以賽亞書31:6 以色列人哪，你們深深地悖逆耶和華，現今要歸向祂。
閱讀經文：以賽亞書31:1-9
1禍哉，那些下埃及求幫助的！是因仗賴馬匹，倚靠甚多的車輛，並倚靠強壯的馬兵，卻不仰望以色列的聖者，也不求問耶和華。 2 其實耶和華有智慧，他必降災禍，並不反悔自己的話，卻要興起攻擊那作惡之家，又攻擊那作孽幫助人的。 3 埃及人不過是人，並不是神；他們的馬不過是血肉，並不是靈。耶和華一伸手，那幫助人的必絆跌，那受幫助的也必跌倒，都一同滅亡。
本段為第五個「禍哉」（包含31至32兩章），旨在闡述倚靠埃及的不智。因為「埃及人不過是人，並不是神」（31:3），那真正能拯救猶大脫離亞述手的，唯有那「有火在錫安，有爐在耶路撒冷的耶和華」（George Arthur Buttrick 認為火與爐乃是象徵錫安祭壇的神聖與毀滅性）。
第卅一章主要論到倚靠埃及不如倚靠萬軍的耶和華，亞述終必傾倒，不是出於埃及的幫助，而是因耶和華手中的刀。
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Isaiah 40:1-14. Let’s go!
Here in chapter 40 we come to one of the most beloved chapters in all of Isaiah. Some early church fathers (like Eusebius of Caesarea, Ephrem of Syria and Cyril of Alexandria) seem to have interpreted Isaiah 40 as an immediate response to Isaiah 39 where Hezekiah unwittingly reveals his nation’s top secrets to the Babylonians. This would have happened before 701 B.C. However, in the more recent centuries, Christian commentators have interpreted Isaiah 40-55 to be Isaiah talking about a much later event in the future, namely, the time from about 580 to 540 B.C. when the Jewish people were exiles in Babylon and how one day God was going to bring them back to their homeland of Judah. I will approach Isaiah 40 with this Babylonian exile in mind as the historical background for these verses. With this approach, I think you’ll find that, like a flower blooming, Isaiah 40 opens up in some beautiful and powerful ways.
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Isaiah 39. Let’s go!
Isaiah 39:1 (NIV)
1 At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery.
On verse 1: “At that time” refers to the time when Hezekiah miraculously recovered from his life-threatening sickness. According to the New American Commentary, Merodach-Baladon II was ruler of Babylon until 703 B.C. when Assyria’s King Sennacherib ousted him from power. This, together with Isaiah 38:6, tells us that the events described in Isaiah 38 and here in Isaiah 39 happened before God delivered Jerusalem from Assyria in 701 B.C. But why would Isaiah order these events this way? Why talk about God delivering Jerusalem from Assyria first in Isaiah 36-37 and then flashback to the earlier events of Hezekiah’s recovery from illness and the Babylonians’ visit to Hezekiah in Isaiah 38 and 39? Scholars have posited many different theories, but the most important reason I believe is that Isaiah is trying to show that this Messiah that Isaiah 1-35 have been talking about is not Hezekiah but someone else. So rather than end on a note of tremendous victory for Hezekiah, Isaiah ends his account of Hezekiah’s life by talking about his weakness in Isaiah 38 as well as a major mistake that Hezekiah makes here in Isaiah 39. Let’s see what that mistake was.
以賽亞書30:29 你們必唱歌，像守聖節的夜間一樣；並且心中喜樂，像人吹笛，上耶和華的山，到以色列的磐石那裡。
閱讀經文：以賽亞書30:15-33
15 主耶和華以色列的聖者曾如此說：「你們得救在乎歸回安息，你們得力在乎平靜安穩。」你們竟自不肯！ 16 你們卻說：「不然，我們要騎馬奔走。」所以你們必然奔走。又說：「我們要騎飛快的牲口。」所以追趕你們的也必飛快。 17 一人叱喝必令千人逃跑，五人叱喝你們都必逃跑，以致剩下的好像山頂的旗杆，岡上的大旗。
先知在譴責猶大密謀與埃及結盟的政客之後，接著就論述到與埃及的結盟是完全沒有用處的。本段為第四個「禍哉」。計分為兩部份，第一部份為30:1-14，第二部份為30:15-33。
在第一部份先知再度重申與埃及結密盟，並不是求問神的結果，也不是出於神的心意（30:1-2），他們倚靠埃及卻不仰望神的舉動，無異於「罪上加罪」。因此耶和華神要讓他們的使臣在埃及人面前蒙羞，因為埃及原本就不利於猶大，猶大卻滿載禮物曲承它（30:3-5）。
Hi GAMErs!
There are so many powerful lessons we can learn from today’s passage in Isaiah 38. Let’s go!
Isaiah 38:1-2 (NIV)
1 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,
On verses 1-2: After receiving some grim news that he will soon die, Hezekiah turns his face to the wall and prays to the LORD. You may be facing a wall right now as well, but you can pray to the LORD who is greater than that wall you are facing.
以賽亞書30:7 埃及的幫助是徒然無益的，所以我稱他為『坐而不動的拉哈伯』。
閱讀經文：以賽亞書30:1-14
1耶和華說：「禍哉，這悖逆的兒女！他們同謀卻不由於我，結盟卻不由於我的靈，以致罪上加罪。 2 起身下埃及去，並沒有求問我，要靠法老的力量加添自己的力量，並投在埃及的蔭下。 3 所以法老的力量必做你們的羞辱，投在埃及的蔭下要為你們的慚愧。 4 他們的首領已在瑣安，他們的使臣到了哈內斯。 5 他們必因那不利於他們的民蒙羞，那民並非幫助，也非利益，只做羞恥凌辱。」
先知在譴責猶大密謀與埃及結盟的政客之後，接著就論述到與埃及的結盟是完全沒有用處的。本段為第四個「禍哉」。計分為兩部份，第一部份為30:1-14，第二部份為30:15-33。
在第一部份先知再度重申與埃及結密盟，並不是求問神的結果，也不是出於神的心意（30:1-2），他們倚靠埃及卻不仰望神的舉動，無異於「罪上加罪」。因此耶和華神要讓他們的使臣在埃及人面前蒙羞，因為埃及原本就不利於猶大，猶大卻滿載禮物曲承它（30:3-5）。
Hi GAMErs!
There are so many lessons we can learn from today’s passage, Isaiah 37:8-38. Let’s go!
Isaiah 37:8-13 (NIV)
8 When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.
9 Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the Cushite king [of Egypt], was marching out to fight against him. When he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word:
On verses 8-13: More trash talking from Assyria, this time from King Sennacherib personally. Sennacherib’s message is similar to tone to that of his field commander in chapter 36, except that instead of bringing up four points to shake Hezekiah’s confidence, Sennacherib focuses on one point: he tells Hezekiah, “do not let the god you depend on deceive you”. In other words, Sennacherib goes one step further than the field commander by directly attacking the God that Hezekiah worships. Sennacherib accuses the LORD of deceiving Hezekiah into thinking that Hezekiah can get out of this alive. As we will see, God will take issue with Sennacherib’s pride-fueled blasphemy.
以賽亞書29:18 那時，聾子必聽見這書上的話，瞎子的眼必從迷蒙黑暗中得以看見。
閱讀經文：以賽亞書29:15-24
15 禍哉！那些向耶和華深藏謀略的，又在暗中行事，說：「誰看見我們呢？誰知道我們呢？」 16 你們把事顛倒了！豈可看窯匠如泥嗎？被製作的物豈可論製作物的說「他沒有製作我」？或是被創造的物論造物的說「他沒有聰明」？
本段經文記載第三個「禍哉」的內容，禍源主要是來自一批政客，他們自以為深藏謀略，深思熟慮，行事隱密，甚至連耶和華神都可以瞞過，他們得意的竊竊私語說：「誰看見我們呢？誰聽見我們呢？」（29:15當然這是指他們密謀與埃及結盟的詭計）。卻沒有想到，一山還有一山高，因為真正的計劃掌握在耶和華神的手中，猶大的命運全然繫乎眷顧它的神。先知指出這批政客的愚昧自大，好比「看窯匠如泥」，被造物論斷製造他的主人，被造者批評造物主沒有比自己更聰明一般的夜郎自大（29:16）。因此先知拆穿這批短視的政客的無知，並且接著向他們宣告神將臨到的拯救。
以賽亞書29:14 我在這百姓中要行奇妙的事，就是奇妙又奇妙的事。他們智慧人的智慧必然消滅，聰明人的聰明必然隱藏。
閱讀經文：以賽亞書29:1-14
1「唉，亞利伊勒，亞利伊勒，大衛安營的城！任憑你年上加年，節期照常周流， 2 我終必使亞利伊勒困難，她必悲傷哀號，我卻仍以她為亞利伊勒。 3 我必四圍安營攻擊你，屯兵圍困你，築壘攻擊你。 4 你必敗落，從地中說話，你的言語必微細出於塵埃。你的聲音必像那交鬼者的聲音出於地，你的言語低低微微出於塵埃。
本段為第二個「禍哉」，先知論到亞利伊勒（即祭壇的火爐之意）將成為耶路撒冷的另一個名字。用以宣示耶路撒冷素來為有神祭壇設立之處，但卻年復一年的維持外表上的節期與獻祭，而喪失了對神的內在虔敬（29:1、13）。因此，神要攻擊耶路撒冷，使這城成為名符其實的亞利伊勒。然而，在耶路撒冷真實歸回自己之前，它要先成為被攻擊而敗落的塵土，它要「從地中向神哀告」（比喻卑微淒涼的處境）（29:3-4）。神要掃除國中所有虛假的虔誠，這虛假的虔誠乃是基於對時勢的錯誤認知，他們過度靠埃及，以致於漠視對耶和神真心的求告。
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Isaiah 36:1-37:7. Let’s go! Isaiah 36-39 is a small but dramatic section of history sandwiched between large sections of prophecy from Isaiah 1-35 and Isaiah 40-66. Isaiah would have had first hand knowledge of the events that he writes about in Isaiah 36-39, since he figures as an important character in all these events. Isaiah’s writings of these events would also make it into the royal annals of Israel, as shown in 2 Kings 18-20. In addition to describing some important history, Isaiah 36-39 teach us many valuable lessons for us today.
Isaiah 36:1-3 (NIV)
1 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.
2 Then the king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. When the commander stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman’s Field,
3 Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to him.
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