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Like a flower of the field
Sermon Series “Praise the LORD, O my soul” (Psalm 103 & 104) #2
Psalm 103:11-22, Luke 12:27-31
Andy Nagahara
Today, we will read Psalms 103 and 104, the second in the series, “Praise the Lord, O my soul,” from verses 11-22 of 103. First, let’s read the whole passage.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children–
18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.
21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the LORD, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
1. The fear of God (11-12)
Let’s read verses 11 and 12 once more.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
In both English and Japanese, the word “fear” was originally used to express not just fear, but a sense of sublimity that compelled respect and reverence.
However, in modern times, that part has been forgotten, and there seems to be a great deal of nuance in the fear of being treated badly.
Just as there are several different meanings of the original word translated as “love” in the Bible, there are many different nuances of the original word for fear, but “to fear God” is not ‘to be afraid of’, but ‘to hold in awe’ ( or to exalt or to think highly of).
It is the secret of keeping hope alive without despair when we are aware of the smallness, frailty, foolishness, and sinfulness of our existence, like the grass of a flower blooming in the field.
We don’t have to be afraid of God like Adam and Eve, who disobeyed God’s commands, found themselves naked, and were afraid that God would find them. This is because responds with love to those who are afraid of Him.
Honoring God does not mean trying to keep his word out of fear of punishment. It is to follow without giving up, no matter how many times you fail.
Do you remember the text from last week? God is the one who “does not treat us according to our sins, nor reward us according to our faults.
For us not to be the ones who grieve God, we should not put efforts which are beyond our capabilities. We should rather follow God as the people He has called.
2. Knowing a merciful God (13-15, Luke 6:27-31)
Nevertheless, we despair of the fact that we are so tiny.
However, in the next part, we can clearly see that God sees us as lovable but not vain, like flowers that wither away in a flash. Let’s read on.
13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field;
God knows that we are small in every sense of the word. However, we must not forget that it is us that he entrusted with the management of the world He has created.
To acknowledge our own smallness is to acknowledge God’s greatness. This is what God said as Jesus, the God who became man.
27 “Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!
29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.
30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.
31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. （ルカ Luke 12:27-31）
“To seek the kingdom of God” is not a difficult request; It is rather a simple and straightforward one.
When I say ” kingdom,” I’m not talking about leaving the place where I’m standing now. I am not talking about going back to heaven either. The Kingdom of God is the extent of God’s sphere of dominion.
Even when you are on earth, surrounded by people who don’t even think of God as God, when you stand there trusting in God, God is present, and His Kingdom is there with you.
That is God’s compassion (mercy) for us, the little ones.
It is okay. God will provide us with what we really need, what we absolutely need, at the right time.
Let us see God’s love and compassion in the flowers that bloom in the field. And let’s continue trusting in Jesus’s words “do not worry because you are more valuable (than the grass of the field)”.
3. Trusting God’s justice (16-18)
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children–
18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
As seen in verse 16, compared to eternity, our life here on earth is short. It’s no different from flowers of the field that germinate in spring, bloom in summer, fruit in autumn and die in winter.But God’s compassion for you is with you from everlasting to everlasting. You are an eternal being.
Further, we see in the following verses 17 and 18 that the Lord does not only protect our safety, but also uses those who believe in Him to express His justice.
God uses us, the seemingly insignificant flowers of the field, to show His justice when the world is filled with the sins of mankind, when the strong wield power and the small and weak are oppressed.
Many times, in history, such movements have expressed faith as a force to be reckoned with.
If we don’t listen to what Jesus wants us to do in our quest for justice, we may unwittingly become enemies of Jesus. Let’s listen carefully.
4. Praising God (19-22)
19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.
21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the LORD, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
Please look at the Weekly Bulletin’s picture/illustration once more.
The view is focused on a single flower, but if you take your eyes off the viewfinder in the actual landscape, you will see a beautiful field consisting of countless flowers dotted with various colors as a whole.
The grass’s existence on earth is less than a year, and it only flowers for a few days. But still, each flower praises God, who made it with a more beautiful garment than that of Solomon.
But God not only sees the whole picture, but He also focuses on you, as in this picture.
As all the flowers that know this raise their voices together and praise God, let us also walk in praise of the Lord, commanding our souls when necessary!
(Prayer)
Dear God, We praise you. Thank you for being our everlasting Lord
In this world that you have created, we are small, limited beings, and we have no control over the length of our lives here; but we have been given eternal life, not just life on this earth, and now we seek your control in the places and situations we have been placed.
Please give each and every one of us the peace that comes from you.
Summary
As long as we live in this society, no one can escape the feeling of powerlessness at one time or another. Our lives can seem fleeting like a flower of the field, and at the same time, there is no better way to live than to surrender our lives to God like the flower of the field. Let us fear God, trust him, and praise him with our lives.
For Discussion
1. What is the difference between what we typically think of as “fear” (being afraid) and the fear that the psalmist is referring to in this passage?
2. How are people like grass whose flowers flourish?
For the children (and their guardians/parents)
We believe in God not because He is a scary person who will retaliate if we don’t believe in Him, but because He is Jesus who is always with us, loving us, protecting us, and guiding us no matter what. One false tendency that we (adults) tend to have is to threaten our children by bringing up the “horror” of God in order to get them to listen to us. However, we should not use God as a tool to get our children to listen to us.