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The Realities of Faith
(Psalm 144)
Andy Nagahara
Today’s text is Psalm 14４. This psalm contains many quotations from other psalms, giving it the impression of a parquet. I think that even in the Japanese Bible it is clear that the content and the wording used in this psalm up to verse 11 and beyond are quite different. For example, the subject until verse 11 is “I” and after that it is “we”. The first half in particular is composed almost entirely of quotations, additions and revisions from earlier psalms, with many quotations from Psalm 18 in particular.
1. In what sense is faith a battle? (1-11)
0 Of David.
1 Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.
2 He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.
3 O LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him?
4 Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.
5 Part your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke.
6 Send forth lightning and scatter {the enemies}; shoot your arrows and rout them.
7 Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners
8 whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.
9 I will sing a new song to you, O God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you,
10 to the One who gives victory to kings, who delivers his servant David from the deadly sword.
11 Deliver me and rescue me from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.
a. It is not a fight against other religions, other cultures, or other countries
This part of the text is written as David’s monologue. Moreover, this is not depicted as something that is going on inside his mind, but rather as the king’s state of mind and wishes as commander-in-chief of the army. God is also portrayed as someone who teaches the king to wage war against pagan nations, makes the people obey the king, and desires to destroy other nations.
How should we interpret this verse which sings that God is “the one who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle”?
Some people claim that the Bible is the ‘inerrant’ Word of God, word for word, and therefore must be taken literally. Those who make such claims still view Judeo-Christianity and other religions, Judeo-Christian countries and other countries, and Christian culture and other cultures in opposition to each other. They also argue that countries and powers of different religions and cultures should be destroyed by military force, even if it means using nuclear weapons. This is an argument that is called Christian fundamentalism or Christian nationalism. This is certainly not the way Jesus taught.
It may seem extreme, but the impact of this thinking is too great to ignore. This mindset has led to a reality in which the human rights of immigrants are threatened by discriminatory lies, Palestinian lives are treated with great disregard, and prejudice and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people is justified. When people think of fundamentalism, many of them think of Islamic fundamentalism, but the origin of fundamentalism is Christian fundamentalism. Rather, I think that other fundamentalisms have become more radical in opposition to Christian fundamentalism.
So in what sense is the Bible the word of God?
I believe that the Bible is “God’s word written in human language.” What this means is that every written word reflects the limitations of the person who first recorded the tradition in writing. It is the limitation of the era and culture in which that person lived. Also, when translating from an ancient language, the true meaning may not be fully conveyed and misunderstandings may arise, which means that there are limitations to human language.
Therefore, even if you read it in context rather than just reading that part in isolation, as is often said, the true meaning may not be conveyed. There is an expression: “read between the lines.” It is an invitation to carefully interpret the author’s intention, rather than taking a superficial “literal” approach. But it requires reliable standards. Otherwise, the reader will end up “embellishing” God’s intentions to suit their own convenience.
Fortunately we have a standard. It is the Gospel. All we have to do is keep in mind the words and actions of Jesus recorded there and consider about what they mean to us.
Of course, the recorded words of Jesus are, inescapably, the words of God written in human words. They also use words that would be condemned as discriminatory in modern times. God, who became man, also took on the limitations of being human. However, when we compare this with the words and actions of the religious leaders of the time, the disciples, and the Apostle Paul, the difference is clear. Even in his time, Jesus showed little prejudice or discrimination based on race, gender, or religion. Rather, Jesus actively stood on the side of minorities and the socially disadvantaged. They did not view the Gentiles as enemies to be destroyed. He severely criticized religious people who condemned as sinners those who did not meet their standards. Some of Jesus’ disciples were members of a nationalist group called the Zealots that sought to militarily overthrow Roman rule, but Jesus had no interest in military rebellion against Rome. In fact, he even healed a Roman soldier’s serious illness at the request of his higher official.
b. It’s a battle against the sin within us
So who is the battle we should be fighting? In chapter 18 of the Gospel of John, Jesus answers the Roman governor’s question, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
“My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
These words of Jesus show that the battle he is talking about is not a visible conflict between nations or people, but an invisible spiritual one.
However, the term “spiritual warfare” must be used with care. The term “spiritual warfare” has been misunderstood and used in some Christian churches. It is the idea that evil spirits are powerful in our lives and that we must wage a counter-war against them. The fatal problem with this way of thinking is that it places the blame on an entity other than oneself, namely “evil spirit,” and distracts from the fact that the core of the problem lies within oneself.
And we associate anything we cannot accept with evil spirits. This only serves to reinforce the religious idea that I mentioned at the beginning, that other countries and religions are enemies. In addition to Christian fundamentalism and Christian nationalism, there are also many videos on YouTube that claim that other religions, different cultures, and sexual minorities are evil and controlled by evil spirits. This is a far cry from the teachings of Jesus.
Jesus clearly states several times in the Gospels why he came into the world. These words reveal the true meaning of “spiritual warfare” that Jesus speaks of. Here are two places.
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32)
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10b)
From these we can see that Jesus did not come to teach us to fight against people, nations, or religions as our enemies, but to free each and every soul from the power of sin.
Do you remember the message from the first half of the Gospel of John chapter 8 that you heard in June? What did Jesus say to those who were about to stone a woman caught in adultery? Jesus said, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her,” and not a single one of them threw a stone at her, lying about their innermost feelings.
Jesus said that before we condemn others, we must first look at the sin within us. I’m sure you are all well aware of how ugly and powerful the sin within you is. But Jesus doesn’t tell us to get rid of it ourselves. We have no power to win over sin without Jesus’ help. Jesus is the Lord who fights against the sin within us. All we can do is listen to Jesus and keep walking in obedience.
Jesus still wages his battle of liberation to save all people from sin, but as followers of Jesus, our main battlefield is ourselves. Our battle is to win one small local battle at a time with Jesus each day, so that souls, which are part of the kingdom of God, which Jesus risked his life to free, do not once again succumb to the power of sin.
2. The realities of faith (12-15)
12 Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace.
13 Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision. Our sheep will increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields;
14 our oxen will draw heavy loads. There will be no breaching of walls, no going into captivity, no cry of distress in our streets.
15 Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the LORD.
What is written here is not the reality in which the psalmist lives. The psalmist lives in a world of hardship, the exact opposite of this description. Although Israel has considered itself the Lord’s people, there has never been a time when this was the case. When they left Egypt, it was expected that Canaan would be like that place. However, even after they were established in Canaan, “God’s people” did not receive the special treatment that would bring about the prosperity described here.
This reality is the same for us who believe in Jesus as Lord. Jesus is not the one who will bring us the material prosperity of this world. Remember Jesus’ response to Pilate, which I mentioned earlier.
“My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
In other words, what is written in this passage is the reality of the Kingdom of God under Jesus’ rule. But Jesus also said that the kingdom of God has already come into the world. It refers to King Jesus and us who follow Him, that is the church. The church is an antenna shop for the Kingdom of God with stores all over the world. Here, no matter how harsh the reality we experience, we are all cherished as irreplaceable beings in our relationship with the Lord Jesus, our needs are met, and we can all know ourselves as blessed.
The reality of the Kingdom of God is so different from the situation we find ourselves in that it seems so real to us that it makes us despair. We forget that our citizenship is in heaven. God has provided worship services and the church to help us not lose sight of this reality.
Worship time will begin shortly, so let us worship from our hearts, hoping that our souls will be refreshed as we come into contact with this religious and spiritual reality.
(Prayer) Dear God, thank you for freeing us from sin.
Thank you for protecting us so that even though the sinful nature remains within us, we are not controlled by it.
Fill us with your power, that we may not listen to the temptations of sin, but may do your will.
Thank you for the faith reality that you have given us along with citizenship in the kingdom of God, which is more certain than the situations we face.
Please teach and guide us so that we can point to the kingdom of God more clearly.
In the name of Jesus Christ we pray.
Summary
There are parts in the Old Testament that can be interpreted as if God was protecting only the Jewish people, and considering other religions and ethnicities to be destroyed, but this is due to the linguistic limitations of the word of God written in human language. The true meaning of the Bible can be correctly understood through the words and actions of Jesus Christ recorded in the Gospels. The reality of the Kingdom of God to which we belong is a blessed and grace-filled one, regardless of our circumstances. We can experience this in our worship services, in the church.
For Discussion
- Who are your enemies?
- What is the kingdom of God like?