Word of Salvation – Vol. 39 No.26 – July 1994
The Faithful God
Sermon by Rev. M. De Graaf
Text: Psalm 106
Hymn: B.o.W.390
Brothers and sisters,
There’s probably no more effective way to put most people to sleep than to mention the possibility of a history lesson. We don’t mind the exciting things like knights in armour or the first fleet arriving in Botany Bay. But remembering all those dates and strange names and places, no, most people would happily give it all a miss. As you might guess I find that a real pity. History does play an important role in our lives. It gives us foundations and a sense of who we are. It can give us a sense of security and very importantly, as Lord Acton said, by studying history we are less likely to make the mistakes of the past.
Of course, when people say they don’t like ‘history’, they rarely mean that in the broadest sense of the word. History comes in a large variety of types. What people usually mean is, they don’t like a particular type of history, such as ‘political history’ or ‘national history’. But if you gave them a book about the history of Hollywood or the history of the motor car or folk art, their opinion about that could be quite different. A farmer may not care who the first Prime Minister of Australia was but studying the history of his farming region could be quite important if his business is going to survive. Studying the background of your family can give you a clear idea of where you came from. Sometimes doctors want to know what your parents or grandparents died of. Churches want to know what worked in this area in the past and what did not work.
On a personal level we all depend on our own personal histories. What happened in our past affects us deeply today. It can give us a deep sense of confidence or it can take that confidence away. We are constantly processing in our minds was HAS happened as we are planning what IS to happen. This is certainly true on a faith level too. What God has done in the past is the foundation on which we build for tomorrow.
Even if the label ‘history’ leaves us a bit cold, we live with our history every day and, as I’ve said, it plays a vital role in making us or our community or our church or our nation who we are. The problem with saying ‘I hate history’, ‘I hate looking at what has happened in the past ‘ (on a church or national or personal level or whatever level) is that it will mould us without our knowing or having any control over it. Denying the past doesn’t get rid of it: the past will simply live on under the surface!
1. When we look in Scripture, we see that the Israelites certainly took their own history very seriously. Their approach to history can still encourage us today.
The main part of the Old Testament is history and even books like Psalms and Isaiah and Jeremiah are filled with references to what has happened in the past. Usually the events were recorded so that the Israelites would know where they had come from. History was meant to give them a sense of their own identity. To Abraham God gave the land. The deliverance from Egypt: their entrance into the Promised Land- all of these historical events gave them a sense of who they were. Often, the recording of their history underlined the great things that God had done for them in years past. Think of Psalm 136 with its repeated refrain: ‘His love endures forever.’ Again and again, at moments of crisis, God was there as the Creator and Protector of this nation. He chose them, led them and gave them a reason for being. Psalm 105 and many others have the same theme. Psalm 137 has a similar theme. It was written during a time of crisis and in this Psalm the people call out to God and remind Him of the ways He was faithful in the past. The people of Israel feel they can look forward to the future with confidence because of the ways in which the Lord cared for them in the past.
History is also often used by the Israelites as a warning or guide. Psalm 107 is an example of that. ‘When we were rebellious and ignored our God we found ourselves lost, and suffered.’ The inference is: be faithful and your life will have the meaning it should have.
2. In the light of all these different uses of history we see Psalm 106. It was written during the time of the EXILE. The people of Israel had rebelled against their God. The main problem had been their repeated turning to the false gods of Canaan. But there was also a crisis of faith. After many warnings from prophets like Isaiah, Ezekiel and Jeremiah, God sent the Babylonians to carry His people away into exile. Their homes were destroyed, their leaders killed, the temple flattened. Everything they had learned to depend on was taken away and they were forced to live like second-class citizens in the land of Babylon.
In this context Psalm 106 was written. In it the author begins by reminding the people that they deserve the punishment they got. After all, their whole history was filled with a repeated turning away from Yahweh. He showed them miracles but they ignored them. He led them through the wilderness but they grumbled. He gave them good leaders but they rejected them. He defeated all their enemies but they forgot these victories. He provided all they needed but they bowed down in front of a golden calf. He gave them a new land but they intermarried with the Canaanites and compromised their faith by following their idols. It was a continual slap in God’s face. They always replaced Him with cheap imitations. They preferred gods they could touch and hold.
As the Psalm says in verse 6, what happened in Israel is not just ancient history. If the truth be told, we are no better. We have sinned in exactly the same way or we would have, if we had the chance. May be the names of the false gods have changed. We don’t call them Baal or Ashorah, or whatever, but the sentiments have not changed at all over all the centuries. We still turn much more quickly to the gods of our age than to the true God who is the source of all life and meaning. The Psalm basically says that when we look at our history and we are conscious of the pain that has come our way, why should we be surprised?
Our personal histories show us just how stubborn and stupid we can be. We’ve been warned again and again; we’ve seen the great things of God; we’ve heard of His mighty deeds (some of us right from the time of birth) and yet we harden our hearts and think the gods of our age (materialism, sex, entertainment, sports, work and whatever else) will meet all our needs. Verse 43 says that even after repeated warnings ‘they were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sins.’ No, looking at our history we should not be surprised if we reap pain and rejection for what we have sown.
3. What really surprises me is that things are not as bad as our rebellion would seen to suggest. After cataloguing all these sins and slaps in the face of God, the Psalmist says BUT (and this is the unbelievable thing) ‘but He took note of their distress when He heard their cry; for their sake He remembered His covenant, and out of His great love He relented.’ Looking back over their history, the psalmist is astounded at the covenant. The great promises of God’s grace stand despite their rebellion. Or as Paul puts it in 2Timothy, ‘He is faithful even when we are faithless.’ The faithfulness of God is not to be taken as an excuse to keep on rebelling. We may not adopt the attitude that all will be well whatever we do, since God is faithful anyhow. The covenant is a two way thing; it implies some kind of relationship to God and some kind of commitment to Him.
But especially when we look at the new version of the covenant as we see it in Christ, it is astounding how unbalanced that covenant can be. Sure, we make some kind of commitment to Him but that commitment has a way of going up and down like a yoyo. One day we’re strong in the faith, the next we can be wondering whether God exists at all. One day we can be determined to do His will, the next we find ourselves easily led astray by the most trivial things. But He stands firm; His love endures forever. He never says, now you’ve gone too far. We might close the door to the relationship, but He never will. Even when we close the door for a while, He remains faithful. The history of Israel shows that clearly. On the one hand the repeated rebellion, weakness and fear of Israel, on the other hand we see the unshakeable faithfulness of God.
4. Does your personal history show the same truth? It ought to, if you are His child. Of course, the evil one would prefer that you focus on other realities in your history. He would prefer you to focus on the negatives and blow them up out of all proportions so that you get paralysed in your Christian walk. He would prefer you to focus on your own sin and your own unworthiness to serve in the kingdom. He would prefer you to remember all the times people have hurt you, so that you lose confidence. He would prefer you to remember all the weaknesses of the church so that you can wash your hands of any further involvement.
As with the Israelites, it is good in some ways to remember these things so that you can confess them and leave them before the throne of God. At that point certain other historical realities come into play. Our Father comes to us and says: yes, you were hurt, but I your Father embrace and heal you. Yes, you sinned badly, but I sent My Son to pay for those sins. He said: ‘It is finished!’ and so it is. Yes, My church is weak, but I am not. Look beyond the church and see ME!
Looking at your personal history, you will see many facts that will sap you of energy and confidence. It will be tempting to either deny these facts or wallow in them. But instead you should take them, offer them up and embrace those other, more powerful facts: forgiveness, faithfulness, the crucified and risen Saviour!
Since Christ completed His work on the cross, nothing will separate you from the love of God!
AMEN