Wednesday, 11th May 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-14 Do Not be Ungrateful
V1-2 ‘The burden against the Valley of Vision. What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops, you who are full of noise, a tumultuous city, a joyous city? Your slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.’ The Israelites had forgotten how God saved them from the army of Syria. Do we stay alert? Can we see God’s working for us? Even in the time of peace and comfort, we must be prepared because nothing happens by accident. God has been protecting us and providing for us, we must always give thanks for everything we have today. In our daily life, our family, our work, our health, our finance… do we see God’s providence? No one can protect us expect for God, He has been sustaining us all this time!
V3-4 ‘All your rulers have fled together; they are captured by the archers. All who are found in you are bound together; they have fled from afar. Therefore I said, “Look away from me, I will weep bitterly; do not labour to comfort me because of the plundering of the daughter of my people.”’ God was reminding His people and disciplining them to see what a miracle it was for the great army of Syria to disappear overnight. God is real and God’s protection is there for His people, but people are being ungrateful, we fail to see God and we only see ourselves. We take all the success for granted, and we forgot that without God, we are nothing. We must set ourselves apart, glorify God wherever we go, do not conform with this world, but share the Good News to the world.
V5 ‘For it is a day of trouble and treading down and perplexity by the Lord God of hosts in the Valley of Vision—Breaking down the walls and of crying to the mountain.’ God will take the action, if we continue to sin and boast about ourselves. V8-9 ‘He removed the protection of Judah. You looked in that day to the armour of the House of the Forest; you also saw the damage to the city of David, that it was great; and you gathered together the waters of the lower pool.’ The people wanted to rely on the city of David, but they did not see that it was God, who had been protecting them. The city can never truly protect us and keep us safe without the presence of God.
V14 ‘Then it was revealed in my hearing by the Lord of hosts, “Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you, even to your death,” says the Lord God of hosts.’ We must see God in our lives and always give thanks for everything we have! It’s never by our strength but by the grace of God and we must reveal God in our lives. On the other hand, this iniquity of being ungrateful will bring no atonement for us. What are we boasting? We must be alert, be prepared, be careful and be grateful.
Section Two V15-19 Do Not Forget Our Identity
V15-16 ‘Thus says the Lord God of hosts: “Go, proceed to this steward, to Shebna, who is over the house, and say: ‘What have you here, and whom have you here, that you have hewn a sepulchre here, as he who hews himself a sepulchre on high, who carves a tomb for himself in a rock?’ Shebna was an important assistance in king Hezekiah’s time, but he did not influence the generation and glorify God, instead, he only focused on his own safety and his own wealth.
V17 ‘Indeed, the Lord will throw you away violently, o mighty man, and will surely seize you.’ What are we working hard for? For God or for people of this world? We must remember our identity; we are servants in the Kingdom of God. V18 ‘He will surely turn violently and toss you like a ball into a large country; there you shall die, and there your glorious chariots shall be the shame of your master’s house.’ If we cannot glorify God, at the end it will only lead to destruction for us and nothing can keep us safe.
V20-25 Do Not Think We Have Already Received
We cannot stay in the comfort zone, because in comfort we will never see God. V22-23 ‘The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; so he shall open, and no one shall shut; and he shall shut, and no one shall open. I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place, and he will become a glorious throne to his father’s house.’ God has given great power and authority to His people, but what are our attitude when we receive this?
Today, God reminds us to convict ourselves for sins, for righteousness and for judgement. See God in our lives and let God be revealed more in our lives.
以赛亚书 22 – 如何能居安思危
2022年5月11日 星期三
潘锡安牧师
有些时候我们听了一个信息、或者经历了一些祝福许多次之后，就觉得这些事情是必然发生了，没有看重神在我们身上的恩典。我们看到其他的地区经历疫情的肆虐，是否能居安思危，还是觉得事不关己高高挂起？我们今天能够拥有这一切，心里是否对神有感恩，是否能说出感恩、激励周围的人的话语，让人们看到神是祝福的神？我们能否在日常生活中带出正能量，这也是以赛亚书22章要给我们的信息。
一、v.1-14 不要忘恩负义
当我们处在恩典的日子时，不要忘恩负义。
V1-3 “异象”- 异象是神给我们看见的前面的道路，让我们能够向前走。在圣经66卷书里我们能看到神的异象、心意，但在如今的现实生活中，我们是否仍看到神的作为，是否从中看到恩典？当时在耶路撒冷的犹大人只看到世界上的人和事，却看不到背后施恩典的神。他们的敌人亚述十八万五千军兵一夜之间被打败了，犹大人就在房顶欢呼庆祝，却没有感恩神，他们看不到这件事是神的作为。犹大人没有看见当初亚述兵临城下的时候自己是如何惧怕，忘记了是神拯救他们。疫情中我们怕确诊，因为我们不知道是神帮助我们能走到如今，还以为是我们做了什么在保护自己。我们的挂虑帮不了我们，我们的害怕不能给我们平安。我们是否以为自己的方法很好，还是谦卑感恩神的一路带领，让人从我们身上看到神？
V4 神对他们说，你们看见十八万五千的亚述兵一夜之间被歼灭，却没有看见神，连希西家王都只是在向巴比伦使者炫耀自己的财富，没有让人看到耶和华神是真的。我们是否向别人炫耀的是我们自己所拥有的产业，却看不到神在我们的生命中？在神的眼中，这就是一个忘恩负义的人。不要以为我们在这片乐土就是很安全的，神不要我们在祝福中被宠坏，而要我们看到他的大作为。神拣选他的百姓，成为外邦人的灯塔，让世界看见耶和华是神。我们的生活、平时所说的话，是否都跟其他不信主的人一样？我们是否在我们的职场上荣耀神，而不是让人看到自己多厉害？做父母的是否让人看到是神的保守恩典，我们的孩子才能走到如今？
V5-6 因为这些犹大民众忘恩负义，神就让敌人来攻击犹大国，“使异象谷有溃乱、践踏、烦扰的日子，城被攻破，哀声达到山间”。
V8-11 当我们遇到问题的“那日”，我们依赖什么呢？耶路撒冷的城墙已经千疮百孔，无法提供保护；蓄水池里没有水了，别人只看见这水池是希西家从城外引水进来，却看不见这是神的恩典。
V14 这忘恩负义的罪是直到死都“断不得赦免”。我们觉得自己能有今天是因为过去的努力，认为所得的祝福是理所当然。然而，不要忘恩负义，要看到我们今天能有这一切都不是必然的。
二、v.15-19 不要忘掉自己的身份
“舍伯那”是希西家王一个很重要的书记，希西家信任他，甚至将他所不需要管理的银库都交给他。如此被王信任的人，舍伯那却没有发挥自己的能力。当你没有在你的位置发挥影响力，而是整天做事来巩固自己的地位，“耶和华必像大有力的人，将你紧紧缠裹，竭力抛去”。我们在一个团体里，是否让人觉得自己很厉害，功高盖主，以为没有自己就不行？我们让人看到自己大有能力，然而神反而让这样的人成为“主人家的羞辱，必在那里坐你荣耀的车，也必在那里死亡”；你若没有倚靠神，神也会“赶逐你离开官职，你必从你的原位撤下”。我们在做工的时候不开心，因为我们的努力不是献给神，而是让别人看到我们自己在这个位置上的能力。我们都是神国度里的仆人，要谦卑顺服，唯有如此，才能在我们的位分上居安思危，不断敬拜神，而不是成为别人的神。
三、 v. 20-25 不要自以为得着了
“安逸”对基督徒来说是一个最大的毒药。当有一个安逸的氛围压抑着我们，我们就不想敬拜神。“希勒家的儿子以利亚敬”似乎很厉害，有神所交给他的外袍、腰带、政权、大卫的钥匙，又有“必做耶路撒冷居民和犹大家的父……必作为他父家荣耀的宝座”的应许。以利亚敬如何领受从神而来的一切呢？
V25 “当那日”，就是以利亚敬若没有战兢敬畏神、自以为得到一切是理所应当的时候，他必会“被砍断落地”，他的子孙后代“必被剪断”。我们不要以为自己已经确定得到一切祝福，而要存为罪为义为审判的心，居安思危，不要被胜利、恩典冲昏了头脑。让我们居安思危，在恩典中更加谦卑，荣神益人。