Whiter Than Snow: What Hyssop Reveals About Jesus

Snow has a way of covering everything—dirt, dead plants, the mess you’d rather not see. And in Psalm 51:7, David uses that exact picture to pray, “Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” In this short devotional filmed during the “snowpocalypse” in Northwest Arkansas, Pastor Joel Hastings shows how God doesn’t just clean us up—He covers us with a deeper cleansing than we could ever achieve on our own. 

David’s prayer includes a surprising word: hyssop—a plant used in Scripture to apply the blood of the lamb at Passover (Exodus) and later appearing again at the cross (John 19). It’s a powerful reminder that the only way we’re made clean is through the sacrifice of Jesus, our true Lamb—so that when the Father looks at us, He sees Christ’s righteousness covering our sin. 

Here’s a couple key takeaways

• Real cleansing isn’t self-improvement—it’s the mercy of God washing us through Christ. 

• Hyssop connects the story: the blood of the lamb in Exodus points us to Jesus on the cross. 

• Let the snow preach to you this week: you are covered—live in that reality.