THE DESERT CHANGES INTO SPRING

When I was nineteen my first ministry was in Hapchun a region in Kwunbin, Korea and at that time minister Su-won Sohn was in the third grade in elementary school. He lived in the countryside, and as a little boy with a runny nose he would walk the cows in the field. That young boy is now a preacher of the gospel and is now powerfully ministering the gospel. It¡¯s evident that God is truly working and doing many great things in our lives. I am in awe to see such a different person -- from one¡¯s youth to maturity when one is held by the hands of God so as to be used for the preaching of the gospel. When I first met ministers¡¯ wives Myung-soon Baek and Myung-ock Baek they were in Junior High school. They are now preciously used by the Lord, as a preacher¡¯s wife and the other as a missionary¡¯s wife. Who could have ever imaged that God would use them to do His precious work? But God can change the desert into springs of water. In the same way God has changed the youths as they grew up in the church so they could be used as precious laborers for the gospel.

When I was a minister at the Masan Central Church, a sister¡¯s husband persecuted the church in a terrible way. On the evenings when we gathered he would come to the church to harass us, no one liked him or was fond of him to say the least. Time had past, then one day I saw him working really hard at the retreat, he was now a brother laboring for the gospel. Instances where a persecuting husband becomes a precious worker of the church and people who become servants of God preaching the gospel I realize that God works in ways that we can¡¯t ever imagine. Thus no matter how dried up and desolate a soul may be, if God works in that person he can be a precious preacher of the gospel.

Man has the capabilities to change the desert into a spring or an oasis. By bringing the water from afar and supplying the desert with water so that the land would be good to use. However, a desolate heart that is like a desert, who can change this into a good land (heart)? Using a crane or machinery invented by man can not change a persons heart into good land. In the Scriptures a person¡¯s heart is changed from a desert to spring water. Although a persons¡¯ heart may be as barren as the desert, dried out with no vegetation, if God works inside of him, his heart will be like paradise. In the church I¡¯ve seen so many people who have changed by His grace and work. When we see God working in the church we are hopeful, happy, rejoicing, and glorifying God. Although one may persecute and rebel against the church with a desolate heart, if God is working and changing them and making them laborers then we can truly rely, have hope, and rejoice in Him. The problem is not how many or how few there are who rebel against us. It¡¯s God who changes people, what counts is if He¡¯s there or not. If God is near and working among us then regardless of the situation we face, we will be hopeful.

GOD¡¯S ARK

In the book of 1 Samuel chapter 4, there was a terrible war between the Israelites and the Philistines. During this battle God killed the corrupt prophet Eli and his two sons Hophni and Phinehas. Also, that is when He erected the prophet Samuel. During the war the Israelites took the ark of God out to the field with them. Yet, when they lost they lost the ark to the Philistines. The Philistines took the ark to their land and put it in the house of their god Dagon. The next day when the priests went into the house of Dagon, the statue was fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. When the statue was erected again and the priests returned the next day, the head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold. The priest of the Dagon would have thought that this was quite unusual. For God made the worthless statue kneel before the Lord. Here we can discover that the Lord is the only One, true God.

The Philistines sent the ark of God to the region of Ashdod. While the ark was there God gave the city a plague, and He ravaged them and struck them with tumors. Although they thought that the tumors just came by chance, but since these things happened from the time the ark came into the territory they thought, ¡°The ark of God may strike against us,¡± so they decided to move the ark away from Ashdod. They moved the ark to Gath, there God also struck the city with a very great destruction. He struck the men of the city, both small and great, and tumors broke out on them. So the people realized that ever since the ark came into Gath the destructions began, so they sent the ark of God to Ekron. The Ekronites knew that once the ark of God entered the city the destruction would begin so they were against the ark being there. In the end the Philistines tried to figure out what to do and decided to send it back to the Israelites.

The ark of God represents the living God. Whereever God went there were works, and those who opposed Him ended up with illnesses. That is why David brought the ark of God into his kingdom. The reason why the ark of God stayed at the house of Obed-Edom was because of the incident of Perez Uzzah. During the three months that the ark was in his home God greatly blessed Obed-Edom. While the ark of God was there, God did not just dwell there but did great works. David saw this, he rejoiced and brought the ark of God back to the city of David. In the end David put the ark of God in the city of David, and lived his life treasuring only God in his heart. When David was in the green pastures and near restful waters by way of God he found joy, thankfulness, and glorified God. Also even when he walked in the valley of death, he did not reject or complain against God. Instead he was joyful and thankful to the Lord who guided him and thus gave everything up to God. If we were to ask David what he gained most out of life, what do you think he would say? Rather than saying that he overcame many difficulties but still became king, or did many things to build the temple of God, and was victorious in every battle he fought, he would say, ¡° The most precious thing in my life was that I gained God and that He was with me my entire life.¡±

In the same way what is the most precious to us is God. God works among the sinners. At times He gives them hardships and to those who have accepted Him in their heart, He works as the master of their heart. With this kind of God in our lives -- who changes the desert into springs, where there was no vegetation but later into paradise then there is no treasure in the world that is more precious than having Him. That is why it¡¯s inevitable for us to be joyful and rejoice in Him.


THE COW WHICH HEADED FOR BETH SHEMESH

This was when the Philistines tried to return the ark of God to the Israelites. They made a new cart to carry the ark of God, and hitched two milk cows that had never been yoked, and took their calves home, away from them. Then they took the ark of the Lord and set it on the cart; after they made a trespass offering, they sent it to the territory of the Israelites and decided to test it. ¡°And watch: if it goes up the road to its own territory, to Beth Shemesh, then God has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that struck us ; it was by chance that it happened to us.¡± Milk cows naturally return home in order to feed its calves. For the calves wait for the mother¡¯s milk, so it¡¯s only natural for the milk cows to go where its calves are. However, the cows that pulled the cart which carried the ark of the Lord, went straight to Beth Shemesh and not where its calves were. They did not turn aside to the right hand or the left but went straight for the road. For animals move and live according to their instincts. But God controlled the animal¡¯s instincts and according to His good will He guides the animals. God ignored the natural instincts of the animals and guided them to where He wanted them to be. Thus, we too can be guided the same way.

Even if we tend to rely on our own resources, be driven by our fleshly desires, or live according to our natural instincts, the Almighty God suppresses our natural instincts and guides us toward His good path, that He pleased with. If we realize that God is always near us then even if we are merely driven by our flesh, we need not be disappointed in ourselves. For even a instinctual person like myself can live according to His good will. Even if you live by your instincts if God holds you and works in you then you will go the way God wants you to go. Although the heart is desolate as the desert, and a person who rebels against God, if that person is guided by God then he will become a glorified tool that preaches the gospel and his life will be dedicated to God. For the Lord is able to do such things. Thus, there is no need to weigh out how weak I am or how hard hearted that person is, for we must have the eye to see God who guides us on the good path.


IS SAUL ALSO AMONG THE PROPHETS?

Saul who appears in 1 Samuel totally rely on his own resources. Once his father lost his donkeys and told Saul to go and find them. Saul and his servants went to look for them. ¡°And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they found them not.¡±(1 Samuel 9:4) As the Word states Saul, diligently obeyed the wishes of his father. He even went to the land of Zuph. Saul said to his servants, ¡°Come let us return, lest my father cease caring about the donkeys and become worried about us.¡± They spent many days looking for the donkeys.

Normally any young person would have looked all day and if in the evening didn¡¯t find it would say, ¡°Father, when it gets light out we¡¯ll look for it again,¡± however, Saul spent many days straight through the night looking for the donkeys and thought that they should return home because his father would worry about them rather than the lost donkeys. Saul completed the requests of his father and he was also about to think about his father¡¯s point of view as a considerate son. However, the servants said, ¡°Look now, there is in this city a man of God,¡± and Saul replied, ¡°If we go, what shall we bring to the man? For the bread in our vessels is all gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?¡± Although he faced a difficult and pitiful situation, he did not have the heart to wear the grace of the man of God but rather he wanted to give something to Him. This shows that he doesn¡¯t have the heart to receive grace from God, he merely wants to give something to Him.

I believe that spiritually this person is truly a wicked person. Actually after Saul became king whenever things occurred, he never went out to seek God concerning such issues and received the grace of God. Even during battle he did not ask God or seek His grace but rather he was always erected his diligence and relyed on his own power to fight in the battles. Also In Saul¡¯s eyes David was a thorn that pierced his heart. So Saul was always went after David to kill him and never took out this problem to God. Even in the last war he did not go out to God but sought a woman medium. Saul did not seek God to the very end. He lived his entire life rejecting God, and lived by his instincts like an animal.

Therefore it became a proverb: ¡°Is Saul also among the prophets?¡± Before Saul became a king the prophet Samuel said to him, ¡°And the Spirit of the Lord wil come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.¡± (1 Samuel 10:6) So as the prophesy states, God gave Saul a new heart and all that was prophesised came true. God¡¯s spirit came upon Saul and among the prophets he too prophesized. ¡°What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?¡± (1 Samuel 10:11) People who knew Saul was surprised to see him prophesize so they said that. Thus, because he prophesised that is when the proverb came to be. This proverb is used when something like a miracle happens.

A person like Saul who does not seek God because he is so humanitain, how did he prophesy among the prophets? It was because God¡¯s power was within him that he was able to. It may be for a moment but although one may be like Saul if God works we can be like a prophet. That is why what is important is not what kind of person I am like David or Saul but if the spirit of God is with me and guides me. Then I can have a new heart and live a life that is pleasing to God. If we rely and seek God who is in our midst, regardless of our circumstances we can rejoice. ¡°Even if I am like Saul, if God changes me I can become a new person.¡± Also her husband is a hard hearted person persecuting the church but even if that person is changed, he too can become a preacher of the gospel.

When we rely and depend on the power of God we can be continuously happy. It¡¯s a new millienum and a new year, we shall live with a new heart. We shall not live our lives just satisfing the flesh with no focal point in mind. But with a new millienum and a new year as a new person we should please God and become a precious laborer for the gospel. However, I am afraid that people will face the new year with their own will and determination bound to fail. For there is no one who can overcome their nature with one¡¯s will power or determination.

So let us not live with this resolution in our minds instead let us look upon the Lord. God who changes the desert into the spring and paradise and He who changes Saul from a instinctual person to become a new person with a new heart. Also God who changes a worthless person to a person who preaches the gospel. That kind of God is in the midst of our church and lives inside of me. Thus God will not just let us be in the new year but will change us into a new person and hopefully will give us the faith that He will lead our life to be a more vaulable laborer of the gospel. I want to the readers to believe these facts. I have the desire that in the new year with faith we can be a precious laborer of the gospel

(writer : dskim@goodnews.or.kr)