Title Are you happy? no thank you
Contents
Are you happy? No, thank you. (Psalm 136:1-26)
Whenever I read today's psalm, I almost immediately think of 'Ganggangsullae' or 'Kwaeji na ching ching nae'. The poem takes the typical back-and-forth style, in which the cantor sings a two-string-length front sound and the congregation accepts it as a back sound. The cantor said, “Give thanks to God, the greatest of all gods.” Then the congregation will say, “His lovingkindness endures forever.” The eternal kindness spoken of here is ‘love based on the covenant’.
Unlike our hearts, which change dozens of times a day, we repeat the confession that God's love does not change. If the Bible translators had used the rhyme of the poem to give it a sense of rhythm, it would have been more exciting to read, but it seems they did not pay attention to that. The poem consists of 26 verses, but we can continue after that. By repeating this simple rhythm, people are released from the bondage of everyday life, deeply engraved with God's grace, and experience deep unity through singing together.
Have you ever heard of the name Mattaniya? This wonderful name meaning “gift of God” was Asaph’s great-grandson and helped worship in the Second Temple built by Zerubbabel. His office was “Director of thanksgiving and praise and prayer” (Nehemiah 11:17). He is the one who leads the words of thanks when the congregation prays and sings praises. Those who live in the midst of various things in their daily life may be engulfed in resentment and sorrow. But through the confessions of those who come to God's temple and lead thanksgiving, they must have opened their eyes to God's grace and providence anew. It is a position that can lead to inertia, but what a beautiful thing it is to put people in the presence of God through the door of thanksgiving. There should be more such people in the church. Only then will the church be healthy.
The cantor first praises God, the greatest of all gods. All gods may sound unfamiliar to you. The ancients believed that there were many gods. Each country worshiped different gods. Those gods took on the roles bestowed upon them by the Supreme God. I mean, they each had their own specialties. God of war, god of fertility, god of rain and wind, god of wisdom… . The Israelites confessed that Yahweh God was more powerful than all such gods. Today's poet first sings about the majesty and love of the greatest God.
The poet also praises God for overcoming chaos and bringing order to the world. Praise be to God who made the heavens with wisdom, who spread the earth on the waters, who made the great lights, who made the sun to rule the day and the moon and stars to rule the night. The poet is now in awe. Neither the sky, which covers the whole world like a blanket, nor the water and earth inhabited by all kinds of living things, nor the sun, moon, and stars that illuminate the whole world happen by chance. It is because God made it exist.
Our birth is not our choice, it is God's will. That is why our lives are holy. The Gospel of John introduces Jesus as “the one who was sent”. So the Lord was convinced that it was His mission to do the will of the One who sent it. Even impending death was understood as a process of returning to the One who sent it. Everything in the world is in this huge web of life. It is not only the poet's exaggeration to see the weight of the universe in a grain of rice. That is the reality of life. Listen to Poet Kim Wan-ha's poem.
When my first-year-old son is speechless
Just open your mouth, mom, mom
Mom looking at dad, mom looking at the road
Mum looking at the mountains, Mum looking at the fields
Mother looking at the pine tree by the roadside
Even in the wind blowing through the trees
mom mom
mom sitting on a rock
Even when I see the ditch flowing by the side of the road, my mother
The son who barely passed his first birthday
Mom watching a passing bull
Even looking at the flowing ditch, mom, mom
Mom looking at the clouds, Mom looking at the town, Mom
How can it be only humans who raise children?
Wide fields, mountains and trees
Dianthus, stones, everyone raises children.
How could it be that ‘only people are able to raise children’? The sun and the moon and the clouds in the sky, the sea and the fields, the mountains and the trees, even the dianthus and stones help to raise the child. The first-year-old child, who calls everything in the world ‘mother’, reveals to us a sacred world in which you and I are not divided. With this kind of heart, how can we treat our neighbors rudely, and how can we make the natural world devastated? God commands the Israelites, “Do not defile the land in which you live, the land in which I am staying” (Numbers 35:34a). The earth we live in is the heaven where God dwells.
The poet also speaks of the love of God intervening in human history. Give thanks to the One who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, who brought Israel out of them, who parted the Red Sea and caused the people to cross over. The God he experiences and understands is the One who hears people's groans in prayer. God wants everyone to fully enjoy the life that has been bestowed upon them. A world where people do not receive human treatment because of lack of money, lack of strength, lack of education, or poor health is an evil world in the eyes of God.
Turn the situation into a place in our lives, not a sports day. We've been busy running forward, no matter who falls or not. It is because he thinks that the fall is his problem. Maybe he was lucky that he fell. On the way down to Jericho, the priest and the Levite saw a man who had been hit by a robber and passed by, ignoring them. As we read the Bible, we become angry at their indifference. But the moment we turn our eyes from the Bible and look at our reality, the situation changes. We don't like to approach those in need. Because they don't want to be involved in their lives. Because you never know what kind of damage it might cause.
But do not forget. God takes special interest in those who have fallen and are suffering. After all, would you have introduced yourself as ‘the God of the Hebrews’? Jesus said blessed are those who are poor now, those who are starving now, and those who weep now (Luke 6:20-21) because they are the object of special attention of God. God is interested in their welfare and salvation. He led Israel through the wilderness, struck down those who neglected them, and provided a land for them to establish and live in.
Recently, President Lee Myung-bak delivered a congratulatory speech at the 3rd Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) World Forum, which opened in BEXCO, Busan, saying, "We will develop an index that can measure the quality of life and carefully monitor the happiness of the people." is pursuing practical advancement to improve the quality of life with the people's happiness as the top priority," he said. I hope these words are not empty words. Then, we should humbly ask God what is the way for the people to be truly happy. And we must listen to the voice of the people. A world in which people who leave their fallen child and run to the front are the masters can never be a happy world.
We believe that God is the ruler of history. This is the basis for singing a song of gratitude in the face of discouragement. The psalmist sings, “We give thanks to him who remembered us when we were humbled.” When the conditions of reality were so difficult, the Israelites lamented, “The Lord has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me.” But God speaks.
“How can a mother forget her suckling, and how can she not have pity on the son born in her womb? Even if a mother forgets her child, I will never forget you” (Isaiah 49:15).
The Lord says to the people, “I have engraved your name on the palms of my hands.” This love keeps us alive. The Lord is the One who delivers the people from the clutches of their enemies and provides for their needs. God breathes life into those who are discouraged. It is the power that spurs the seat of despair and makes it stand up.
Just as the sun is still shining beyond those dark clouds. Although the world is full of dark and hopeless things, we can jump up again and continue the race of life that has been given to us. As soon as the breath of God enters us, we are freed from our tired selves and are reborn as people who truly love others. I think the gratitude we should give to God today should be like this. I am not grateful for the stocks I bought, house prices, and land prices rising, but I should be thankful for being freed from such greed, enjoying the mystery of life every day, and becoming a person who cares to become someone's new land. will be
Someone asked Elder Yonggi Kim, who founded the Canaan Agricultural School. “Elder, are you happy?” The elder, who was looking down at the rice paddy, suddenly answered. “No, thank you.” The moment we pursue happiness, it is easy to get caught up in unhappiness. However, those who realize that life is a grace and a gift will always live with gratitude. There are cloudy days and there are sunny days. There are happy days and there are sad days. But all I can say is this. “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Today's psalm ends with verse 26, but that's just an open end. It would be nice if our confession was added to that poem.