God Makes A Way Through The Desert

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 43:8-44:5.  Let’s go!

Isaiah 43:8-15 (NIV)
8  Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf.
9  All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Which of them foretold this and proclaimed to us the former things? Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right, so that others may hear and say, “It is true.”
10  “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.

On verses 8-15:  Isaiah asks who predicted the rescuing of the Jewish exiles from Babylon (v8-9).  The answer is: no one except the LORD speaking through His servant (v10).  In so doing the LORD will show that He is the one true God (v10-12) and that He is sovereign (v13). God confirms that He will bring about the defeat of the Babylonians (v14) and that the real ruler over Israel is not Babylon but the LORD, “Israel’s Creator, your King” (v15).

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兵臨城下的心戰喊話

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以賽亞書 36:1  希西家王十四年，亞述王西拿基立上來攻擊猶大的一切堅固城，將城攻取。   

閱讀經文：以賽亞書 36:1-22

1希西家王十四年，亞述王西拿基立上來攻擊猶大的一切堅固城，將城攻取。 2 亞述王從拉吉差遣拉伯沙基率領大軍往耶路撒冷，到希西家王那裡去。他就站在上池的水溝旁，在漂布地的大路上。 3 於是希勒家的兒子家宰以利亞敬，並書記舍伯那和亞薩的兒子史官約亞，出來見拉伯沙基。

從第卅六至卅九章是一段歷史的插入記錄，主要記載的是希西家王治國的困境與先知以賽亞對他的影響。這兩章也是第廿九至卅三章先知預言的歷史背景，這兩章提供了廿九至卅三章內容的解釋。

本段的第一部份（卅六章），先知記載亞述王西拿基立在希西家十四年（主前701年）勢如破竹地陸續攻下了猶大的一些「堅固城」（指一切通往埃及與耶路撒冷城市），大軍開拔到耶路撒冷西南方的拉吉（此城為西拿基立北取耶路撒冷，南攻埃及的站略要地）。這時候西拿基立派遣他的主帥拉伯沙基前來心戰喊話。猶大則派遣以利亞敬以及書記舍伯那、史官約亞與之會晤。

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選民歸回復興的異象

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以賽亞書 35: 10   並且耶和華救贖的民必歸回，歌唱來到錫安，永樂必歸到他們的頭上。他們必得著歡喜快樂，憂愁嘆息盡都逃避。   

閱讀經文：以賽亞書 35:1-10

1曠野和乾旱之地必然歡喜，沙漠也必快樂，又像玫瑰開花。 2 必開花繁盛，樂上加樂，而且歡呼。黎巴嫩的榮耀，並迦密與沙崙的華美，必賜給它。人必看見耶和華的榮耀，我們神的華美。3 你們要使軟弱的手堅壯，無力的膝穩固， 4 對膽怯的人說：「你們要剛強，不要懼怕！看哪，你們的神必來報仇，必來施行極大的報應，祂必來拯救你們。」

第卅四至卅五章是以賽亞書前半部的最後兩章，先知仍以審判與拯救相互對比的手法敘述此部份。第卅四章論到耶和華神對列國的審判（特別舉以東來譬喻列國）；第卅五章則是揭示猶大將臨復興的景象。

先知在本章中將以東的噩運和猶大的歡樂進行對比，以做為整個書卷上半部的結束。史籍記載當波斯戰勝巴比倫之後，古列王便發出一道命令，讓被擄的猶大百姓歸回耶路撒冷（代下36:22-23）。那時歸回的猶太人在列國中為數稀少，而且貧窮。他們對於以西結、哈該、以賽亞和撒迦利亞等先知預言中的復興尚未臨到而感到失望。因此，全知的神便事先感動以賽亞寫下本章的預言，以備日後安慰百姓，並把未來猶大的富庶與興盛的美景給他們看之用。

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The Amazing Love of God

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 42:10-43:7.  Let’s go!

Isaiah 42:10-25 (NIV)
10  Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them.
11  Let the desert and its towns raise their voices; let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice. Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them shout from the mountaintops.
12  Let them give glory to the LORD and proclaim his praise in the islands.
13  The LORD will march out like a mighty man, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies.

On 42:10 to 43:7:  God’s people had persistently turned a deaf ear and a blind eye (42:18-19) to God’s great and glorious laws (42:21).  As a result they were captured and taken away like loot (42:22-25).  Now they were exiles in Babylon.  So the LORD says to the Jewish exiles in Babylon that He is coming to the rescue.  Despite all the ways that His people have been stubborn and rebellious toward Him, God is committed to rescuing them (43:1-7).

43:1-7 shows us that God treasures His people and loves them, so much so that He is willing to exchange someone else for them (“I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life” v4).  He wants to have a personal relationship with them.  Because of this, the only fitting response from His people is to “sing to the LORD a new song, His praise to the ends of the earth” (42:10).

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以東受審象徵列國的荒涼

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以賽亞書34:8   因耶和華有報仇之日，為錫安的爭辯有報應之年。  

閱讀經文：以賽亞書 34:1-17

1列國啊，要近前來聽！眾民哪，要側耳而聽！地和其上所充滿的，世界和其中一切所出的，都應當聽！ 2 因為耶和華向萬國發憤恨，向他們的全軍發烈怒，將他們滅盡，交出他們受殺戮。 3 被殺的必然拋棄，屍首臭氣上騰，諸山被他們的血溶化。 4 天上的萬象都要消沒，天被捲起好像書卷；其上的萬象要殘敗，像葡萄樹的葉子殘敗，又像無花果樹的葉子殘敗一樣。 5 「因為我的刀在天上已經喝足，這刀必臨到以東和我所咒詛的民，要施行審判。 6 耶和華的刀滿了血，用脂油和羊羔、公山羊的血，並公綿羊腰子的脂油滋潤的，因為耶和華在波斯拉有獻祭的事，在以東地大行殺戮。 7 野牛、牛犢和公牛要一同下來，他們的地喝醉了血，他們的塵土因脂油肥潤。」

本段屬卅四章，先知提到神對列國的審判，這是因為列國的罪不容於耶和華神。而先知敘述中的審判是以以東這個國家做為列國的代表，因為以色列乃是神所特別揀選的民族，是背負宣揚神屬靈救恩大使命的。但是，以東這個原本是屬同根生之邦，卻肆無忌憚地破壞攻擊他們的手足以色列，因而惹動了耶和華神的震怒。所以，神定意要報復以東。

就在先知宣佈了神的報復決心之後，緊接著先知便描述了神如何報復以東。這一波審判包括四個方面，在希伯來文中，第2, 5, 6下, 8等節開頭都以「因為」一詞作開頭，並且以相仿的結構表達神的宣告──「有忿恨」（v.2）、「有刀」（v.5）、「有祭」（v.6下）、「有日子」（v.8）：

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Only God Knows the Future

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 41:21-42:9.  Let’s go!

Isaiah 41:21-29 (NIV)
21  “Present your case,” says the LORD. “Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.
22  “Bring in [your idols] to tell us what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come,
23  tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear.

On verses 21-29:  Here Isaiah shares another way that the idols of the nations cannot compare to the LORD: the idols of the nations are useless in helping their worshipers discern the future (v21-23).  Thus these idols are “detestable” (v24), false (v29), and reduce those who worship them to “less than nothing” (v24), leaving their worshippers with “no one among them to give counsel” (v28).

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The One Who Holds Your Hand

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 41:1-20.  Let’s go!

Isaiah 41:1-4 (NIV)
1  “Be silent before me, you islands! Let the nations renew their strength! Let them come forward and speak; let us meet together at the place of judgment.
2  “Who has stirred up one from the east, calling him in righteousness to his service? He hands nations over to him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with his sword, to windblown chaff with his bow.
3  He pursues them and moves on unscathed, by a path his feet have not traveled before.
4  Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD–with the first of them and with the last–I am he.”

On verses 1-4:  Many scholars believe that this “one from the east” is a reference to Cyrus, King of Persia, whose kingdom would be located east of Judah and east of Babylon.  Cyrus would rise up to become the most formidable force in the ancient Near East conquering many other nations.  In 539 B.C. would conquer Babylon and allow the Jewish exiles in Babylon to return to their homeland of Judah.

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神以亞述之道還治其身

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以賽亞書33:2  耶和華啊，求祢施恩於我們，我們等候祢！求祢每早晨做我們的膀臂，遭難的時候為我們的拯救。 

閱讀經文：以賽亞書 33:1-24

1禍哉！你這毀滅人的，自己倒不被毀滅；行事詭詐的，人倒不以詭詐待你。你毀滅罷休了，自己必被毀滅；你行完了詭詐，人必以詭詐待你。 2 耶和華啊，求你施恩於我們，我們等候你！求你每早晨做我們的膀臂，遭難的時候為我們的拯救。3 喧嚷的響聲一發，眾民奔逃；你一興起，列國四散。 4 你們所擄的必被斂盡，好像螞蚱吃盡禾稼；人要蹦在其上，好像蝗蟲一樣。 5 耶和華被尊崇，因他居在高處，他以公平、公義充滿錫安。 6 你一生一世必得安穩，有豐盛的救恩並智慧和知識，你以敬畏耶和華為至寶。

本段為第六個「禍哉」的內容，論到亞述權勢的傾覆。本段又分為兩部份，第一部份為33:1-13，提到耶和華神對亞述的懲罰，第二部份為33:14-24主要是說到神的選民因此而得到和平的光景。

正如前一章所述，亞述必倒在耶和華的刀下，他們必要從耶路撒冷退兵。一開始，先知宣告亞述以前如何以詭詐待人，今日人也必以詭詐待它；它以前如何盡行毀滅，如今自己也必被毀滅（33:1）。這一切報應的實現，都因著神垂聽了祂子民的呼求，做為祂百姓的膀臂與拯救（33:2）。

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聖靈澆灌的啟示

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以賽亞書32:17   公義的果效必是平安，公義的效驗必是平穩，直到永遠。

閱讀經文：以賽亞書 32:1-20

1看哪，必有一王憑公義行政，必有首領藉公平掌權。 2 必有一人像避風所和避暴雨的隱密處，又像河流在乾旱之地，像大磐石的影子在疲乏之地。 3 那能看的人，眼不再昏迷；能聽的人，耳必得聽聞。 4 冒失人的心必明白知識，結巴人的舌必說話通快。 5 愚頑人不再稱為高明，吝嗇人不再稱為大方。 6 因為愚頑人必說愚頑話，心裡想做罪孽，慣行褻瀆的事，說錯謬的話攻擊耶和華，使飢餓的人無食可吃，使口渴的人無水可喝。 7 吝嗇人所用的法子是惡的，他圖謀惡計，用謊言毀滅謙卑人，窮乏人講公理的時候，他也是這樣行。 8 高明人卻謀高明事，在高明事上也必永存。

本段為第五個「禍哉」的第二部份，主要經文為第卅二章，本章主要論到神必興起一王（可能指的是22:20-22的以利亞敬，他也是彌賽亞的預表），他要憑公義治理猶大。從更遠一點的焦距觀察，先知透過此王的統治，透視到彌賽亞對普世列國的掌權。先知說「必有一人」（原文為『每個人』）像避風所和避暴雨的隱密處，意指在彌賽亞的統治之下，每一個屬於祂的領袖，都能反映出祂的公平與公義，因著此一理想統治群的治理，使得每一位百姓都如沐春風，安居樂業。先知形容這群領袖要成為百姓的避風所，百姓在他們的統治之下，好像「河流在乾旱之地，像大磐石的影子在疲乏之地」，不但能夠滋潤百姓乾旱的心田，更使在戰亂中身心疲憊的百姓，好似獲得處可以憩息的陰涼處所。

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The Incomparable God Who Renews Our Strength

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 40:15-31.  Let’s go!

Isaiah 40:15-17 (NIV)
15  Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
16  Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
17  Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing.
 
On verses 15-17:  The biggest theme coming out of verses 15-28 is that God is the incomparable one.  Nothing can compare to Him.  The nations can’t compare to Him (v15-17).  Even Lebanon, which is a fertile, wooded area of Judah, lacks the wood or animals needed to bring the size of offering that God deserves (v16).

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