Sermon(Ps 40): God of David

The original Korean text: https://blog.naver.com/stevision/50025286600

 

>> 1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. .... 6 Sacrifice and offering thou dost not desire; but thou hast given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering thou hast not required. 7 Then I said, “Lo, I come; in the roll of the book it is written of me; 8 I delight to do thy will, O my God; thy law is within my heart.” 9 I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; lo, I have not restrained my lips, as thou knowest, O Lord. 10 I have not hid thy saving help within my heart, I have spoken of thy faithfulness and thy salvation; I have not concealed thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness from the great congregation. .... (Ps 40) <<

 

The Old Testament is written in Hebrew and the New Testament, in Greek, so it will not be easy for you to read the Old and New Testaments in the original language unless you are an expert in these two languages. You can read the Bible easiest in Korean as a Korean. However, Hebrew or Greek has a similar grammar to that of English or German. As you know, English and German are structurally very different from Korean. So we find a lot of sentences having vague meanings in the Korean Bible. I've read the Korean Bible several times. I read the English Bible three times. And now I'm reading the German Bible for the fourth time. I'm never saying this to boast. I'm saying this because I could get clearer understanding of the passages of the Korean Bible when I read the passages in the English Bible or in the German Bible. The German Bible I love and enjoy reading is this: “Die Gute Nachricht / DIE BIBEL / in heutigem Deutsch.” This Bible is a masterpiece indeed! This Bible was translated into German by the translaters who had an insight into the heart of the original writers. I'd like to recommend this German Bible to you.

 

Of the verses of today's text, some verses having vague meaning in the Korean Bible and the English Bible have clear meaning in the German Bible. Let me retranslate the verses into English. But the verse numbers do not correspond to each other.

 

7 Sacrifice and offering are not so important to the Lord. You, O Lord, have not required burnt offering and sin offering from me. But the Lord gave me ears to listen to his words. 8-9 Therefore, I tell you. My Lord, I'm ready to do what you want me to do. For me, what I should do are written in the law of God. I am pleased with the law of the God and put it in my heart.

 

My brethren, God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. God said to king Saul through Samuel, "Obedience is better than sacrifice." This stance of God is the same toward David. God of David is the One who wants obedience more than sacrifice or offering. God told his servants to write the most righteous and holy book, that is, the Bible, and gave it to us. God gave us the Bible because he loved us. God gave us the holy law to make us holy and give us the eternal life. God loves those who take delight in the law of God, put it always in their heart and apply it to their lives. God is pleased with those who have the attitude to obey the words of the Bible. But God is displeased with those who disobey the words of the Bible for their own profit and offer sacrifices to soothe God's wrath. My brethren, did God say, "Offer 10 million won to me as a fine for your sins," when you committed sins? Did God himself say to you, "Why do you not give me thanksgiving offering?" when you didn't offer some money to him? God himself does not collect offerings by force, because the forced sacrifice and offering is worthless. And God does not ask sinners to offer such offerings because the sacrifices and the offerings offered up to avoid the punishment of sins are an abomination. Today and in the past as well, what God requires of us is the life of obedience to the words of God. God takes delight in the obedient heart and the obedient person. Therefore God loves an obedient poor man more than a disobedient rich man who offers up a lot of money to God.

 

God of David is full of compassion, kindness and truth. "Do not thou, O Lord, withhold thy mercy from me, let thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness ever preserve me! (v. 11)" If you live a life of obedience to God's word, God becomes the One who cares for you to the end. Is there a more certain supporter than God in the world? Even if evils have encompassed me without number, they can't overtake me (v. 12), because God protects me. Even if there are iniquities without number in me, I do not perish (v. 12), because God has mercy on me and forgives me when I admit my sins honestly and beseech God for forgiveness. Got puts all of them who seek to hurt me to rout and shame (v. 14, 15). God is a righteous One, so he becomes the enemy of those who persecute the righteous.

 

God of David is mindful of the poor and needy, and helps them and delivers them from tribulation. "As for me, I am poor and needy; but the Lord takes thought for me. Thou art my help and my deliverer. (v. 17)" My brethren, God never despises you because you are poor. My brethren, God never rates you high just because you're rich. Parents having many children always first think of the son or the daughter who is the poorest one. My brethren, so does God! God thinks of you the more if you are poor and needy. Therefore God helps you as quick as he can if you pray to him whenever you need something. If you have fallen into a deep pit because of poverty, God will never ignore your cry but will surely deliver you. My brethren, wait and wait for God your helper when you are in trouble due to poverty. "I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. (v. 2, 3)" God helps you in due time. If you pray to God in great poverty and need, God does not tarry but immediately helps you when it is the best time. "Do not tarry, O my God! (v. 17)" "O Lord, make haste to help me! (v. 13)" God, who loves you and who always gladly wants to give you the best thing, will help you at the best time and with the best help.

 

God of David is faithful to those who believe and follow him. "I have spoken of thy faithfulness and thy salvation; I have not concealed thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness from the great congregation. (v. 10)" God appreciates our faith and trust in him gives us salvation. And God himself thoroughly becomes a faithful One to us. He never betrays us. God never breaks promises. God promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would give their descendants the land of Canaan. Israelites frequently disobeyed and betrayed him, but God, never forgetting the promise given to Abraham, Isaac , and Jacob, never gave up them but led them into the promised land at last. Humans may sin, but God's faithfulness is eternal. A man may die, but God's faithfulness toward him will continue even after his death. Solomon ought to have been doomed to death for causing Israel to fall into idolatry, but God remembered the blessing granted to David and didn't strike his son Solomon. Come to think of it, many sinners unexpectedly benefit from God's faithfulness (toward other persons). Thinking of the suffering of Jesus the only begotten Son on the cross, God the Father forgives all the sins of all sinners of the world. There are many like Solomon in the world. They are much blessed with good things thanks to their parents, but themselves live a poor religious life. They are very arrogant, not knowing God does not punish them for the sake of their parents. But at last they see their own children go bad.

 

God delights in our thanksgiving as well as our obedience. Of the various thanksgivings, God delights the more in our thanksgiving for God's goodness and faithfulness in the presence of a lot of people. "I have not hid thy saving help within my heart, I have spoken of thy faithfulness and thy salvation; I have not concealed thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness from the great congregation. (v. 10)" My brethren, why did David write many poems including Ps 40 and leave them in the Bible? Because he wanted to praise God's grace toward him forever. David wrote poems in memory of the good God he met, made them into songs, which he recommended people to sing. Many people sang the songs of David's faith and earnestly wanted the God of David to be their God. Many believed in the God who had raised David from a shepherd to a king. 'I'll be a great believer if I believe and obey God like David!' My brethren, God's blessings is not for my happiness only. If I believe and serve God aright and am much blessed, people in the world can find God through me. When I give thanks to God for the blessings of God among a lot of people, when I confess the good God who has helped me in a big assembly of the people, they also will believe in God and receive blessings I've received. That is, I become a fountain of blessing like Abraham. When I give thanks to God in front of people, they will revere the God who forgave, led, helped and exalted me who am but an incompetent man. >>But may all who seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee; may those who love thy salvation say continually, "Great is the Lord!" (v. 16)<< In fact, God is pleased with our obedience and thanksgiving indeed, but is there anything that can please God more than the miracle that people find God through us and obtain eternal life? Many people misunderstand God as a merciless One, and are reluctant to approach him, and tend to avoid and fear him. You have to remove this misunderstanding. We must speak truth to people. We must say to them that God is a very kind, compassionate, generous and faithful Father. My confessional sincere gratitude for God's grace among many people makes this possible.

 

God put a new song in David's mouth (v. 3). Hearing my song, people revere God and have the faith in him. What does the new song mean? Who sings? He who is victorious and successful in his life can sing. Who sings hymns? Only he who has defeated Devil sings the praises of God. Who sings hymns? Only he who is sure of God's help sings hymns. Such a man sings the songs of praise of God even while going to war at the risk of his life, because he is confident that he will triumph in God. When I sing a new song, the power of darkness and evil withdraws. When I sing a new song, my enemies tremble. When I sing a new song, my friends also are confident of victory. My brethren, sing praises of God always. The hymnal songs will strengthen you. Whenever David fell into trouble, he composed a new song and sang the song loudly. Wherever David's songs sounded, his foes all disappeared. David sang new songs he composed in the faith in God, was encouraged by the songs, fought and defeated all his enemies boldly, and at last became a king. His confessional songs finally became his reality. His new songs always made him a new man. Sing songs expressing your faith every day like David. God will fulfill your confession sung with your lips.

 

I pray that the God of David may be your God.

 

Chong Tack Kim

                                  - Dongtoma Sunshine Church -