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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.

神主动的救赎

2023-04-07 in , /by

以赛亚书44:3   因为我要将水浇灌口渴的人，将河浇灌干旱之地，我要将我的灵浇灌你的后裔，将我的福浇灌你的子孙。

阅读经文：以赛亚书 43:14-44:5

43:14 耶和华你们的救赎主，以色列的圣者如此说：「因你们的缘故，我已经打发人到巴比伦去，并且我要使迦勒底人如逃民，都坐自己喜乐的船下来。 15 我是耶和华你们的圣者，是创造以色列的，是你们的君王。」 16 耶和华在沧海中开道，在大水中开路， 17 使车辆、马匹、军兵、勇士都出来，一同躺下不再起来，他们灭没好像熄灭的灯火。 18 耶和华如此说：「你们不要记念从前的事，也不要思想古时的事。

在先知宣告耶和华拯救以色列的第一首仆人之歌后，接着先知便宣告了耶和华神的七个信息。每一个信息都以「耶和华如此说」做为信息的起头。本篇是七个信息的第一个，论到神对祂百姓永久的旨意。

首先，先知提及耶和华神永恒的态度（43:1-7），而这个永恒的态度就是爱（43:4「现在」一词，乃是暗示第四十三章的信息，乃是与第四十二章不同的，前者乃是带着怒气的责备，后者乃是充满了救赎之爱的口吻）。

耶和华独一与永恒的爱旨

2023-04-06 in , /by

以赛亚书43:2    你从水中经过，我必与你同在；你趟过江河，水必不漫过你；你从火中行过，必不被烧，火焰也不著在你身上。

阅读经文：以赛亚书 43:1-13

1雅各啊，创造你的耶和华，以色列啊，造成你的那位，现在如此说：「你不要害怕，因为我救赎了你；我曾提你的名召你，你是属我的。 2 你从水中经过，我必与你同在；你趟过江河，水必不漫过你；你从火中行过，必不被烧，火焰也不著在你身上。 3 因为我是耶和华你的神，是以色列的圣者，你的救主。我已经使埃及做你的赎价，使古实和西巴代替你。 4 因我看你为宝为尊，又因我爱你，所以我使人代替你，使列邦人替换你的生命。 5 不要害怕，因我与你同在。我必领你的后裔从东方来，又从西方招聚你。

在先知宣告耶和华拯救以色列的第一首仆人之歌后，接着先知便宣告了耶和华神的七个信息。每一个信息都以「耶和华如此说」做为信息的起头。本篇是七个信息的第一个，论到神对祂百姓永久的旨意。

首先，先知提及耶和华神永恒的态度（43:1-7），而这个永恒的态度就是爱（43:4「现在」一词，乃是暗示第四十三章的信息，乃是与第四十二章不同的，前者乃是带着怒气的责备，后者乃是充满了救赎之爱的口吻）。

为了宣示这个态度，耶和华神要以色列民回顾昔日蒙拯救的历史。神曾将他们从为奴之地救赎出来，无论他们从水中经过，从江河或火中经过，祂都保护他们免受灾害（43:1-2）。耶和华如何证明祂的保护呢？

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).

耶和华拯救之歌

2023-04-05 in , /by

以赛亚书42:16    我要引瞎子行不认识的道，领他们走不知道的路，在他们面前使黑暗变为光明，使弯曲变为平直。这些事我都要行，并不离弃他们。

阅读经文：以赛亚书 42:10-25

10 航海的和海中所有的，海岛和其上的居民，都当向耶和华唱新歌，从地极赞美他！ 11 旷野和其中的城邑，并基达人居住的村庄，都当扬声！西拉的居民当欢呼，在山顶上呐喊！ 12 他们当将荣耀归给耶和华，在海岛中传扬他的颂赞。 13 耶和华必像勇士出去，必像战士激动热心，要喊叫，大声呐喊，要用大力攻击仇敌。

当耶和华神宣告祂将兴起一位公义的仆人，成就那将来必成的事（拯救）之后，先知接着以诗歌呼吁列国的百姓（「所有的海岛和其上的居民」、「旷野和其中的城邑」）都来加入这歌颂的行列，以新歌来赞美耶和华的作为，并将荣耀归给祂（42:10-12）。这些被呼召前来敬拜赞美神的列国是哪些国呢？

依据42:7的记载，他们乃是曾被神的仆人拯救与医治过的百姓。当他们被神仆恩待之后，同时也就放弃了对偶像的敬拜，因此这时候耶和华神呼召他们要转而敬拜祂。这些被呼召来敬拜祂的百姓，其中有称为「基达」的，「基达」乃是以实玛利的次子，在此指阿拉伯人，亦可泛指东方的居民，可见，这乃是预言救恩要临到所有的回教徒（二十一世纪普世宣教的重点，就是对回教世界的宣教）。

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). 

耶和华公义仆人的显现

2023-04-04 in , /by

以赛亚书42:6 我耶和华凭公义召你，必搀扶你的手，保守你，使你做众民的中保，做外邦人的光。

阅读经文：以赛亚书 42:1-9

1看哪，我的仆人，我所扶持、所拣选，心里所喜悦的，我已将我的灵赐给他，他必将公理传给外邦。 2 他不喧嚷，不扬声，也不使街上听见他的声音。 3 压伤的芦苇他不折断，将残的灯火他不吹灭，他凭真实将公理传开。 4 他不灰心，也不丧胆，直到他在地上设立公理，海岛都等候他的训诲。」

在上一章论到耶和华神对偶像的挑战尾声，先知有一个救赎的伏笔──「看哪！我要将一位报好信息的赐给耶路撒冷」（41:27），暗示神将兴起一位比古列更重要的人物，出现在以色力的历史中，做为祂拯救的仆人。在本段中，先知首先宣告：「看哪！我的仆人……」，先知在这里所用的口吻，与古代近东国家的君王介绍大臣任命他们担任新职时所用的口气是一样的，其重要性可见一斑。这一句宣告，开启了以赛亚书的第一首仆人之歌。

首先，先知描述这一位被兴起的仆人，乃是耶和华神所扶持所拣选，心里「所喜悦的」（42:1a）。圣子耶稣在约旦河受浸之后，圣灵仿佛鸽子降在祂的身上，同时圣父从天发声宣告耶稣乃是祂所喜悦的，这乃是预言耶稣把自己献上为赎罪祭，乃是完美无瑕的祭物，是通得过神并蒙神所悦纳的。因着神悦纳耶稣这个赎罪祭，因此开启了人类新的希望。

神对偶像所发出的挑战

2023-04-03 in , /by

以赛亚书41:20   好叫人看见、知道、思想、明白这是耶和华的手所做的，是以色列的圣者所造的。

阅读经文：以赛亚书 41:1-29

1「众海岛啊，当在我面前静默！众民当重新得力，都要近前来才可以说话，我们可以彼此辩论。 2 谁从东方兴起一人，凭公义召他来到脚前呢？耶和华将列国交给他，使他管辖君王，把他们如灰尘交于他的刀，如风吹的碎秸交于他的弓。 3 他追赶他们，走他所未走的道，坦然前行。 4 谁行做成就这事，从起初宣召历代呢？就是我耶和华，我是首先的，也与末后的同在。 5 海岛看见就都害怕，地极也都战兢，就近前来。 6 他们各人帮助邻舍，各人对弟兄说：『壮胆吧！』 7 木匠勉励银匠，用锤打光的勉励打砧的，论焊工说：『焊得好！』又用钉子钉稳，免得偶像动摇。

在宣告完耶和华的威严之后，以赛亚接着论到耶和华神向列国（41:1「众海岛」）所发出的宣告，祂以召聚众民前来与祂辩论的型式，开始这一段宣告。

这个宣告首先提到神将在东方兴起一人（即波斯王古列，参阅44:28，45:1），祂要向列国证明，这一位将被兴起以征服他们的君王（41:2b），乃是掌控于祂的手中（41:4）。而这一位被兴起的君王将要如何对待列国呢？──「他追赶他们，隐然前进，快速如脚不落地」、「他的刀杀人，如摧枯拉朽；他的箭射人，使他们像风前的禾楷」（41:2-3现代中译本）先知预言在古列王的军事行动中，列国将如灰尘与碎楷般的不堪一击。然后，先知指出这一切的发生并非偶然，而是那一位从起初就掌管列国历史的上帝所行作的。

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.