Entries by

論彌賽亞的降臨

2023-03-10 in , /by

以賽亞書25:1  耶和華啊，祢是我的神！我要尊崇祢，我要稱讚祢的名，因為祢以忠信誠實行過奇妙的事，成就祢古時所定的。

閱讀經文：以賽亞書24:21-25:12

24:21  到那日，耶和華在高處必懲罰高處的眾軍，在地上必懲罰地上的列王。 22 他們必被聚集，像囚犯被聚在牢獄中，並要囚在監牢裡，多日之後便被討罪。 23 那時，月亮要蒙羞，日頭要慚愧，因為萬軍之耶和華必在錫安山，在耶路撒冷做王，在敬畏祂的長老面前必有榮耀。

先知在論述完彌賽亞來臨之前世界的荒涼之後，接著便提到彌賽亞的降臨將帶給世界的復興。此一部份又分為三小段：廿四章21～廿五章12是第一小段，論到神使列國復興的原因。

在這一小段中包括七個「到那日」信息的前兩個信息。

第一個信息為24:21～25:8，指出耶和華的統治。先知提到當「那日」（指審判世界的日子），在天上，耶和華必懲罰「高處的眾軍」（指天上的惡靈）；在地上，列國的君王要像囚犯一般，被耶和華神所聚集監禁（24:21-22），最後他們的罪行將要像囚犯一般被聚集，正如當年他們對待俘擄一般。等到關鎖多日之後，他們今要被「討罪」（指接受審判）。列王將被廢而丟棄權位，他們雖自比為像日頭與月亮般的高潔發光，至終無法不在榮耀威嚴的耶和華神面前感到自慚形穢（24:23上）。此情此景，使先知以賽亞不禁想起當年與摩西在西乃山上的那七十位長老，在耶和面前一面吃喝，一面觀看耶和華的作為的故事，因而以此加強敘述神的威榮（24:23下）。

Not by Our Merit, But by God’s Mercy

2023-03-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 33:1-16.  Let’s go!   As usual, I recommend that you read the whole passage by yourself a couple times and see what you can extract from the passage before reading the message below.

Isaiah 33:1 (NIV)
1  Woe to you, O destroyer, you who have not been destroyed! Woe to you, O traitor, you who have not been betrayed! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed; when you stop betraying, you will be betrayed.

On verse 1:  Remember that chapters 28-33 contain 5 messages of both woe and hope, all in connection with Judah, Judah’s alliance with Egypt and the threat of Assyria.  Here in this third of five messages of woe, Isaiah is likely addressing Assyria and predicting that after Assyria has destroyed other nations, Assyria itself will be destroyed.  The reason Isaiah calls Assyria a “traitor” is possibly because Assyria and Judah seemed to make peace in 2 Kings 18:13-16, only for Assyria to break that peace shortly after and invade Judah (as described in 2 Chronicles 32:1).

論推羅

2023-03-09 in , /by

以賽亞書23:8    推羅本是賜冠冕的，她的商家是王子，她的買賣人是世上的尊貴人。遭遇如此，是誰定的呢？

閱讀經文：以賽亞書23:1-18

1論推羅的默示。他施的船隻，都要哀號！因為推羅變為荒場，甚至沒有房屋，沒有可進之路。這消息是從基提地得來的。 2 沿海的居民，就是素來靠航海西頓的商家得豐盛的，你們當靜默無言！ 3 在大水之上，西曷的糧食、尼羅河的莊稼是推羅的進項，她做列國的大碼頭。 4 西頓哪，你當慚愧！因為大海說，就是海中的保障說：「我沒有劬勞，也沒有生產；沒有養育男子，也沒有撫養童女。」 5 這風聲傳到埃及，埃及人為推羅的風聲極其疼痛。 6 推羅人哪，你們當過到他施去！沿海的居民哪，你們都當哀號！ 7 這是你們歡樂的城，從上古而有的嗎？其中的居民往遠方寄居。

本段論到推羅的預言共分為兩部份，第一部份（23:1-14）以詩歌體材敘述推羅的毀滅。第二部份（23:15-18）的散文則提到災後七十年推羅將有復興。

在第一部份中，先知以腓尼基的船員在基提（即居比路）聽到推羅的惡耗，驚訝地發現停泊港他施已經被迫封閉了（23:1「沒有可進之路」）做為這首輓歌的起頭。這一個以往主要靠著載運埃及西曷（即尼羅河）的穀物而致富的國家（23:3、5），一夕之間變成了廢墟，腓尼基的水手們因找不到終點的停靠港而哀號，埃及這一個託運大國也為它悲痛（23:5），因為尼羅河的穀物再也找不到出口港了（23:3）。

A Shelter from the Wind and the Storm

2023-03-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 32:1-20.  Let’s go!

Isaiah 32:1-8 (NIV)
1  See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice.
2  Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.
3  Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen.
4  The mind of the rash will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.
5  No longer will the fool be called noble nor the scoundrel be highly respected.

On verses 1-8:  Isaiah predicts the day when a king will reign in righteousness and his princes will reign with him in justice (v1).  Because of their righteous, just rule, they will provide refuge and refreshing for the people (v2), the simple and stuttering will find understanding and clarity (v3-4), while scoundrels will be found out (v5).  Whereas people suffer under the rule of a fool (v6-7), people will prosper under the rule of this noble king (v8).

論異象谷

2023-03-08 in , /by

以賽亞書22:22   我必將大衛家的鑰匙放在他肩頭上，他開無人能關，他關無人能開。

閱讀經文：以賽亞書22:1-25

1論異象谷的默示。有什麼事使你這滿城的人都上房頂呢？ 2 你這滿處呐喊、大有喧嘩的城，歡樂的邑啊，你中間被殺的，並不是被刀殺，也不是因打仗死亡。 3 你所有的官長一同逃跑，都為弓箭手所捆綁；你中間一切被找到的都一同被捆綁，他們本是逃往遠方的。 4 所以我說：「你們轉眼不看我，我要痛哭！不要因我眾民[a]的毀滅就竭力安慰我。」

本段為「論異象谷的默示」，根據22:9-10的經文可知，所謂異象谷乃是指大衛城，也就是耶路撒冷，因耶路撒冷附近有許多山谷，其中有稱為「嘉美的谷」的（22:7指利乏音谷，此處的土地最為肥沃），而這異象的內容乃是發生在這些山谷中。

在本段中先知論到耶路撒冷在大禍臨頭之前，卻仍酖迷於犯罪作樂之中，因此，先知不僅宣佈了耶路撒冷的罪狀，更轉述神將撤換朝中主張與埃及結盟以抵抗巴比倫的那一批政客。因他們以為與埃及結盟，就可以使猶大高枕無憂了，而這觀念（「有甚麼事使你……」）便是先知嘲問百姓在大難來臨驚恐吶喊的原因了。神將興起新人接掌權柄，以取代無能的領袖。

Our Lion and Our Shield

2023-03-08 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 31:1-9.  Let’s go!

Isaiah 31:1-3 (NIV)
1  Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD.
2  Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster; he does not take back his words. He will rise up against the house of the wicked, against those who help evildoers.
3  But the Egyptians are men and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out his hand, he who helps will stumble, he who is helped will fall; both will perish together.

On verses 1-3:  To those who looked to Egypt for help but not to the LORD (v1), Isaiah warns that Egypt is a bunch of mere human being and not God (v3a), whereas the LORD is all powerful.  Isaiah promises that because they did not look to the LORD, both Egypt the helper and Judah the helped will fall together (v3b). 

Seek the Strength that God Provides

2023-03-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

There is so much we can learn from today’s passage in Isaiah 30:1-33.  Let’s go!
Remember that Isaiah chapters 28-33 represent a new section in the book of Isaiah.  Scholars believe that this section relates to the time when Judah was considering forming an alliance with Egypt in order to help defend against the threat of Assyria.  The ongoing message from Isaiah is that this alliance will only hurt Judah and that Judah’s only true hope is trusting in the LORD.

Isaiah 30:1-5 (NIV)
1  “Woe to the obstinate children,” declares the LORD, “to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin;
2  who go down to Egypt without consulting me; who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection, to Egypt’s shade for refuge.
3  But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame, Egypt’s shade will bring you disgrace.
4  Though they have officials in Zoan and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,
5  everyone will be put to shame because of a people useless to them, who bring neither help nor advantage, but only shame and disgrace.”

先知論列國

2023-03-07 in , /by

以賽亞書21:16  主對我這樣說：一年之內，照雇工的年數，基達的一切榮耀必歸於無有。

閱讀經文：以賽亞書20:1-6

1論海旁曠野的默示。有仇敵從曠野，從可怕之地而來，好像南方的旋風猛然掃過。 2 令人悽慘的異象已默示於我：詭詐的行詭詐，毀滅的行毀滅。以攔哪，你要上去！瑪代啊，你要圍困！主說：「我使一切嘆息止住。」 3 所以我滿腰疼痛，痛苦將我抓住，好像產難的婦人一樣。我疼痛甚至不能聽，我驚惶甚至不能看。 4 我心慌張，驚恐威嚇我，我所羨慕的黃昏變為我的戰兢。 5 他們擺設筵席，派人守望，又吃又喝——「首領啊，你們起來，用油抹盾牌！」 6 主對我如此說：「你去設立守望的，使他將所看見的述說。 7 他看見軍隊，就是騎馬的一對一對地來，又看見驢隊、駱駝隊，就要側耳細聽。」

本段分為三部份，各別是對巴比倫、度瑪與亞拉伯的預言，這是先知自十三章起一連串論述列國命運的第八與第九個預言。

第一部份21:1-10是論到巴比倫將被波斯軍隊所攻擊的預言（「海旁曠野」乃是指幼發拉底河所沖積而成的巴比倫肥沃月灣，古時此地即為巴比倫帝國所在）。為何這裡先知要提到巴比倫傾覆的預言呢？因為他要向選民宣告：以前欺壓他們的仇敵埃及與亞述，最後如何在神的手中被傾覆，如今他們所畏懼的巴比倫也不例外。

以色列人必因所仰望的羞愧

2023-03-06 in , /by

以賽亞書20:5   以色列人必因所仰望的古實、所誇耀的埃及，驚惶羞愧。

閱讀經文：以賽亞書20:1-6

1亞述王撒珥根打發他珥探到亞實突的那年，他珥探就攻打亞實突，將城攻取。2 那時，耶和華曉諭亞摩斯的兒子以賽亞說：「你去，解掉你腰間的麻布，脫下你腳上的鞋。」以賽亞就這樣做，露身赤腳行走。 3 耶和華說：「我僕人以賽亞怎樣露身赤腳行走三年，作為關乎埃及和古實的預兆奇蹟， 4 照樣，亞述王也必擄去埃及人，掠去古實人，無論老少，都露身赤腳，現出下體，使埃及蒙羞。 5 以色列人必因所仰望的古實、所誇耀的埃及，驚惶羞愧。 6 那時，這沿海一帶的居民必說：『看哪，我們素所仰望的，就是我們為脫離亞述王逃往求救的，不過是如此！我們怎能逃脫呢？』」

本段可以視之為19:1-15預言的應驗，先知在19:1-15中論述到埃及將受到耶和華神的降災，導致以農、漁、製紙、建築、製衣等行業為首的百業為之蕭條，國力頓時衰敗下來。對於這樣的一個國家，猶大怎能想望從它的身上得到甚麼幫助呢？埃及自身已難保，若勉強出兵幫助猶大與亞述抗衡，無異於以卵擊石啊！

本段是論到埃及的第三部份，主旨是埃及的毀滅。這是一篇散文形式的傳記，記載以賽亞如何竭盡所能的勸阻希西家王不要投靠埃及，因為埃及將被傾覆。這樣一個自身難保的國家，又怎能夠前往投靠呢？

Transformed by God’s Amazing Grace

2023-03-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 29:15-24.  Let’s go!
 
Remember that Isaiah chapters 28-33 represent a new section in the book of Isaiah.  Scholars believe that this section relates to the time when Judah was considering forming an alliance with Egypt in order to help defend against the threat of Assyria.  The ongoing message from Isaiah is that this alliance will only hurt Judah, not help them, and that Judah’s only true hope is trusting in the LORD.

Isaiah 29:15-16 (NIV)
15  Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?”
16  You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, “He did not make me”? Can the pot say of the potter, “He knows nothing”?