חטא

ח
Today's study will be on a single letter, ח chet with an illustration from Psalm 51:7 (verse 9 in the Hebrew).
"Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean..." The root of "purge" is חטא (CHATAH): "to miss, to sin, bear the blame, cleanse" and the noun is חטא (CHET): "a crime or its penalty". A few other related words make it clear; חטא (CHET) means the sin or the sin offering, depending on the context and conjugation.

The concept here looks forward to Yeshua, such as in 2 Cor. 5:21 - "He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." David knew that the punishment for both adultery and murder was death, and he was asking in this verse that God would make that sacrifice for him, remembering the Passover lamb (the blood of which was applied to the doorpost with hyssop) and that death passed over because of that blood. With incredible insight and faith, he trusted the one who would become the sin and the sin offering, purging his heart and making him a new creation.

דרש

Today's Hebrew Word is from Isaiah 55:6- "Seek the Lord while He may be found..."
"Seek" is from the word דרש DARASH: "to tread or frequent, follow (in pursuit or search), seek or ask, spec. to worship." It is active seeking such as the famous verses from Matthew (ask, seek, knock). It is contrasted with another word which is used in the same verse: "Call on Him while He is near." which is from the word קרא KARA': "to call; to read"

It is one thing to think that "God is my co-pilot" and if something goes wrong I just call and He's there to take over. It's a different mental state, knowing I am a passenger on a ship which God is steering and I'm welcome to come up to the bridge and pester the captain with questions.