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我使他的心刚硬

出埃及记十章1-2节 耶和华对摩西说:「你进去见法老。我使他和他臣仆的心刚硬,为要在他们中间显我这些神蹟,并要叫你将我向埃及人所做的事,和在他们中间所行的神蹟,传于你儿子和你孙子的耳中,好叫你们知道我是耶和华。」

在神呼召摩西时,神就再三告诉摩西,神要使法老的心刚硬,这样神才能按着祂的计划行许多神蹟,好叫他们知道祂是耶和华。我们经常会觉得神是不是太不公平,祂使法老的心刚硬,又不是法老自己刚硬的。事实上,法老只是一个世人的镜子,法老代表世界上的人,宁可到处乱拜,拜偶像拜假神,信八卦找算命的,就是不懂得要拜真神。所以神使法老的心刚硬,其实是很大的怜悯,神用每一样灾来对应埃及的十个假神,为了唤醒他们的灵,来认识创造宇宙的真神,实在用心良苦。

What You Need

She was only five years old when you took the photo. Cheeks freckled by the summer sun, hair in pigtails. That was twenty years ago. Three marriages ago. A million flight miles and e-mails ago. Today she walks down the aisle on the arm of another father. You left your family bobbing in the wake of your high-speed career. Now that you have what you wanted, you don’t want it at all. Oh, to have a second chance.

Did you know God will give you one? 1 John 4:15 says, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” God repurposes bad decisions and squalid choices. To be saved by grace is to be saved by God, who placed a term limit on sin, and his son Jesus Christ, who danced a victory jig in the graveyard. God can do something with the mess of your life, and Grace is what you need.

这是神的手段

出埃及记8章18-19节     行法术的也用邪术要生出蝨子来,却是不能。于是在人身上和牲畜身上都有了蝨子。行法术的就对法老说:「这是神的手段。」法老心里刚硬,不肯听摩西、亚伦,正如耶和华所说的。

出埃及记8章18-19节     行法术的也用邪术要生出蝨子来,却是不能。于是在人身上和牲畜身上都有了蝨子。行法术的就对法老说:「这是神的手段。」法老心里刚硬,不肯听摩西、亚伦,正如耶和华所说的。

对法老而言,摩西和亚伦所施的奇事,只是一场又一场的法术比赛,法老的术士们也做得到。但是妥拉坊的钟盐光老师对这些奇事,有一套很好的解说:「每一组灾难都有一个耶和华神要向法老证明的命题。每个命题,在『每一组的第一灾』要发生时就已先预告和布达,并且,这命题的范围会随着法老的心理刚硬而不断加大、其等级也会不断上升。」这是法老所没有想到或预料到的。

Occupied by Christ

When grace happens, Christ enters. Christ in you, the hope of glory! For many years, I missed this truth. I believed all the other prepositions: Christ for me, Christ with me, Christ ahead of me. But I never imagined that Christ was in me.

I can’t blame my deficiency on Scripture. Paul refers to the indwelling of Christ 216 times. John mentions his presence 26. No other religion or philosophy makes such a claim. No other movement implies the living presence of its founder in his followers. Muhammad does not indwell Muslims. Buddha does not inhabit Buddhists. Influence? Instruct? Yes. But occupy? No!

The mystery of Christianity is summarized in Colossians 1:27: “Christ is in you!” Little by little a new image emerges, all because of God’s grace.

Grace Gets Us

Your dad makes you come to church, but he can’t make you listen. At least that’s what you’ve always muttered to yourself. But this morning you listen because the preacher speaks of a God who loves prodigals, and you feel like the worst sort of one.

You can’t keep the pregnancy a secret any longer. Soon your parents will know. The preacher will know. And the preacher says God already knows and you wonder what God thinks.

Could you use some grace? You know, grace is God’s best idea. Rather than tell us to change, he creates the change. Do we clean up so he can accept us? No, he accepts us and begins cleaning us up. What a difference this makes! Can’t forgive your past? Christ can, and he is on the move, aggressively budging you from graceless to grace-shaped living. A forgiven person who forgives others. This is grace. Grace is everything Jesus!

十灾背后的灵界之役

出埃及记七章3-5节  我要使法老的心刚硬,也要在埃及地多行神蹟奇事。 但法老必不听你们,我要伸手重重地刑罚埃及,将我的军队以色列民从埃及地领出来。 我伸手攻击埃及,将以色列人从他们中间领出来的时候,埃及人就要知道我是耶和华。

经文段落:出埃及记 6:2–9:35

十灾的结构是一堂给法老必修的「上帝存在论证」的哲学课。用上帝的存在和埃及的各样邪灵之对抗,来显明谁才是宇宙的主宰。

十灾的发生与启动,乃因耶和华欲回应法老在两件事上的「强烈否认」与「强硬拒绝」:

第一、耶和华是神。
第二、以色列作为父神耶和华「长子」的身分。(出埃及记4:22-23)

所以,耶和华要给法老,上一门非常「实际而具体」的哲学课,一堂关于「上帝存在论证」的必修课。

犹太人读十灾,发现到十灾有一个「精心设计」、「别具匠心」的工整结构。

God’s Best Idea is Grace

Your dad makes you come to church, but he can’t make you listen. At least that’s what you’ve always muttered to yourself. But this morning you listen because the preacher speaks of a God who loves prodigals, and you feel like the worst sort of one.

You can’t keep the pregnancy a secret any longer. Soon your parents will know. The preacher will know. And the preacher says God already knows and you wonder what God thinks.

Could you use some grace? You know, grace is God’s best idea. Rather than tell us to change, he creates the change. Do we clean up so he can accept us? No, he accepts us and begins cleaning us up. What a difference this makes! Can’t forgive your past? Christ can, and he is on the move, aggressively budging you from graceless to grace-shaped living. A forgiven person who forgives others. This is grace. Grace is everything Jesus!

使埃及人知道我是耶和华

埃及记7章1-5节     耶和华对摩西说:「我使你在法老面前代替神,你的哥哥亚伦是替你说话的。凡我所吩咐你的,你都要说。你的哥哥亚伦要对法老说,容以色列人出他的地。我要使法老的心刚硬,也要在埃及地多行神蹟奇事。但法老必不听你们,我要伸手重重地刑罚埃及,将我的军队以色列民从埃及地领出来。我伸手攻击埃及,将以色列人从他们中间领出来的时候,埃及人就要知道我是耶和华。」

从神对摩西的呼召,我们看到神把每一步都想好了,祂有全盘的计划,只要摩西跟着计划走就可以了。因此联想到,神在我们每个人身上是否也都有全盘的计划,只等着我们信靠顺服,就能走在神的旨意中了?

神的大计划如下:1.让摩西在法老面前代表神,亚伦则替摩西说话。2.神要摩西说什么,摩西都要告诉亚伦,亚伦再告诉法老。3.神要让法老的心刚硬,所以祂可以多行奇事。4.因为法老不听他们,所以神要惩罚埃及,将以色列人领出埃及。

祂要被看见

创世记五章4节 我与他们坚定所立的约,要把他们寄居的迦南地赐给他们。

假如神呼召你去传福音,然后跟你说,你传福音不会有人相信。你还会去吗?摩西就是碰到了这样的处境,神叫他去见法老,而且神还要用大能的手帮忙,但是埃及王法老也还是不会听摩西的,也不会让以色列人离开。假如你是摩西,你会接这样的差事吗?

当神呼召摩西时,祂就说了: 「我知道虽用大能的手,埃及王也不容你们去。我必伸手在埃及中间施行我一切的奇事,攻击那地,然后他才容你们去。我必叫你们在埃及人眼前蒙恩,你们去的时候就不至于空手而去。(出3:19-21)」事情不容易,但是神有应许。

马礼逊宣教士到中国时才22岁,他抱着这样的信念:「求上帝将我置于困难最多,和从人类眼光中看来最难成功之布道区域中」来到中国。果然,他做了十年,才有一个人相信耶稣。

神给摩西三个特异功能

出埃及记四章29-31节   摩西、亚伦就去招聚以色列的众长老。亚伦将耶和华对摩西所说的一切话述说了一遍,又在百姓眼前行了那些神蹟。百姓就信了。以色列人听见耶和华眷顾他们,鉴察他们的困苦,就低头下拜。

雅各和神的使者摔跤,直到他的大腿窝被摸了一把,他的脚扭了;他还是不放神的使者走,直到神的使者祝福他,才放他走。摩西也有这个较劲的性情。耶和华神把祂的计划全盘告诉摩西,却换来摩西的推三阻四。

摩西回答说:「他们必不信我,也不听我的话,必说:『耶和华并没有向你显现。』」

耶和华对摩西说:「你手里是什么?」他说:「是杖。」

耶和华说:「丢在地上。」

他一丢下去,就变做蛇,摩西便跑开。

耶和华对摩西说:「伸出手来,拿住牠的尾巴,牠必在你手中仍变为杖。如此好叫他们信耶和华他们祖宗的神,就是亚伯拉罕的神、以撒的神、雅各的神,是向你显现了。」

耶和华又对他说:「把手放在怀里。」他就把手放在怀里,及至抽出来,不料,手长了大痲疯,有雪那样白。