Title: Nobules Oblige
Contents
Nobules Oblige (Ecclesiastes 11:1, Luke 6:38)
''Noblesse Oblige'' is a combination of the French ''Noblesse'' and ''Obliger''. It was first used in 1808 by the French statesman Gaston-Pierre Marc (1764-1830) to emphasize the social obligations that come with noble status.
In ''The Story of the Romans'', writer Nanami Shiono emphasized that the philosophy that passed through the thousand years of the Roman Empire was Noblesse Oblige. The Roman aristocracy had a strong sense of social responsibility. So, when war broke out, nobles took the lead and went to the forefront to fight, and it is said that they willingly donated their wealth to society for the public good. Shiono Nanami argued, "The Romans were inferior to the Greeks in intelligence, inferior to the Celts and Germanic in physical strength, and inferior to the Carthaginians in economic power. In Korea, 'Gyeongju Richest Family', who was the richest man in the Joseon Dynasty, is considered the epitome of Noblesse Oblige. There was a secret that this family produced 9 generations of jinsa (進士) and 12 generations of masterminds over 300 years from the 1600s to the 1900s.
There are basic principles of the richest family. It was to not accumulate more than 10,000 seats, to treat guests generously, and to ensure that no one in the surrounding 100 li died of starvation.
Cho Yong-heon, who wrote the book ''The Story of a Famous Family with 500 Years of History', stipulated that 'The spirit of the Joseon Dynasty that 'a house with a lot of good deeds always has a slope' is a Korean noblesse oblige." There are many self-proclaimed nobles such as officials, rich people, intellectuals, etc. But there are also many who turn away from oblige, which is a sarcastic phrase ''Noblesse Malade.'', which means sick noble or corrupt noble. It's a metaphor for a pseudo-noblesse who shouts for social justice with their mouths and tries to evade taxes, expedites, speculation, etc.
Kyung-Joo Choi, a player you know well, won the Sony Open Tournament on the American Professional Golf (PGA) Tour and achieved a total of 7 victories on the PGA Tour. This is a splendid achievement after 7 years of challenging the PGA without being satisfied with the top of Korean golf. After winning the championship, Choi donated 300 million won for the bereaved family suffering from the fire at the frozen warehouse fire in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do. 300 million won is a large amount equivalent to half of his share after deducting 30% of the tax on foreign players from the $944,000 prize money for winning the Sony Open.
Choi, who participates in domestic competitions once or twice a year, has donated the entire amount of his winnings several times to help the underprivileged. It would not be easy for anyone to imitate Choi, who is not satisfied with the glory and rewards of his hard work and willingly donates large sums of money for his neighbors in need.
Choi is also known as a man of sincere faith. Choi's success is the result of his dedication to running toward his goal like a tank without kneeling in adverse circumstances. Choi's hometown is Wando. Even now, there is a sushi restaurant that my parents run. When Choi was in high school in a fishing village, he learned golf by riding a cultivator, picking up balls and cleaning the golf driving range. In the United States, it was difficult to find golf courses where competitions were held in poor English, ate hamburgers, and constantly sharpened my skills.
His victory was the result of overcoming harsh conditions and hard work. However, he is sharing that victory by sharing love with his neighbors. Kyeong-Joo Choi, a player who showed high virtues along with his best skills. So we are proud of him. His Noblesse Oblige is a beautiful figure we should emulate.
The Bible speaks of noblesse oblige much earlier than this. That verse is Ecclesiastes 11:1. “Throw your food on the water, and after many days you will find it back.”
Not only that. Jesus Himself also said: Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you; press, shake, and overflow, and I will give it to you.”
In a mountain village in Wales, England, a boy named Lloyd lived with his mother. One rainy day, Lloyd fell ill, and he was boiling and in so much pain. My mother couldn't see and ran 24km through the rain to see the doctor, and she ejaculated while holding onto the doctor. The doctor was hesitant, but he couldn't resist his mother's earnest request and ran to the mountain village in the rain to treat Lloyd.
Decades later, the elderly doctor was invited to the inauguration party of the British Finance Minister. He did not know why he was invited, but the invitation was written in the handwriting of the finance minister, saying, 'Even if no one else knows, you must come.' I had a story to tell. At the party, the finance minister took the doctor to the top of the table and introduced him to the people. 'Everyone, decades ago, when I was a nameless boy in a mountain village, this man came to me through the rain and ran for tens of miles, and saved my life from a fever. Without him, I would not be where I am today.' People gave a thunderous applause.
The saying, 'Throw your bread on the water, and after many days you will find it' is the true word.
Beloved, if we oblige, that is, if we accumulate and share more virtues, there will be greater rewards. That is what Jesus said. “Give, and it will be given to you; press it, shake it, and pour over it.”
“Press, shake, and overflow” These words mean that God will repay you with greater love and blessings for the good deeds you do in faith.
Especially in Korea, our grandfathers and grandmothers have always taught our children this principle of boeun well through stories from the old days.
Everyone, do you know the story of 『Heungbu and Nolbu』? There was a farmer named Heungbu, and the swallow had a baby on the edge of the eaves of his house, and what happened to him broke his leg. So this good-hearted Heungbu unintentionally wrapped up the swallow's broken leg and gave it to him to heal. Then, one day, the swallow asked for a gourd seed, so when it was planted, a gourd tree grew and several large gourds were opened.
There are similar stories in the West. An ant once climbed a tree and walked on a leaf, and the wind blew and the leaf fell into the river. So the leaves are drifting away, and this ant sits on the leaves and keeps drifting away. If we just go to the sea, don't we die in it without food? But it is said that a dove flew away and bit the leaf and released it to the ground. So the ants lived.
One time after that, a pigeon was sitting on a tree, and the catcher, aiming to catch the pigeon, pulled the trigger, and something tickled his heel. So the bullet went off. So the dove flew away, and when he looked down at what he had bitten, he found an ant biting his heel. The ant is probably the ant saved by the dove.
Not only in the natural world, but also in our human society, as well as in animals and animals, as well as in human history, we can see that the principle of boeun works.
If we hold flower seeds in our hands and sow them along the way, there will be a time when those flower seeds will grow and produce beautiful flowers next to the road I have passed in the next few days.
Don't complain that this world is lonely and cold. In a world like this, I should be kind to others first, do good things first, and strive to create a society where I can live first. This is God's teaching, and this is the lesson that today's Word gives us.
One of Longfellow's poems is this:
I shot my bow towards the blue sky.
how fast the arrow flies
My eyes couldn't follow where the arrow went.
I lost that arrow.
I sang to the sky
How fast that song spreads
I couldn't follow where the song went.
i lost that song
but long later
I got the arrow back.
without breaking the arrow
and again later
i got that song back
that song from beginning to end
In the heart of a young singing man.
Beloved, now we have to listen to God's word again.
Gal 6:9 says, “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap.”
Proverbs 11:24-25 says, “If you scatter and give, you will become richer; if you spare too much, you will only become poor. Those who love alms will prosper, and those who nourish others will be refreshed.”
This is God's law. God wants us to live by doing good. “The fast that pleases God is to loosen the bonds of cruelty, to untie the cords of a yoke, and to give your food to the hungry” Isaiah 58:6 and below.
Jesus said, “As you did it for one of the least of these, you did it for me.”
“He who says I love God and does not love his neighbor does not love God,” said John again and again.
Dear saints, we must now listen to these truths and obey them. A good world to live in, a world to live in is not made by anyone. It will be created while we practice oblige. The kingdom of God will be realized even on this earth by these people.
If we can throw our plants into the river, if we are willing to give ours to others, then the kingdom of God will be established.
A life that can give hope to those in despair and bring joy and happiness to the world is not that difficult. By sharing the blessings of God given to me little by little, it becomes fully possible.
Let's embrace, love and evangelize with one soul. Let's embrace one family and share our love. Let's embrace and devote ourselves to one missionary field. Wherever you do this, the fragrance of Christ will spread. This world will be transformed into a world full of life and happiness.
1 Timothy 6:18 “Do good, be rich in good works, be generous and sympathetic.”
Hebrews 13:16 “But do not forget to do good and to share. Sacrifice like this is pleasing to God.”
2 Thessalonians 3:13 “Brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.”
Gal 6:9 “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we are not weary.
It is the word of the living God. It is also a word of truth with promise. God is pleased with the good we do, and God promises to reap in due time.
We serve and love one of the least of these, not because we want him to repay us. This is to receive the grace of God, who is the source of all blessings.
The grace that God returns is more incomparable than the grace that man returns. Also, it is a loving service that we do because the love we can do even if we do not do so overflows among us.
We all want to be like Jesus and become people who bring happiness to the world. Also, if you sow a beautiful seed of love, it will surely sprout and grow and you will receive the joy of fruit. This is God's promise. “Throw your food on the water, and after many days you will find it back.” “Give, and it will be given to you; it will be poured out generously, pressed down, shaken, and overflowing.”