The work that the Lord did in our fathers’ days
[Psalms 44:1-8]
When we go to the Israel Museum in Tel Aviv, the administrative capital of Israel, it is said that three lines of texts are written on the inner wall of the white building. The three lines of texts say, “Remember the Past, Live the Present, Look to the Future.’ In these three lines of texts, I think of the psalmist. The reason is because as I keep meditating on the words of the Psalms, I often see the psalmist convinced to praise the God of the future, remembering and looking back the past in the midst of the present suffering and adversity.
We can see the psalmist in Psalms 44:1 remembering the past: “O God, we have heard with our ears, Our fathers have told us The work that You did in their days, In the days of old.” He remembered what the Lord had done in the past, saying that he had heard with his ears what God had done to his fathers in the past. The work that the Lord did in the his fathers’ days was an amazing salvation. That’s why Deuteronomy 5:15 says this: “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm ….” In Psalms 44, the psalmist remembers the work of salvation from the time of the Exodus in the days of his ancestors as Deuteronomy 5:15 says. The work of salvation refers to the event of entering the Promised Land, Canaan, rather than the Exodus from Egypt. I would like to meditate on three amazing salvation of the Lord in the past, with the title of “The work that the Lord did in our father’s days”, based on Psalms 44:1-8. In the midst of that, I hope and pray that we will receive the grace that God wants to give to us.
The first thing I want to meditate on is 'How did the Lord accomplish the wonderful work of salvation?'
God did His work of salvation for the Israelites at the time of the Exodus by driving out the Canaanites and planting and prospering the Israelites in the land of Canaan. Look at Psalms 44:2 – “You with Your own hand drove out the nations; Then You planted them; You afflicted the peoples, Then You spread them abroad.” These words point to the fact that the Lord conquered the Canaanites under the leadership of Joshua at the time of the Exodus and caused the Israelites to take over the land of Canaan. What is interesting here is that God has compared the establishment of the people of Israel to planting trees. The psalmist likened the Lord as the planter and the Israelites as the trees planted, so that the trees were well cared for and flourished, God Himself cared the Israelites and made them flourished. In order to plant the tree called Israel, God pulled up the weeds of the Canaanites who were growing in the good land flowing with milk and honey, and planted the trees called Israel there. In the midst of that, He gave the trees a lot of fruit, that is, He made them prosperous in the land of Canaan. This is the fulfillment of 2 Samuel 7:10 – “"I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly.” This expression reminds us of the Jesus' parable of the vine in John 15. Jesus is the true vine and Heavenly Father is “the vinedresser” (Jn. 15:1). Just as we, the branches, cannot do anything apart from the Lord (v. 5), the Israelites of the Exodus also couldn’t do anything apart from the Lord who planted and prospered them.
This God is the God who pulls us out and plants us in our salvation. In particular, our God is the God who pulls out the root of bitterness in us. Look at Hebrews 12:15 – “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.” The root of bitterness that produces such bitter poison (Deut. 29:18) tries to destroy our souls by making us to leave God and to commit sins like idolatry. In Isaiah 5:2, the Bible tells us that we are inconsistent with God's expectations: “He dug it all around, removed its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine And He built a tower in the middle of it And also hewed out a wine vat in it; Then He expected it to produce good grapes, But it produced only worthless ones.” The God who uproots this root of bitterness wants us to be rooted in Jesus Christ and be raised up in Him. Look at Colossians 2:6-7: “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”
The second thing I would like to meditate on is 'Why did the Lord accomplish this amazing work of salvation?'
The reason why the Lord accomplished the amazing work of salvation to the Israelites was because the Lord loved them. Look at Psalms 44:3 – “It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.” When the Lord caused the Israelites to conquer the land of Canaan, it was clear that the Israelites didn’t overcome the Canaanites with their own strength (“arm”) and weapons and armies (“sword”). It was only through the power of God that the Israelites could triumph in the conquest of the land of Canaan (v. 3). Why did God fight for the Israelites with His power, destroyed the Canaanites, made the Israelites to triumph and conquered the land of Canaan? The reason was because God loved the Israelites (v. 3).
The Bible Isaiah 5:7 refers to the Israelites as “His delightful plant.” God saved the Israelites because He loved them. It was not for Israel's righteousness that God showed such special grace to Israel. It was only because God had unconditional favors toward Israel according to His pleasing will (Park). Look at Deuteronomy 7:7-8: “The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” d
The third and last thing to meditate on is ‘What did those who remember the amazing work of salvation in the past do?'
Those who, like the psalmist, remember the amazing work of salvation in the past responds in at least three ways:
(1) They pray to the Lord.
Look at Psalms 44:4 – “You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob.” The psalmist confessed that only the Lord is his King and asked the Lord to give Israel victories. He prayed for the salvation of Israel, remembering God who gave the Israelites the grace of salvation even at the time of the Exodus in the past. Like the psalmist, we must pray for the grace of salvation by faith in the conviction that God, who gave us the grace of salvation in the past, can save us today.
(2) They trust in the Lord.
Look at Psalms 44:5-6: “Through You we will push back our adversaries; Through Your name we will trample down those who rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, Nor will my sword save me.” The psalmist trusted in God despite current adversity and suffering, thinking about the history of Israel who were saved in the past when they trusted in the Lord. He trusted in God because he was confident that only God could save the Israelites. Therefore, he didn’t trust in himself (v. 6). What a precious faith, faith that doesn’t depend on oneself, on one's own bow or sword that cannot save oneself. The psalmist didn’t depend on his own strength. What was the reason? The Bible Psalms 44:7 answers this question: “But You have saved us from our adversaries, And You have put to shame those who hate us.”
(3) They boast the Lord all day long.
Look at Psalms 44:8 – “In God we have boasted all day long, And we will give thanks to Your name forever. Selah.” The psalmist praised God and gave thanks to Him with humility that he couldn’t trust himself and with faith in God's primacy (Park).
As I meditated on “The work that the Lord did in our fathers’ days”, I came to think of the Korean gospel song “Song for You: “A long time ago, from the heavens/ There was a plan regarding you/ The Lord saw And said that it was good/ More precious than anything in this world/ I carefully created it with my hands/ Be happy through me/ For I love you/ I love you, I bless you/ We give you our love. ….” And I thought of my beloved brother Ho Sung Yoo and his wife Nancy Sung and a precious gift of life their baby Ji Sung. I looked at Ji Sung who was and still is suffering from ‘Acute Myeloid Leukemia’, as I remembered Charis Kim, my first baby in the past. I thought about Ji Sung as I remembered those moments when God manifested His glory by accomplishing the work of salvation in my past life through Charis. And I applied the gospel song “Song for You” to Ji Sung.
‘A long time ago, from the heavens/ There was a plan regarding you, Ji Sung.
The Lord saw/ And said that it was good/ More precious than anything in this world/
I carefully created you Ji Sung with my hands. Be happy through me/ For I love you Ji Sung.
Ji Sung, I love you, I bless you/ We give you our love.’
Just as God accomplished the work of salvation for my first baby, Charis, in the past, I sincerely pray that God will accomplish the work of salvation according to His will to Ji Sung baby whom I love.
Thinking about my beloved Ho Sung and Nancy and their baby Ji Sung,
James Kim
(After praying while trusting in God)