Genesis 144 – A Land Both Near and Distant

Genesis 47:1-6

 

"So Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; they are now in the land of Goshen.” From among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Joseph’s brothers, “What is your occupation?” They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” They also said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, because the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you; the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land; let them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any capable men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.” Amen.

 

Three Parts of the Genesis Exposition

We are covering three main parts in our study of Genesis chapters 46 and 47.

 

The first part was the genealogy of Jacob's descendants. We looked at the list of Jacob's 70 descendants and saw how faithfully God fulfills this promise to the very end.

 

The second was the historic meeting between Jacob and Joseph. The father, who had believed his son was dead for twenty years, finally meets him. At that moment, Jacob confesses, "Now let me go, for I have seen your face, that you are still alive," showing the satisfaction we gain when God's promise is fulfilled.

 

Today, we continue with the third part, which is the story of the place. As you know, Jacob and his family are now dwelling in the land of Goshen.

 

Goshen: A Good Land that Was a Heap of Dust

Why the land of Goshen in particular? If you look at a map , you can see where Goshen is located.

 

 

 

You can see the Mediterranean Sea at the top. You don't need to focus on other parts, but below that, you see 'Goshen.' Jacob's family went to that very land of Goshen. The river next to it is the famous Nile River. Goshen is in the Nile Delta region, which is known to be one of the most fertile areas, a cradle of world civilization. Goshen is the land on the eastern side of this Delta.

 

This is an eastern land, known to be more suitable for pastoral life than for agriculture. Although the exact location of the Goshen region is unknown, its general area can be specified. However, pinpointing one exact location seems very difficult. Below that is the Sinai Peninsula, and the Israelites lived in that Goshen region.

 

The Irony of the "Good Land"

The first characteristic of this land—the answer to the question, "Why this land?"—is that it was literally a good land.

 

However, it was a good land that was still not highly regarded. If you look at the linguistic origins of the name 'Goshen,' you might easily assume it comes from Egyptian, as it is an Egyptian place name. But in fact, not all Egyptian place names are derived from the Egyptian language. Instead, the word 'Goshen' seems to have its roots in Hebrew.

 

The precise meaning of the word 'Goshen' has not been definitively established, but the most widely accepted scholarly interpretation connects it to the word for 'heap of dust' found in Job 7:6. This is quite ironic. Pharaoh clearly says, "Settle them in the best of the land, let them settle in the land of Goshen." It is clearly a good land, but its name is 'heap of dust.' The name does not suit it at all. It should at least have a cool name like 'Mesopotamia,' but the name itself is simply 'heap of dust.'

 

Perhaps that is why it was a land that did not attract much attention from the Egyptians at the time. The Israelites were led to just such a land.

 

The Believer's Life Beyond Worldly Value: The Spiritual Meaning of Goshen

This name, Goshen, does not tell the whole story, but it is a word that is very close to the life of a Christian, the life of a believer. The idea of being good yet insignificant means this: from a worldly perspective, it is a very good land, but for the believer, that land is not the ultimate destination.

 

The Israelites, Jacob's descendants, went down and received a good land to live in. But they would not live there forever. Their goal is Canaan. Therefore, to people whose destination is Canaan, this land is insignificant. If this land were the goal, they would pour all their effort and resources into it, but because the destination is Canaan, they do not invest everything here. Ultimately, it depends on what you value, and in that sense, this land is like a heap of dust.

 

It is the same for Christian believers. The world is a precious place and has many good things. There are many joyful things, too. But it is also clear that this place is not our final destination. Why? Because we do not place our ultimate value here.

 

If we think back to our childhood, for me, the most important values were marbles and ttakji (Korean paper-flipping game). In modern terms, those are the things that determined all the value in my life. The amount I had of them determined the course of my life. My friends could look up to me or ignore me based on them. That was everything.

 

But when I went to middle school and asked my mother for pocket money, would I have been thankful if she had given me ttakji or marbles? I would have said, "Mom, do you still think I'm a child?" It's the same marbles and ttakji, but what has changed? I have changed. The system of values has changed. So, receiving them would not have made me happy; it would have made me angry. I would have thought, "Why are you giving me this?"

 

Right now, does money seem like the ultimate thing? Does comfort and health seem like the ultimate thing? It may not be. Our values can change, and the Bible says they must change. Where do you set your heart? Are you not people who know the unseen world, not just the visible things of this earth, and who seek to set your hearts on the unseen? What you truly value is not only the things of this world.

 

Of course, this does not mean we should ignore or abandon the things of this earth as beings created in God's image. This world is precious, too. That is why we work hard, use what we earn to help others, feed our families, and live faithfully. But this is not our goal or our highest value.

 

The Highest Value: God's Kingdom and Righteousness

Where is your highest value? “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.” This is our highest value. If the value changes, shouldn't the life change as well? This is the point that sometimes makes us frustrated.

 

When I valued ttakji and when I later valued Korean currency, it was different, wasn't it? Yet, you sometimes live as if your values haven't changed even after believing in Jesus. Now you know the eternal things, and your life should change accordingly, but if there is no change, God will surely speak strictly. "You have clearly changed, grown, and are becoming an adult, so why are you still living captivated by the world and the things before your eyes?" We are bound to be rebuked by God.

 

And that is why you are frustrated, anxious, and worried, thinking, "Why am I failing, why is nothing working out, why is it so difficult?" You are naturally struggling because you are not pursuing what you should truly be pursuing, but are instead being swayed by other things. Isn't that right?

 

As I said before, if I put ttakji in my pocket, went to high school, and said, "Hey, this is ttakji. Do you know how expensive it is?" all I would get is a beating. Who would be my friend? But if what we boast about before God is the same as before—"I achieved this this time," "This worked out well," "This is success to me"—then we need to reconsider.

 

A More Precious Treasure: Jesus Christ

Therefore, Goshen has a significant meaning for us. It is good. Since it is the place God gave us, the place God told us to live, we can live faithfully and use the talents and gifts He gave us to do many things. However, this is not the goal. It has changed. Before believing in Jesus, this was the goal, but now we know there is something better.

 

To put it differently, when do our values change? When we discover a more precious treasure. In the Old Testament, that was the land of Canaan. But who are we? Jesus Christ, the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ has become our treasure. If so, we must live differently. If we possess the precious Christ and look toward Him, it is only natural that our lives change.

 

Draw Near: The Second Meaning of Goshen

That was the first meaning, and now I will tell you the second meaning of the land of Goshen. In total, I plan to talk about five points, and since the difficulty level will increase as we go, you can listen comfortably at first, but you should pay close attention later on. The last part is slightly difficult content, so please follow closely so you don't miss it.

 

Second, why is Goshen important, and what meaning does this land hold when viewed contextually? Because we have already covered this part, I will explain it briefly. Joseph tells his brothers, “Go back to your father and tell him this: ‘Come down to the land of Goshen and be near me (or draw near to me).’ And also, ‘There are still five years of famine left, so I will provide for you and your families, and you will lack nothing.’” In summary, the message is, "Bring my father and come down."

 

Because of this context, some scholars even speculate that the word 'Goshen' itself might mean 'to draw near.' This is because "Come to the land of Goshen and be near me" is presented as a connected idea within the same context.

 

So, to summarize this in our own terms, Goshen is the place where we draw closer to God, and at the same time, the place where God ensures we lack nothing. If the first meaning was "good but insignificant land," the second meaning is "drawing near, and lacking nothing."

 

Where God's Will is Stubbornly Fixed

The really important point about this second meaning is this: Goshen is the place where 'God's will is stubbornly fixed.' It is the very place where God personally promised, "I will be with the people of Israel. I will look after them and provide for them there." To whom did He give that promise? To Jacob himself.

 

A Distant Place, Separated from the World: Goshen

Thirdly, although it is a place of closeness and provision from God, it is also a distant place. Distant from whom? Distant from the Egyptians. The Egyptians disliked shepherding. Therefore, by having the Israelites settle there, Joseph ensured they would live separate from the Egyptians.

 

Thus, even though they had entered the land of Goshen, the land of Egypt, they were able to maintain their identity as God's people without being polluted by the world. We call this 'separation' or 'sanctification.'

 

Far from the World, Close to God

So, they are close to God, but at the same time, distant from the Egyptians. They are close to God's love and protection, but distant from what? They are distant from the world. It is a place of distinction, a place of separation. This aligns perfectly with the Word of God we know in the New Testament.

 

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

 

This verse means that you are separated from the world.

 

And the Bible continues to speak to the separated ones:

 

“For by the grace given to me”—here 'me' is Paul—“I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

 

This verse means, in a single sentence, this: According to the gifts and everything God has given you, do not pretend to know more than you ought to think, but think wisely according to your measure of faith. That is, think humbly.

 

The Humility of the Separated

This verse is important because the Israelites failed to observe this. Israel was very well aware that God had separated and chosen them. So they thought, "We are different from you," and even, "You are all wrong." As a result, they unknowingly placed themselves in the highest position.

 

Did the Israelites know this? Perhaps they didn't. Even when Jesus pointed out their arrogance, they found it very difficult to understand that they were being rebuked for pride.

 

Through all this, we can know this: The meaning of the land of Goshen clearly includes being a place close to God's love and a distant place, separated from the world. Goshen is close to God and separated from the world. Therefore, it is a humble position. That is the Church, and that is the place of God's people. This is the third meaning of Goshen.

 

Goshen: The Evidence of Pilgrims Awaiting the Eternal City

The fourth meaning is one we know very well. It is a word that inevitably accompanies any explanation of Goshen. Goshen is a land of sojourners. Let's read verse 4 of today's passage together.

 

“They also said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, because the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”

 

This is what Joseph's brothers say to Pharaoh.

 

Now look at what Pharaoh says in verse 6. Verse 6:

 

“The land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers to reside in the best of the land; let them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any capable men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”

 

Let's see if you read this simply or carefully. There is a word used differently in these two verses, though they look similar. In verse 4, it is "sojourn" (거류), and in verse 6, it is "reside" (거주). They are different words even in Hebrew. 'Sojourn' means to stay temporarily.

 

So, the brothers are saying from the start, "We have not come to live here forever. We have come to stay for a while." On the other hand, Pharaoh means, "Live here permanently. Become like one of us."

 

Pharaoh and the Israelites, Jacob's descendants, had different thoughts from the beginning. They had entered the land of Egypt, which, as we know, symbolizes the world. Though their bodies had entered, their mindset was, "We do not belong here. We are sojourners (pilgrims)." Therefore, the fourth characteristic of the land of Goshen is 'pilgrimage'.

 

The Repeating Pattern of Sojourners

Seeing this, we can fully understand how God leads His people. One of the things I found most difficult when covering the end of Genesis and the beginning of Exodus was this:

 

"God, why do you make it so complicated? It would be a cool story if they had stayed in Canaan, built up strength like an army of liberation, and then taken the country. Why did you have to send them down to Egypt, increase their population there, and then pull them out again... Couldn't you have just conquered Egypt? Or couldn't you have taken them directly to that small land of Canaan and started there? What is the reason?"

 

But looking at this, we can understand. He did that with Abraham, and Isaac almost did the same. The repetition of this pattern shows that God has an intention, doesn't it? Why does God do this? Why does He teach this life of pilgrimage?

 

Directing Their Gaze to the Eternal City

Even to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the most precise thing God taught was this: "The visible land of Canaan you were promised is not the end."

 

When they arrived in that land, what was it like? Was it the 'land flowing with milk and honey' that we often imagine? It was not. Famine struck in the first year they arrived, and the famine recurred in the time of Isaac and Jacob. "Why must we live in a land like this?" But God said that land was the promised land. And then, He continually had them move from one place to another.

 

This means: "Ah, God promised this land of Canaan, but this land is not the end."

 

This is interpreted very clearly in the book of Hebrews:

 

“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents (sojourning)..."

 

Even in the promised land, he was a 'sojourner.' That is, even the promised land was a temporary dwelling. This is because no visible land is eternal.

 

If that land were the eternal kingdom, Abraham should have lived there forever. He should be meeting us even now. "Ah, people chosen by God live to be two thousand, four thousand years old!" He should be amazing us like that. But that was not the case. God was teaching them that that land was not the eternal land and not the true promised land of God.

 

And Hebrews continues:

 

"living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise."

 

And verse 10, the core:

 

“For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.”

 

God wanted them to look toward the eternal kingdom, that City. That is why Abraham lived like a foreigner even in Canaan, and like a foreigner in Egypt. Why? Because God had directed his gaze toward the Holy City of God.

 

The Plan of Life that Looks Toward Eternal Life

My friends, if you believe in God, but the reason you believe is ultimately to acquire and enjoy something on this earth, to find happiness here, and to have everything, then, in my opinion, you don't necessarily need to believe in Jesus. If you want to find good things on this earth, you should go to places that promise money, like in a drama, or places that promise health—you should go to places that make such promises.

 

The Changing Concept of Eternal Blessing

As I have told you before, the Old Testament deliberately promises things visible to our eyes. This is because the spiritual Jesus Christ had not yet come, so God was explaining heavenly things through visible things. God let them know that having many children was a way for Him to bless them by multiplying their descendants, so they understood, "Ah, giving us children is how God explains the blessing of the eternal kingdom to us."

 

But now, as you know, Christ has come and made known what blessing you should enjoy, and He has brought the true blessing. He gave the blessing called eternal life. Therefore, your concept of blessing and your criteria for valuing things are no longer the same as before. You are not giving your whole heart to things that will vanish. You are not grasping them and living as if they are the purpose of your life. And that is enough. You can be sufficiently happy and sufficiently satisfied. Why? Because you have eternal life.

 

People Who Plan for Eternity

But let's consider the opposite. "The earth is everything. The reason I believe in God is to live a little happier on this earth. I live a good life so that if God exists, I will go to a place called heaven later." If you believe in Jesus with this kind of thinking, that is not Christianity. That is a kind of 'fusion religion' (a mix of things). It is neither one thing nor the other.

 

My friends, the reason Christianity is called the 'Gospel' is that it goes far beyond what we generally think, and it is so different that there are parts that are difficult to understand.

 

For example, we now live in the '100-year era,' don't we? So you make various retirement plans and prepare, thinking about 100 years. That is good. The Bible also tells us to prepare for the future and to care for our children. But you are not actually people living in a 100-year era. Not a 120-year era, not a 90-year era. Your era is the 'eternal era.'

 

When you plan your life, you should not think, "I will be called by God soon, so what can I do?" but rather, you must live now with the mindset of planning for an eternal life. You are the people who should not just make retirement plans, but who should be thinking about what you need to do as heirs of eternity.

 

The Attitude of Life for Eternity

That is why we love our neighbors. That is why we do not cling to what we have but try to give to others. That is the preparation possible because we know eternity.

 

Why do we not fight with others, live as we please, and live being mindful of what others think? My friends, don't you know yet why I live mindful of what you think? I am a precious son to my mother, too. But the believer is a person who 'lives mindfully of others.' We are not people who live as we please. We do not regard our possessions as our own, but live based on the principle of sharing them with others.

 

If you were only going to live for a hundred years, why would you live like that? You could just do whatever you want. But we do not. Why? Because we think of eternity. Because we know we will live forever, we plan our lives with that eternity in mind. We think about what to store up in heaven, and we know that the things stored up here will all vanish.

 

But do you know why the people of the world get angry when they see us? Because they struggle like them, thinking only of the 100-year era, but then insist they will go to heaven after they die. That is why they are frustrated.

 

My friends, if you start thinking about eternity now, your attitude toward what you possess changes. A good person I know once said, "I don't want my children fighting over the small amount of property I have left, so I'll spend it all and then die." So I told him:

 

"How can you live your life as if it will end at 100? If you think about eternity, please reconsider what you should do with this."

 

You must think about what you should live for and how to use what time you have left, and what your remaining health should be used for. Of course, this does not mean, "Don't use it for yourself." You were not born to make others happy. You were born for the glory of the Lord, and God is happy when you prosper, are healthy, and live according to His will. That is natural. But it is not only that. You must not forget why you were called.

 

I say it again: You are people preparing for eternity.

 

Eschatological Time and Promised Future- 5-Year Plan that Became 430 Years

So, how did God make these people who prepare for eternity live here, and what did He show through Goshen? My friends, you must first understand this. It gets a little difficult from here. Joseph brought them to the land of Goshen. But he brought them thinking they would live there for only five years. I read it to you earlier. He thought, "There will be a famine for five more years, so let's bring Father to live here." But do you know how long that turned out to be? 430 years. Did Joseph know? There certainly was a prophecy given to Abraham. But he didn't know it would happen in his time, did he? Could it possibly be in my time? Abraham also entered Egypt but left immediately. Isaac almost went but did not. Is it possible that Joseph thought that? He simply called them, thinking the famine would pass, but it became 430 years.

 

You must remember this well. In the Bible, we spend time that we did not anticipate, but that time is a time that definitely has an end, a time that definitely has a finish. That was the time then. That was the time for Joseph. This is called eschatological time. You and I are living on this earth now, and we don't really know how much longer this long period since Jesus came will continue. It was the same for the disciples. In the era when Jesus' disciples lived, everyone was waiting, thinking, "Maybe He will come tomorrow?" So they asked Peter, "When on earth are you coming?" Didn't Peter say, "You should not worry about such things, but understand how important the fact that the Lord will surely come is, and how it defines your life?" When they kept arguing, what did he say? “With the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

 

My friends, that is why that time is called eschatological time. We clearly know that there is an end. When Jesus comes, this earth will be judged. This is not just what we believe. No scientist believes the sun will last forever. No one believes this solar system is eternal. That it will be annihilated someday is a fact known even to those who study the material world. But we know more accurately: God has clearly set the end of this world. So, we are heading toward that end.

 

The End Planned from the Beginning

The second thing you must understand is that that end is a promised future for me. People often think, "Jesus will come someday, and good things will happen; a paradise-like heaven will unfold then," but the Bible does not explain it only that way. Last week, Isaiah 46 was the main text. Do you remember? I might be expecting too much. But it was chapter 46. Although Pastor Sam did not cover the entire passage, verse 10 is very importantly connected to today's message, so I will read it to you once more.

 

Isaiah 46:10:

 

“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things not yet done.”

 

The beginning (sich'o) means the first time. It means that He declared the end from the beginning. What this means is that from the starting point when God created the heavens and the earth, when humans tried to live according to their own will, separate from God, God's entire plan that "I will save you through Christ" was already underway, and in God, all that time is connected as one. God is the first and the last. So, what happened was that when the work of salvation began, the end, the finality of salvation, was also planned along with it. God is not someone who works without thought. He is planning everything for you, from the beginning to the end.

 

And as I said before, the end that God establishes is different from ours. We can plan the future, but no one knows if that future will actually come. However, the future God has planned will surely be accomplished. That is why it is expressed this way: "The work God will accomplish at the end began simultaneously at the beginning." That's where this saying came from: "The end precedes our salvation." That's a little difficult to understand, but you don't necessarily have to memorize it. I tell you this because I want to explain what kind of impact this has on your present life.

 

People Who Know Tomorrow's Affairs

There was a hymn we used to love, <I Don't Know About Tomorrow>. "I don't know about tomorrow, I live day by day." It is a confession of faith, entrusting things to God. It is a very precious hymn. But from the perspective of today's passage, it is trying to tell a slightly different story. You are people who know tomorrow's affairs.

 

A person who believes in Jesus knows what their future will be. God will be with you tomorrow, too. God will lead your life for good tomorrow, too. This is not my word; it is a promise given in the Bible.

 

Let's talk about the more distant future, the end. You will be completely free from sin. You will become a person who perfectly resembles the character and nature of Jesus Christ.

 

Now you have to fight with your desires, you have conflicts, you sometimes hate someone, you are stubborn, and you try to decide your life with what you have, but the 'you' at the end will be different. You will become a being who hates no one, a perfectly righteous being, a being whose words hurt no one, and who is understood and rejoiced in by everyone. That is who you are. Though it is hard to believe now, the Bible says that is your final state.

 

This is called glorification. It means becoming a shining being.

 

That is the future promised to you.

 

And the Bible says, “All this was already there from the beginning.” The fact that salvation has begun for you means that the certain reality of that future changes your today. It has to, doesn't it?

 

The Impact of Eschatological Truth on Today

My friends, let's think about just one week. I don't know for sure, but in the old days in Korea, the housing lottery was drawn on Friday. What would you do if you definitely knew the winning numbers for the housing lottery drawn on Friday? Would you buy a ticket today, or not? If you don't know, it's a waste of money. You think, "That's impossible, the probability is nil," don't you? But what if you definitely knew the numbers? The person who doesn't buy it is the strange one, right?

 

Please consider the sadness in my heart for giving an example like this. This situation where I have to explain it with just a lottery ticket... And try to imagine your own reaction as you listen to that story. Think about how tremendous a story we are talking about right now.

 

The Certain Promise That Changes Today

God has made such a clear promise to you, so shouldn't that promise change your today? This is so certain.

 

"I am a person who belongs to heaven, not this earth." "I am a person who will enjoy eternal freedom, free from sin."

 

If so, how about now? I can fight sin. I won't lose to sin. I can follow God even in the face of sin. I will live according to God's holy law. Because this is so clear, it must change you.

 

You are no longer a person whose words will hurt someone, cause them to waver, and lose everything as a result. So, what should you do? If that reality affects you now, and you realize you were wrong, what do you do? You can apologize cheerfully. You can set things right cheerfully.

 

"Ah, I am a person like this, but I misspoke today." What is so difficult about admitting that? Why? Because I know who I am. When you know who you will become, what can stop you?

 

Suppose we were doing something, and it went wrong, and everything was shattered, destroyed. So what? "Why is failure such a big deal? Why is it a problem that everything collapsed? I am a person who will receive an eternal inheritance that will not collapse." So, you can get back up, can't you? There is no reason to live as if you have lost everything, as if everything has failed. Because you are the people who know that future.

 

Yet, we are living as if we don't know our tomorrow. My friends, you cannot live as if you don't know your future. Because the End is a reality for you.

 

Goshen is the eschatological land that looks toward that reality. It is not eschatological because it is the end, but because it is the land that looks toward Canaan, and further, toward the eternal kingdom.

 

The Exodus: Moses' Song at the Red Sea

After 430 years, they finally set out for Canaan after passing through a long, unexpected period of time. Moses, who crossed the Red Sea and walked that path, sang this song:

 

“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”

 

Praising the scene where the entire Egyptian army was drowned, he continues with this confession:

 

“The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is his name.”

 

That is, the end of their time spent in the land of Goshen for 430 years had finally come. Exodus can be called the finality of Genesis. After 430 years, they finally enter the promised land, Canaan.

 

At that moment, the sea was parted, and God saved them as He had promised. Even by parting the Red Sea, He surely delivered them safely. If they had become lost in space, God would have surely parted the universe itself to pull them out of there.

 

The Psalmist records:

 

“God’s glory and power appeared from heaven, and He divided the sea and delivered His people.”

 

Moses sang this in commemoration of that astonishing event.

 

Revelation: The Song of the Lamb by the Sea of Glass

But my friends, as you know, this song of Moses is not the end. Entering Canaan is not the final chapter. As I have already said, there is eternal glory waiting for us. The End spoken of in the Old and New Testaments never ends at the Red Sea.

 

The Scene of Completed Salvation, the Sea of Glass

In Revelation 15, another sea appears. There is something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name stand before that sea of glass and worship, holding the harps of God. Before the completed Kingdom of God, the Bible speaks of this sea of glass. If the Red Sea is the finality of the Exodus, the Sea of Glass is the finality that appears in Revelation, the scene of completed salvation.

 

Even then, that place, the Sea of Glass, is being consumed by fire, and everything seems to be attacking us. Even in that place where the number of the beast held God's people captive, God divides all those things and saves His people.

 

The Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb

And then, who sings the song? Not the song of Moses, but the Song of the Lamb appears. It is proclaimed:

 

“Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

 

That is, the Sea of Glass and the Song of the Lamb shown in Revelation demonstrate the completion of the End foreshadowed by the Red Sea event in the Exodus. God protects His people to the very end, and before all nations, He reveals His righteousness and holiness.

 

The Almighty God's Promise and Our Glorification- Discovering the Almighty God Amidst Suffering

My friends, in the Bible, David, Paul, and John all use the same words as we do. Almighty God, powerful God. But the Almighty and powerful that you and I think of merely means He is strong and can solve all these problems because He can do everything. However, the word 'Almighty' that David speaks of in the Bible is not so simple. It contains all the scars of his life. It contains the pain and hardship of his life where he had to walk alone, be persecuted by Saul, and constantly run away despite being the son of God and chosen by God.

 

But when God pursued him to the end and, even amidst all those difficulties and struggles, said, "I will not forget you, and wherever you are, even by parting the Red Sea, Moses, Israel, I will deliver you," that is when David confesses: "Truly, the Lord is God. Truly, You are God. How did You come all the way here, even into this sea, to deliver me and save me until now?" That is the feeling within him.

 

It is not just a name we attach to God, but it is the moment when God's promise is fulfilled: that even in all your lonely times, your difficult, painful life, the many things that didn't go as planned, the times you were frustrated—the countless conflicts and difficulties in the church or at work that made you sink and fall—the Lord surely seeks you out and says, "I will deliver your life, even if I have to part the sea."

 

A Glorious Future, Our Identity

Our end is right here. "God has done great and amazing things for me. He has led me on a righteous and true path." So, how can we not praise Him? In our own way, it means this: "He has glorified me in this world. How can I not be thankful?"

 

No one acknowledges my life. You may not know it, but when I go to be with the Lord someday, well... if I retire from this church and die in Korea a long time later, will you come all the way there for the funeral? "Oh, Pastor Han died." And that will be the end. "Yes, we had a good life of faith together." I'd be thankful even for just that memory. Won't I? What name do I have? Who acknowledges me? What meaning does my life have that is so great? Did I do something great enough to win a Nobel Prize like in the world? Did I write a famous novel like the author Han Kang? I haven't done anything.

 

I just raised my two sons, and I still have a wife. I am no different from you. But the God who created the universe considered that life so precious. He will surely grab me from the lowest place in the sea, deliver me, and say, "I will glorify you."

 

My friends, I am not much, but do you know why I am happier than everyone else in this world? Because the world is full of people who sin. The people I know are all sinners. The excellent pastors I know are all sinners, and they all make mistakes when they speak, or hurt others, or even sin while preaching. Including myself.

 

But my end? He says I won't sin. That is who I will be. That is the glory I will enjoy. He says that when I meet and talk with the saints, everyone will rejoice.

 

The most frustrating thing about pastoring is that the world is illogical. Not just sermons, but ordinary conversation, too, is illogical. Sometimes I don't hear well, but often the person I'm talking to doesn't hear me, either. We insist on our own way, not even knowing what the other person is saying. I do it too. But He says that won't happen. When we talk, we will perfectly understand each other. It will be refreshing.

 

That life is the image of myself that God will give me.

 

So, why can't we live differently because of that now? Since I will enjoy that, why should I be wasting away my life over the things that are not happening now? There is no need for that.

 

“Thank you, God. I am thankful that I am on that path. Since I am on that path, and my brothers and sisters are also on that path, we will walk that path together. We ask for God's grace in all things. Lord, I am Yours.”

 

Let Us Pray

Lord, who infinitely surpasses our expectations, whether I think of myself as a much better person or a terribly miserable one, You always surpass our expectations. Lord, You glorify me into an unimaginable being. If so, Lord, how can we live the same way as the world today? We, who hold eternity, we, who know our completion, how can we lose heart today? Lord, O Lord, Holy Spirit, have mercy on us. Grant us understanding and enable us to live that life. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.