Tuesday, 3rd May 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-3 No Longer the Same
V1-2 ‘The burden against Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, and it will be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer are forsaken; they will be for flocks, which lie down, and no one will make them afraid.’ Damascus was the capital of Syria, and when God declared the end of Damascus, did believe really believe in it? Who was God talking to? He was talking to the people of Judah through prophet Isaiah. We seem to be trapped in a lot of things in this world, the pandemic, the economic crisis, and all the things appeared on the news or talked about by others. Are we focusing on the problems we are facing right now or really listening to what God us telling us?
V3 ‘The fortress also will cease from Ephraim, the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria; they will be as the glory of the children of Israel, says the Lord of hosts.’ When God decides to take the action then they will be no say by the people; when God decides to destroy a place, then no one will be saved. When God speaks, we must listen, stop using our own judgement to interpret the Word of God!
Section Two V4-11 God’s Timing
V4 ‘In that day it shall come to pass that the glory of Jacob will wane, and the fatness of his flesh grow lean.’ Do we believe in God’s timing? God has His best timing, we must learn to see God’s timing and God’s seasons, because if we continue to walk our own ways, then eventually we will be lost in the maze. Stop looking left and right, God is looking at us from above and He knows the way out!
V5 ‘It shall be as when the harvester gathers the grain and reaps the heads with his arm; it shall be as he who gathers heads of grain in the Valley of Rephaim.’ When God’s timing comes, He will make the move, He will take the action, and it’s never about us using our own strength. Do we believe that God has His timing?
V7-8 ‘In that day a man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will have respect for the Holy One of Israel. He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands; he will not respect what his fingers have made, nor the wooden images nor the incense altars.’ When people focus too much on the things in their hands, they will no longer see the Maker of the Heaven and Earth. We have a lot of plans, revelations, feelings, schedules… but when our lives are not aligned with God, and when we don’t see the Work of God in our lives, then all the things we want to do will not prosper.
V10-11 ‘Because you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and have not been mindful of the Rock of your stronghold, therefore you will plant pleasant plants and set out foreign seedlings; in the day you will make your plant to grow, and in the morning you will make your seed to flourish; but the harvest will be a heap of ruins in the day of grief and desperate sorrow.’ What do we rely on? All the stronghold and cities of this world will one day pass away. We thought we have worked hard, and we thought we can protect our plants and seedlings, but in that day, only the plan of God will last! So who do we follow and what do we rely on?
Section Three V12-14 Everything Wil Pass
V12 ‘Woe to the multitude of many people who make a noise like the roar of the seas, and to the rushing of nations that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!’ When God speaks, we must listen! Stop walking in our own way, stop making our own plans, but really listen!
V13 ‘The nations will rush like the rushing of many waters; but God will rebuke them and they will flee far away, and be chased like the chaff of the mountains before the wind, like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.’ At the end of the day, only the Word of God will remain, what is our attitude when we listen to God? Do not let our past failures stop us going forward, see God’s Hand at work!
V14 ‘Then behold, at eventide, trouble! And before the morning, he is no more. This is the portion of those who plunder us, and the lot of those who rob us.’ It’s time to let go of what we are holding onto, and really focus on the Way of God He has already shown to us.
以赛亚书 17 – 人的谋算 神的报应
2022年5月3日 星期二
潘锡安牧师
媒体上会报道很多负面的新闻，让人开始为自己谋算。我们听到那些消息的时候，心里没有平安，不愿意扎根，反而成为颠沛流离的人。有事情发生，人会担心害怕，因为没有倚靠神。当年以色列和亚兰国想联合起来铲除犹大国，然而神不会让人的计谋得逞。如今的我们似乎处在一个被困住的的环境，神如何出手？
一、v.1-3 不再一样
大马士革是亚兰的首都。这个预言是“万军之耶和华说的”。以赛亚在这里是对犹大人说话，他们在被敌军攻击、处在危机四伏的时刻。当我们听到神说的话时，我们是否会去听、去相信？当神说“安全”的时候，我们是否不认同，甚至想到要移民到其他国家？当神说“离开”，我们愿意离开舒适圈、谦卑顺服吗？
大马士革、亚罗珥这些繁荣的城市，最后都会被毁灭，“以法莲”就会失去亚兰这个“保障”。我们是否曾想过，只要有某些人帮我们，我们就可以处理好问题了，然而神说，我们所倚靠的人的荣耀都会“消灭”。
以赛亚书7:1记载：“乌西雅的孙子、约坦的儿子犹大王亚哈斯在位的时候，亚兰王利汛和利玛利的儿子以色列王比加，上来攻打耶路撒冷，却不能攻取。”既然如此，犹大人还有什么好惧怕的呢？为人撑腰的不是任何厉害的人，而是万军之耶和华。当神跟我们说话的时候，我们是否去听，还是用自己的想法来对待神的话，有自己的谋算？
二、v.4-11 神的时候
有时候我们想帮助别人信主、让他们更追求神，但我们不要用自己的力量，最后反而变成别人的神，我们要听神的话，要看到神的权能，因为神会为他的话包底。
V4,7,9 “那日”- 神有他的时间、你相信在他的时间神必会成就他的旨意吗？你愿意谦卑顺服于神的带领吗？很多时候我们听神的话，却只选择自己想要的一小部分来听。我们好像陷在迷宫里面只看到前后左右，但神从天垂看我们，可以看到出路，他告诉我们的话绝不会让我们迷路。神不会让我们羞愧，他说话后，必会包底。我们是否相信神到“那日”就会出手？
V4 不要看北国现在强壮，但到了神的时候，他们就“必渐瘦弱”。你们愿意相信、愿意谦卑顺服、等候神的时刻吗？
V7-9 当北国以色列遇到问题的时候，他们会知道，当年耶罗波安所造出来的偶像都没有用了。我们可能有很多计划、很多感动，但这些都是从神而来的吗？当我们的生命有问题，没有办法完全降服在神面前时，我们所领受的东西就要被谨慎查验。在晨祷中，神每一天都在跟他所呼召的人讲话，我们愿意面对自己的问题吗？我们或许可以说得天花乱坠，但我们骗不了万军之耶和华。我们以为自己伪装得很好，以为我们现在所追求的东西是好的，但最后都会一无所有。我们是否去倚靠那些我们以为坚固的城池呢？
V10 我们会自我欺骗，因为我们忘记了我们的神。
V11 栽种的时候，我们却插上一些奇怪的东西；在该栽种的时候我们却围上篱笆，以为这样可以帮助我们，但这些谋算在神的时候都会烟消云散。你愿意相信那个时候、愿意等候神吗？
三、v.12-14 都会过去
人一切谋算，都会过去。虽然周围敌人的声音很大，但神会为我们出手，我们愿意相信吗？攻击我们的仇敌“未到早晨…..就没有了”。
你愿意放下自己的坚持，走在神的带领里面吗？当神说话的时候，我们要听。你愿意不打折扣的去听、相信万军之耶和华必为他的话包底吗？人的谋算都会烟消云散，唯有神所说的才会立定在天地之间。