오늘 아침에도 매일성경으로 묵상을 하다가 아내는 묻습니다. 성경을 읽거나 묵상을 하다가 모르는 것을 남편에게 묻는 것은 목사 남편을 만난 그녀의 특권입니다. 벌써 50년 가까이 행사하는 그녀의 특권이지만 그 때마다 여전히 당황스런 것은 남편의 모습입니다. 그런 상황을 처음 맞닥드렸던 옛날부터 오늘 아침까지 남편의 당혹스러움은 변하지 않았습니다. 결혼을 한지 채 5년이 되지 않았을 때 유학 중인 우린 남아공화국에 살고 있었습니다. 다만 그 때는 매일성경이 아니라 성경통독을 하면서 맞닥드린 아내의 질문 때문에 곤혹을 치뤘던 것으로 기억됩니다.
고등학교를 졸업하고 신학교에서 4년간 대학과정을 이수했고, 신대원에서 목회학 석사를 하고 유학을 갔으니, 그렇게 성경에 무식한 생짜는 아니었을 것 같은데, 그녀는 꼭 집어 내가 모르는 것만 물었습니다. 내가 아는 것은 그녀도 알고 있었나 봅니다. 급하면 칼빈 선생님과 의논을 하고 박윤선 박사님께 문의를 해서 답을 했는데, 얼마큼 시원한 대답을 했는지 자신이 없지만, 답을 한 저로서는 사흘만 지나가면 무슨 답을 했는지 기억조차 나지 않았습니다. 매일 성경 오늘 아침 본문은 신명기 22장 1절에서 12절까지이고 가나안 땅에 들어가서 가나안의 풍속을 따르지 말고, 구별된 백성으로서 거룩한 삶을 살도록 명령하시는 내용입니다.
그런데 딱 걸렸던 것은 9절 말씀입니다. “네 포도원에 두 종자를 섞어 뿌리지 말라 그리하면 네가 뿌린 씨의 열매와 포도원의 소산을 다 빼앗길까 하노라”(개역개정) 무슨 말이죠? 그래서 다른 번역을 찾아봅니다. “… 그렇게 하면, 씨를 뿌려서 거둔 곡식도 포도도 성물이 되어 먹지 못합니다.”(새번역) “ … 그렇게 하면 두 가지 작물을 다 제사장에게 압수당할 것입니다.” (쉬운성경) 갈수록 도움이 되지 않습니다. 정말 번역이 엉망입니다. 결국 정확한 번역으로 알려진 NASB를 봅니다. ” … or all the produce of the seed which you have sown and the increase of the vineyard will become defiled.” 그런 재배방식은 하나님께 드리기에는 불결하게 된다는 의미로 보입니다. 개역개정을 조금 손을 보면 “네 포도원에 두 종자를 섞어 뿌리지 말라 그리하면 네가 뿌린 씨의 열매와 포도원의 소산을 다 더럽힐까 하노라” 정도로 보면 될 것 같습니다.
포도원에 두 종자를 섞어 뿌리지 않는 것, 소와 나귀를 한 쌍으로 하여 밭 갈지 말 것, 양털과 베 실로 섞어 짠 것을 입지 말 것 등을 통해서, 그 때나 지금이나 당신의 백성들에게 혼합주의를 경계하라는 말씀으로 이해하고 싶습니다. 누군가가 설명합니다. “날마다 성경을 묵상하는 사람들은 ‘모든 영역에서’ 세상 가치관을 따라가지 않습니다. 돈을 벌 때나 쓸 때의 경제적 영역에서, 사람들을 만나고 대하는 사회적 영역에서, 나라 지도자를 선택하는 정치(투표)의 영역에서, 정서나 문화적 영역에서도 하나님 나라의 가치관으로 선택하고 결정합니다.” 네 그렇습니다. 하나님의 백성은 세상 가치관을 따라 살아서는 안 됩니다. 그렇다면 태어난 곳보다는 장차 살 곳이 더 중요합니다. 세상나라보다 하나님 나라가 우선이어야 합니다. 부디 동굴의 우상에서 벗어난 투표권 행사를 기대합니다.
This morning, while meditating with Daily Bible, my wife asked me a question once again. Being able to ask her husband whenever she encounters something she doesn't understand while reading or meditating on the Scriptures is her special privilege as the wife of a pastor. Even though she has exercised this privilege for nearly fifty years, her husband's flustered reaction remains just the same every single time. From those early days when we first faced such moments all the way to this morning, her husband's bewilderment has never changed. When we had been married for less than five years, we were living in South Africa as international students. Back then, as I recall, my perplexity was sparked not by Daily Bible, but by her questions while reading through the entire Bible.
After graduating from high school, I completed a four-year college course at a seminary, earned a Master of Divinity at graduate school, and went abroad for further studies. So I certainly could not have been a complete novice when it came to the Bible. Yet she always managed to pinpoint precisely what I did not know. Perhaps whatever I already knew, she knew as well. In urgent moments, I would consult Master Calvin's commentaries or seek guidance from Dr. Yunsun Park to formulate an answer. Yet I was never confident about how satisfying my explanations were, and as the one giving the answer, I could barely remember what I had said just three days later. Today’s Daily Bible passage was Deuteronomy 22:1–12, which commands God's people not to follow the pagan customs of Canaan upon entering the land, but to live holy lives as a set-apart people.
However, what caught us off guard was verse 9: “You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole yield of the seed which you have sown and the increase of the vineyard be forfeited” (NKJV/Korean Revised Version). What could this mean? So I looked up other translations. “…If you do, both the crops you plant and the fruit of your vineyard will become consecrated [sacred and untouchable] and cannot be eaten” (Korean New Translation). “…If you do that, both crops will be confiscated by the priest” (Korean Easy Bible). The more versions I checked, the less helpful they seemed. The Korean renderings were quite confusing. In the end, I turned to the NASB, renowned for its formal equivalence: “…or all the produce of the seed which you have sown and the increase of the vineyard will become defiled.” It seems to mean that such agricultural practices would render the produce defiled and unacceptable as an offering before God. Tweaking the Korean Revised Version slightly, it might be best understood as: “Do not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest both the fruit of the seed you planted and the produce of your vineyard become defiled.”
Whether it was refraining from sowing a vineyard with two kinds of seed, not plowing with an ox and a donkey yoked together, or not wearing clothing woven of wool and linen mixed together—I take this as a commandment warning His people, both then and now, against syncretism. Someone once explained it this way: “Those who meditate on Scripture daily do not conform to the values of this world ‘in every sphere of life.’ In the economic sphere of earning and spending money, in the social sphere of relating to people, in the political sphere of selecting national leaders (voting), and in the emotional and cultural spheres, they choose and decide based on the values of the Kingdom of God.” Yes, indeed. God's people must not live according to worldly values. In that case, where we are headed to dwell is far more important than where we were born. The Kingdom of God must take precedence over the kingdoms of this world. I pray and hope for an exercise of the right to vote that is truly freed from the idols of the cave.
Vanoggend, terwyl sy haar oordenking uit Daaglikse Bybel gedoen het, het my vrou my weer 'n vraag gevra. Om haar man uit te vra wanneer sy tydens haar Bybellees of bepeinsing op iets onverstaanbaars afkom, is haar kosbare voorreg as vrou van 'n predikant. Al oefen sy hierdie voorreg al byna vyftig jaar lank uit, bly haar man se verleentheid elke keer presies dieselfde. Van daardie vroeë dae toe ons vir die heel eerste keer voor so 'n situasie te staan gekom het tot vanoggend toe, het my verbluffing nooit verander nie. Toe ons pas minder as vyf jaar getroud was, het ons as studente in Suid-Afrika gewoon. As ek reg onthou, was dit destyds nie Daaglikse Bybel nie, maar vrae wat sy geopper het terwyl sy die hele Bybel deurgelees het, wat my so in die verknorsing gebring het.
Nadat ek hoërskool voltooi het, het ek 'n vierjarige teologiese graadkursus aan die kweekskool voltooi, 'n Meestersgraad in Teologie (M.Div.) verwerf en daarna oorsee gaan studeer. Ek kon dus beslis nie 'n volslae leek op die gebied van die Skrif gewees het nie. Tog het sy altyd presies dít gevra wat ek nie geweet het nie. Wat ek wel geweet het, het sy waarskynlik reeds geken. In dringende oomblikke het ek Calvyn se verklarings geraadpleeg of dr. Yunsun Park se insigte ingewin om 'n antwoord te formuleer. Tog was ek nooit seker of my verduidelikings werklik bevredigend was nie, en as die een wat geantwoord het, kon ek skaars drie dae later onthou wat ek gesê het. Vanoggend se teksgedeelte in Daaglikse Bybel was Deuteronomium 22:1–12, waarin die Here beveel dat Sy volk, wanneer hulle die land Kanaän binnegaan, nie die heidense gebruike van die Kanaäniete moet navolg nie, maar as 'n afgesonderde volk 'n heilige lewe moet lei.
Maar dit was vers 9 wat ons laat vassteek het: “Jy mag jou wingerd nie met twee soorte saad besaai nie; anders sal die hele opbrings—die saad wat jy gesaai het en die opbrings van die wingerd—verbeur word” (Koreaanse Hersiene Vertaling). Wat beteken dit presies? Daarom het ek ander vertalings nageslaan. “…As jy dit doen, sal beide die gesaaides en die wingerdoeste gewyde goed word en mag jy dit nie eet nie” (Nuwe Vertaling). “…As jy dit doen, sal albei oeste deur die priester gekonfiskeer word” (Eenvoudige Bybel). Hoe meer vertalings ek geraadpleeg het, hoe minder behulpsaam was dit. Die vertalings was werklik verwarrend. Uiteindelik het ek na die NASB gekyk, wat bekend staan om sy getroue en akkurate weergawe: “…or all the produce of the seed which you have sown and the increase of the vineyard will become defiled.” Dit blyk te beteken dat so 'n verbouingswyse die oes onrein en onaanvaarbaar sou maak om as 'n offer aan God gebring te word. As 'n mens die bewoording effens aanpas, kan dit soos volg verstaan word: “Moenie jou wingerd met twee soorte saad besaai nie, sodat die vrug van die saad wat jy gesaai het en die opbrings van die wingerd nie verontreinig word nie.”
Om nie jou wingerd met twee soorte saad te besaai nie, nie met 'n bees en 'n donkie saam onder een juk te ploeg nie, en nie klere te dra wat van wol en linne saamgeweef is nie—ek verstaan dit as 'n opdrag wat Sy volk, destyds sowel as vandag, waarsku teen sinkretisme en vermenging met die wêreld. Iemand het dit al so verduidelik: “Mense wat daagliks die Skrif oordink, volg nie die wêreldse waardesisteem na ‘op alle terreine van die lewe’ nie. Op ekonomiese gebied van geld verdien en bestee, op sosiale gebied van menseverhoudinge, op politieke terrein van nasionale leiers kies (stemming), en op emosionele en kulturele terreine, kies en besluit hulle volgens die waardes van die Koninkryk van God.” Ja, inderdaad. God se volk moenie volgens die standaarde van die wêreld lewe nie. As dit so is, is die plek waar ons eendag gaan woon baie belangriker as die plek waar ons gebore is. Die Koninkryk van God moet altyd voorrang geniet bo die koninkryke van hierdie wêreld. Mag ons ons stemreg uitoefen, vry van die afgode van die spelonk.