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ג (Gimel)： Essentials for Strangers
Series: Finding the Gospel in Psalm 119ーA Hymn to the Law 3/22
Psalm 119:17-24
Andy Nagahara
In this third sermon in our series on Psalm 119, which we have characterized as a “hymn to the law”, we will be focusing on the third paragraph that starts with “gimel” the third letter in the Hebrew alphabet. Gimel comes from the Hebrew word gamal, from which some theorize that we get the English word, “camel.”
Today is election day for the Upper House in Japan. Has the terrifying event from this past week impacted your vote? This should not be the case. The fact that a central figure in a particular party passed away in a tragic manner, does not mean that voting for that party in a show of solidarity or condolence will be of any real benefit to Japan or its future. This is the time for calm and clarity of thought, and for voting based on policy. If violence is allowed to determine the results of an election, then we inviting more of the same violence in the future.
For those of you who have a vote, have you voted yet? I went to vote this morning. How should followers of Jesus engage in politics? I think many of of you have considered this question. All elections are important, but today’s election is particularly important. This is because it has the potential to change the direction of this country in significant ways.
Though Japan has long held the position that it will not engage in pre-emptive attacks against another country or possess nuclear weapons, a significant number of people are beginning to feel that Japan should be “like other countries” in the sense that they can declare war like other countries and become a “stronger” country by holding nuclear weapons.
There have been changes among Japanese Christians as well. As people who endured persecution during the war and allowed the government to pressure them into pressuring Christians on the Korean Peninsula to engage in emperor worship, Christians in Japan have long understood the Japanese Constitution to be a constitution that embodies peace and have been committed to guarding its tenets. In this particular election, a pastor has declared candidacy from one of the parties seeking to change the constitution. Pastors supporting this candidate encouraged their church members and other church members to support this pastor candidate.
Of course, it is fine for a pastor to personally support any political party of their choice. I don’t think it is right for them to require others to be in alignment with their political persuasion. The pastors supporting this pastor candidate have been less than candid with the people they are trying to influence—choosing to gloss over the party name, ignoring the party platform, and trying to convince people to support this person simply because he is a Christian and a pastor.
I feel that the church should not become a mechanism for collecting votes as Soka Gakkai is for Komei-tou and as several religions are for the Liberal Democratic Party. The church is a big family, in which Jesus, the head, relinquished his authority. It is not an organization characterized by powerful authority. The Reformation in the 15th century came about because the church used its powerful authority to limit people’s one-on-one connection with God. Using the church as a campaign vehicle means that we are limiting each other’s ability to listen to and act on what God is telling us individually. It’s indirectly (or perhaps directly) pressuring others to conform to what the church or the pastor wants them to do.
This is deeply related to the idea of following the true law as I’ve been teaching in this sermon series. Simply put, encouraging church members to simply vote for the candidate or party endorsed by their pastor is a form of legalism and is a failure to follow God’s word. It doesn’t allow us to truly follow God. Today’s passage gives us a clue about how we can listen to and follow God’s word. Let’s read through the entire passage.
Gimel
17 Do good to your servant, and I will live;
I will obey your word.
18 Open my eyes that I may see
wonderful things in your law.
19 I am a stranger on earth;
do not hide your commands from me.
20 My soul is consumed with longing
for your laws at all times.
21 You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed
and who stray from your commands.
22 Remove from me scorn and contempt,
for I keep your statutes.
23 Though rulers sit together and slander me,
your servant will meditate on your decrees.
24 Your statutes are my delight;
they are my counselors.
1. What we should seek from God (17,18)
Have you prayed recently asking God to do something for you? What did you ask God to do? Our list of all the things we want God to do for us is endless. We lack one thing and then the next. There are numerous things we want God to do for us.
Praying for someone else’s needs is called a prayer of intersession, but praying for anything and everything we want is not really prayer, but rather, requests. Parents don’t grant all of their children’s requests. This is because they know what their child truly needs. This is true in our relationship with God. In the first two verses of our passage today, we find something that we should always request from God.
17 Do good to your servant, and I will live;
I will obey your word.
18 Open my eyes that I may see
wonderful things in your law.
In this sermon series, I have been emphasizing that the essence of the law is not found in written rules, but God’s will for us expressed in different ways his word. It is what I have underlined in the scripture passage. Living according to God’s will is not as simple as living in such a way that we don’t break God’s rules. It is no less than a dynamic process of seeking God’s will and living accordingly.
Sadly, we cannot know or do God’s will in our own strength. We must pray and ask God for his strength to work in us. Sometimes it is difficult to see the power of God’s word in a world that is full of evil. That is why we need to pray, “Open my eyes” God always answers when we pray this prayer.
2. Our status in this world (19)
Let’s read verse 19 again.
19 I am a stranger on earth;
do not hide your commands from me.
Strangers, or sojourners, are people who leave their home country for a variety of reasons and live in another country without assimilating to their host culture. The people of Israel spent much of their history as strangers and sojourners and even today, they are scattered throughout the world.
Jesus himself was a stranger and a sojourner, spending his relatively short lifetime among the Israelites. And he taught us to live according to God’s true law as it is revealed to our hearts and to not be bound by the written law even though his knowledge of the law could rival any teachers of the law at the time.
Much like Jesus, those who follow him are strangers and sojourners in this world. Our true home is the kingdom of God (under God’s rule). There are many people in this world who are not interested in following God, but follow their own desires as though they were God. As a result, we live in a world where the powerful abuse the weak.
Those who follow Jesus are empowered with God’s peace and joy as they listen to his word and can share God’s love and justice in the world despite their status as strangers.
3. The trouble with being a stranger (20-22)
Let’s re-read the next passage.
20 My soul is consumed with longing
for your laws at all times.
21 You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed
and who stray from your commands.
22 Remove from me scorn and contempt,
for I keep your statutes.
Through the Bible and other historical records, we know the suffering that was endured by the people of Israel. We don’t have firsthand knowledge of their suffering. The suffering they endured as a people goes beyond our imagination and prejudice against them continues to this day. The world has always viewed them as “other.”
Jesus was born among the people of Israel in the promised land during a time when they were under Roman rule. But as I mentioned earlier, Jesus was a stranger, a sojourner, even among his own people. Even among his compatriots, he was not fully accepted. Matthew and Luke both documented Jesus saying, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20, Luke 9:58). This was because the kingdom of God was different from the world and from Israel.
Human beings have a tendency to highlight trivial differences among us and to exclude the “other.” This sinful tendency goes directly against God’s will for us to love without condition. This country is no exception. It seems like the tendency to exclude has become more pronounced. The voices of those whose with messages of hate and prejudice against minorities of all kinds, including those in the LGBTQ community and foreigners, seem to have become louder in recent days.
As someone taught me this past week, this is violence in the name of promoting what is considered “normal.” Please examine the gospels. Jesus never blamed or shamed anyone for not being “normal.” On the contrary, he rebuked his disciples, who wanted a “normal” meeting with only adults present and sent the children away. And he brought the children to himself. ”Normal” is a subjective and self-centered idea. When the majority holds the same idea of normalcy, we are not forced to confront our self-centeredness. No one is “normal” by all standards. We are all “not normal” by somebody’s particular standard. As Jesus accepted us, so too must we truly become “your church,” accepting each other in all the ways we are “not normal.”
In keeping with God’s will, Jesus was always on the side of the small, the weak, and those who were not “normal,” and as such, he was rejected by his own people and the world, and was crucified by those in authority and the people they influenced.
As people who follow Jesus as God and Lord, if we are walking according to his will, the hatred that he experienced will also be turned in our direction. The psalmist turned to God in his distress and was able to keep his heart strong. Verses 23 and 24 teach us how to do this.
4. And yet, we can rejoice in God’s word and live (23,24)
23 Though rulers sit together and slander me,
your servant will meditate on your decrees.
24 Your statutes are my delight;
they are my counselors.
In our world, those with power have always made laws and changed them, and have limited the rights of others in order to create the society they desire. The people of Israel chose a king over trusting in God, and as a result, they suffered under their kings’ rule.
During Jesus’ lifetime, people were struggling under the authority of local leadership as well as the Romans and they were looking for a Messiah to deliver them. People assumed that Jesus was there to free them militarily and politically, and when he did not deliver what they wanted, they called loudly for his crucifixion. Consequently, his blood was not just on the hands of the rulers and religious leaders, but also on the people whose expectations were disappointed.
This passage describes how Jesus approached others’ expectations and disappointment. This is what we should aspire to as followers of Jesus. This is how we can endure in our world. Our very existence is threatened in different ways. As I said earlier, we need to make sure that the church doesn’t become part of the problem. Those who face persecution can take heart and learn from Jesus in how he approached the religious leaders, the king, and Roman rulers, and was protected by God. No matter what people say to us, the words of Jesus give us power. Jesus’ words bring us joy. When we are lost or unsure, his words give us the help we need.
As strangers and sojourners, we cannot possess many things. But as long as we have God’s word, we can walk through this world rejoicing.
（Prayer） God, your presence with us, with each one of us, is our salvation. We can journey forward because of the word you give us. Please help us to be messengers of your word to our loved ones who do not know the encouragement that comes from your word. Please help us not get in the way of your invitation to others because of our prejudice. Instead, please take away our prejudice and use us as vessels of your word to others. We thank you, we put our hope in you, and pray in Jesus’ name.
Let’s lift our voices to the Lord and open our ears to God’s voice. It’s time for worship.
Summary
Those who follow Jesus are strangers in this world. Our true home is the kingdom of God (under God’s rule). Many people in this world show no interest in following God, and instead, pursue their own desires as though they were God. As a result, we live in a world where the powerful abuse those who are weak. Those who follow Jesus are empowered with God’s peace and joy and can share God’s love and justice in the world despite their status as strangers.
For Discussion
- Why is our world full of injustice and ruthlessness?
- What are the struggles of being strangers? The joys?