Title What is that tombstone?
Contents
The Israelites, who had left Egypt, wandered in the wilderness for 40 years before entering Canaan's welfare. And during the reign of Saul the first, David the second, and Solomon the third, we lived in the era of the unified kingdom, and in the next generation, there was a war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam, the sons of Solomon. So it was divided into 10 tribes to the north, Israel, and two tribes, Judah, to the south.
Jeroboam, the ruler of northern Israel, worshiped idols and was tyrannical. At that time, the Holy Land of Bethel was in southern Judah. People made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land several times a year and went to Bethel in Judah in the south for worship.
Let's say that you come to a church in Seoul from a province such as Pyongyang or Wonsan to worship several times a year (eg Easter, Thanksgiving, etc.). Will the northern leaders let it go? It won't be.
Likewise, Jeroboam also made several holy places in the north. And they made a shrine to worship there, saying that there is no need to go to Bethel. It's a shortcut. Also, Jeroboam changed the custom of worshiping God and treated cattle as holy things, like pagan idol worship.
However, when Jeroboam entered the temple and his hands were dry while touching things, the prophet appeared and prophesied. The prophet said, "You are going to die. And after a while a prince named Josiah will come out and purify this shrine."
Jeroboam died, and the prophet also died of old age. And many years later, Josiah became king. When Josiah became king and was cleaning the temple to rebuild it, he saw that the book of the law was found under the main tree. As I read that book, the people of Israel were not alone. The people, God's chosen people, should serve God, but instead of serving God, they worshiped foreign idols, engaged in lewd acts in places such as prayer halls, and corruption, injustice, and corruption reached the heavens beyond words.
King Josiah did the purification work by reading the Book of the Law, weeping, repenting, and fasting. God's people in the Book of the Law believed that they should live according to the Word of God, and in the light of the Book of the Law, they purged everything that was wrong. Killed all shamans and idolatrous leaders. And they burned all the temples. Destroyed all the objects. They arrested officials who practiced tyranny.
In addition to the sweeping purge, it was a purification project. They even dug up the shrine and burned the bones of the idolatrous prophets of Baal in it.
However, there was a stone in a certain place, and that is the word in the text.
“What kind of stone is that?” asked the king. Then the servants answered. “This is the stone monument of the prophet who said that in the days of Jeroboam, the first king of old, a king named Josiah would come out and cleanse the temple.” When the king heard this, he said, 'Keep it safe,' and all other bones and tombstones were burned.
"What kind of tombstone is that?" The reason why I chose this title is because the motto of June is 'Month of Veterans, Loyalty, and Peace'. In our country, too, many heroic spirits of our country shed blood. When we die, we bury a coffin of several pyeong and set up a monument.
Often when you go to a cemetery and look at the tombstones, you can learn a little bit about a person. When we talk about the history of a person's life with the names of the few characters written on this stone, we wonder if we can say that we live with dignity as written on the stone or can we say that we are not. In the latter case, he said, "Yes, he lived up to his name and passed away. It's a pity. He lived a very noble life." In response to his will, he even erects a monument to make the area a sanctuary. Admiral Yi Sun-sin's grave in Asan is the most extreme case.
But on the other hand, some tombstones are moved, saying, "Ah!
If you look at our history, there are many examples of that kind of thing that sparks a society. In many cases, bodies already in tombs were dug up, divided into six parts, and burned.
What kind of life will I live and what will be written on my tombstone after I die? Think and plan today.
There are many tombs in Westminster Abbey, England. When you enter the cathedral, there is a black marble the size of a tile. Everything else is white, but only that one is black.
It is said that a man who lived in a rural area is buried there. He made a lot of money by working as a maid. His lifelong wish was for his body to be buried here after he died. So when he died, he left behind a lot of money to be buried in Westminster Abbey. The funeral committee struggled with this issue, and because it could not be buried immediately, the coffin was erected vertically and marked with black tiles.
If you go to Peter's Basilica in Rome, you can see a seated statue of Peter. This seated statue was touched and kissed by many people while worshiping, and the feet were worn out.
Let's think about these two graves. The grave at Westminster Abbey makes us feel bad. On the other hand, Peter, who was selected by Jesus as an unknown Galilean fisherman, devoted his whole life to the work of the gospel of God. So his name, ideas, and beliefs were admired enough to wear the stones worn out by the worshipers.
So, how should we live in this one world?
In Romans 9, the apostle Paul said that at that time he could not bear to see his people sin and go to hell, so even if his name was erased from the book of life, his wish was that his people would be saved and ascended to the kingdom of heaven.
Patriotism in the Bible is national evangelization. When Nehemiah heard the plight of his country, he mourned for four days and prayed before God. The weeping prophet Jeremiah said that tears flow from his eyes like streams of water for his country. In the New Testament, Jesus also wept for his country. As he watched the destruction of his country on the Mount of Olives, he shed tears of brotherly love.
“Christianity has no borders, but Christ’s work has a homeland,” he said. Although Jesus died on the cross for all mankind, his bloody patriotism toward his people, Israel, is evident everywhere. The apostle Paul did the same.
Ladies and gentlemen, if you look at the patriots and pioneers of modern Korea, they are all Christians. First of all, if you look at just 33 people, most of them are Christians. Seung-Hoon Lee of Namgang, Sang-Jae Lee of Vietnam, Man-Sik Jo of Godang, and Gu-Beom Kim all showed patriotism by thinking of the nation based on the Christian spirit.
However, today, our country is moving away from Christianity by honoring ceremonial ceremonies and holding pig heads at national events. They are working hard on the streets while crying out for democratization.
The patriotism that the Bible speaks of is evangelization of the soul. A nation cannot become right without the individual being turned upside down. In Chinese, there is a saying, "The Sushin system is ruled by the country and peace." First of all, you need to correct your own mind.
What kind of conversation did college students have in Busan? To go to Busan, I took a car from Seoul, Daegu, and Gwangju, all of which are free rides. How does democracy come about when people who are supposed to obey democratic laws use undemocratic methods?
Looking at TV these days, a lot of bananas are imported into Korea, and the import price is 480 won per kg. However, in Korea, a few years ago, it was generally sold at 3,000 to 3,500 won per kg. How many times did you make a profit? But now in Jeju Island, 800 per kg is required to be shipped, but even 500 won is less than this 480 won, so they say that all retailers only buy foreign products. So, there are 70 companies that import this.
It is said that Koreans drink the most foreign alcohol in the world. When was the last time you refused foreign cigarettes? Now, I smoke the most foreign cigarettes. The individual is the problem.
A person went to Southeast Asia to buy fabrics and asked for the best fabric, so he gave me the best woolen fabric.
It's a shame, but I've been trying to buy nail clippers in the US. I picked one Made in U.S.A to buy something that didn't have Made in Korea. When I returned to the dormitory, I opened it up, and in the corner was written Made in R.O.K. Ours is now being recognized abroad.
The true patriotism that the Bible speaks of lies in the evangelization of the soul. And before that, the important thing is the home gospel. A true patriot is respected by all and respected at home. Today, there are very few people who use their fists and shout loudly without a mess. Christians should be respected in their homes, in their families, in their kin, and in their communities.
So is the church. You must devote yourself to the work of the church while taking care of the family. If there is no home evangelization, there will be no national evangelization. True patriotism is individual and family.
I went to a family for a memorial service. The person who died was a person who did not normally believe in Jesus. However, when the descendants believe in Jesus, it will naturally become a memorial service. In the words of those who don't believe, dead ghosts are going to eat without even getting water.
Let's think backwards for a moment. We believe in Jesus in our own way. But if my family doesn't believe me, if I leave a will, "When I die, call the pastor and have a memorial service," will it be a memorial service?
You must evangelize your own family before it is too late. This is true love and patriotism. Jesus also thought of his people.
We had 36 years of Japanese rule, 8.15 liberation, 6.25 Incident, 4.19 uprising, and many coups after that. Even now, if you pass by the Dongjak-dong National Cemetery, the horn is quiet and people are quiet. Why were the 200,000 heroic martyrs of the country buried there?
Everyone must have a burning heart to become the foundation for the national gospel. The basic thing is your own psyche. Look at the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Christianity has no borders, but Christians realize that they have a country.
Let's evangelize our family by living uprightly with our burning faith today, with faith and conscience. In the name of the Lord, I bless you all to become the bearers of corporate, workplace, and even national evangelization. Amen. (1991.6.2)