism of repentance. And what is baptism? Well, it's described in Matthew when Jesus was baptised.
It says that he went right under the water and he came back up again. So baptism is a religious ceremony that Jesus participated in. John was baptising many other people.
He baptised many other people besides just Jesus. And so in this ceremony, the person that was baptised was dipped right under the water and then they came back up out of the water. And that is a really amazing symbol of repentance and of cleansing from sin.
Yeah. So it just tells us really clearly there in Mark chapter one and verse four that baptism is a symbol of repentance. And let's also have a look, because John the Baptist was not the only one that was preaching about the importance of repentance.
So just a few verses later in the same chapter, it says that Jesus, when he came into Galilee, he was preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying, verse 15 says, and saying, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent ye and believe the gospel. So Jesus was also calling on people to repent.
And actually in Matthew chapter nine and verse 13, Jesus said, I've not come to call the righteous, but I've come to call sinners to repentance. So Jesus and John called upon the people to repent. And that was just central to their mission.
And the apostle Peter also speaking after the death of Christ, he in acts chapter two and verse 38, if we pick up, actually in verse 37, it says that at Peter's preaching, those who were listening were pricked in their hearts. Their consciences were awakened by his words. They said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, repent and be baptised.
And so there we see that same message again. And I would like to read another verse as well about the apostle Paul. So Paul, you may recall, was persecuting the christians, but he had a miraculous conversion and God sent a man named Ananias to pray with Paul and to say to him, you're going to receive your sight again.
So acts, chapter two and verse 16, when Paul is telling his personal testimony, telling his story about how he came to believe in Christ, he says that Ananias said, when he was praying with Paul, Ananias said to Paul, now, why tarryest thou? Arise and be baptised and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. So baptism is a symbol of repentance. And it's also when you dipped right under the water and then come back up again.
It's a symbol that all your sins have been washed away. Of course, the water itself does not wash our sins away, but it's a public ceremony. It's a little bit like a wedding ceremony.
It's the time when you sort of make that final covenant, make that decision that you're going to spend the rest of your life with that person. So baptism is like your marriage ceremony to Christ, and the act of baptism symbolises the experience of having your sins washed away. So, yeah, I think that's just really brought out in these words.
Now, wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. So, look, we've been discussing a lot about our need for repentance and seeing how Christ was baptised as an example to us. So we've read before in one Peter, chapter two, and verse 21, where it says that Jesus was our example.
He was our example in all things when he was baptised. We know from other verses in the Bible that Jesus life was without sin. So he did not get baptised on his own account, because he had no sins to wash away, but he was baptised as an example to us.
So let's just continue to explore. We can see that we need to be baptised because Christ, as our example, was baptised for us. But let's explore what does it actually mean to repent? Because even if we are baptised in water, as Christ was, if we don't really experience repentance, then we haven't really experienced the blessing that God wants to give us, which is much more than just cleansing with water.
So there are many examples, actually, in the Bible of what repentance is not. So, Genesis chapter four speaks about Cain, who, in cold blood, murdered his younger brother, Abel. What a terrible deed.
But when God spoke to Cain about what he had done, Cain wasn't even the least bit concerned about it. And when God said that there would be consequences of his sin, he just said, my punishment is more than I can bear. And so he was just grumbling and complaining.
He did not want the consequences of his sin, his wrong act. He did not want to suffer those consequences. He was trying to escape the consequences.
He didn't even care about Abel. He didn't care about his relationship with God. We see also that know, after he had lost his birthright blessing, he was sorry that he'd lost the blessing, but he wasn't really sorry for the things that he had actually done.
And Judas the same. When he realised that his plans were not working out the way that he expected, he admitted that he'd done the wrong thing, but he didn't really care that he had actually betrayed the son of God for 30 pieces of silver. So all of these people, and there's others as well, they soared for the consequences of sin, but not for the sin itself.
But in the example of David, we see the true nature of repentance. And so David, he did not try to escape the consequences of his sin, and there were consequences. And God told David through Nathan that there would be consequences for his sin.
But David continued to trust in God despite those consequences. And God graciously preserved his life. And so we see that David did not try to escape the consequences of his sins when his sons rebelled against him.
It must have been just absolutely heartbreaking. But as you read through Psalm, chapter 51, we don't have time to read through the whole thing, but I would encourage you to read through that whole prayer of David because it will really give you so much insight into the true nature of repentance. And David sorrowed for his broken relationship with God.
David in Psalm 51, verse nine says, hide thy face from my sins and blot out all mine iniquities. Created me a clean heart, o God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from me.
So David could not bear to be shut away from the presence of God. He longed for a restored relationship with God, and that is the plea of this song. Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole I want thee forever to live in my soul break down every idle cast out every foe now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow so only Jesus can actually really free us from sin.
The repentance that is not to be repented of, the repentance that David is an example of, is not something that we can do by ourselves. The Bible is actually really plain about this. Repentance does precede the forgiveness of our sins.
But do we need to wait until we have repented before we can come to God. The Bible is really clear that without God's help, we cannot even repent. So let's have a look at acts chapter five and verse 31.
This is speaking about Jesus, and this is the apostle Peter. Remember, he was one that called on the people to repent. And Peter said, him that is Jesus hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a saviour for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
So it is only through the grace of Christ that we can actually repent. And in fact, romans chapter two, verse four says, the goodness of God leads to repentance. So it's by understanding more of the goodness of God that we can experience true repentance.
And so as you're thinking about this song, I would encourage you. It says that in that verse that we've just read, acts chapter five and verse 31. Repentance is a gift.
It is a gift that we can pray and we can ask for. That might seem kind of funny, but the amazing thing about salvation, according to the Bible is that it is a gift that comes from God. It is not something that we earn.
That is where Christianity stands apart from every other religion. It's not something that we can actually earn, though we do, in gratitude, do seek to please God and walk with God, but it's something that comes from God himself. And so, yeah, I would encourage you, as you're thinking about this hymn and the hymn wider than snow and thinking about how to express it, I would just really encourage you to pray this as a prayer.
Think about the words, make the words your own and ask God for the gift of repentance. You can understand this song and that you can give it right expression. So let's have a quick look at the other three verses before we listen to fountain view.
Sing this song. Verse two says, lord Jesus, look down from thy throne in the skies and help me to make a complete sacrifice. We've spoken about this before, how Christ is sitting on the throne in heaven and all power has been given unto him.
He was victorious here on earth over sin, and we can enjoy the same blessings. I give up myself and whatever I know. Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.
Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat. I wait, blessed Lord, at thy crucified feet by faith, for my cleansing, I see thy blood flow. Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.
So during that third verse. Yeah, there it says, by faith, for my cleansing, I see thy blood flow. You might like to think about, just have a picture in your mind of Jesus on the cross.
We don't really know what it looked like, but by faith we can sort of grasp that and grasp the fact that Jesus died in our place, so that we can have forgiveness from sins. So we participate in the rite of baptism, but it's really the blood of Christ that cleanses us. And in the final verse, Lord Jesus, thou seest I patiently wait.
Come now and within me a new heart create. So we see that those words come from psalm 51, verse ten that I read earlier to those who have sought thee. Thou never said snow.
Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. So, yeah, that final verse, I think, would know calm, I think. But it would be full of hope that through Jesus we can experience this cleansing.
So let's now listen to fountain view, sing this beautiful hymn, whiter than snow. Saints want me forever break down every. I don't have every fall.
Now wash me and I shall be wider than snow. Jesus, walk down from my throne in the sky and help me to make a complete sacrifice. I give up myself and whatever I know now wash me and I shall be wider than.
Wash me and I shall be wider than lose. 37 says him that cometh to me. I will in no wise cast out.
Jesus will never cast us out. We can find true healing in him. And so, yeah, let's say a prayer that God will help us to experience this true spirit of repentance.
We can really understand this beautiful hymn. Dear Lord, just thank you so much for the gift of Jesus that it's through his blood that we can have cleansing from sin. So just pray for myself, for each person listening to this broadcast, dear Lord, please wash us that we may be whiter than snow.
Help us to experience this true repentance in our lives. And as we're singing this song or praying it as a prayer, dear Lord, we pray that through our experience we can give the song right expression. So thank you so much, dear God, for hearing and answering our prayer.
In Jesus name I pray. Amen. So, thank you so much for joining me today on heavenly harmonies.
Remember, if you would like to catch up on any of our past programmes, you can go to our website and you can just click on the listen button and there you will find the past programmes from heavenly harmonies and many other programmes you can listen to. So do join me again next time for another beautiful hymn. But until then, goodbye and God bless.
