Title: Jerusalem, Jerusalem
Contents On the side of the Mount of Olives, there is a ‘Church of Tears’ that commemorates Jesus who wept while looking at the city of Jerusalem in anticipation of destruction.
Let's read Matthew 23:37. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem… How many times did the hen try to gather her chicks under her wings... ”
Today's message is a poem of faith, patriotism, sorrow and tears, written while longing for Jerusalem, the homeland, during the 70 years of captivity in Babylon.
I. Tears of love for the country are contained.
? Let's read verse 1. “We sat there by the rivers of Babylon and wept in memory of Zion.”
? Israeli slaves were mobilized to build the canal.
? While resting for a while, I cried while missing Zion. It means weeping in deep sorrow.
Ex) Our people: The country is ruined and the strangers scattered around the world. The saddest people - forced migration from the Russian Primorsky Territory to Central Asia.
A three-year-old woman I met in Moscow. They still don't forget Korean - their wish to visit Korea - cherish the love of their motherland left by their ancestors for generations
? “Remember” is not just a memory. It is a memory from the heart that longs for and misses the object. This 'memory' is an unforgettable memory that should never be forgotten. What is it? There are many things to forget, but we must not forget about faith and love for our country.
II. What is country love?
? Let's read verse 2. “We played our harp on the willows among them.”
? Why did you hang the harp on the river willow? They praise God with the harp even during a break. But the oppressors commanded them to sing joyfully on the harp praising God.
? Let's read verse 3. “For the one who captivated us there begs us to sing… for them... to sing.”
? How did the prisoners respond? Let's read verse 4. “How shall we sing the song of the Lord in a foreign land?” is a firm refusal. Why? He wants to use his good voice and lyre-playing talent only to praise God.
Yes) I shed tears as I meditated on these words. Where did you use yourself, your time, your knowledge, your mind, your thoughts, your personality, your material, your soul, your body?
? What is true love of country? To serve God well as God. Who is a patriot? Let's read Ezekiel 22:30-31. He who resists the judgment of God. As in verse 4, those who know only God are the shield of the nation and patriots.
Ⅲ. If you rejoice with injustice, you can be cursed.
? Let's read verses 5-6. “If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget his craft… Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth.”
? What does it mean?
? Cursed are a tongue that can sing and a hand that can play the harp, if they do not do more than rejoice in their Jerusalem homeland and serving God. This is the foundation of faith and the foundation of love for the country.
Ex) Prof. Cho Ji-hoon's Jizo theory:
? Martin Luther: “Evangelical to death, Germanism to death”
Saints, who is the defender of the nation-state? Who is the nation's shield and patriotism?
They are the people of God who pray with mourning and tears.
Saints, let's become people of faith who love God and love the country.