Title: Let's Go to God's Court!
Contents
2007.04.01.
The person who wrote Isaiah 50:4-9 we read together was not the commonly known Isaiah, but the second Isaiah who was active about 150 years later. The middle of the 6th century when he was active was the most miserable period in Israel's history. After the fall of northern Israel by Assyria, the Babylonian captivity that continued for 50 years from 587 B.C., when southern Judea was also taken over by Babylon, is the period in which he was active. Think of our annexation of Korea and Japan and our colonial days. Perhaps it was because he was living in a difficult time, the 2nd book of Isaiah contains four 'Songs of Servants'. 42:1-4, 49:1-6, 50:4-9, 52:13-53:12. Today's text is one of them. ‘Song of the Servant’ is about the suffering experienced by those who preach the word of God, so it is a perfect read for us Christians during Lent, a season to remember the sufferings of Jesus Christ. Who is this species? What is the situation in the second Isaiah? What is he doing?
According to the explanation in the text, this person is a person who has a mission to hear the word of Yahweh and to preach it. He heard the word of Yahweh. Yahweh says, “Every morning he awakens my ear to hear with a learning heart” (4b). Receiving the Word and proclaiming it is called an oracle. There are many people in the Old Testament who received oracles from God like this. This includes not only prophets who specialize in preaching the Word of God, but broadly, all those who have heard any promises or commands from God. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob also experienced this oracle. There are many people in the New Testament who have had this experience. Paul met the risen Lord in a vision on the road to Damascus, and John experienced a vision of a new heaven and a new earth on the island of Patmos. What did Isaiah in today's text hear every morning?
True Prophecy and False Prophecy
The prophets were wonderfully sensitive people spiritually. They had the ability to accurately grasp the will of God even in events that ordinary people could not notice. Figuratively speaking, someone like Mozart, who has been composing since the age of six, entered the world of sound and music early on that others missed. These things happen in many places. The story of Teilhard de Chardin's childhood. Teilhard, who had just entered elementary school, was watching his mother burn his hair one day. It is said that he received a ‘shock of existence’ when he saw that the hair that had been placed on his mother’s hand quickly disappeared into smoke after being set on fire. I fell into a deep curiosity about where the hair that had been in my mother's hands until a while ago went. In this way, the prophets understood the will of God with their own spiritual sensibility. The word of Yahweh God was heard and seen. Isaiah in the text also had such an experience ‘every morning’. It always means that you understand the Word anew.
In fact, trusts are risky. There are two reasons for this. One is the fact that prophets can receive false oracles. If you are possessed by an evil spirit, you are bound to receive false oracles. We do not know how many false prophets have haunted human history. A typical example is Hitler. Many people responded to his call to build a Holy Roman Empire centered on the Germanic people. He had the oracle experience to incite the public. Not only such political propagandists, but also religious people, many of whom are possessed by false oracles. This is the case with many pseudo-Christian cults. Are not Tae-sun Park of Jeondo-gwan or Sun-myung Moon of the Unification Church also like that? At this very moment today, not only true prophets, but also false prophets are at work powerfully.
You won't understand why audiences follow false prophets. It is not easy to distinguish a true prophet from a false prophet. True oracles differ from false oracles in some respects by only a single sheet of paper. It is difficult to tell the difference, not only to the audience, but also to those who claim to have received the Word from God. This is similar to teaching music without knowing it well, or obstructing students' true music experience by making their music experience absolute. This means that even though they may appear to be personal on the outside, they are often caught up in false oracles without realizing it. The reason is that the oracle is a spiritual event that takes place within the deepest soul. People tend to judge only by what happens on the surface, so as long as they get people's attention, they think it's a true oracle. Populism is the cause of our perception of truth. Simply put, as long as the church is revitalized, it is recognized as an activity of the Holy Spirit. As long as you make a lot of money, you see that person as a person of great ability.
The second reason trusts are dangerous is the fact that true trusts are often overlooked by the public. A person obsessed with an oracle should keep in mind that it may not be recognized by the public. Most of the Old Testament prophets did not receive much support from the masses. After all, Elijah said, “O Lord, it is all over,” under the rosemary tree. Take my life.” (1 Kings 19:4) Jeremiah was also completely ostracized by the people at that time. In today's text, the second Isaiah is criticized even more explicitly. According to verse 6, people beat him, shaved his beard, cursed him, and spit on him. He suffered the greatest humiliation that a man can ever suffer. It seems strange that such a great prophet would have been humiliated when he deserved no respect.
But it's not that strange. Not because the people at that time were particularly evil. They could not understand the oracles of the prophets. People generally tend to think negatively about things they don't know. Don't know doesn't mean just don't know, it also means that the oracle of the Prophet did not like the people. People only want to hear what they want to hear. You want to hear that you are kind, blessed, and many good things will happen to you. Just as wives want to hear from their husbands that they love them. The people are enthusiastic about the oracles of the prophets who proclaim what they want to hear, but they have no choice but to reject the oracles of the prophets who preach other things.
in the midst of trials and tribulations
That's right. If we assume that we are disciples of Jesus Christ, we will inevitably face our own trials and tribulations. If there are no trials and tribulations like these for those who believe in Jesus, then we do not know if there is something wrong with our faith. Because the trials and cross of Jesus are the ‘stumbling blocks’ (scandal) of this world. The theology of the cross is “not so” towards a world that operates in a “good is good” way. and quarrel. Early Christianity rejected the cult of the emperor, which was then taken for granted. In that way, he collided with the world and was martyred. Today's emperor worship may be capitalism, competitiveness and success-orientedism. Today's Christian faith must struggle with today's emperor worship. If you live like this, you will inevitably face hardships and trials in this world.
Don't get me wrong. This is not to say that the Christian faith is for the sake of suffering and trial itself. Christianity is not biased toward self-righteousness and celibacy. Intentional suffering and trials are not the gospel, but rather the law. Suffering and trials are not goals, they are the consequences of specifically following the life of Jesus. In this sense, trials and tribulations are not just material things. It could be loneliness, or it could be coldness. In order to find the right faith, we have to give up favorable conditions or endure various difficulties.
The alumni attending Samteo Church right now may be experiencing trials in this regard. Which church do you attend, do you have a church, and how many believers are there? You may be asked these questions around you. You may be glared at for attending a really stupid church. You might think that you are lonely. However, if it is the glare you receive to be faithful to the right faith and the right spirituality, you should rather be happy. It is also evidence that you have participated in the prophetic tradition through the path of suffering and trial. I am not saying that small churches are always good or that large churches are always wrong. It is saying that if we follow the right faith and the true oracle, trials and hardships cannot be avoided.
The 2nd Isaiah also suffered such hardships and trials. His plight was like a slave whose master treats him like an object. As noted earlier, people beat him, spit on him, and cursed him. He wouldn't have been able to stand it. In verse 7, when he exclaimed, “I have nothing to be ashamed of” or “My face does not change like a stone,” it is a reverse expression of the fact that he was in a situation where he had no choice but to be ashamed. Think about it. People are listening to his sermons. I'm yelling at you to stop talking nonsense. If the people turn away and reject, they lose confidence in their oracles. He is anxious about his preaching. His heart could not be shaken. If there was a mouse hole, he might have wanted to hide.
The prophet of today's text, who was subjected to extreme insults and colds, did not get frustrated there. In verses 7 and 9, he confesses, “The Lord Yahweh helps me.” So he says he has no shame now. Further, he confidently says, "Let's go to court." That's where we're going to cover the fight. This court is God's court. That means arguing for truth. The point is not to look at external authority, but from the level of truth. Such a cry can only come from a person possessed by a true oracle.
Today, even when we encounter small trials and tribulations, we are greatly shaken and unable to help. The reason is that they do not know the comfort that God gives them. There is no other way to get out of here. Look at this Prophet who exclaimed, “Let's go to the court of God,” because he knows God's comfort in the face of being ridiculed like a slave. After suffering and crucifixion, Jesus received resurrection life in the court of God. I hope that even those of you who are going through a difficult week will be filled with the realization, courage, and faith to say, “Let's go to the court of God.” Amen.