08月21日 一年的第234天 筆者:黃哲輝牧師
讀經:哀01-05章
第01章主要在講:「痛哭哭泣、眼淚汪汪v16」。
一.先前滿有人民的城,現在何竟獨坐!先前在列國中為大的,現在竟如寡婦;先前在諸省中為王后的,現在成為進貢的。哀1:1
1. 他夜間痛哭,淚流滿腮;在一切所親愛的中間沒有一個安慰他的。他的朋友都以詭詐待他,成為他的仇敵。哀1:2
2.猶大因遭遇苦難,又因多服勞苦就遷到外邦。他住在列國中,尋不著安息;追逼他的都在狹窄之地將他追上。哀1:3
3.錫安的路徑因無人來守聖節就悲傷;他的城門淒涼;他的祭司歎息;他的處女受艱難,自己也愁苦。哀1:4
4.他的敵人為首;他的仇敵亨通;因耶和華為他許多的罪過使他受苦;他的孩童被敵人擄去。哀1:5
5. 錫安城的威榮全都失去。他的首領像找不著草場的鹿;在追趕的人前無力行走。哀1:6
二.耶路撒冷在困苦窘迫之時,就追想古時一切的樂境。他百姓落在敵人手中,無人救濟;敵人看見,就因他的荒涼嗤笑。哀1:7
1.耶路撒冷大大犯罪,所以成為不潔之物;素來尊敬他的,見他赤露就都藐視他;他自己也歎息退後。哀1:8
2.他的污穢是在衣襟上;他不思想自己的結局,所以非常地敗落,無人安慰他。他說:耶和華啊,求你看我的苦難,因為仇敵誇大。哀1:9
3.敵人伸手,奪取他的美物;他眼見外邦人進入他的聖所,論這外邦人,你曾吩咐不可入你的會中。哀1:10
4.他的民都歎息,尋求食物;他們用美物換糧食,要救性命。他們說:耶和華啊,求你觀看,因為我甚是卑賤。哀1:11
三.你們一切過路的人哪,這事你們不介意麼?你們要觀看:有像這臨到我的痛苦沒有,就是耶和華在他發烈怒的日子使我所受的苦?哀1:12
1.他從高天使火進入我的骨頭,剋制了我;他鋪下網羅,絆我的腳,使我轉回;他使我終日淒涼發昏。哀1:13
2.我罪過的軛是他手所綁的,猶如軛繩縛在我頸項上;他使我的力量衰敗。主將我交在我所不能敵擋的人手中。哀1:14
3.主輕棄我中間的一切勇士,招聚多人(原文是大會)攻擊我,要壓碎我的少年人。主將猶大居民踹下,像在酒醡中一樣。哀1:15
4.我因這些事哭泣;我眼淚汪汪;因為那當安慰我、救我性命的,離我甚遠。我的兒女孤苦,因為仇敵得了勝。哀1:16
四.錫安舉手,無人安慰。耶和華論雅各已經出令,使四圍的人作他仇敵;耶路撒冷在他們中間像不潔之物。哀1:17
1.耶和華是公義的!他這樣待我,是因我違背他的命令。眾民哪,請聽我的話,看我的痛苦;我的處女和少年人都被擄去。哀1:18
2.我招呼我所親愛的,他們卻愚弄我。我的祭司和長老正尋求食物、救性命的時候,就在城中絕氣。哀1:19
五.耶和華啊,求你觀看,因為我在急難中。我心腸擾亂;我心在我裏面翻轉,因我大大悖逆。在外,刀劍使人喪子;在家,猶如死亡。哀1:20
1.聽見我歎息的有人;安慰我的卻無人!我的仇敵都聽見我所遭的患難;因你作這事,他們都喜樂。你必使你報告的日子來到,他們就像我一樣。哀1:21
2.願他們的惡行都呈在你面前;你怎樣因我的一切罪過待我,求你照樣待他們;因我歎息甚多,心中發昏。哀1:22
◎心得分享:本章是先知耶利米看到耶路撒冷困苦窘迫,追想古時,無耐的「夜間痛哭,淚流滿腮」,他知道「耶和華是公義的!他這樣待我,是因我違背他的命令。」,眾民哪,「請聽我的話,看我的痛苦」,先知耶利米所說的預言,終於應驗,但是他沒有絲毫的快樂,因為他愛他的同胞,看到他同胞的痛苦,他非常痛苦,對他來說「對人的關懷,更勝於事工的成就」,任何事工,缺乏對人的同情,是無法完成的。
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"God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."(Gal. 6:14)
THEY were living to themselves; self with its hopes, and promises and dreams, still had hold of them; but the Lord began to fulfill their prayers. They had asked for contrition, and had surrendered for it to be given them at any cost, and He sent them sorrow; they had asked for purity, and He sent them thrilling anguish; they had asked to be meek, and He had broken their hearts; they had asked to be dead to the world, and He slew all their living hopes; they had asked to be made like unto Him, and He placed them in the furnace, sitting by "as a refiner and purifier of silver," until they should reflect His image; they had asked to lay hold of His cross, and when He had reached it to them it lacerated their hands.
They had asked they knew not what, nor how, but He had taken them at their word, and granted them all their petitions. They were hardly willing to follow Him so far, or to draw so night to Him. They had upon them an awe and fear, as Jacob at Bethel, or Eliphaz in the night visions, or as the apostles when they thought that they had seen a spirit, and knew not that it was Jesus. They could almost pray Him to depart from them, or to hide His awfulness. They found it easier to obey than to suffer, to do than to give up, to bear the cross than to hang upon it. But they cannot to back, for they have come too near the unseen cross, and its virtues have pierced too deeply within them. He is fulfilling to them His promise, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me" (John 12:32).
But now at last their turn has come. Before, they had only heard of the mystery, but now they feel it. He has fastened on them His look of love, as He did on Mary and Peter, and they can but choose to follow.
Little by little, from time to time, by fitting gleams, the mystery of His cross shines out upon them. They behold Him lifted up, they gaze on the glory which rays from the wounds of His holy passion; and as they gaze they advance, and are changed into His likeness, and His name shines out throught them, for He dwells in them. They live alone with Him above, in unspeakable fellowship; willing to lack what others own (and what they might have had), and to be unlike all, so that they are only like Him.
Such, are they in all ages, "who follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth."
Had they chosen for themselves, or their friends chosen for them, they would have chosen otherwise. They would have been brighter here, but less glorious in His Kingdom. They would have had Lot's portion, not Abraham's. If they had halted anywhere-if God had taken off His hand and let them stray back-what would they not have lost? What forfeits in the resurrection?
But He stayed them up, even against themselves. Many a time their foot had well night slipped; but He in mercy held them up. Now, even in this life, they know that all He did was done well. It was good to suffer here, that they might reign hereafter; to bear the cross below, for they shall wear the crown above; and that not their will but His was done on them and in them.
-Anonymous.
基督曾說過:「我心柔和謙卑,你們當學我的樣式,這樣你們心裏就必得享安息。」這兒有雙重的真理,有忍耐、溫柔、謙卑和與神和好的美德,這與傚法基督或信靠祂有相同的意義;同時因著你有這些美德,可以完全脫離亞當墮落的本性而有信靠主高尚的行為。
連帶而有的福份,是因著脫離罪惡和對基督初步信仰、期望,受基督忍耐、溫柔、謙卑和與神和好的靈引導並管理;當你具有這些德性,你的生命就有目的,是真理和生命的基督才會在你裏面,你不再掌權,而是基督在你裏面活著。除非你願在忍耐、溫柔、謙卑和與神和好裏治死老我,否則神聖愛的靈,因無立足之地而不能在你裏面產生;而當你又為不忍耐、驕傲所困擾之際,馬上完全捨己,求神施恩幫助。當你遇到難處就促使與神親近,最能使你忍耐接受神的幫助,我們對神有多少信心和期望就可得多少的啟示。
「這些雖然很簡短,但是真正確的教義,使我們因賜下的救恩而真正完全順服神的啟示下,也真正宣告承認三而一的真神。」現在願你有個思想:完全將我的心靈獻上,單單尋求救恩,直接藉著溫柔、謙卑、忍耐和與神和好的力量,使我的生命有屬天的德性。
「並且要作這更大的事,因為我往父那裡去。」約翰福音十四章12節
祈禱不是叫我們適於那偉大的工作;祈禱本身就是偉大的工作。我們以為祈禱,是叫我們得到較高的能力,去應付神的工作。但按照耶穌基督的眼光看,祈禱是我本已救贖的奇蹟,藉著神的能力,同時也是別人救贖的奇蹟。結果子之方法,是祈禱,但須記取的,這種祈禱是建立在救贖的痛苦,不是建立於我的痛苦。一個小孩能獲得祈禱的答覆,一個聰明人反而得不著。
你無論在那裡祈禱總是一種戰爭。不管神製造環境的方法怎樣,本分就是祈禱。切不可如此作想──「我所在的地方,不見得有用;」因為你不在的地方,你必沒有有用。無論神安排你在那裡,祈禱,常常向祂祈禱。「你們若奉我的名求甚麼,我必成就。」(約十四13)我們不肯祈禱,我們得不著奮興,就不肯祈禱,那就是靈性自私的極度形態。我們要依照神的指導而勞動,但祂指導我們的是祈禱,「所以你們當求莊稼的主,打發工人出去,收祂的莊稼。
通常的工人對於工作,是沒有興奮的,但是成功通常是工作勞作出來的;同樣基督的概念,沒有那些勞苦的聖徒是不會發現的。你慇勤祈禱,從神的立場看,是無時不發生效果的。當帕子揭開,一種說不出的驚奇必然發現,你可以看出你是慣於接受耶穌基督的命令的,已經為祂收穫了不少的靈魂。
「……亞伯拉罕信神……」羅馬書四章3節
亞伯拉罕的信心是向著神本身的,他認識帶領他的神,所以他對神有絕對的信心。
亞伯拉罕一生的秘訣在於他與神的友誼。他所認識的神是一位偉大、良善、信實的朋友。無怪乎他能聽神的話,從他自身所愛的本家本族出來,走向一條未知的道路。
除了信靠神的話語,我們是否已學會把自己全然交給神呢?神有無限的愛及力量,祂是與我們立約的主並永遠的好朋友。
經上告訴我們,亞伯拉罕因著信心而榮耀了神。最能榮耀神的辦法,乃是讓世人看見神是誰,以及祂的大能力。神並不希望藉著我們所能做的事,讓世人知道祂能做什麼;神也不用那些有乖謬性格的器皿。相反的,祂一直在找尋那些謙卑的人,並用這些人在世世代代中榮耀祂。