From hyssop to the discovery of penicillin

"Purify me from sin with hyssop, and I will be clean ; Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. "Psalms 51. 7

 

In Psalm 51, David became aware of the gravity of his sins to Bath-sheba and especially to his husband Uriah whom he caused to be killed (2 Sam. 11 and 12). He realizes that he has gravely sinned against God, that he is all the more inexcusable because he is king over Israel. David then appeals to the God of kindness and compassion who has rescued him many times during his turbulent life.

David begs God for forgiveness. More than that, he aspires to complete purification (verse of the day). "Wash me," he said. Here, David uses the Hebrew verb in the sense of washing a garment by treading it, not the one that describes a simple rinsing. Wash me thoroughly ... sin had penetrated into the texture of his conscience, deep within himself.

The confession of sins is indispensable to obtain forgiveness and purification, David knew it. This is what the Apostle John reminds believers : "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all iniquity" (1 John 1: 9). God is "faithful" to forgive, for He has promised to do it and He keeps His promises. God is "just" to forgive, because His Son died for our sins.

Only a comparison can give an idea of ​​the condition of him who has approached the Father of all mercy to confess his sins: he has been totally purified in his inner being. It is "whiter than snow". But what does it mean to be purified with hyssop ? The discovery of penicillin allows us to understand this expression. In his lab in London, Dr. Alexander Fleming was looking for a substance that could kill pathogenic microbes without damaging the patient's tissues. Thanks to his sense of observation, he accidentally discovered in 1928 the properties of penicillin produced by the mold Penicillium notatum. When he learned that this microscopic fungus had been first identified in 1912 on hyssop, he immediately made the connection with Psalm 51 and conceded that the first known reference to penicillin was actually the verse of the day !

Source (Please the Lord)