Title: God’s ‘Mystery of Election’
God’s ‘mystery of election’
Isaiah 49:1-7, Second Sunday after Epiphany, January 16, 2011
One of the key ideas in the Old Testament is election, or calling. The reason Abraham came from Ur of the Chaldeans and came to Canaan was because God had chosen him and called him. The reason why Moses, who lived as an ordinary shepherd in Midian, took on the mission of the Exodus, is also because God first chose him. So are all the prophets. The people of Israel considered themselves to be the chosen people. Understanding the idea of God's choice isn't that difficult in itself, but it's not easy to agree with. Think about it. To say that God chose Israel also means that he did not choose any other nation. If the countless people who lived on the Korean Peninsula before the gospel was preached in our country were excluded from God's choice, who is responsible for that? No one can give a definitive answer to this question. The Bible does not seek to provide an empirical answer to these questions, but rather to present some other spiritual fact. What is it? Let's follow what Isaiah 49:1-7, the text of today's sermon, has to say about it.
Isaiah says in 49:1b: “From the womb the LORD has called me, and from the womb of my mother he has remembered my name.” Verse 3 also says, “You are my servant,” and in verse 5, referring to the Lord, “He made me his servant from the womb.” The last clause, 7b, re-emphasizes this. “Because the faithful LORD, the Holy One of Israel, hath chosen you.” Isaiah expresses God's choice in an extreme way. Think of the words Tae and Bokjung. Tae and womb's children don't have any options. You cannot exercise your will. It is a different story from a young man and woman meeting, giving their hearts to each other and getting married. People's choices are influenced by circumstances and conditions. There are also traces of efforts made to be selected. However, God's choice is an unconditional act of God in which such effort, will, and judgment cannot be involved at all. The word womb and womb means that the initiative of selection is ontological, and that the initiative is unilaterally with God.
Now what should Isaiah do? Change it like this and think about it. Let's say you have a child who is terribly deaf. If you are a teacher, let's say you have such a student. The child began to develop kleptomania. The kid didn't even listen to Tyler. I ended up going to a juvenile detention center. Now what? I have to suffer a little to get my mind right, can I do it? Or should I still say Confucius and tell him to repent? Should I threaten to break up with you now? In some cases, it will have to be handled differently. Now Isaiah's feelings are similar to those of parents and teachers who have children like this. Naturally. A prisoner of war was just like life in prison. But Isaiah does not give up hope. Declare the fact that the relationship between God and Israel has not been broken. They say that God exalts Israel. I proclaim the unimaginable. Sections 5-7 explain this in detail.
The basis is God's choice, the topic of today's sermon. If it is clear that God has chosen, the restoration of Israel is only a matter of time. This is because God is the Creator and the ruler of history. The question is whether God's choice is clear or not. It is difficult to prove this. Because this requires a spiritual perspective. Because you need ears to hear it. There were those who understood Jesus' words, and there were those who did not. Neither intelligence nor character gives these abilities. It cannot but be said that even this is God's grace. So it is also a mystery. God's election and calling is a mystery, and realizing it is also a mystery. There is no other way to explain it.
Just because it's a mystery doesn't mean you have to accept the nonsense. God's election and salvation are mysteries, but they are not absurd ones, they are sensible ones. Think deeply about the fact that we are worshiping together here right now. This couldn't have happened if you had changed a little bit of direction in one corner of your life. Many have heard of Jesus Christ, but the fact that our souls have resonated among them is also a mystery. If you honestly look into your own life, you will have to admit that you did not have the qualifications or abilities to do so. After all, there is nothing in this world that is not a mystery. Here is a cup of water. Why is it here at this moment? The water in the cup may be the melt water of Alaska's glaciers. Isaiah could see in history that he and Israel were chosen by God. His spiritual eyes made it possible.
Was Isaiah's oracle fulfilled? Partly accomplished. Israel was able to return after ending captivity in Babylon. But overall it was not achieved. The worship of Israel by kings and dignitaries did not take place. Israel returned to Jerusalem, rebuilt the temple, and tried hard to restore the glory of the days of David and Solomon, but failed. Israel's history has gone down a path of destruction since then. They did not appear as light in the world. They could not prove that they were a nation chosen by God. This is not to say that Isaiah's prophecy was fundamentally a failure. Isaiah's oracle was fulfilled in a different way. The “light of the Gentiles” that Isaiah was not aware of and proclaimed was Jesus Christ. Let's re-read verse 6b quoted earlier. “I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and I will grant you my salvation to the ends of the earth.” Isaiah preached Jesus Christ without his knowledge. God's choice and providence of history are truly mysterious.
Dear brothers and sisters, today is the second Sunday of Epiphany. It is a festival that commemorates the moment when the divinity appeared in Jesus Christ. Although Jesus was originally God pre-existing, there are moments when he appears to us as God. This season is important to us. Because it is an event that God has come to us. There is no greater event than that the transcendent God came into the world in a human body. As Isaiah proclaimed with the oracle, God chose Jesus as the “light of the Gentiles” and carried out the economy of salvation. How amazing is that? How mysterious is that? How grateful are you? The weather is cold these days. Pigs and cattle in Korea are being mercilessly slaughtered due to foot-and-mouth disease. Stock prices are rising, but the lives of ordinary people are falling like the cold. Personally, there will be a lot of hard work. I bring you good news. Jesus Christ is our light. It is a mysterious salvation event performed by God. Praise him. Amen.