목양연가(牧羊戀歌)

Psalm 31:1-8, 19-20  “Please Help Me”

David wrote Psalm 31.  When he wrote this Psalm he seemed to be fearful that he might even forsake his spirit because of the shame and disgrace of committing sin with Bathsheba, the wife of his faithful commander Uriah.   This is what it says in today’s text, verse 1 and 3, let’s read it together, “¹In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.  ³Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. (NIV)  Of course, there are so many people among us who have never once made a mistake.  However, in human life we do have time to make mistakes unintentionally.  How do we deal in a blessed way with the mistakes we make?  Therefore we will receive grace through a sermon titled “Please Help Me.”  May the Holy Spirit speak to our hearts.

First, let’s find out from the Bible why humans make mistakes.  They are jthe mistakes coming from fear.  When a person’s heart is filled with fear he becomes absurd in his yardstick for judgment for living in this world.  So he makes mistakes and he does not do the things he is supposed to do, but he does the things he should not do.  For example, Abraham is one case (Genesis 12:11, 14).  A famine came to the land of Canaan and Abraham and Sarah, his wife, went down to Egypt.  The Bible said Sarah was so beautiful (Genesis 12:11, 14) that Abraham was fearful that he may die because of Sarah’s beauty when they faced Pharaoh in Egypt.  Because of this fear he lied to him saying that Sarah was his sister (Genesis 12:12-13).  This caused Abraham to be in real danger of almost losing his wife to Pharaoh, didn’t it?  This fearful heart could cause him to make a mistake.  kThe mistakes coming with a good motivation.  In other words good intentions can bring mistakes.  For example, we see in Exodus Chapter 2 Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s palace in Egypt.  At the time he was about 40 years old.  He was able to enjoy great glory and to obtain a high position since being educated and raised in Egyptian culture all that time.  However it seems that he had not forgotten in his heart that he himself was always a Hebrew.  He had been watching his Israelite brethren suffering in making bricks in Egypt.  One day he went out and saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew.  As Moses watched them he became angry and killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand (Exodus 2:11-12).  In this, Moses had good motivation to save his people but he committed great sin, murder is the result of this.  Moses thought all the people would understand him.  This is one characteristic of those who make a mistake by good intentions.  A person who makes a mistake with good intentions thinks that people will understand.  However how was it?  The situation was completely different.  This is the same in our experience. 

We too have a time when we raise our sleeves and act upon our desires of the flesh.  But the result of it, in fact, troubles us.  We must not make mistakes which do evil things even if it is by good intentions.  lThe mistakes coming by carelessness.  The mistakes by carelessness come from a lack of interest, negligence, irrationality, etc.  For example, look at the story of Eli the priest in 1 Samuel (1 Samuel 2:10-17).  Eli had the responsibility for God’s temple at Shiloh which was to keep the temple clean and consecrate the offering.  However he did not take care of it.  He had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, (1 Samuel 2:34) and the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting (1 Samuel 2:22).  Some how he did not control the evil things happening in the temple and was careless (1 Samuel 2:15-17).  In spite of the evil things committed by his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, their father Eli ignored them.  As a result of this, his two sons, his daughter-in-law, and he himself died and the ark of God was taken by the Philistines.  As we see this we must not commit sin from being careless or negligent.

Secondly, in God’s view, how does He deal with saint’s mistakes?  God sees us realistically; however He sees our poor spirit with eyes of compassion, like a father who loves his child.  A certain person said that we human beings have a dark side, like the moon, that we don’t want to show to others.  This is true.  We humans don’t like to show to others our true self so we struggle to hide it.  However, God knows our faults and bad habits.  He knows all of my growing process and wounds in my life and the bunch of mistakes in the past.  The Lord not only knows all my behavior but my thoughts and intentions, which are hidden in my behavior (Deuteronomy 31:21).  God knows all of my troubles and trials and sufferings.  We are uncovered before God and exposed as if we were naked. 

Dear saints!  In spite of God knowing everything about us He is still compassionate and helps us.  Even when we have trials from outside, make mistakes inside of us, I believe our Jesus understands us and loves us with compassion.  Let’s read verse 8 together (Psalm 31:8), “You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.”  Yes!  God did not abandon David even in his mistake.  Look at Abraham, God did not blame Abraham as he continued in his mistakes.  What does verse 8 mean?  “You have not handed me over to the enemy” means that God did not shut him in the hand of his enemy, the devil, rather He sets him free in a spacious place.  It is the same in out lives, even when we make mistakes, Jesus will guide us.  No one will understand our circumstances and show us compassion.  But it is only our Jesus Who understands and gives us compassion.  Why is this?  Because when He died on the cross, He paid for our sins in full (Isaiah 53:5A), “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities.”  Jesus was pierced because of our transgressions and our mistakes.  If we confess our transgressions, mistakes, and our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).  I believe this promised word.  Beloved saints!  I am going to finish preaching.  God knows we are made from the dust of the ground and also knows we make many mistakes and even Christians are not perfect, but still making lots of mistakes as mere men.  But thanks be to God.  He covers our transgressions and iniquities with great love.  For example there is no mother who makes fun of her son’s runny nose.  She rather wipes it off before someone sees it.  In olden days when there were no handkerchiefs, mothers used the end of their dress to wipe their children’s noses, why?  Because runny noses look dirty to others.  This is one of the expressions of a mother’s love and care for her children.  How long does she do this?  Until the children grow up and take care of it themselves.  Jesus has a great love like mothers using the end of their dresses, until when?  I believe He will help us until we grow up and mature, it could take 10 times or 100 times until the end.  Jesus says, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:20B)  May God’s grace be with you.


By: Rev.Samuel Choi