Genesis-141 – It Is Enough That He Is Alive

The Word of God is from Genesis 45:16 to 28.

 

"When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'Tell your brothers, “Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.” You are also directed to tell them, “Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and bring your father here. Don’t worry about your possessions, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.”' So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and also gave them provisions for their journey. To each of them he gave a change of clothes, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five changes of clothes. And to his father he sent ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread and other provisions for his journey. Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving, he said to them, 'Don’t quarrel on the way.' So they went up from Egypt and returned to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They told him, 'Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.' Jacob was stunned, because he did not believe them. But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. And Israel said, 'I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.' Amen."

 

The History of Salvation and God's Pattern

The region we are currently discussing—the area encompassing present-day Israel, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt—was afflicted by a widespread famine. Two years into the famine, Jacob seems to have realized that they could not overcome the situation by their own strength and effectively surrendered. Consequently, he sent his sons to Egypt to acquire food.

 

During this process, Joseph's brothers experienced various twists, turns, and conflicts, finally reuniting with their younger brother, Joseph. That encounter included forgiveness, hesitation, and the resurgence of new conflicts. Ultimately, Joseph revealed to his brothers that he was the one they had sold, declaring that it was not his brothers, but God who had sent him there, and that God had sent him ahead to save his brothers—his family.

 

This leads us to think, "Ah, God saved the family of Israel from the famine." However, we must ask the question, "Was merely being saved from the famine the entirety of the purpose?" The story of Joseph in the Bible is a highly dramatic narrative involving sibling issues, forgiveness, and reconciliation. But we must constantly examine how all these events are connected to the broader history of salvation throughout the entire Bible, rather than merely concluding with reconciliation among brothers or "Joseph was a good man."

 

Repeating Departures from and Restoration to the Promised Land

Due to Joseph, Jacob and his family came down to Egypt. The place where Jacob and his family were supposed to dwell was the Promised Land, not Egypt. Indeed, 400 years later, this entire family would return to Canaan, for that is the original plan of God's history. Why, then, did God call them to Egypt?

 

We can connect this to the story of Adam. Adam was also in Eden, the Promised Land, but he went out into the world, and his salvation ultimately means returning to the restoration of Eden. In this way, the stories of Adam and Joseph are not separate narratives.

 

Furthermore, where does this story reach its completion? As we know, a Son (Jesus Christ) would be born later. Due to intense persecution against Him, He, too, briefly fled to Egypt. And the Bible, according to the prophet's prophecy, "Out of Egypt I called My Son," summons that Son back to the land of Canaan. This is the story of Jesus Christ. Jesus also went to Egypt and returned.

 

Hearing this much of the biblical narrative, we can think, "Ah, God is explaining a pattern in the history of salvation and what salvation is." Therefore, if the incident of Joseph bringing his family to Egypt is viewed in isolation, Joseph might seem like a bad person who dragged people living well in Canaan into the world. However, the Bible, in a truly mysterious way, reveals God's history of salvation through these seemingly repeating events.

 

The Respect of Pharaoh and Joseph

Now, Jacob, Joseph, and Joseph's brothers have met. In this encounter, forgiveness occurred, and the family was reconciled. Joseph now calls for the entire family. Initially, he intended to call only Benjamin, but now he summons the whole family. At this moment, Joseph says the famous words, "Come closer. You will lack nothing." These words are no different from Jesus' saying, "I will give you rest, come to Me." Here, we can see that Joseph is a shadow of Jesus Christ.

 

Joseph sends his brothers back to Canaan. The gifts he gives his brothers at this time carry a very intriguing meaning. Pharaoh, even knowing that Jacob would soon come, prepared and sent an enormous number of gifts and provisions. This indicates that Pharaoh was treating Jacob with great importance and honor. Therefore, Joseph, along with Pharaoh's command, in this scene of calling his family in Canaan, gives us the expectation that his brothers will soon return with Jacob.

 

Significant Gifts and Joseph's Intent

Yet, Joseph gives the brothers a command that even Pharaoh did not order: he tells them to give them new clothing. In fact, this subject of clothing evokes painful memories for Joseph's brothers.

 

He adds one more element: Joseph tells them to give Benjamin three hundred shekels of silver and five changes of clothes. What do the elements of silver and clothing remind us of? This brings to mind the event when the brothers first sold Joseph. Joseph is now very intentionally reminding them, "You must remember this incident." He is telling them that his brothers must not forget this event and how important this story is to them.

 

Interpretation of the Command: "Don’t Quarrel on the Way"

Then Joseph tells his brothers, "Brothers, don't quarrel on the way." This may sound abrupt. Why would he tell his brothers, with whom he has reconciled and to whom he has given carts (chariots) to bring their families, "Don't fight on the way"?

 

First, we can interpret this verse through the closest context. Joseph loaded ten male donkeys and ten female donkeys with many items, including the finest goods of Egypt and provisions for their return journey. Therefore, it could be interpreted as, "Don't quarrel over dividing those goods." That is, a warning not to fight over the many gifts before their eyes.

 

However, this interpretation is somewhat weak. The question arises whether the brothers would fight over temporary possessions when they would soon return to Egypt.

 

Moving a little further back, we can view this verse in the context of Benjamin. Joseph specially gave Benjamin three hundred shekels of silver and five changes of clothes, more than his other brothers. Therefore, it might be a warning not to quarrel over the amount of Benjamin's possessions, stemming from the brothers thinking, "Are we being discriminated against here too?" This interpretation seems plausible at first glance.

 

However, consider the entire flow of events. Before Judah pleaded with Joseph to take him as a slave to save Benjamin, Benjamin had already been given five times more food than the other brothers. Despite this, the brothers showed no sign of jealousy or envy toward Benjamin. Thus, this verse may not primarily be about quarreling over Benjamin's possessions.

 

The Three Meanings of the Word 'Quarrel'

Then why did Joseph tell his brothers, "Don't quarrel on the way"? To answer this question, we can first look at the meaning of the word 'quarrel.' This word actually has three meanings.

 

Quarrel (Dispute/Quarrel): The general meaning of fighting that we commonly know.

 

Blame (Blame): Meaning to accuse one another, saying, "This is your fault, that is my fault." The New Korean Revised Version (Saebyeok Seongyeong) follows this interpretation.

 

Tremble in Fear (Fear): Can also refer to an emotional state of being overwhelmed and trembling with fear.

 

Warning Not to Blame Each Other

Now let's look at the word 'quarrel' or 'blame.' The word 'blame' is clearly deeply linked to Joseph's situation. When Joseph commanded his brothers to go to their father, tell him everything about him, and come down to Egypt together, the brothers inevitably had to tell Jacob how Joseph came to be alive. Ultimately, their past sin would be exposed.

 

At this point, the brothers might start blaming each other, saying, "You were wrong, I was wrong." This interpretation is plausible because of what Reuben said in the preceding context when Joseph told the brothers, "Only one of you stay, and the rest go." Reuben said, "Did I not clearly object at the time? I said let's not do it, but you all did it," acting as if he had no involvement in the matter. This was an attempt to shift the blame to his other brothers.

 

Therefore, Joseph was concerned that the brothers might start shifting responsibility, like Reuben, saying, "You said that more strongly, didn't you?," "You suggested selling him, didn't you?," or "Judah, you said this at that time."

 

The Self-Justification of 'I am a Little Better'

However, looking back at Reuben's case, he was also complicit with his brothers when the incident first began. They initially seized Joseph to kill him, paused briefly, but ultimately sold him. Reuben is essentially claiming, "We were all wrong, but I pulled my finger out at the last moment," suggesting he was different from his other brothers.

 

The reason many scholars give high credence to the interpretation that Joseph warned them "Don't quarrel" with the meaning of "Please don't do that" is because the possibility can be glimpsed through Reuben's incident.

 

The Lesson Not to Forget that We Are Sinners

This behavior of the brothers is very similar to our own. While we all confess that we are sinners, we constantly harbor thoughts in our hearts like, "You are a bigger sinner. I could still pull my finger out that much. I didn't lie that time. I never thought that about you that time. I did something somewhat good that time. I opposed it that time, at least." So, in any circumstance, we try to escape by saying, "I am a little better," or "You are a little worse." Speaking of being somewhat innocent when all are equally at fault is likely a psychological desire to constantly forget the fact that we are all sinners.

 

In that sense, Joseph's words mean, "Please do not forget that all of you are sinners." When dealing with our children, in our homes, and with fellow believers in the church, do we know that we are all the same sinners, foolish, and that no one is superior to another in any matter? Or do we still cling to the thought, "You are too, but I am a little better"? The Bible seems to be pointing out this very aspect to us. Reuben's silence afterward may be because he realized that he, too, was the same sinner.

 

Exhortation Not to Tremble in Fear

Earlier, I mentioned that the word 'quarrel' contains the meanings 'quarrel,' 'blame,' and 'tremble in fear.' I believe this interpretation should be given greater weight and is a crucial interpretation. That is, Joseph is saying to his brothers, "Do not tremble in fear on your journey."

 

This means not to be overcome with fear because they now have to confess their great sin to their father. Joseph is reminding them, "Remember that I have already forgiven you."

 

I believe this meaning is the most powerful for a reason. These brothers were clearly forgiven by Joseph, and as recorded in the Bible, they embraced each other and wept, reconciling. Nevertheless, later in Genesis 50, after Jacob died, the brothers came to Joseph and said, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?" That is, though they heard they were forgiven and were indeed forgiven, they did not fully enjoy the true freedom and joy that forgiveness brings, living instead with doubt.

 

The Believer's Life: Failing to Possess the Result of Forgiveness

I believe this is one of the most serious problems for us believers: a life where we fail to fully possess the result of forgiveness despite having been forgiven. Such a life is like constantly walking on eggshells around Joseph. If Joseph says even one word, they continuously worry and fear over trivial matters, asking, "What did that word mean? Is he planning to hang us tomorrow?" or, "Joseph's look this morning was different."

 

Believers also exhibit this behavior. God clearly says, "Your sins will be as white as snow." Jesus Christ died on the cross for us, and commanded us to hold onto that cross. We say, "Thank You, Lord, for dying for me," but who among us is truly enjoying the path of righteousness given by God, having departed from the path of sin and entered it? Who is now experiencing the joy and delight of God declaring us righteous through the fact of our sin being forgiven? Does the confession, "I am a sinner, but thank You, Lord, for forgiving me," manifest in you as joy and astonishing spiritual power?

 

Perhaps, even as believers in Jesus, we live as if we come to church because God has leverage over us. We fear that God holds a list of all our sins and, if we do wrong, will say, "Do you remember this from before? You're doing the same thing." The thought, "God knows everything about me, so I shouldn't mess around, I shouldn't act carelessly" might be a deep-seated feeling that causes you to mistake walking on eggshells around God for a life of faith, despite the Lord having clearly forgiven you.

 

God clearly accepts your repentance, helps you turn back, causes you to fight against sin, and is protecting you from the temptation of sin. Nevertheless, you are always timid. If the reason you live earnestly by God's grace, practice your faith diligently, and worship God in church is not rooted in joy and gratitude but in fear, we must seriously re-examine ourselves.

 

Called to Be Peacemakers

Believers are not people who believe in God out of guilt or apology. They are not people who live their faith trembling in fear that God might punish them again. If your life of faith is not flowing from gratitude, love, and grace, you must ask yourself fundamental questions again. That is why Joseph's words, "Brothers, please do not live in fear," are so profoundly important.

 

What exactly is it that makes you afraid? You are the few who truly know that God has forgiven your sin and thus know 'why you were born on this earth' and 'why you are alive.' You are the people who have received the astonishing grace of knowing 'the reason, purpose, and final destination of your life.' You have truly met a Father who loves you, and you are people who worship the Lord together with true brothers and sisters. You have met a Father who not only embraces our weaknesses but also dwells the Holy Spirit within us, surrounding us both internally and externally with unshakeable conviction, walking this path with us. You are those who know the Father who truly loves you.

 

In Joseph's view, his brothers were completely afraid that Joseph's heart might change. So Joseph said, "Do not live in fear. Please do not walk that path with mutual blame or fear because of your guilt." On the way back to Canaan, and the way they would take coming back to Egypt, the Bible conveys an important truth through Joseph's voice throughout that entire journey. For that is also the journey of faith we must walk.

 

We, too, are constantly walking this pilgrim path. We may quarrel on the way and blame each other. We may say, "It's your fault. This path became like this because of you." What is scarier is the possibility of you walking this path in fear. The command, "Do not blame one another," means "Do not treat one another as sinners."

 

Among the people you share a life of faith with, there may be those who seem lacking, insignificant, or spiritually inferior. There may be people who seem less capable than you. You may think, "At least I do this much." However, in Jesus Christ, you should no longer treat any person as a sinner. They are here by means of Jesus Christ. Even if everything is stripped away, they are people in whom Jesus Christ dwells.

 

Therefore, they are precious. We are people who have received forgiveness and have been called to forgive others, and we have been called as those reconciled with God. Therefore, we are people who reconcile with our neighbors in this world, and we are peacemakers. You have been called to be a 'Peacemaker.' Perhaps Joseph's words are, therefore, a message to "Do not forget who you are," which can be simply put in New Testament terms as, "You are people who love one another."

 

How many things will be to your liking when you encounter all the things that displease you, and when you meet your wife and husband at home, and live together? Conversely, how many people do you truly please? If we broaden our perspective slightly, how pleasing are you to God? The only person here who is pleasing to God is Jesus. The Bible says, "My Beloved, in whom I am well pleased," is Jesus. Because you are in Jesus Christ, God says, "I am pleased with you." Given this, can we walk this path, blaming each other or fearing, just because what we want is not being fulfilled in our lives?

 

Joseph's Clothing and the Shadow of Christ

We must not forget this fact, and at the same time, one of the most astonishing things Joseph said that we must understand is the incident of "giving them new clothing," which we discussed earlier. In fact, the incident of giving new clothes was one of the most important elements when Joseph looked back on his life. When he wore the coat of many colors, Joseph expressed who he was through that garment, and because of it, he was nearly killed and was sold. But the story of clothing continues throughout his life. He puts on clothes when he leaves prison, and he wears fine linen when he becomes Prime Minister.

 

But this time, Joseph is dressing his brothers in clothes. Through this event, we understand that this is not merely an incident of giving food during a famine, but that God is actually using Joseph to put clothes on his brothers and making us see the message contained within. We are all wearing the clothes of Jesus Christ given by God. And at the same time, we know that we stripped Christ of His clothes, mocked Christ, and scorned the Jesus Christ who humbled Himself for us. Joseph's life significantly overlaps with the life of Jesus Christ, which is why we call Joseph a 'shadow' of Christ.

 

Christ Rejected the Light but Shared It

Consider the incident where Christ was stripped of His clothes and scorned. When the Light shone on this earth, because sin and conscience were exposed, people did not follow the One who shone the light on them but attacked Him instead. The darkness hated the Light and tried to extinguish it. But as we know, the darkness did not overcome the Light, and death did not overcome life.

 

The truly astonishing point of this incident is not just that the darkness did not overcome the Light. It is that Jesus Christ, the Light, shared His glory and light with those who tried to kill the Light. Jesus, the Light, did not just reveal His own glory, but instead sought to share that glory and life with those who tried to kill Him.

 

This is like Joseph not being Prime Minister alone, but sharing his clothes with his brothers. Thus, the book of Isaiah says:

 

“I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of His righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

 

The reason my soul rejoices in my God is that He has clothed me with the garments of salvation.

 

Our Salvation is Only Because of Love

Friends, our salvation was not earned because we welcomed Jesus when He came. It was not earned because we obeyed Jesus' words so well, nor because we loved Jesus. It was not earned because we highly regarded His words and obeyed them slightly better.

 

Rather, we killed Jesus, stripped Him of His clothes, stained His clothes with blood, and sold Him. Yet, the Lord was good to us until the end, cherished us, called us, and loved us. That is why salvation came to us. It is because the Lord clothed me with the garment of Christ and took away my clothes (sin).

 

Our salvation is not because you came to this worship service, nor is it because of your efforts to do good, nor is it because you served the Lord. The reason we are here is because we killed Jesus Christ. Because we stripped Christ of His clothes. Because we were sinners. And because we knew we were sinners, we confessed before the Lord, "Lord, depart from me. I am a sinner. How could the Son of God come for me?"

 

The reason you and I gained salvation is not because we loved Christ, but shockingly, because we hated Christ. But it is because the Lord loved us, the ones who hated Him, because He did not abandon us, and because He pursued and seized us until the very end. That repulsion, our heart that resisted until the end—even though we live like this after believing in Jesus, even though we are still living closest to sin even while confessing Jesus as our Lord, even though we cannot give up our greed, even though we still treat hating others as if it were our job—it is us that the Lord loved. He loved us.

 

Father Jacob's Reaction

Friends, the brothers finally arrived at Jacob's side. According to the Bible, the brothers seem to have delivered the news about Joseph to their father without quarreling or trembling in fear on the way. There is no mention of Jacob trembling or becoming angry while listening to the story. It might even be surprising that they told everything to the father who cherished Joseph so much.

 

The brothers finally told Jacob that Joseph was alive and had become the Prime Minister of Egypt. Upon hearing this, Jacob almost lost his mind. Although the Korean translation uses the word 'was stunned,' it is actually closer to the meaning of 'lost his grip on reality.' How much did Jacob love Joseph? He was the man who said, when he thought Joseph had died, "I will quickly go down to the pit (Sheol) to meet my son." So, it was natural for him not to understand and not to believe this news. The text states, "He did not believe them and was stunned."

 

The Sign Pointed to by the Carts

The brothers continued to tell Jacob everything Joseph had requested them to say. But at the end, a truly strange story emerges.

 

"They told him all the words of Joseph, which he had spoken to them: and when their father Jacob saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived."

 

If we take this passage literally, it seems as if he didn't believe any of the story until a magnificent cart suddenly appeared before his eyes, and then he started believing, saying, 'Oh, really?'

 

We must accurately understand the meaning of the 'cart' mentioned here. This cart was not a cargo cart but a chariot or wagon that Joseph had sent to carry Jacob and his family. In the land of Canaan, where nomadic people lived, people did not build and use chariots. People traveled by loading their belongings onto animals or donkeys.

 

The arrival of this cart is comparable, in today's terms, to the shocking event of a presidential private jet landing in your backyard to bring you home. It was an astonishing piece of evidence that was entirely unexpected, enough to cause chaos in the whole village.

 

Did Jacob look at this cart and think, 'Finally, the famine problem is solved,' 'I don't have to worry about food anymore,' or 'All my worries about what would happen to Benjamin are gone'? And was that why he believed Joseph?

 

No. Jacob's reaction unfolded completely differently from what we might expect. Jacob did not say things like, "Ah! It's finally resolved," or "Now I can go down." Jacob's very first words should strike us all with great impact. Jacob said:

 

"It is enough!"

 

The phrase 'It is enough' means that nothing else is needed anymore. But this was not because there was plenty of food, nor because the cart (chariot) had arrived.

 

He was looking at that chariot, that cart, not thinking, 'Wow, seeing such an enormous cart, I can believe Joseph,' but rather, he was looking for the sign that this cart was pointing to—what this cart was indicating. He realized what the cart was pointing to, whom it was pointing to, not thinking, 'If I ride this cart, I will live,' or 'If I possess all this food, I will live.'

 

Jacob Saw Joseph, Not the Carts

Friends, as you well know, the Gospel of John recounts the feeding of the five thousand. Five loaves and two fish fed five thousand men, and perhaps ten to twenty thousand people if women and children were included. People started following Jesus after eating that food. Even when Jesus went to the other side of the sea and returned, people persistently followed Him. This was because they thought if they followed Him, their food problem would be solved, and they wanted to make Him a king.

 

What did Jesus say at that time?

 

“You are looking for Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.”

 

Jacob is not looking at being full and fed; he is looking at the sign. He said, "It is enough!" because he understood what the chariot, the cart, and all the gifts present were saying. What was enough because of? Because Joseph was alive. Not the food, the grain, the cart, or anything else, but "Joseph is still alive, so I am sufficient, I need nothing more." The Bible says his spirit revived. The only reason his spirit revived and he got up was because Joseph was alive.

 

What do you see in this story, and in your life?

 

The sign Jacob saw was the cart. It was an incredible chariot he would seldom see in his lifetime. But he didn't see the great chariot meant to carry him; he saw Joseph. What could revive his spirit was not food, not the cart, and not the gifts. It was Joseph.

 

The Sign of Jonah We Must Look At

Friends, what is the sign that the Lord showed us?

 

When people asked Jesus, "What sign will You show us?" Jesus said:

 

“The only sign that will be given to you is the sign of Jonah.”

 

This referred to the incident of Jonah dying in the belly of a great fish and being resurrected three days later, and it spoke of Christ dying on the cross and rising again. Jesus was the final Jonah, and He stood there as the Lord who completed Jonah's story. This is because Jesus fulfilled the prayer that Jonah offered inside the belly of the fish.

 

What was Jonah's prayer?

 

“Though I am driven away from Your sight because of my sin, I will look again toward Your holy temple.”

 

Simply put, the meaning is, "Even if You abandon me, I will look to You, Lord."

 

What are you and I making our sign? Is it the heaven you have built? Is it your success? Is it your wealth? Is it your treasure? Or is it your failure? Is it your death and life? Is it your peace?

 

What are you truly looking at, and what are you actually participating in?

 

“Lord, even if You do not grant me heaven, I will look to You. What I desire is not anything You give me, but You Yourself, Lord.”

 

What strengthens me, what brings me back to life, what restores me is not the fulfillment of the prayer requests you have so fervently prayed for. Nor is it the achievement of the things you have long desired.

 

It is realizing, through those things (signs), "Ah, what I ultimately desire is the Lord." That is the true meaning of the sign.

 

The Believer's Confession That Overcame Suffering- Hope in the Living Lord

Last week, we had a very joyful event at our church. Brother Jin-oh Lee, who has been attending our church, has been undergoing dialysis for close to two and a half to three years. Even while on dialysis, he would always come earliest on Sundays to serve as an usher and assist with the first service. Despite a very long waiting list, he suddenly received a call this week and successfully underwent surgery. He received a kidney transplant. Among those who were ahead of him on the list, some had given up, saying, "I won't have the surgery at this age," because they had waited too long, and for others, transplantation was impossible because their bodies were not compatible. Ultimately, this brother's name came up, he suddenly received the call, and the surgery went very well. When we visited him in the hospital, the brother said this:

 

"Pastor, to be honest, I was practically giving up. And I thought I would be truly grateful if I were to pass away and go to the Lord like this. Because until then, I had truly lived my life for myself, but when I truly got to know the Lord, I experienced the joy of living in the Lord. So, if I were to meet the Lord here, that would also be grateful and wonderful, and it wouldn't be a problem at all."

 

Now that this has happened, he is even more grateful to God. The pastor, in turn, said, "Ah, since God has left you on this earth, you must have some work to do."

 

Friends, what the brother hoped for was not merely healing from his illness. While a kidney donation would be a blessing, the goal was not to prolong his physical life. His goal was Jesus Christ, who told him, who had lived a self-centered life and whose unresolved life had left him ignorant of "why I came and where I am going," "I gave Myself for you."

 

Christ Pointed to by the Sign

"Even if You abandon me, I will look to You, Lord." What do you see in this prayer of Jonah? Jesus Christ did the same.

 

“Even if the Father abandons Me, I will go before the Lord with these people.”

 

“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani!” (“My God, My God, why have You forsaken me!”) That Jesus, the one who was forsaken, saved you. That Jesus enabled you to go before God.

 

Do you participate in this prayer of the Lord?

 

"Father, none of the treasures I possess, my success or failure, nothing that constitutes my external self, nothing that I hold so precious, and none of the problems I am currently agonizing over, which hold me back and which I feel prevent me from doing anything... Lord, how can any of these things hinder me from going to You, or hinder me from looking to You?"

 

Instead, because of those things, I came to know. That is the sign for me. That enables me to see Christ.

 

The Song of the Prophet Habakkuk

Friends, didn't the song of Habakkuk arise from this very place?

 

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls...

 

This passage does not end with, "Ah, there were such great people in the past. Why can't I be like that?" He was able to speak that way not because he did not know how precious grapes, grain, and cattle were. It was not because he did not know the benefit that what he cherished gave him. Nor was it because he did not know what great joy it is when all problems are solved.

 

It was because there was Jesus, with whom nothing could compare.

 

“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.”

 

It was because there was Jesus, whom nothing could cover and nothing could replace. I will look upon Jesus on the cross, the resurrected Jesus, the Jesus in glory.

 

In the storm, even when all my plans are thwarted and everything I have built crumbles, I have met the living Lord. I will look upon that living Lord. I am satisfied. I am sufficient. Because the Lord is alive, I have no choice but to be satisfied. Even if I give up everything, or rather, even if everything is taken away, I confess because the Lord is here.

 

God is Alive

Friends, since it was Reformation Sunday, I will tell you one more famous anecdote that you may know. Martin Luther was a very valiant and outstanding reformer, and he fought many wars. Wars fought with words and the pen, of course. However, even Luther often fell into depression and often gave up and despaired.

 

One day after he was married, Luther's wife came home and saw Luther sitting at his desk, looking disappointed again. His wife must have been upset. Then, suddenly, his wife brought a coffin into the house. She draped a white cloth over the coffin and began to weep there. Luther saw her from inside the house and came out, asking, "Is someone dead?"

 

Then his wife said a very famous line:

 

"God has died."

 

Luther was startled and said, "What are you talking about? God has died! Are you out of your mind?" At that moment, his wife said an even more famous line:

 

"Then why are you despairing? If you know God is alive, how can you despair?"

 

What can the world do to you? God is alive. If God is alive, even if you lose everything, what is it that you have lost? If you fail, what is it that you have lost?

 

Remember this:

 

God is alive.

 

Let us pray.

 

Lord, just as Jacob's spirit revived, may our hearts and souls also be renewed by Your hand. Help us to look only to You and move forward boldly, even amidst hardship and fear, and to experience the grace and peace You give in our lives.

 

In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.