Title Not extreme/ Ec 7:15-29
I have seen all these things in my vain days, for there are the righteous who perish in their righteousness, and the wicked who live long in their wickedness. Do not be overly righteous, nor be too wise. How can you destroy yourself? Don't be too wicked and don't be foolish. Why do you want to die before the deadline? It is better for you to hold on to this and not to let go of that, for the one who fears God will escape from all these things. Wisdom makes a wise man more powerful than ten men in a city. There is not a righteous person in the world who does good and does not sin. Do not set your mind to listen to anyone. Beware, you will hear your servant curse you. Your heart knows that you, too, sometimes curse people. . .
In America, there was an employee of a shipyard named Bill Hughes. He didn't make a lot of money, but he had surprisingly large deposits in the bank. So, I did an investigation at the tax office, and this was the result. This person has never bought a candy in his life. I've never smoked a cigarette and I've never had a sip of alcohol. I never went out with women, I shaved with my brother's razor, and if I lent money to my grandmother, I got 12% interest. And after working the night shift, I wore my father's shoes to go to work. I haven't bought a single dress or a flower in 13 years, and I've never seen a movie in my life. I ate everything that was on the table, and wore my underwear, and I never went on vacation. So it was the bank's balance that he had collected from his monthly salary. That's an extreme example.
The point of today's text is to avoid extremes in life. Whatever the extreme, extreme appearances can harm yourself, your family, your neighbors, and many people around you. Among the universal truths, there is the evil of good luck (勸善懲惡). God punishes evil and promotes good. But Solomon saw that there were often exceptions. He tries to live as righteously as possible, but there are cases where he loses if he goes too far. Do you have tuberculosis? An attitude to keep things neat and tidy is good, but if you overdo it, it becomes a disease. I can't stand even a little bit of dust as I keep washing my hands and cleaning the house. Don't let other people come and touch anything. I met a young man and he said he didn't want to go home. When I asked why, he said that his mother had tuberculosis, so she couldn't touch the things in the house.
There are many extreme examples in our society. The word I hear the most is 'definitely'. If you say ‘destiny to oppose’, does it mean that one of them is going to die? How are you going to live? What if a righteous person only justifies himself and condemns others? become a Pharisee. What did those who were proud to live righteously? killed Jesus. If your intentions are extreme, you kill Jesus. Evil reaches its extreme, and an 18-year-old young man spends 70 million won on his credit card and becomes a robber and murderer. Things that kill people, ruin themselves, and disrupt lives are seen in extreme cases. When I interviewed my 105-year-old grandfather, “How did you live that long?” he said, “I only smoked cigarettes every day, so I lived a long time.” What an extreme answer!
Are any of you perfectionists? I am also a perfectionist. So, when I look at students' papers, they point out with a red pen even if a single letter is wrong or if there is no dot. I struggled a bit with that too. Then I realized. How difficult perfectionism is, it is not only difficult for me, but also for the person next to me to be perfect, and I hate everything that is not perfect, so the world is no longer fun. It's depressing. So when I discovered that I had a tendency to perfectionism, I repented. I am still struggling to get out of it. It's a bit messy, but it's gone now.
Extremes inevitably create extremes. It arouses the right and left wing. Too hot kills a life, but too cold kills a life. Extreme love is unsatisfying. I remember the story of a man who loved his wife so much that after she died of an illness, she lay her in bed for six months and stayed with her as if she had not died. That's extreme. Some people do not go out at all, even though they have been separated from their husbands for 10 years. I have seen a person who has been living alone without seeing anyone for 10 years in a dark house with black curtains on every window. Extremes harm themselves, harm those around them, and destroy the world.
Examine yourself for extreme tendencies too. Proverbs says, “Do not make me too rich, nor make me too poor. I am afraid that I will become too rich to be proud and forsake God, and I am afraid that I will curse God because I am too poor.” In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus told us to pray, “Give us our daily bread today.” It is a prayer that we may receive what we need without being too rich or too poor so that we may live content before the Lord. Human wisdom is not perfect. There is no perfect righteous person, no perfect wise person, so we strive for wisdom, pursue honesty, and pursue righteousness diligently, but even if we are not perfect, if we acknowledge it, we can live happily.
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and scribes for hypocrisy. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You tithe mint, anise, and cummin…” (Matthew 23:23). Who are the Pharisees? These are people who are trying to live a very righteous life. For example, if you get one mint, you cut 1/10 to pay tithing. Even if there is one scent, you have to cut it by 1/10 Jesus rebuked them because they said they were thorough in tithing, but they left out the most important thing. “The weightier matters of the law, righteousness and benevolence and God, have been forsaken!” The law contains a spirit that is more important than the letters--the righteous, the merciful, the trust--to forget all of these and become too busy cutting incense. Jesus went on to say, “You must do this and not forsake that.” It is important to know the spirit of the law and to follow the spirit and keep the law. Jesus showed us an inclusive, embracing side.
Human wisdom has its limits. There is no such thing as perfect wisdom. We cannot know everything. Solomon also said in verse 23, “I tested all these things with wisdom, saying, I will become wise, but wisdom has turned away from me!” exclaimed. Even though I tried to become a wise person, there was no perfect wisdom. “What has happened is far, far and deep. Who can master it!” There is no one in the world who can comprehend everything in life. Therefore, do not pretend to know that you know, and do not pretend to be righteous just because you are righteous. The Bible tells us to avoid extremes and live a moderate life. We should basically believe in Jesus, live as children of God, and earnestly pursue honesty, justice, and wisdom, but we must clearly remember that we lack this. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” he said. Therefore, the only way for us to be acknowledged before God is His grace, mercy, and mercy.
God has embraced us forever, despite our shortcomings. So, even if we find ourselves lacking in each other, I hope that you will humbly seek true wisdom before God and live, remembering that not only my servant has cursed me, but I have also cursed my servant. As human beings, we cannot completely avoid evil, but please keep trying to avoid evil.
The disciples asked Jesus. “The weeds and the chaff are together in the field, shall we go and pluck all the weeds?” Jesus said: “Just let it go. If you are trying to pluck the weeds, even the wheat There will be a day of judgment when God will send angels from heaven one day to cast cleanly and accurately.”
Ladies and gentlemen, even if I judge, I don't know if my judgment is certain. Even if I judge, I'm not sure if it's right. Only God can judge with certainty and with certainty. Therefore, we must leave judgment and judgment to God, and we should simply pursue goodness, honesty, justice, and wisdom. Let's avoid extremes and live the perfect life that God teaches us. May we be comfortable living with each other, virtuous, and tolerant of each other.