20260430 [새벽묵상] 언약을 깨뜨린 백성을 위해 언약을 기억하시는 하나님 | The God Who Remembers the Covenant for Those Who Broke It (시/Ps 106:34~48)

106:34 그들은 여호와께서 멸하라고 말씀하신 그 이방 민족들을 멸하지 아니하고

106:35 그 이방 나라들과 섞여서 그들의 행위를 배우며

106:36 그들의 우상들을 섬기므로 그것들이 그들에게 올무가 되었도다

106:37 그들이 그들의 자녀를 악귀들에게 희생제물로 바쳤도다

106:38 무죄한 피 곧 그들의 자녀의 피를 흘려 가나안의 우상들에게 제사하므로 그 땅이 피로 더러워졌도다

106:39 그들은 그들의 행위로 더러워지니 그들이 행동이 음탕하도다

34 They did not destroy the peoples

    as the Lord had commanded them,

35 but they mingled with the nations

    and adopted their customs.

36 They worshiped their idols,

    which became a snare to them.

37 They sacrificed their sons

    and their daughters to false gods.

38 They shed innocent blood,

    the blood of their sons and daughters,

whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,

    and the land was desecrated by their blood.

39 They defiled themselves by what they did;

    by their deeds they prostituted themselves.

106:40 그러므로 여호와께서 자기 백성에게 맹렬히 노하시며 자기의 유업을 미워하사

106:41 그들을 이방 나라의 손에 넘기시매 그들을 미워하는 자들이 그들을 다스렸도다

106:42 그들이 원수들의 압박을 받고 그들의 수하에 복종하게 되었도다

106:43 여호와께서 여러 번 그들을 건지시나 그들은 교묘하게 거역하며 자기 죄악으로 말미암아 낮아짐을 당하였도다

106:44 그러나 여호와께서 그들의 부르짖음을 들으실 때에 그들의 고통을 돌보시며

106:45 그들을 위하여 그의 언약을 기억하시고 그 크신 인자하심을 따라 뜻을 돌이키사

106:46 그들을 사로잡은 모든 자에게서 긍휼히 여김을 받게 하셨도다

40 Therefore the Lord was angry with his people

    and abhorred his inheritance.

41 He gave them into the hands of the nations,

    and their foes ruled over them.

42 Their enemies oppressed them

    and subjected them to their power.

43 Many times he delivered them,

    but they were bent on rebellion

    and they wasted away in their sin.

44 Yet he took note of their distress

    when he heard their cry;

45 for their sake he remembered his covenant

    and out of his great love he relented.

46 He caused all who held them captive

    to show them mercy.

106:47 여호와 우리 하나님이여 우리를 구원하사 여러 나라로부터 모으시고 우리가 주의 거룩하신 이름을 감사하며 주의 영예를 찬양하게 하소서

47 Save us, Lord our God,

    and gather us from the nations,

that we may give thanks to your holy name

    and glory in your praise.

106:48 여호와 이스라엘의 하나님을 영원부터 영원까지 찬양할지어다 모든 백성들아 아멘 할지어다 할렐루야

48 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,

    from everlasting to everlasting.

Let all the people say, “Amen!”

Praise the Lord.

            본문은 약속의 땅에 정착한 이후 이스라엘이 어떻게 하나님과의 언약을 깨뜨렸는지 서술합니다. 그들은 이방 민족과 혼합되고 우상 숭배에 빠져 포로가 되고 결국은 여러나라로 흩어지게 되었지요. 그러나 여호와께서는 그들의 부르짖음을 들으셨습니다. 그들이 회개하거나 돌이켰기 때문이 아니었습니다. 하나님의 크신 인자하심을 따라 그들을 위하여 언약을 기억하셨다고 본문은 말하고 있습니다. 시편 제4권을 마무리하는 이 단락은 이스라엘의 실패에도 불구하고 하나님의 인자와 구원이 끝내 끊어지지 않았음을 증언하고 있지요. 오늘은 “언약을 깨뜨린 백성을 위해 언약을 기억하시는 하나님” 이라는 제목으로 말씀을 나누기 원합니다.

[Introduction: The End of Book 4—Grace Beyond Failure]

Today’s text describes how Israel shattered their covenant with God after settling in the Promised Land. They mingled with pagan nations, fell into idolatry, were taken captive, and were eventually scattered across the earth. Yet, in the midst of this, the Lord heard their cry. It wasn't because they had perfected their repentance or completely turned their lives around. Rather, the text says that according to His great steadfast love (), He remembered His covenant for their sake. This concluding passage of Book 4 of the Psalms testifies that despite Israel’s repeated failures, God’s mercy and salvation never truly severed. Today, I want to share a message titled: “The God Who Remembers the Covenant for Those Who Broke It.”

            이들이 하나님과의 언약을 깨뜨렸던 것은 어찌보면 아주 작은 것에서 출발 했습니다. 하나님께서는 이들을 당신이 말씀하셨던 그 약속의 땅으로 이끄셨지요. 그 때 하나님은 이들에게 가나안 민족들을 모두 멸하라고 분명히 말씀하셨었습니다. 그렇지 않으면 그들이 이들에게 올무가 될 것이라고요. 34절을 보면 그들은 하나님의 말씀을 완전히 거역한 것이 아닙니다. 오히려 그들은 하나님의 말씀도 들었지만 그들의 상황에 맞게 적당히 타협을 하였죠. 그 결과로 진멸되지 않은 가나안 민족들은 이스라엘과 함께 거주하게 되었습니다. 현실에 맞게 하나님의 말씀을 적용한 작은 타협이었습니다. 그런데 그 작은 타협이 더 깊은 죄로 이어지는 것을 우리는 본문에서 볼 수 있습니다.

            35절, 그들은 가나안 민족들과 섞였습니다. 서로 다른 색깔의 점토가 뒤섞여서 새로운 색깔이 되면 그것을 다시 원래의 색깔로 분리해 낼 수 없지요. 마찬가지입니다. 그들은 완전히 하나로 융합되어버렸습니다. 그래서 이스라엘은 이제 진멸의 대상이었던 가나안 민족과 다를바가 없어져버렸습니다. 그들의 행위를 배우고 그들의 우상을 섬기고 심지어는 자신들의 자녀들을 악귀에게 제물로 바쳤습니다. 38절은 그들이 이렇게 무죄한 피를 흘렸다고 말하고 있습니다. 그 피로 땅이 더러워졌다고 적고 있지요. 어제 말씀에서 하나님께서 약속하신 그 땅을 기쁨의 땅이라고 불렀었습니다. 아름다운 땅, 탐스러운 땅이라는 뜻이지요. 그러나 그들이 무죄한 피를 흘림으로 그 땅은 이제 더럽혀진 땅이 되었습니다. 땅만이 아니지요. 39절을 보니 그들 또한 그들의 행위로 더러워졌다고 말하고 있습니다. 여러분 왜 하나님께서 가나안 민족들을 그 땅에서 모두 진멸하라고 하셨는지 기억하십니까? 레위기 18:24-25을 제가 읽어보겠습니다. “너희는 이 모든 일로 스스로 더럽히지 말라 내가 너희 앞에서 쫓아내는 족속들이 이 모든 일로 말미암아 더러워졌고 그 땅도 더러워졌으므로 내가 그 악으로 말미암아 벌하고 그 땅도 스스로 그 주민을 토하여 내느니라.” 하나님의 말씀에 타협한 작은 불순종이 자라고 자라서 그들은 그들 자신과 그 땅을 더럽히게 되었습니다. 이제는 그들이 진멸의 대상이 된 것이지요. 본문 40절은 말하고 있습니다. “그러므로 여호와께서 자기 백성에게 맹렬히 노하셨다. 자기의 유업을 미워하셨다.” 그 결과가 무엇입니까? 이방 나라들의 손에 넘겨져 나라가 망하고 지배를 받고 포로가 되었습니다. 43절은 광야와 가나안 땅에서 이들이 행한 죄악을 이렇게 정리하며 이렇게 말합니다. 하나님께서 그들을 몇 번이나 건져내셨습니다. 그러나 그들은 자기들의 생각대로 행동하여 하나님을 거역하였습니다. 결국 자신들의 죄악 때문에 낮아지게 되었습니다. 그들이 자기들의 생각대로 행동한 것이 결국은 하나님과의 언약을 깨뜨려 버렸고 그들은 심판을 받아 낮아지게 되었습니다.

[1. The Downward Spiral of "Small Compromises" (v. 34-43)]

Israel’s betrayal of the covenant began with something seemingly small. God had led them to the Promised Land and clearly commanded them to destroy the Canaanite nations—not out of cruelty, but because He knew those nations would become a snare to them.

However, verse 34 shows that they didn’t flatly reject God's word at first. Instead, they compromised based on their circumstances. They made "reasonable" adjustments to God’s commands to fit their reality. But we see in the text how this tiny compromise led to a deep, dark pit of sin:

• Assimilation (v. 35): They mixed with the nations. When different colors of clay are blended, they cannot be separated into their original states. Israel became indistinguishable from the nations they were supposed to drive out.

• Contamination (v. 36-38): They learned their ways and served their idols. They went as far as sacrificing their own children to demons, shedding innocent blood.

• Defilement (v. 39): The land that was once called "the pleasant land"—the beautiful, desirable land—became defiled by their deeds.

Why was God so adamant about removing the Canaanites? In Leviticus 18:24-25, God warns: “Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things... for the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.” Their "small" disobedience grew until they themselves became the objects of destruction. Verse 40 says the Lord’s anger burned against His people, and He abhorred His own inheritance. The result? They were handed over to the nations and became oppressed captives. Verse 43 summarizes their history: God delivered them many times, but they were rebellious in "their own counsel" (their own thinking) and were brought low by their iniquity.

            그런데 44절은 이스라엘이 이렇게 심판의 대상이 된 이후에도 하나님과 그들의 관계가 끊어지지 않았음을 보여줍니다. 그러나 여호와께서 그들의 부르짖음을 들으실 때에 그들의 고통을 돌보신다고 하지 않습니까? 이들이 일방적으로 하나님과의 언약을 깨뜨렸음에도 불구하고 45절은 하나님께서 그들을 위하여 당신의 언약을 기억하셨다고 말하고 있습니다. 함께 한 번 읽어보겠습니다. “그들을 위하여 그의 언약을 기억하시고 그 크신 인자하심을 따라 뜻을 돌이키사" 이들이 회개하여서 하나님께서 이들을 구원하신 것이 아닙니다. 이들이 신실하여서 하나님께서 이들을 구원하신 것이 아닙니다. 오직 하나님의 한량 없으신 인자하심이 그들의 부르짖음에 반응하게 한 것입니다. 그들의 고통에 하나님의 마음이 반응한 것입니다. 그들을 아직도 불쌍히 여기시는 것입니다. 여러분 하나님께서 이들과 맺으신 언약을 지키실 필요가 있습니까? 그들이 일방적으로 깨뜨린 언약입니다. 그러나 하나님께서는 누구를 위하여? 바로 그들을 위하여 그의 언약을 기억하셨다고 말하고 있습니다. 이것은 전적인 하나님의 일방적인 은혜와 구원인 것입니다.

[2. Unilateral Grace: Remembering the Covenant (v. 44-46)]

Verse 44 reveals a stunning truth: even after they became objects of judgment, the relationship was not severed. “Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry.” Even though they had unilaterally broken the covenant, verse 45 tells us that God remembered His covenant for their sake. Please listen carefully: He did not save them because they were faithful. He did not save them because they were deserving. It was solely because His boundless steadfast love () responded to their cry. His heart responded to their pain.

Does God need to keep a covenant that the other party has already trashed? Legally, no. But the text says He remembered it "for them." This is the definition of unilateral, sovereign grace.

시인은 이 사건을 출애굽의 사건과 동일 선상에 놓고 있습니다. 출애굽기 2:24-25 “하나님이 그들의 고통 소리를 들으시고 하나님이 아브라함과 이삭과 야곱에게 세운 그의 언약을 기억하사 하나님이 이스라엘 자손을 돌보셨고 하나님이 그들을 기억하셨더라” 하나님의 구원의 정수, 출애굽의 역사는 바로 이 말씀으로 시작되지요. 이 말씀 뒤에 모세가 떨기나무에서 하나님을 만나게 됩니다. 마찬가지로 하나님의 구원의 역사가 지금 포로로 사로잡혀 있는 이스라엘 백성에게 임하게 해달라고 그는 기도하고 있는 것입니다. 시편 106편 전체를 관통하고 있는 반복되는 죄의 역사 가운데서도 그는 하나님의 구원을 봅니다. 언약을 깨뜨린 죄로 그들이 지금 포로생활을 하고 있다고 하더라도 그의 하나님의 크신 인자하심에 대한 믿음은 사라지지 않습니다. 과거의 하나님께서 그들을 구원하셨듯이 그는 “우리 하나님이 우리를 구원해달라고” 담대하게 구하고 있는 것입니다.

[3. The Hope of a New Exodus (v. 47-48)]

The psalmist intentionally links this situation to the original Exodus. Exodus 2:24-25 says, “And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.” The very essence of salvation history—the Exodus—began with those words. Just as God met Moses at the burning bush after hearing the cry of the slaves, the psalmist is now praying for that same salvation to reach the exiles. Despite the repeated history of sin that flows through Psalm 106, the psalmist still sees God’s salvation. Even in the midst of captivity, his faith in God’s great does not falter. Just as God saved them in the past, he boldly prays: “Save us, O Lord our God!”

말씀을 맺습니다. 오늘의 말씀은 그러나 여호와께서 그들의 부르짖음을 들으실 때에 그들의 고통을 돌보셨다고 말하고 있습니다. 그들을 위하여 그의 언약을 기억하셨다고 합니다. 바로 여기에 우리의 소망이 있습니다. 시인도 바로 이런 하나님의 크신 인자하심에 소망을 걸고 있습니다. 우리가 기도할 때 하나님께서는 우리를 구원하실 것입니다. 우리의 부르짖음을 들으실 것입니다. 우리의 고통을 돌보실 것입니다. 그것을 믿음으로 우리는 감사할 수 있습니다. 하나님을 찬양할 수 있습니다. 하나님이야 말로 영원부터 영원까지 우리 모든 찬양을 받으시기에 합당하신 분이십니다. 그 하나님을 묵상하시는 오늘 하루 되시기를 주님의 이름으로 축원합니다.

[Conclusion: Our Hope is in His Memory]

In conclusion: Today’s word tells us that the Lord looked upon their distress when He heard their cry. He remembered His covenant for their sake.

This is where our hope lies. The psalmist stakes everything on this great mercy of God. When we pray, God will hear. He will look upon our distress. Not because we are perfect, but because He is faithful to His own character. Because we believe this, we can give thanks even in the midst of hardship. We can praise Him, for He is the one worthy of all praise from everlasting to everlasting! May you spend your day meditating on this God who remembers you.

Amen.