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The Greatest Passage in Isaiah?

2023-04-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

More than any other passage in Isaiah, Isaiah 53 points us to what Jesus Christ would do for us, how He would die for our sins so that we could be forgiven.  It is incredible to think that 700 years before Jesus walked on this earth, Isaiah perceived what this Servant would do on behalf of all of us. 

Isaiah 52:13-15 (NIV)
13  See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
14  Just as there were many who were appalled at him– his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness–
15  so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.

Isaiah 53:1-12 (NIV)
1  Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2  He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

神主動的救贖

2023-04-07 in , /by

以賽亞書44:3   因為我要將水澆灌口渴的人，將河澆灌乾旱之地，我要將我的靈澆灌你的後裔，將我的福澆灌你的子孫。

閱讀經文：以賽亞書 43:14-44:5

43:14 耶和華你們的救贖主，以色列的聖者如此說：「因你們的緣故，我已經打發人到巴比倫去，並且我要使迦勒底人如逃民，都坐自己喜樂的船下來。 15 我是耶和華你們的聖者，是創造以色列的，是你們的君王。」 16 耶和華在滄海中開道，在大水中開路， 17 使車輛、馬匹、軍兵、勇士都出來，一同躺下不再起來，他們滅沒好像熄滅的燈火。 18 耶和華如此說：「你們不要記念從前的事，也不要思想古時的事。

在先知宣告耶和華拯救以色列的第一首僕人之歌後，接著先知便宣告了耶和華神的七個信息。每一個信息都以「耶和華如此說」做為信息的起頭。本篇是七個信息的第一個，論到神對祂百姓永久的旨意。

首先，先知提及耶和華神永恆的態度（43:1-7），而這個永恆的態度就是愛（43:4「現在」一詞，乃是暗示第四十三章的信息，乃是與第四十二章不同的，前者乃是帶著怒氣的責備，後者乃是充滿了救贖之愛的口吻）。

耶和華獨一與永恆的愛旨

2023-04-06 in , /by

以賽亞書43:2    你從水中經過，我必與你同在；你趟過江河，水必不漫過你；你從火中行過，必不被燒，火焰也不著在你身上。

閱讀經文：以賽亞書 43:1-13

1雅各啊，創造你的耶和華，以色列啊，造成你的那位，現在如此說：「你不要害怕，因為我救贖了你；我曾提你的名召你，你是屬我的。 2 你從水中經過，我必與你同在；你趟過江河，水必不漫過你；你從火中行過，必不被燒，火焰也不著在你身上。 3 因為我是耶和華你的神，是以色列的聖者，你的救主。我已經使埃及做你的贖價，使古實和西巴代替你。 4 因我看你為寶為尊，又因我愛你，所以我使人代替你，使列邦人替換你的生命。 5 不要害怕，因我與你同在。我必領你的後裔從東方來，又從西方招聚你。

在先知宣告耶和華拯救以色列的第一首僕人之歌後，接著先知便宣告了耶和華神的七個信息。每一個信息都以「耶和華如此說」做為信息的起頭。本篇是七個信息的第一個，論到神對祂百姓永久的旨意。

首先，先知提及耶和華神永恆的態度（43:1-7），而這個永恆的態度就是愛（43:4「現在」一詞，乃是暗示第四十三章的信息，乃是與第四十二章不同的，前者乃是帶著怒氣的責備，後者乃是充滿了救贖之愛的口吻）。

為了宣示這個態度，耶和華神要以色列民回顧昔日蒙拯救的歷史。神曾將他們從為奴之地救贖出來，無論他們從水中經過，從江河或火中經過，祂都保護他們免受災害（43:1-2）。耶和華如何證明祂的保護呢？

Waking Up to a New Reality in Jesus Christ

2023-04-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 51:17-52:12.  Let’s go!

Isaiah 51:17-23 (NIV)
17  Awake, awake! Rise up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of his wrath, you who have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes men stagger.
18  Of all the sons she bore there was none to guide her; of all the sons she reared there was none to take her by the hand.
19  These double calamities have come upon you– who can comfort you?– ruin and destruction, famine and sword– who can console you?

On 51:17-23:  Before in Isaiah 51:9, the people were telling God to “awake”.  But now it is God’s turn to tell His people to wake up, and He does so twice – once in verse 17 and again in 52:1.  What does God want His people to wake up to?  First, God wants His people to wake up to reality.   There are two realities which verses 17-20 talk about. The first reality is that Jerusalem has had to drink the cup of God’s wrath because of their sins (v17). The second reality is that over the centuries Jerusalem’s sons have generally failed to guide and provide for Jerusalem (v18).

耶和華拯救之歌

2023-04-05 in , /by

以賽亞書42:16    我要引瞎子行不認識的道，領他們走不知道的路，在他們面前使黑暗變為光明，使彎曲變為平直。這些事我都要行，並不離棄他們。

閱讀經文：以賽亞書 42:10-25

10 航海的和海中所有的，海島和其上的居民，都當向耶和華唱新歌，從地極讚美他！ 11 曠野和其中的城邑，並基達人居住的村莊，都當揚聲！西拉的居民當歡呼，在山頂上呐喊！ 12 他們當將榮耀歸給耶和華，在海島中傳揚他的頌讚。 13 耶和華必像勇士出去，必像戰士激動熱心，要喊叫，大聲呐喊，要用大力攻擊仇敵。

當耶和華神宣告祂將興起一位公義的僕人，成就那將來必成的事（拯救）之後，先知接著以詩歌呼籲列國的百姓（「所有的海島和其上的居民」、「曠野和其中的城邑」）都來加入這歌頌的行列，以新歌來讚美耶和華的作為，並將榮耀歸給祂（42:10-12）。這些被呼召前來敬拜讚美神的列國是哪些國呢？

依據42:7的記載，他們乃是曾被神的僕人拯救與醫治過的百姓。當他們被神僕恩待之後，同時也就放棄了對偶像的敬拜，因此這時候耶和華神呼召他們要轉而敬拜祂。這些被呼召來敬拜祂的百姓，其中有稱為「基達」的，「基達」乃是以實瑪利的次子，在此指阿拉伯人，亦可泛指東方的居民，可見，這乃是預言救恩要臨到所有的回教徒（二十一世紀普世宣教的重點，就是對回教世界的宣教）。

You’re Protected Under the Shadow of God’s Hand

2023-04-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 50:4-51:8.  Let’s go!

The previous passage, 49:14-50:3, dealt with three complaints that God and Isaiah expect the Jewish exiles to make in response to God’s promise of deliverance.  Having dealt with those complaints, Isaiah goes back to talking about the Servant again.
 
Isaiah 50:4 (NIV)
4  The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.
 
On 50:4:  Here we learn something about the LORD and about His servant.  About the LORD, we know His heart is to speak words that sustain the weary.  He is the God who “gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:29). 

Confident Even In Suffering

2023-04-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 50:4-51:8.  Let’s go!

The previous passage, 49:14-50:3, dealt with three complaints that God and Isaiah expect the Jewish exiles to make in response to God’s promise of deliverance.  Having dealt with those complaints, Isaiah goes back to talking about the Servant again.
 
Isaiah 50:4 (NIV)
4  The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.
 
On 50:4:  Here we learn something about the LORD and about His servant.  About the LORD, we know His heart is to speak words that sustain the weary.  He is the God who “gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:29). 

耶和華公義僕人的顯現

2023-04-04 in , /by

以賽亞書42:6 我耶和華憑公義召你，必攙扶你的手，保守你，使你做眾民的中保，做外邦人的光。

閱讀經文：以賽亞書 42:1-9

1看哪，我的僕人，我所扶持、所揀選，心裡所喜悅的，我已將我的靈賜給他，他必將公理傳給外邦。 2 他不喧嚷，不揚聲，也不使街上聽見他的聲音。 3 壓傷的蘆葦他不折斷，將殘的燈火他不吹滅，他憑真實將公理傳開。 4 他不灰心，也不喪膽，直到他在地上設立公理，海島都等候他的訓誨。」

在上一章論到耶和華神對偶像的挑戰尾聲，先知有一個救贖的伏筆──「看哪！我要將一位報好信息的賜給耶路撒冷」（41:27），暗示神將興起一位比古列更重要的人物，出現在以色力的歷史中，做為祂拯救的僕人。在本段中，先知首先宣告：「看哪！我的僕人……」，先知在這裡所用的口吻，與古代近東國家的君王介紹大臣任命他們擔任新職時所用的口氣是一樣的，其重要性可見一斑。這一句宣告，開啟了以賽亞書的第一首僕人之歌。

首先，先知描述這一位被興起的僕人，乃是耶和華神所扶持所揀選，心裡「所喜悅的」（42:1a）。聖子耶穌在約旦河受浸之後，聖靈彷彿鴿子降在祂的身上，同時聖父從天發聲宣告耶穌乃是祂所喜悅的，這乃是預言耶穌把自己獻上為贖罪祭，乃是完美無瑕的祭物，是通得過神並蒙神所悅納的。因著神悅納耶穌這個贖罪祭，因此開啟了人類新的希望。

神對偶像所發出的挑戰

2023-04-03 in , /by

以賽亞書41:20   好叫人看見、知道、思想、明白這是耶和華的手所做的，是以色列的聖者所造的。

閱讀經文：以賽亞書 41:1-29

1「眾海島啊，當在我面前靜默！眾民當重新得力，都要近前來才可以說話，我們可以彼此辯論。 2 誰從東方興起一人，憑公義召他來到腳前呢？耶和華將列國交給他，使他管轄君王，把他們如灰塵交於他的刀，如風吹的碎秸交於他的弓。 3 他追趕他們，走他所未走的道，坦然前行。 4 誰行做成就這事，從起初宣召歷代呢？就是我耶和華，我是首先的，也與末後的同在。 5 海島看見就都害怕，地極也都戰兢，就近前來。 6 他們各人幫助鄰舍，各人對弟兄說：『壯膽吧！』 7 木匠勉勵銀匠，用錘打光的勉勵打砧的，論焊工說：『焊得好！』又用釘子釘穩，免得偶像動搖。

在宣告完耶和華的威嚴之後，以賽亞接著論到耶和華神向列國（41:1「眾海島」）所發出的宣告，祂以召聚眾民前來與祂辯論的型式，開始這一段宣告。

這個宣告首先提到神將在東方興起一人（即波斯王古列，參閱44:28，45:1），祂要向列國證明，這一位將被興起以征服他們的君王（41:2b），乃是掌控於祂的手中（41:4）。而這一位被興起的君王將要如何對待列國呢？──「他追趕他們，隱然前進，快速如腳不落地」、「他的刀殺人，如摧枯拉朽；他的箭射人，使他們像風前的禾楷」（41:2-3現代中譯本）先知預言在古列王的軍事行動中，列國將如灰塵與碎楷般的不堪一擊。然後，先知指出這一切的發生並非偶然，而是那一位從起初就掌管列國歷史的上帝所行作的。

You’re Never Beyond Hope

2023-04-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 49:14-50:3.  Let’s go!

To me this passage reflects the genius of the LORD and Isaiah working together.  In Isaiah chapters 40-48, not only does Isaiah predict future events and write down messages for a people not yet born; even more, Isaiah anticipates how this future people might complain and object to those messages and addresses those complaints and objections in advance. 
 
In particular, Isaiah addresses three complaints that he expects the Jewish exiles in Babylon would have when they hear the news that the LORD will deliver them from their captivity.  I wonder if the Jewish exiles in Babylon, upon reading Isaiah’s messages, must have felt like Isaiah and the Holy Spirit had read their minds, or that they were carrying on a debate with someone who lived 150 years before.