Title: Praise Yahweh!
Praise Yahweh!
According to the general opinion of Old Testament scholars, the book of Joel was written in the 4th century BC, or to be more precise, 350-360 BC. Joel was the last active prophet among Israel's prophets. He knew the story of the Babylonian captivity in 587-538, the rebuilding of the temple in 515, and Nehemiah's construction of the walls of Jerusalem in 445. Joel proclaims the oracle of God against the background of the history of Israel. The essence of this proclamation in today's text is to praise Yahweh. In verse 26, the expression “I will praise” appears specifically, and from a contextual point of view, the entire text focuses on the praise of Yahweh. “Do not be afraid, soil. Rejoice and be glad” (verse 21), “Jump for joy in thanks to the LORD your God” (verse 23), or “My people will be proud forever” (verse 27) also This is a verse related to the praise of Yahweh.
I will praise you.
The word praise is very familiar to us. During today's worship service, we sang several hymns. Singing a song, especially a song that glorifies God, is praise, and the act of singing is praise. The word praise is simple on the surface, but the content is not simple, and it is even more difficult to actually live like that. What the hell does praising mean?
At its simplest, as mentioned above, the actual singing of praise can be called praise. There are many gatherings centered on this kind of praise in the Korean church. Even the trend of “worship and praise” has settled into one worship service. It is a worship service that creates an atmosphere similar to an open concert with electronic instruments, percussion, and rhythmic movements. The person leading the meeting said in the middle, “Let us give glory to the Lord.” Or, set the mood by saying “Hallelujah!” Adolescents with sensitive sensibilities sometimes shed tears while singing a hymn with their hands raised. Because humans are basically emotional animals, they can laugh out loud and cry heavily. People who don't know that are people who don't know real life. Laughter and crying are natural phenomena that occur in humans, but it is not desirable to be engulfed in such emotions even though there is no content. People who laugh needlessly or cry needlessly can be seen as psychologically insecure. If such a phenomenon is extreme, you should seek psychiatric treatment.
The praise that the Bible teaches is not simply a human psychology, but an attitude of life that comes out of a person's character who is obsessed with God's rule. It can be said to be an attitude of life that humbles oneself and exalts God. Just as a slave unconditionally exalts his master, those who serve God unconditionally exalt Yahweh. Just as a slave infinitely humbles himself before his master, so too we humble ourselves infinitely before God. We worship with this attitude and sing hymns.
However, what is important in the attitude of life that humbles self and exalts Yahweh is a clear insight into life and history. On the other hand, the “worship and praise” type of meetings has the problem of falling into emotional and psychological functioning. Just as everyone feels sad when they go to a portrait book, even if they don't know the dead or their resident people well, they become sober just by that atmosphere, and even get caught up in self-pity.
There are those who think that whether psychologically or logically, we are praising God in the same way as a result. The two are consequently not the same. Different motives lead to different results. Tears of self-pity shed tears when given the opportunity in any situation. In the end, this kind of faith becomes important not to God, but to oneself. You become preoccupied with making yourself happy, relieving your sad feelings. Those in these “praise and worship” types of gatherings are not concerned with issues like the destruction of ecosystems or the US invasion of Iraq. Only one's religious feelings dominate all beliefs.
Today, the Korean church must break away from the New Setaryeong level of faith. If people who believe in the God who created this world and will complete it are swayed by their emotions and cry and cry, what are they going to do? Unfortunately, people are flocking to sermons and worship services that stimulate self-pity. I don't know if we're going back to being kids who only like sweet treats more and more.
marvel
The Bible does not provoke human emotions and self-pity. It is the opposite of praising Yahweh. It's not about raising your feelings and achievements, it's about raising Yahweh God. That Yahweh God is not vague. If there is someone who thinks that it is heartbreaking to hear the word Yahweh God, he is not familiar with the meaning of praise to Yahweh in the Bible. The Bible describes Yahweh God as a concrete agent. There is no God who does not act. The Bible describes God as acting in history. Look again at verse 26. “Now you will eat to your fullest, and you will praise the LORD your God. Praise be to this God who has done wonderful things for you.” Joel says that God does “wonderful things” for Israel.
If the entire Old Testament could be summed up in one word, it would be Joel's statement. The Old Testament is the book that informs people of God's wonderful works. The Exodus event was also a miracle of God. This is exactly what Moses' sister Miriam sang while holding a trumpet. “Praise the Lord. The Most High, the horse and the horseman, has thrown into the sea” (Ex 15:21). The creation of the world is also a wonderful work of God. The same is true of Noah's flood and the event that saved them. Not only the Old Testament but the New Testament also testify of God's wonderful works. The event of Jesus Christ itself was a wonderful work of God. The end of this world is the time when all the wonderful works of God will be completed.
We need to get a little more specific about the amazing thing Joel is talking about. In verses 21-23, Joel preached the word of God for three things. They are the earth, the beast, and the children of Zion. The earth, animals, and people are the very core of life on this earth. Joel said, "Do not be afraid, earth, ... beasts, do not be afraid, children, ... run for joy." The reason I shouted is because the nature and humans of Israel have fallen into a situation where they cannot help but fear. Joel was well acquainted with the historical facts of Jerusalem's destruction. The city of Jerusalem was completely devastated, the temple was torn down, all cultural heritage was looted, and the inhabitants were taken captive or starved to death. A description of such a situation is given in 1:17-20. “The soil dries up and the seeds die in it, the barns are emptied because there is no grain, and the barns collapse. The pasture is gone, the cattle roar and the cattle roar. Can a flock of sheep escape that punishment? O LORD, I cry out to you. The pastures in the fields have been burned. The trees in the field were also burned down. All the streams have dried up, and all the pastures of the fields are burned up, and the cattle cry out to the Lord in the fields.”
What scene is pictured in your head? War. Not only war, but also natural disasters. Wars and natural disasters have completely demolished our livelihoods. Is Iraq or Pakistan in this state? Could North Korea be in a similar situation? Israel has been through this a lot. We've been through this a lot too. Nowadays, South Korea is enjoying the most prosperous era, but until the 1960s and 1970s, a similar sight was not so unfamiliar. There is no guarantee that such an era will not come in the future. If there was a war between North and South Korea, or between North America and North America, we suddenly fell into the situation Joel described.
Although it seems that we are living well on the outside, on a spiritual level, it is no different from a battlefield or a state destroyed by natural disasters. Isn't Joel's cry that the barns collapsed, the livestock roared, and the streams were all dried up is the spiritual life that we South Koreans are living right now? Inter-Korean conflict, South-South conflict, polarization, ecological destruction, dehumanized educational sites, etc., I will not discuss here. According to our view, we are living in a situation that is as miserable as Pakistan or Iraq.
Joel encourages us not to be afraid. Declare to rejoice and rejoice, to give thanks to Yahweh. Why? Because Yahweh will do great things like this: The pasture of the field becomes green, and the grape vines are filled with fruits. God sends winter and spring rains, so it is said, “The threshing floor will be filled with grain, and every dock will overflow with wine and oil” (verse 24).
Yahweh God
Grain, wine, and oil were essential foodstuffs for the ancient Israelites. In the midst of a crisis of whether we will die today or die tomorrow, it is said that the time will come when food will be spread like this. It's like going from hell to heaven. This situation seems to compare today with just after 6.25. It has changed from the days when people starved to death to the era when people had to worry about dieting.
What is Joel talking about now? Do you mean to enjoy abundance? From what he said in verse 26a, “Eat to the fullest”, it is clear that eating abundantly is also important for those who believe in God. As long as we have a body and live in the world, we cannot neglect eating and drinking. Food is also a gift that God bestows upon us. But, folks, Joel isn't just talking about eating to the fullest. Eating to the full is God's grace that humans should naturally enjoy on this earth, but humans do not stay there, more importantly, praise Yahweh. It is to praise Yahweh, the God who has done amazing things so that they can eat to their fullest.
It's not like that. Being full here was only used as evidence of the fact that God does wonderful things, but that in itself was not the point. The religion aimed at being full was not the faith of Yahweh, but the faith of Baal, which the prophets kept vigilant about. As we experience in our daily lives, being full doesn't always make you happy, and of course, being hungry doesn't mean you're always happy. Moreover, there is no answer when it comes to questions such as how full we should be or how rich we should be. The point Joel is trying to say is that the only person who can protect our lives amid the ups and downs of human life is Yahweh God. Moreover, Yahweh God protects our lives in amazing ways that we did not expect.
But, everyone, the proclamation of Joel's words is not a reality that has already been fulfilled, but a promise that has not yet happened. As 2:12 points out, it is a promise that God will work wonders if you return to God with “repentance of heart”. Although it is a promise for the future, those who believe in this promise will live happily in the midst of the hunger of reality. The prophet Habakkuk sang: “Though the figs do not open, the grapes do not ripen, the olive crops fail and the fields produce no grain, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the pasture, I will rejoice in the LORD” (Hab 3:17,18 ) He can cheer up not because he is currently full, but because he believes in God's promises. That is praise. It is the attitude of life for those who know and hope that Yahweh God is the center of life. On Thanksgiving Day 2006, let's praise Yahweh, the Lord of life. Amen!