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Jesus Did It All

2023-04-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 61.  Let’s go!
 
Isaiah 61:1-4 (NIV)
1  The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2  to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,
3  and provide for those who grieve in Zion– to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
4  They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
 
On verses 1-4:  Who is speaking in Isaiah 61:1?  It’s the Servant, the one whom God will send to deliver His people from their captivity to sin. 
 
According to Luke 4, one day Jesus went to the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth.  He was asked to read Scripture and was given the scroll of Isaiah. 

对忠信者的安慰与鼓励

2023-04-19 in , /by

以赛亚书51:15   我是耶和华你的神，搅动大海，使海中的波浪砰訇，万军之耶和华是我的名。

阅读经文：51:1-16

1「你们这追求公义、寻求耶和华的，当听我言！你们要追想被凿而出的磐石，被挖而出的岩穴。 2 要追想你们的祖宗亚伯拉罕和生养你们的撒拉，因为亚伯拉罕独自一人的时候，我选召他，赐福于他，使他人数增多。」

3 耶和华已经安慰锡安和锡安一切的荒场，使旷野像伊甸，使沙漠像耶和华的园囿，在其中必有欢喜、快乐、感谢和歌唱的声音。

在接着50:10-11对忠信者与对不敬虔者的信息之后，先知就从本段起，分别论到耶和华神对两者的结局。首先是51:1-16先知论到耶和华神将给忠信者的结局是安慰与欢欣（51:3）。耶和华神对这些「追求公义，寻求耶和华」的忠信者，要他们从几个角度来贴近祂将要赐下的安慰。

第一个角度是「追想」──神要他们追想以色列民族乃是神亲手雕凿出来的，神是他们的磐石，也是他们躲避仇敌的岩穴（51:1）。他们要有信心与他们信心的祖先亚伯拉罕与撒拉相称（51:1-2）。因为当亚伯拉罕「独自一人」的时候，神便选召了他，赐福与他，使他人数增多。神使人看为不可能的事，全部都按祂的旨意成就，。因此以色列百姓对上帝应当要有信心。

仆人蒙召的心志

2023-04-18 in , /by

以赛亚书50: 9a  主耶和华要帮助我，谁能定我有罪呢？

阅读经文：以赛亚书 50:4-11

4 「主耶和华赐我受教者的舌头，使我知道怎样用言语扶助疲乏的人。主每早晨提醒，提醒我的耳朵，使我能听，像受教者一样。 5 主耶和华开通我的耳朵，我并没有违背，也没有退后。 6 人打我的背，我任他打；人拔我腮颊的胡须，我由他拔；人辱我吐我，我并不掩面。

本段接着论到神所拣选的仆人，对耶和华所赋予他之使命的回应，其中50:4-9被称为「仆人之歌」，这是以赛亚书里的第二首「仆人之歌」。

首先，仆人叙述自己领受了耶和华所赐「受教者的舌头」（50:4），叫他知道怎样用言语扶助疲乏的人。这表示他将受到神的教导，成为人类的老师，用话语去帮助有罪担的人。这正应验了主耶稣就职的宣告「主的灵在我身上，因为祂用膏膏我，叫我传福音给贫穷的人。差遣我报告……神悦纳人的禧年」（路4:18-19）。在耶稣的传道工作中，祂是一面领受，一面教导的。

The Greatest City

2023-04-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 60.  Let’s go!
 
Isaiah 60:1-22 (NIV)
1  “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
2  See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.
3  Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

On verses 1-22:  Who is God talking about in Isaiah 60?  He’s talking about the city of Jerusalem.  He is saying that, in a world full of darkness (v2), one day the city of Jerusalem will forever shine the brightest light and be the pride and joy of the nations (v1-4, 15).  There the people of God will reunite and unspeakable joy will fill the city (v5a).  The riches of the world will flow into Jerusalem (v5b-11).  The best trees will adorn the temple (v13). Jerusalem’s enemies will bow before her (v12, 14).  In addition to having much material wealth and the favour of the nations, peace and righteousness will reign in her (v17). 

神焉能忘记祂的百姓呢

2023-04-17 in , /by

以赛亚书49:16  看哪，我将你铭刻在我掌上，你的墙垣常在我眼前。

阅读经文：以赛亚书 49:14-50:3

49- 14 「锡安说：『耶和华离弃了我，主忘记了我。』 15 妇人焉能忘记她吃奶的婴孩，不怜恤她所生的儿子？即或有忘记的，我却不忘记你。 16 看哪，我将你铭刻在我掌上，你的墙垣常在我眼前。 17 你的儿女必急速归回，毁坏你的、使你荒废的，必都离你出去。 18 你举目向四方观看，他们都聚集来到你这里。」耶和华说：「我指着我的永生起誓：你必要以他们为装饰佩戴，以他们为华带束腰，像新妇一样。

本段叙论和平君王工作，其中最先成就的，是对被掳之民的救赎。因此，先知一开始便把被掳之民的抱怨表露出来──「锡安说，耶和华离弃了我，主忘记我了」（49:14自四十八章之后，先知均以锡安称呼神的新选民）。耶和华如何回答他们的抱怨呢？祂以情感的语调诉说，祂对选民的爱是不会遗忘的，正如一个满有母爱的妇人，怎会遗忘她嗷嗷待哺的「婴孩」呢？（先知以「婴孩」一词来象征神与选民之间那种生命关系）祂向选民显示，祂对他们的爱，永远「铭刻在掌上」，祂焉会忘记那被当年巴比伦仇敌所摧毁的城墙呢？

The Gospel According to Isaiah

2023-04-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 59:15b-21.  Let’s go!

Isaiah 59:15-19 (NIV)
15  Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice.
16  He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him.
17  He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
18  According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due.
19  From the west, men will fear the name of the LORD, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the LORD drives along.

On verses 15b-19:  In verses 1-15 Isaiah gave vividly showed the effects that sin has on our lives, how all of us have sinned and how our sins separate us from God.  After presenting this problem, Isaiah is now going to offer the solution.   He says that God saw our helpless predicament.  Since no one else could help, “his own arm worked salvation for him” (v16).  “His arm” isn’t just a poetic way of saying that God did something. 

和平之君的被选召与使命

2023-04-16 in , /by

以赛亚书49:5b  原来耶和华看我为尊贵，我的神也成为我的力量。

阅读经文：以赛亚书 49:1-13

1「众海岛啊，当听我言！远方的众民哪，留心而听！自我出胎，耶和华就选召我；自出母腹，他就提我的名。 2 他使我的口如快刀，将我藏在他手荫之下；又使我成为磨亮的箭，将我藏在他箭袋之中。 3 对我说：『你是我的仆人以色列，我必因你得荣耀。』 4 我却说：『我劳碌是徒然，我尽力是虚无虚空，然而我当得的理必在耶和华那里，我的赏赐必在我神那里。』

本段是对列国论到弥赛亚和平之君事工的开始，先知强调这一位「仆人」，乃是一出母腹中即被选召的。祂将以口中所出的真理完成使命（49:1-2）。「仆人」一词，在乃是指弥赛亚，而非指以色列。因为此仆人将要成为众民的中保（或作「约」），明显是指出弥赛亚救赎主的身份与所要成就的事工，此非以色列所能达成的。

Our Biggest Problem

2023-04-16 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 59:1-15.  Let’s go!
 
Isaiah 59:1 (NIV)
1  Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.
 
On verse 1:  Here in Isaiah 59 Isaiah is going to present a problem and then offer a solution.  The problem is described in verses 2-15 and the solution is described in verses 16-21.  But before explaining the problem, Isaiah needs to make an important clarification:  the problem is not with God; the problem is with us.  That is why verse 1 says, “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.” In other words, it’s not God’s fault that this problem exists.  The fault is ours.  Now let’s look at what the problem is.

耶和华救赎余民的恩慈

2023-04-14 in , /by

以赛亚书48:10  我熬炼你，却不像熬炼银子；你在苦难的炉中，我拣选你。

阅读经文：以赛亚书 48:1-22

1「雅各家，称为以色列名下、从犹大水源出来的，当听我言！你们指著耶和华的名起誓，提说以色列的神，却不凭诚实，不凭公义。 2 （他们自称为圣城的人，所倚靠的是名为万军之耶和华以色列的神。）」 3 主说：「早先的事我从古时说明，已经出了我的口，也是我所指示的，我忽然行做，事便成就。 4 因为我素来知道你是顽梗的，你的颈项是铁的，你的额是铜的，

本章主旨在于说明神对余民的拯救，而本章对余民的定义，乃是指犹大家（「从犹大水源出来的」）。

神预告祂将把这一批余民从巴比伦救赎出来（48:20），然而，这并不是因为这一批将被救拯的余民表现出行为上的信德。事实上。先知说他们乃是「顽梗的，颈项是铁的，额是铜的」（48:4）；并且他们「自从出胎以来，便称为悖逆的」（48:8）。而是他们对耶和华神有着全然的信心，因他们自称为圣城中人，以耶和华神为他们所信靠的（48:1-2）。因此神暂且饶了他们，也忍住了祂的怒气，不将余民剪除。祂如此作，一方面是为了熬炼犹大，另一方面乃是为了不使余民归回的荣耀被归给假神，以致让祂的名被亵渎（48:11）。

When You Have a Tough Time Sensing God, This Could Be A Reason

2023-04-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 58.  Let’s go!
 
Isaiah 58:1 (NIV)
1  “Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins.
 
On verse 1:  In Isaiah 57:14-21, Isaiah declared the forgiveness, the mercy and the freedom from captivity to sin that God has made possible for His people.  Yet here in Isaiah 58, God tells Isaiah to raise his voice like a trumpet and declare to the people their rebellion and their sins.  What does this teach us?   Even after we have received the forgiveness, the mercy and the freedom that God freely makes available to us, there is still work for us to do.  It’s the sanctification after the salvation.  It’s the growing up after being born again.  It’s about becoming mature after you become a member of God’s family.