March first marks the 106th anniversary of the independence uprising against Japanese imperialism. At that time, only 1.6% of Koreans were Christian, but 16 of the 33 national representatives were Christians. And 75% of the movement was centered around the church, and 26 years later, the country was liberated. March first, We say the movement was a failure, but it was a success. If we dont interpret this through a biblical lens, we cant interpret the hardships and blessings God has given this country. As we look at the events that befell Hezekiah today, lets consider together what we should really be asking for.
First, the odds are not in his favor.
Once again, the events of Northern Israel being invaded by the Assyrians are recorded, but this time its not in the 7th year of Hosea, its in the 4th year of Hezekiah. This is a redemptive call to look at the fall of Samaria in the context of Hezekiah of Southern Judah, and to look at all of your events from the perspective of faith. His father, Ahaz, brings Assyrian sacrifices to Gods temple, even sacrificing his own son to idols, and when Northern Israel, which was paying tribute, touches the Assyrian planting, it meets a brutal end. Hezekiah, who was raised in faith by his mother, realizes that they have not listened to the word of God, the LORD, and when Ahaz dies, he leads a powerful reformation. Relying on God alone, God is with Hezekiah, and he succeeds in all of his reforms and becomes prosperous wherever he goes. But then David, the most famous king in history, commits a terrible and shameful act of adultery at the height of his success. Mencius argues for the theory of sexual goodness, and Sun Tzu argues for the theory of sexual evil. Mencius says that people are good and should be governed by virtue and humanity, and Sun Tzu says that people are evil and should be governed by law for their edification, which is not the Christian sense of sinner. Its the human idea that we can all strive to reach the ideal of humanity, but we gravitate to these ideas because they seem more right, more cool, more awake, because they fit our nature. Hezekiah was no exception. He was at the height of his blessings, and then the Assyrians come in. Humanly speaking, its a very unfair situation, because he relied on and united with God alone. But this is an attitude that says, 'This favorable situation is my effort, and I deserve it,' and its an attitude that puts more credit on the favorable situation itself than on God. Thats the ups and downs, thats humanism.
Second, its not in my power.
Hezekiah does his best to prepare a defensive posture, but his efforts are futile in the face of the Assyrian army, the most powerful in the world at the time. Isaiah had advised him to trust in God, but the Assyrians capture Lachish, the last line of defense for Jerusalem, in a matter of hours, and Hezekiahs surrender document says he was wrong to take an anti-Assyrian policy.He strips the temple and the royal palace of all their gold, even the gold on the temple gates and pillars, hoping that the power of money will be enough to prevent their destruction. The gates were a symbol of Hezekiahs reformation, a decision to look to, rely on, and unite with God alone, but they were worthless in the face of the value of 'money.' There is faith and there is not, but money really is at the end of everything. All the power Hezekiah could call upon was utterly powerless in the face of Assyria.
When I look at this situation in secular terms, I cant interpret it, and I feel like I cant live with it, so the end of humanistic thought is death and futility.Because Gods will for us is salvation, those who believe that life is redemptive recognize that they are sinners in need of salvation, and so the redemptive confession is, 'You are more right than I am you are more right than I am.'Mencius argues for the theory of sexual goodness, and Sun Tzu argues for the theory of sexual evil.
Third, there is only 'this request'-God.
When the Assyrian army arrived in Jerusalem, they called for King Hezekiah. Hezekiah sends three of his servants, and Rabshakeh, speaking on behalf of Assyria, says to them, 'Tell Hezekiah, what is this request that the king of Assyria, the great king, says to you?' He says 'this request' because he knows Hezekiah is requesting something, but he doesnt know what it is. At the heart of Hezekiah was a heart that relied on and trusted God more than anything else. Everything else can be a temporary trust, but nothing is permanent. The Lord God alone is our true trust. Though all men may betray me and leave me, the faithful God will not forsake me.
In the provisional declaration issued on April 11, 1919, there is a passage that says, 'We sought not only the political and national independence of our motherland, Korea, but the establishment of the new kingdom of God!' The missionaries preached the gospel, and they made this great declaration because they trusted in God. In other words, they declared that the Japanese invasion became a hardship, and that this nation would become a nation of believers in Jesus. We believe that this hardship is the redemption because we believed in Jesus, and thats why we feel sorry for Japan. But when we say this, they say, 'Arent you pro-Japanese?' So you have to preach the redemption.
Our true trust is, first, not in my favor second, not in my strength and third, in this trust, which is God alone. Have you gone through a tribulation today, a day, an hour, that you cant bear, that you cant live? God never leaves us, and He is always taking care of us. The tribulations we are facing now are events that make us realize that our true trust is in God alone. May you be one of those who respond to the Lords question, 'What is your trust?' with the answer, 'God alone!'
