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人際關係之二

出埃及記20章15-17節     「不可偷盜。16 「不可作假見證陷害人。17 「不可貪戀人的房屋,也不可貪戀人的妻子、僕婢、牛驢並他一切所有的。」

在十誡中的第五誡到十誡裡,耶穌用一句話就把它們概括了:「你們願意人怎樣待你們,你們也要怎樣待人(路6:31)。」

你希望兒女孝敬你嗎?那你就要有好榜樣,先孝敬你和配偶的父母。你不想被殺嗎?或是被人蔑視或看輕,那你就不要恨人,也不要隨便罵人。你不想配偶背叛你,那麼你就要做個忠實的配偶,做一個手潔心清的人,給對方有安全感。

第八誡:「不可偷盜」。你喜歡人家偷你的東西嗎?若是不喜歡自己的東西被偷,那麼自己就不要去偷別人的東西。因為:「你們願意人怎樣待你們,你們也要怎樣待人。」

第九誡:「不可作假見證陷害人」。假見證除了說謊,還包括你知道卻不說事實,或是把事情說一半,留一半不說,都是假見證,因為會誤導人,間接陷害他人。所以不要以為沉默是金,在該說話時保持沉默,那就是犯了此誡。

人際關係之一

出埃及記20章12-14節「當孝敬父母,使你的日子在耶和華你神所賜你的地上得以長久。13 「不可殺人。14 「不可姦淫。」

在十誡中,5-10誡是神教導人與人之間應當守的法則。我相信這幾誡也是一個和平社會必須有的法則。假如人人在社會裡可以遵守這幾誡,那麼人人都可以道不拾遺,夜不閉戶了。當然,許多人在表面上都可以達到這些要求,好像我沒殺過人,你一定也沒殺過人,他也沒殺過人,要找出殺過人的人並不是隨手可以指出。因為想殺人的,不會在臉上寫:「我要去殺人了。」或是,「我殺過人。」小偷也不會告訴你,他是小偷,要偷你的東西了。做假見證的更是口口聲聲說他說的都是真的,等到對質時,才笑你是大傻瓜。所以我們來看看這六誡裡的內容。

第五誡:「當孝敬父母,使你的日子在耶和華你神所賜你的地上得以長久。」孝敬有時很引起爭議,因為不信耶穌的父母最不想孩子信耶穌,害怕死後沒人燒香或燒紙錢,或是用一些雞鴨水果拜他們,以致他們在陰間沒得吃,他們覺得這就是不孝。但是基督徒強調孝敬父母是要在父母還在人間時,好好地服侍他們,使他們快樂。

Grace is Personal

Christ took away your sins. He endured not just the nails of the Romans, the mockery of the crowd, and the spear of the soldier, but he endured the anger of God.

God didn’t just overlook your sins, lest he endorse them. He didn’t punish you, lest he destroy you. Instead he found a way to punish the sin and preserve the sinner. Jesus took your punishment, and God gave you credit for Jesus’ perfection.

As long as the cross is God’s gift to the world, it will touch you but it will not change you. Precious as it is to proclaim, “Christ died for the world,” even sweeter it is to whisper, “Christ died for me.” For my sins he died. He took my place on the cross. He felt my shame, he spoke my name. Thank God for the day Jesus took your place, for the day grace happened to you.

What Just Happened?

We are incarcerated by our past. Our low road choices, our high minded pride. We have been found guilty. Our executioner’s footsteps echo against stone walls. We sit on the floor of the dusty cell, awaiting our final moment. We don’t look up as he opens the door; we know what he’s going to say. “Time to pay for your sins!”

But we hear something else. “You’re free to go. They took Jesus instead of you.” The door swings open and the guard barks, “Get out!” And we find ourselves shackles gone, crimes pardoned, wondering, what just happened?

Well, grace just happened. Christ took away your sins. Romans chapter 3 explains that God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. What happened? Grace happened!

在西乃山下

出埃及記19章16-20節     到了第三天早晨,在山上有雷轟、閃電和密雲,並且角聲甚大,營中的百姓盡都發顫。摩西率領百姓出營迎接神,都站在山下。西奈全山冒煙,因為耶和華在火中降於山上。山的煙氣上騰,如燒窯一般,遍山大大地震動。角聲漸漸地高而又高,摩西就說話,神有聲音答應他。耶和華降臨在西奈山頂上,耶和華召摩西上山頂,摩西就上去。

這是第一次,以色列全會眾一起朝見神的奇妙時刻。那天早晨,在西乃山上有雷轟、閃電和密雲,山下的百姓聽到雷轟,看到閃電和密雲,換了是你,會有怎樣的感覺?我在家裡聽到雷轟,都會想躲到棉被裡,親身在那種場合,一定是種很震撼的感覺。神在山上,那是神的家嗎?神的聖地是不可因為起好奇心而去偷窺的,那是死罪。因此神叫摩西下山去警誡百姓。

耶和華對摩西說:「你下去囑咐百姓,不可闖過來到我面前觀看,恐怕他們有多人死亡。 又叫親近我的祭司自潔,恐怕我忽然出來擊殺他們。」摩西對耶和華說:「百姓不能上西奈山,因為你已經囑咐我們說:『要在山的四圍定界限,叫山成聖。』」耶和華對他說:「下去吧,你要和亞倫一同上來,只是祭司和百姓不可闖過來上到我面前,恐怕我忽然出來擊殺他們。」於是摩西下到百姓那裡告訴他們。(出19:20-25)

看完這段經文,我很佩服摩西,一下子上山,一下子下山。上山或下山對一個年過八十的人而言,是不是不容易啊?但是神要使用摩西,神就給他有這樣神奇的體力,看神在吩咐摩西上下山時,不要以為那裡有電梯。在溫哥華有許多爬山的機會,我看過有一些年輕人用跑的上山,也有人背著小孩或嬰兒上山,也有一些長者體力很好,面不改、氣不喘地上山,我是屬於那種心有餘而力不足的爬山族。

我如鷹將你們背在翅膀上

出埃及記19章4-6節    我向埃及人所行的事,你們都看見了;且看見我如鷹將你們背在翅膀上,帶來歸我。如今你們若實在聽從我的話,遵守我的約,就要在萬民中做屬我的子民,因為全地都是我的。你們要歸我做祭司的國度,為聖潔的國民。

在利非訂時,摩西的岳父葉忒羅帶著摩西的家小來和他團聚。原來摩西己經有兩個兒子了,可能在埃及時,摩西覺得太凶險了,萬一法老拿他家人做人質,他就很為難,因此把他們送回岳父家裡。葉忒羅可能聽聞以色列人己經出埃及,不用再顧忌,所以就帶了他們來見摩西。

當年約瑟離開迦南地,在埃及生了兩個兒子,一個叫瑪拿西,一個叫以法蓮;前者之意是「神使我忘了一切的困苦和我父的全家。」,後者之意是「神使我在受苦的地方昌盛。」

摩西的兩個兒子,一個名叫革舜,因為摩西說:「我在外邦做了寄居的」;一個名叫以利以謝,因為他說:「我父親的神幫助了我,救我脫離法老的刀」。

耶和華尼西

出埃及記17章14-16節   耶和華對摩西說:「我要將亞瑪力的名號從天下全然塗抹了,你要將這話寫在書上做紀念,又念給約書亞聽。」 摩西築了一座壇,起名叫耶和華尼西,又說:「耶和華已經起了誓,必世世代代和亞瑪力人爭戰。」

汛的曠野位於以琳和西乃中間,是埃及一個主要的防衛站,防範從東邊經巴勒斯坦進侵的敵人。神在此賜下嗎哪和鵪鶉給以色列人,解決他們缺乏糧食的大問題,也藉著嗎哪教導他們要聽從神的話。神的恩賜使以色列人心裡舒暢,那時以色列全會眾都遵耶和華的吩咐,按著站口從汛的曠野往前行,在利非訂安營。

神滿足了他們的要求,他們就都遵耶和華的吩咐,繼續前行,來到利非訂(Rephidim)。利非訂的意思是「休息地」,位於汛的曠野和西奈山之間。再一次,他們碰到了沒有水的問題。這己經不是第一次碰到吃喝的問題了,第一次在瑪拉,第二次在汛的曠野,現在到了利非訂還是有類似的問題。以色列人有沒有變得聰明一些,有更好的心態來面對困境呢?

Jesus, Your Righteous Advocate

Not all guilt is bad. God uses appropriate doses of guilt to awaken us to sin. God’s guilt brings enough regret to change us. Satan’s guilt, on the other hand, brings enough regret to enslave us. Don’t let Satan lock his shackles on you. Colossians 3:3 (NIV) says, “Your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

You see, when God looks at you, he sees Jesus first. In the Chinese language the word for “righteousness” is a combination of two characters: the figure of a lamb and a person. The lamb is on top, covering the person. Whenever God looks down on you, this is what he sees. The perfect Lamb of God covering you.

It boils down to this choice: Do you trust your Advocate, Jesus, or your Accuser, Satan? Give no heed to Satan’s voice. You have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the righteous.

天賜之糧嗎哪

出埃及記16章4-5節      耶和華對摩西說:「我要將糧食從天降給你們。百姓可以出去,每天收每天的份,我好試驗他們遵不遵我的法度。到第六天,他們要把所收進來的預備好了,比每天所收的多一倍。」

當日,耶和華拯救以色列人脫離埃及人的手,以色列人在海中走乾地,水在他們的左右做了牆垣;水卻回流,淹沒了那些跟著以色列人下海的法老全軍,連一個也沒有剩下。以色列人看見埃及人的死屍都在海邊,看見耶和華向埃及人所行的大事,就敬畏耶和華,又信服祂和他的僕人摩西。

摩西和米利暗帶領以色列百姓讚美耶和華。但是,現實的生活需要擺在眼前。以色列人在曠野走了三天,到了書珥的曠野,找不著水喝。再走到瑪拉,有水了,可是水很苦,喝不了。百姓就開始向摩西發怨言了。他們己經忘了行奇事的神與他們同在,雖然天天都看得到雲柱和火柱,他們卻不懂得向神求,而是用怒氣來發洩不滿,說:「我們喝什麼呢?」

Jesus Has Risen to Your Defense

Satan’s condemnation brings no repentance or resolve, just regret. Satan has come to steal, kill, and destroy. To steal your peace, to kill your dreams, to destroy your future. Satan has deputized people to peddle his poison. Friends dredge up your past, preachers proclaim all guilt and no grace, and parents—oh your parents! They own a travel agency that specializes in guilt trips. “Why can’t you grow up?” they say. “When are you going to make me proud?” they say.

But your accusers will not have the last word. Jesus has acted on your behalf. Jesus has risen to your defense. Hebrews 10:22 (NCV) says, “Let us come near to God with a sincere heart and a sure faith, because we have been made free from a guilty conscience.” Not just for our past mistakes, but also for our future ones.