God who guides

[Nehemiah 9:8-21]

Do you know the word "길치"? While "박치" refers to someone who has no sense of rhythm and can't keep a beat, and "몸치" describes a person who can't dance well, "길치" refers to someone with poor navigation skills, often due to a lack of a sense of direction. It's used to describe someone who can't find their way even on familiar roads. The term "길치" led to the creation of GPS navigation systems, designed to help people, especially those who are directionally challenged, find their way accurately. Despite the economic downturn, the demand for in-car navigation systems is increasing, especially among novice drivers and "길치" individuals who rely on this device to reach their destinations safely. What is the "navigation system" for your life and mine? Many people seem to rely on "blind guides" as their life's navigation system, just as described in Matthew 15:14. It's like one blind person leading another, and the result can be falling into a pit. We should place Jesus Christ as the navigation system for our lives. By doing so, we can walk faithfully in His footsteps, guided by His light, and ultimately reach our destination, which is the kingdom of heaven.

There are five stages to receiving God's guidance:

"YIELD": Yielding means entrusting oneself to God.

It involves letting go of one's desires, ambitions, and cravings and desiring only God's way. Paul prayed while entrusting himself to God, asking, ‘What will you have me do?’ Isaiah also entrusted himself to God, saying, "Here I am; send me" (Isa.6:8). In the case of Amaziah, the Bible states, ‘He volunteered himself for the service of the Lord’ (2 Chron. 17:16).

"CONFESS": If we desire to be in God's will, we must confess our hidden sins and seek forgiveness.

We should remember the words of the psalmist who said, "If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened" (Ps. 66:18). Additionally, we must confess our weaknesses and rely on God's strength (139:23-24). Furthermore, we should confess Jesus Christ before people and acknowledge our faith in Him (Acts 1:8).

"PRAY": We should regularly seek God's guidance through prayer in His presence.

We should firmly hold on to the promise He made to guide us. Our prayers should have the ultimate purpose of glorifying God (Col. 1:9; 4:12).

"STUDY": Dedicate a significant amount of time to studying God's Word.

Kneel down and read the Bible. Ask God to speak through His Word. Meditate on the Scriptures as we read them slowly. Read with expectation (2 Tim. 2:15).

"WAIT": If God does not respond immediately, wait (Ps. 62:6).

If we have prayed for God's guidance and there is no immediate response, waiting right where we are is a part of God's guidance for us. If we truly trust God, we won't be anxious. Isaiah 28:16 says, "he that believeth shall not make haste." God reveals His will to us in various ways. He may use one method or a combination of methods (Internet).

I would like to focus on Nehemiah 9:8-21, centered around the theme of "God who guides," and explore three questions: (1) Whom does God guide? (2) Why does God guide us? and (3) How does God guide us?

First, whom does God guide? God guides those of us who acknowledge His guidance.

Look at Nehemiah 9:18 – “even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,' or when they committed awful blasphemies.” For instance, imagine a father's son crosses a river using stepping stones with the father's arm for support and claims, ‘It wasn't God who helped me cross the river safely, but the stepping stones I used.’ How would you react as the father in this scenario? Would you continue guiding your son, or would you abandon him, saying, ‘Then do as you wish’? In today's passage verse 18, the Israelites are acknowledging their first major sin, which was making a (golden) calf and committing idolatry, even referring to it as the God who brought them up from Egypt. This incident is detailed in Exodus 32, where the Israelites made a golden calf, committed the sin of idol worship, and dishonored God. Concerning these actions, the Bible states the following:

Aaron, who was a leader, allowed the Israelites to run wild.

Look at Exodus 32:25 – “Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies.” Aaron, as a leader of the Israelites, should have exercised control over the crowd. However, he failed to do so, ultimately allowing the Israelites to run wild, becoming a subject of ridicule to their enemies.

The Israelites became corrupt.

Look at Exodus 32:7 – “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt.’” Being corrupt implies, first, departing quickly from the way of the Lord (v. 8); second, being stiff-necked (v. 9); and third, behaving wickedly (v. 22). From a corrupt heart, only corrupt actions can emerge. It's when the heart and conscience have become corrupt, professing God with the lips while denying Him through actions. Titus 1:15-16 illustrates this: "... but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good."

Are we any different from the corrupt and wayward Israelites? I think not. We are not much different from the Israelites who, even though they may have professed God with their lips, often denied Him through their actions. We may praise God's guidance and sing His praises. We may pray to Him and speak to one another about Him. But in our actions, we frequently forget and fail to acknowledge His guidance. How can we recognize this? By observing our behavior when faced with difficulties, challenges, and problems, and by seeing how quickly we forget the past work of God's guidance. We can see it in our tendencies to doubt and worry instead of trusting in God's continued guidance. Yet, even when our confidence in His guidance falters, the God who continues to guide us is the same. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Despite our tendency to rely on our own understanding rather than acknowledge His guidance, even when we insult God by attributing our journey to a "golden calf," God faithfully continues to guide us today. How great is God's grace and mercy toward us?

Second, why is God leading us? The reason is because He is merciful God.

Look at Nehemiah 9:19 – “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. ….” We have already considered the word "compassion" in English and its Latin roots, which derive from "pati" and "cum," meaning "to suffer together." In other words, compassion urges us to go to places where there is pain, to enter places of suffering, and to share brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish together (Nowen). But the meaning of the Hebrew word for "compassion" is truly remarkable. In Hebrew, it is "rachamim," which refers to the womb of Yahweh (God). The womb's characteristic (wisdom) is that while all other bodily tissues have a function of rejecting foreign substances, the womb readily accepts the fertilized egg (the union of sperm and egg in the fallopian tube) without any rejection response, even allowing the subsequent development of placental blood vessels that penetrate into the uterine lining. The reason for accepting the penetration of placental blood vessels is to facilitate communication with the mother's blood vessels, providing nourishment and promoting the growth of the placenta. It is important to note that this acceptance is not limitless; after a certain depth of penetration, it inhibits further penetration to prevent the placental blood vessels from circulating throughout the mother's body. Another feature is that while all cells constantly undergo cycles of creation and destruction, the uterine lining secretes hormones to prevent natural cell death for about ten months. Additionally, the uterine lining appears thick and robust in the early stages of pregnancy, but it becomes thin and soft in the later stages to facilitate the baby's movements within the mother's womb (Internet). God's compassion, His wisdom, is like the womb that does not reject but accepts us sinners, just as it does not reject the "foreign substance." Furthermore, just as the womb accepts the penetration of placental blood vessels to provide nourishment and allow the placenta to grow, so too does Jesus Christ accept even the sinful penetration of us sinners. In other words, He bears our sins on the cross to supply us with the bread of life. Therefore, for those who believe in this bread, Jesus Christ, He now no longer prevents the sinful penetration and blocks the communication of sin, so that our body and soul are no longer defiled. Furthermore, just as the uterine lining prevents the natural death of cells during a baby's growth in the womb, and in the later stages of pregnancy, it becomes thin and soft to facilitate the baby's movements, the Holy Spirit of God enables us to live a vibrant faith life within the Lord and allows us to move freely. Through this compassionate God, the Holy Trinity, you and I are receiving God's guidance just like the Israelites.

This merciful God will never abandon us and is the God who guides us. Even if we betray and forsake Him countless times, He desires to protect us and lead us into His embrace. God will never, under any circumstances, leave us alone in this wilderness. The reason for this is that, just as a fetus would die if left outside the mother's womb, God does not abandon these Israelites alone, for fear they would perish, so He never forsakes them but guides them. How do we know this? If we think about the phrase from verse 19 in today's passage, "… you did not abandon them in the desert," it becomes clear. Translated again, it means that He bestows abundant mercy upon us. In other words, it means that He showers us with mercy countless times, not just once or twice. This is the God who always wants to be with us, who does not leave us alone in a world like the wilderness, who desires to share our suffering with us. This God is your God and mine.

Third and last, how does God guide us? We can think of it in three ways:

God illuminates our path.

Look at Nehemiah 9:19 – “… By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take.” This is something that happened a week ago. At night, my third daughter, Karis, often comes into our room to play with me before going to sleep in her own room. We play games like falling down on the bed when we say "Bible". On that particular night, Karis didn't want to leave and go back to her room. But I had to tell her it was time to sleep, so I turned off the lamp and lay on the bed. As she was reluctantly walking towards her room in the dark, suddenly there was a loud "thud," and she started crying. The reason was because without the light, she couldn't see ahead properly and had bumped into the corner of the closet door. I couldn't help but laugh inside while thinking about it. Just like that, without light, we can't walk straight, and we end up walking crooked. Here, walking crooked means, as mentioned in Ephesians 5:8, not walking as children of light. In other words, if Jesus, who is the Light, does not illuminate our path, we cannot bear the fruit of light, which includes "all goodness, righteousness, and truth" (Eph. 5:9). Ultimately, as Paul said, it means becoming involved in the deeds of darkness without bearing fruit (v. 11). How many Christians are involved in the deeds of darkness without bearing fruit? How many Christians live in the darkness of this world and, as children of light, should walk in a way that exposes the deeds of darkness, yet they gradually lose their light and live their faith life dimly? We need to heed the words of the Psalmist: "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path" (Ps. 119:105). We should be guided solely by God's Word. When we receive guidance according to the Word that becomes light on our path, we will be able to walk straight towards the promised land of our heavenly inheritance.

God teaches us.

Look at Nehemiah 9:20 in today's passage: “You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst.” The background of this verse can be found in Numbers 11:17, 25 when Moses, feeling overwhelmed, pleaded with God to let him die because he couldn't bear the responsibility of leading the Israelite people alone. At that time, God commanded Moses to appoint 70 elders to share the burden and placed His Spirit upon them to lighten Moses' load. The "Spirit" in question is referred to as the "good Spirit" in today's verse, which essentially means the "good Holy Spirit." In today's terms, we could say it's like a head pastor who was struggling to shepherd 600,000 members alone, feeling overwhelmed and on the verge of exhaustion, praying to God for help. In response, God appoints 70 elders and fills them with the Holy Spirit, enabling them to share in the ministry and the responsibility of caring for the people. Indeed, after the "good Spirit" (the Holy Spirit) came upon them, what did these leaders teach the Israelite people? They taught them God's good laws and commandments (Deut. 9:13). In other words, Moses and the 70 elders were appointed to teach the Israelite people God's good laws, imparting wisdom and understanding to them. In Nehemiah's time, while the Israelite people confessed their sins, acknowledging the sin of idol worship when they made a golden calf during the Exodus despite God's guidance, they also confessed the grace of God who, despite their past transgressions, allowed the good Holy Spirit to come upon Moses and the 70 elders to teach the Israelite people His good laws. Are they currently confessing and remembering this work in any context? Yes, it is happening right now through the revival of the Word at the Water Gate, led by the Spirit-filled scholar Ezra. As Ezra stands and reads the Law for about six hours a day, standing for seven days, the people are moved to tears (Neh. 9:8-9) and great joy (v. 17). Through the reading of the Word, they come to understand and acknowledge the mercy and guidance of God, who, despite their idol worship in the past, has raised up leaders filled with the Holy Spirit to teach His Word, the law of Moses, and lead them on the right path without turning to the left or the right, making them His holy people.

How does this word apply to us? To answer this question, we first need to address the question of why God has sent the Holy Spirit to those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. We can find the answer in John 14:26: “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” In other words, God teaches us through the Holy Spirit, who is the author of the Word of God, guiding us on the path we should take. Look at Psalms 32:8: " I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." The problem is, we often reject the teaching of the Holy Spirit. The cause of this rejection is our pride and stubbornness. Our hearts become hardened, and there is no room for God's Word to enter. A heart that refuses to learn follows the guidance of the world rather than the guidance of the Spirit. It pays more attention to the voice of Satan than the voice of the indwelling good Spirit. Why is that? Look at Hosea 10:12 - "Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you." Because we do not break up the unplowed ground of our stubborn hearts and seek the Lord in humble reliance (Hosea 10:13), we refuse the teaching of the Holy Spirit and turn to idols. Nevertheless, we have hope. The merciful God, who is rich in mercy, has given us the promise of His Word through the prophet Ezekiel, and He is fulfilling that promise: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws" (Ezek. 37:26-27). The God who guides us has removed our stubborn and hardened hearts in Jesus Christ and given us soft, new hearts. Furthermore, He has sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts to enable us to obey God's good commandments.

God nurtures us.

Look at Nehemiah 9:21 – “For forty years you sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.” The God who led the Israelites also nurtured them so that they lacked nothing. In other words, God became a good shepherd to the Israelites, providing for their needs so that they lacked nothing. God ensured that their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell. This reminds us of Psalms 23:1, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in need." The God who guided His people through the wilderness and led them to the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey, made sure that they lacked nothing. So why do many believers feel a sense of lack? The reason is often greed. Look at Numbers 11:4 – “The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, "If only we had meat to eat!” Influenced by worldly desires and driven by greed, the Israelites, who had been provided with manna from heaven, still complained and craved meat. Similarly, we, as believers, need to remember that God is our good shepherd who nurtures us and provides for our needs. We should not be like the Israelites who, despite being led by the Word of the Lord (Deut. 8:3), constantly sought worldly desires and complained. Instead, we should follow the guidance of our Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and live by His Word, giving thanks in all circumstances (Phil. 4:11). We must be led by the heavenly nourishment provided by Jesus and the truth of His Word and walk humbly on this path of faith.

A neurophysiologist once conducted an experiment with two groups of mice. In one group, they provided ample food and water, allowing them to sleep whenever they wanted. In contrast, the other group had to navigate a maze, overcome obstacles, and endure challenges, such as electric shocks, to access food and water. After a certain period of nurturing, they examined their brains and discovered a surprising difference. The brains of the mice that grew up in comfort showed signs of lacking brain cells or a decrease in the dendritic branches resembling nerve cells, almost as if they had regressed to a more infantile state. On the other hand, the mice raised in adversity showed no shortage of brain cells, and their nerve cells' dendrites were robustly developed. It was evident through a microscope that maze learning, physical activity, and adversity had vividly activated their brains (Internet). Life, I believe, is like maze learning. Currently, we are on our way to the wedding feast of the Lamb, the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ, in this world that resembles a wilderness, amidst trials and tribulations. We cannot go alone without the guidance of God. God's Word illuminates the maze of our lives, and we are heading towards the promised land, our heavenly homeland, where the wedding feast is prepared. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit resides within us, teaching us through His Word as we journey through the maze of life towards our destination, the heavenly kingdom. Our Shepherd, our Lord, supplies our needs, ensuring that we lack nothing as we continue to walk towards the eternal world, the kingdom of heaven where our Lord resides.