The people who deserve respect
[Proverbs 16:31-33]
When I looked at an Internet article, I read the article and photos from the Korea ‘Sisa Journal’ that selected ‘Most Admired Persons’ in a total of 30 fields in collaboration with Media Research (Internet). Politician Park Geun-hye in politics, former Chairman Chung Ju-young of Hyundai Group in business, Ahn Cheol-soo, chairman of the Board of Directors of Ahn Cheol-soo Institute in IT, and Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Headerway in finance. But what I was interested in was the most respected person in Protestantism. The first place was Pastor Cho Yong-gi, an retired pastor of the Full Gospel Church, the second place was Pastor Han-eum Ok of the Church of Love, the third place was Pastor Sam-hwan Kim, a senior pastor of Myung-sung Church, the fourth place was Pastor Han Kyung-jik of Young-rak Church, and the fifth place was Pastor Ha Yong-jo of All Nation Church. As I read the results of this survey, I have 2 thoughts. For one thing, when I look at the names of the most respected people in Protestantism, all of them are pastors of large churches. I thought that the pastors of the small churches and medium-sized churches are little-known or not well known at all so they couldn’t be in that list. So I thought that this survey was just a survey. Another thought is that the retired pastor of Full Gospel Church, who was surveyed as being one of the most respected pastors in Korea, is now the most criticized pastor when I see the news continuing to appear on the Internet Christian news. When I look at it, I get skepticism about what it means to be respected by people.
In the meantime, when I searched the Bible, I thought about the two people who were respected by the people of Judah and I thought about why they were respected. The two were Esther's cousin Mordecai in Esther 10:3 and the prophet Samuel in 1 Samuel 9:6. First, let's consider for a moment a man named Mordecai, who was greatly respected among the Jews. Look at Esther 10:3 – “Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.” The Bible says that Mordecai was greatly respected among the Jews. Why was he so respected? The Bible says that he was not only greatly respected by the Jews, but also loved by his many kinsmen. The reason is because he sought the good of the people of Judah. The reason for this is because he spoke for the welfare of his whole nation. In short, Mordecai was greatly respected among the people of Judah because he loved them. Because of his love, he sought the good of his people and spoke for their welfare. Let’s consider for a moment another man, the prophet Samuel, a man of God who was respected by the Jews. Look at 1 Samuel 9:6 – “But the servant replied, "Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let's go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.” The Bible says that the prophet Samuel is "a man of God" and also “highly respected” man. In other words, he was the man of God who was respected. Why was he respected? We can find some answers to this question in 1 Samuel 12:2-4: “’Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the LORD and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these, I will make it right. You have not cheated or oppressed us,’ they replied. ‘You have not taken anything from anyone's hand.’” Also look at verse 23a: “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you ….” He was a man of prayer. Isn't it interesting that the respected man is the man of God and the man of prayer?
If we look at Proverbs 16:31-33, we can see people who deserve respect. As I divide these people into three categories, I want to receive the lessons that God give us and obey them.
First, the people who deserve respect are old men who have walked the way of righteousness all their life.
Look at Proverbs 16:31 – “A gray head is a crown of glory; It is found in the way of righteousness.” Personally, I don't like dyeing my hair very much. I don’t know whether I will dye my hair partially when I get older and have more white hair only one part of my head and other parts are black. But even if my hair is totally white, I don’t think I will dye my hair. The reason is because of the words of Proverbs 20:29 – “The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old.” It is said that the beautiful thing of the old is gray, so I don't want to dye my hair even if it turns gray. Of course, I know that King Solomon’s term “gray hair”, the beauty of the old man, is not just about the gray hair. Nevertheless, for some reason, I think it is nice to see the gray hair of the elderly as they are. If I say this, I don’t know if some of the seniors will say, ‘James, why don’t you grow old too.’ I think that when we get older, the elderly mainly hate the fact that they get old, but rather prefer youth. That’s why they may want to be with young people. However, there is no denying the fact that all of us are aging. All of our youth is passing away. But what's important here is how we're getting old. In Proverbs 16:31, King Solomon says, “A gray hair is a crown of glory; It is found in the way of righteousness” and we should learn a valuable lesson on how we should grow old here. That precious lesson is that we must grow old by living a righteous life. If we become old as we live the righteous life, our gray hair is said to be “the crown of glory”. The term “the crown of glory” here means that a person's longevity deserves respect. Do you understand? Among the elderly people who have become gray hair, who is the one we say, ‘He is a respectful elderly man’? Isn’t he the one who believes in Jesus and follows the Lord with consistent faith and obey His word and imitates Jesus? Personally, I have white-haired old people whom I don't respect them despite their age. I don't respect them because I see them still sinful instead of little Jesus in their lives. However, despite their many years of age, when I see the elderly who serve the Lord faithfully and humbly to fulfill the mission that the Lord has given them to the end, I naturally respect them. Especially when I see their character being sanctified, I can't help but respect them.
In Proverbs 16:31, King Solomon says that old people who faithfully and humbly walk the righteous path until their hair gets gray deserve respect. Those elderly people are blessed with longevity because they have wisdom and fear God, hate evil, love righteousness, obey God's word, and live holy lives (10:27). They rejoice with the word of God (1 Cor. 13:6), and their mind and body are at peace (Prov. 3:2). Therefore, they can become healthy in their physical life and live longer (Park). The reward God gives to these elderly people is “the crown of glory”. He grows old and gray-haired, and he gets more respect from more people. Shouldn't we be such a respected, gray-haired old man?
Second, the people who deserve respect are old men who are slow to anger.
Look at Proverbs 16:32 – “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.” When I look at an Internet website, there are two typical feelings that bother modern people. Those two feelings are called depression and anger (Internet). If depression is an inner expression of unhappiness, anger is an external expression of unhappiness, and depression destroys oneself, anger destroys others. When it comes to “depression,” we take it a bit seriously and recognize the risk of depression, while when it comes to anger, we don't seem to take it very seriously. The reason is because our Korean culture is tolerant of anger. So, it seems that there are many people in Korea who think that there is no big problem even if they sometimes get angry ‘if we don’t hold grudges’. But for someone like me who holds grudges, even getting angry sometimes can be a big problem. But here in America, where we live, anger seems to be seen as an important emotional problem. Americans take anger as a serious problem, so they put a lot of effort into solving it. One of those efforts is ‘the anger management’ program. Looking at the anger management program technique, the first among them is to define and know what anger is. Are you taking “anger” as a serious problem? What is “anger”? In Chinese the word “anger” is composed with two words that means ‘something that is solidified or clustered in the heart rises at once’ plus anger that rises in the heart. So, the definition of “anger” according to the Chinese is ‘when one's desires, demands, or meanings are blocked or rejected, the things in the heart and thoughts rises’ (Internet). I think it's an interesting definition. I think it's a true that feeling of anger that rises when one's desires, demands, or meanings are blocked or rejected. Who would like to be denied their desires, demands, or meanings? At that time, the things that were in the heart exploded at once, and this feeling of anger, which screams in the middle of anger, throws objects, even assaults, and even kills people, is truly a serious problem.
It is said that there are five stages of anger (Internet): (1) The first is the stage of mild 'irritation'. This is the stage of ‘unpleasantness’ that doesn’t cause any harm to yourself or others. (2) The second is the stage of' ‘indignation’. This is the stage in which you are not able to forgive the other person for what you have suffered and try to retaliate. But in most cases you can overcome it well without revealing it. (3) The third is the stage of' ‘wrath’. When a person reaches this stage of fury, there is a strong desire to retaliate. When in this stage, there are often people who cannot eat or sleep unless they repay what they have received. It is the stage where you can be relaxed when you release your anger. (4) The fourth is the stage of ‘fury’. When a person becomes angry, he cannot control his emotions and eventually explodes. (5) The fifth is the stage of' ‘rage’. The stage of this madness is literally going crazy. It's the most dangerous anger, a stage with very destructive and fatal consequences. When you think about these five steps, to what level of anger have you ever angered? Probably all of us were irritated. We have probably had resentment, rage, and maybe even rage. This is what Proverbs 14:17 says: “A quick-tempered man does foolish things, ….” And this is what James 1:19-20 says: “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” The Bible clearly says that if we are angry, then we cannot bring about the righteous life that God desires. The Bible tells us that it is foolish to be quick to anger. And this is what the Bible Proverbs 25:28 says: “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.” If we don’t control our hearts, it will be as if a city is torn down and there is no wall. And it will be easy to fall into the temptation of Satan and sin against God and people. What should we do? How should we go about solving this problem of anger?
In order for us to solve the problem of anger, we must know how to control our hearts (Prov. 16:32). In other words, when anger occurs in our hearts, we must be able to control the feelings of that anger. What we absolutely need for this is one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, that is “self-control” (Gal. 5:23). We can overcome this problem of anger when the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us, produces abundantly the fruit of self-control. So what is our responsibility that we must faithfully bear to bear this fruit? The responsibility is that we must pray to God while meditating on His word day and night. Then, the Holy Spirit will control our hearts with the Holy word of God, and will work and lead us to be led by His word, which is the fact, rather than by feelings of anger. God the Holy Spirit will help us control our anger. The Bible says that those who keep themselves under control are wise (Prov. 29:11). The Bible says that the wise patient man who controls his temper is better than the warrior who conquers the city (16:32).
Third and last, the people who deserve respect humbly accept God’s will.
Look at Proverbs 16:33 – “The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD.” One of the ways to find God's will (guidance) in the old Bible times was to draw lots. A good example is Jonah 1:7 in the Old Testament: “Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.” When the ship on which the disobedient prophet Jonah was riding was almost broken due to the great wind from God, the Gentile sailors prayed to their idol gods, but there was no answer. So they casted lots to find out who was responsible for this calamity (Jonah 1:1-7). The act of casting lots had two meanings in those ancient times: First, to discover whose fault is it (1 Sam. 14:41-42), and second, to find out divine guidance (Esth. 3:7; Prov. 16:33). Here, the reason why the Gentile sailors casted lots was the first meaning: to find out who's fault is it. Another good example is in the New Testament Acts 1:26. After Judas Iscariot died, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus, it was necessary to choose one of the men who had been with the rest of eleven disciples the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among them, beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection” (Acts 1:21-22). So they proposed two men: Joseph and Matthias (v. 23). At that time, the eleven disciples prayed to God, “Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs” (vv. 24-25). And then lots were cast, and the lot fell to Matthias (v. 26). So Matthias was added to the eleven apostles (v. 26). In the days when people knew God's will (directing) by casting lots like this, even if people casted lots, God made the true decision (Park). And the people humbly accepted God's decision as God's will. However, after the completion of the Bible, in the church age, the system of casting lots doesn’t reveal the will of God anymore. In our time, only the words of the Bible become the light that guides us (Ps. 119:105) (Park). In other words, in this day and age, only God's complete Bible words tell us the will of God (MacDonald).
When a man of God knows the will of God, he lays down his will and obeys the will of God. The supreme example is Jesus, who asked Heavenly Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Mt. 26:39). Shouldn't we, like Jesus, put down our own will and obey the will of the Lord? When I think about “the will of the Lord”, the hymn “My Jesus, as Thou Wilt” comes to my mind. In the commentary of this hymn, it is bound to think that Benjamin Schmolck (1672-1737), a Lutheran pastor who wrote and composed the lyrics, was truly a man who lived the life of a small Jesus, a true disciple. Due to the anti-reformist forces of Roman Catholicism, all Lutheran churches were absorbed by Catholicism, and there was no bell tower in the city that had to be erected outside the castle. He was in the middle of attending a Lutheran church where he couldn’t even hold a funeral. Three co-workers had to minister to a vast area of 36 villages. B. Schmolck collapsed from overwork, fell ill from a stroke, and even after recovery, his right hand was paralyzed and unusable, and had to suffer from cataracts. Despite these difficulties, he focused on shepherding. One day, he and his wife went to an atrium together. And when they returned home, they were shocked by the loss of a completely destroyed house and even their sons on fire. The couple knelt in prayer with the bodies of their two burned sons in front of them. This famous hymn was born from the content of the cry of prayer, “My Jesus, as Thou wilt” The desire to escape death and the desire to escape from pain are human instincts. Jesus also expressed one of these instinctive agony of human beings on the verge of death. “Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mk. 14:36), he set a practical example of obeying God’s will, even death. B. Schmolck is a man who lived the life of a little Jesus, a disciple. The decision of faith to obey thoroughly even when humans face difficulties that are difficult to overcome is reflected in this hymn, ”My Jesus, as Thou wilt” (Internet). Together, at this time, let’s praise God, “My Jesus, as Thou wilt”: (1) My Jesus, as Thou wilt! O may Thy will be mine; Into Thy hand of love I would my all resign. Through sorrow, or thro' joy, Conduct me as Thine own; And help me still to say, My Lord, Thy will be done. (2) My Jesus, as Thou wilt! Though seen through many a tear, Let not my star of hope Grow dim or disappear. Since Thou on earth hast wept, And sorrowed oft alone, If I must weep with Thee, My Lord, Thy will be done. (3) My Jesus, as Thou wilt! All shall be well for me; Each changing future scene I gladly trust with Thee. Straight to my home above I travel calmly on; And sing, in life or death, My Lord, Thy will be done. Amen.
I think this age in which we are living is an age where the object of respect is lacking. I think it's a time when we can't find person to respect at home, school, work, or even church. Even at home or at church, what is the reason for disrespecting parents or pastors? In light of today's text, I think the reason is because we don’t faithfully walk the path that the Lord took, because we are quick to anger, and because we don’t live according to the Lord's will. What must we do? What must we do to be respectable people?