HIS NEAR PRESENCE!

Several years ago, a phrase in Shakespeare's Hamlet jumped off the page because of its sudden familiarity. The immortal phrase in question was "The undiscovered country". And the reason it was so familiar was the fact that it was then the subtitle of the current Star Trek movie. The theme surrounding the phrase is human mortality. And the speech provided by the Bard sounded forth the beginnings of English Crown civility. To understand what is going on means to remind ourselves of a tawdry little episode during the Viet Nam Conflict. This episode was eventually made into a movie. The episode considered the actions of a moderately religious soldier in American service. As a Sp4 he was attached to a small recon squad. This squad, besides having been in the bush overly long, also suffered from a distinct lack of morality and had moved quickly into the area of committing war crimes. These included: robbery, rape and murder for their own comfort and enjoyment.

Their excuse for their behavior was that every day they lived near death and deserved to have a little fun and enjoyment in their lives. The one Sp4 believed otherwise and to insure justice had to take on the squad, the Army and the military judicial bureaucracy. His life was threatened and he barely escaped being blown up by a hand grenade. At long last, after having stayed on in the Army to see justice done, the war criminals were handed down their just reward. When asked why he had persisted against all inconvenience and common sense he said that when we are near death, we ought to live better than ordinary rather than worse.

Like this young Sp4 and, unlike the common worldly crowd, we as Christians believe that every man and woman will have to give a final account before the awful throne of God in heaven. This too is the worry of Hamlet in Shakespeare's play of the same name.

"To be, or not to be, that is the question;

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep _

No more _ and by a sleep to say we end

The heartache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep;

To sleep, perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub,

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,

A few lines later Hamlet puts the difficulties of this life into an eternal perspective:

But that the dread of something after death,

The undiscovered country from whose bourn

No traveler returns, puzzles the will

And makes us rather bear those ills we have

Than fly to others that we know not of?

This year, as usual, several students in Logan County have passed over to the undiscovered country much to the consternation of our student body. One day, they were there. Then after two separate accidents, they were not! The oft repeated question that marred the Thanksgiving season, was: "Why did this happen?" Who would dare be politically incorrect and turn suffering hearts to Paul's challenge in Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 1: 9 "Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."

You see, the deaths of others regularly challenges our own concepts of mortality and brings us before the awesome throne of God. This is the point of our psalm today. An English commentator by the name of R.H. Ryland tells us that while psalms ninety-five and six sing the joy and thanksgiving in which Christ's people bring to our Lord's second advent, this present Psalm describes the completion of His coming.

In the opening of this Psalm, even distant gentile shores rejoice at the reigning of our God and King. Then in verses two through six the images of Mount Sinai in Moses" time are expanded and multiplied to give a sense of that glorious day when Christ shall return!

Just as Hamlet experienced life so may we experience the clouds and darkness of persecution in this present life, even as Hamlet did. Try as we might, we could very well take matters into our own hands and seek to turn this world around. What sincere Christian would not like to go into an Abortion clinic and shut the place down? But, just like Hamlet we may well wonder if those who live by the sword might even die by the sword? This is the hesitation to revenge his Father's death that Hamlet wrestles through in Shakespeare's play. And by the same token, we must hold ourselves back from overt or covert violence against the abortionist murderers.

Hamlet eventually plots and falls prey to that very fear which holds him back. And in the moral resonance of this play, the kings and nobles of England's fair land were tutored to become civilized. We may very well observe that historically speaking, before Shakespeare royal blood flowed like water, afterward we may begin to speak of civilization finally taking root!

In the same way we must be hesitant in bringing the Kingdom in by the mere force of politics or muscle. Remember, we are mortal, life will end in time all too soon and we must give an honorable account for our actions in God's precious Name.

We find our way through darkness and troubles in His light and in His time, those who trouble us and demean our Christ will know their final end. In verse four the lightning of the Lord lights up the world. I remember a story I once read of a family lost in the woods trying to escape from communism. It was a dark and stormy night as literature might have it. The children were scared and complained about the lightning. Father quieted them with the advice that the thundering noise covered their whining and each blaze of light let him see where to take them next.

So too may we understand the political and spiritual storms of our day and age. As we journey to the undiscovered country, God's acts in history enlighten us and guide us towards home. The psalmist would have us know that even the storms of heaven and earth passing away will declare His righteousness and show us His glory.

In that grand and glorious day when the Lord returns, two groups of people will be exposed. Verse seven shows us the shame of idolaters - all those who trust not in our God and King. Well, you say - there are no idolaters today, or are there?

One lady I heard of told her friends that she was going to give her husband twenty-four hours to get into the politically correct holidaze spirit and get out there and shop! Another whole group of secular carolers sported bright shiney noses and furry collars to demonstrate their elvish devotion. At one place of employment an administrator announced that anyone who didn't stand up and sing secular carols shouldn't get their pay check.

By contrast, verse eight shows us the joy of all those who belong to the Lord and the psalmist tells us not to worry because our Lord is the Most High over all the earth. As we travel the mortal trails to the undiscovered country our psalmist would instruct us carefully:

Let those who love the Lord hate evil,

for he guards the lives of his faithful ones

and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

Light is shed upon the righteous

and joy on the upright in heart.

Please understand that there is no promise here against casualties on the way. No, in this life's struggles between the kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom of our Christ there are casualties enough and more. However, the Lord here does promise that our spiritual lives are indeed guarded and at long last we may escape from the hand of the wicked into the light of the eternal presence. This promise is elaborated by Paul in his letter to the Ephesians:

Ephesians 2: 13 "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ."

You see, the experience of this psalm has also been the experience of our Lord Jesus Christ. He it was who found His way through the dark experience of death only to be rescued by our Father in heaven and then raised up to sit enthroned in heaven. For that final victory we, as the psalmist here encourages us ought to: "Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name."