Wednesday, 20th May 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-14 Live in Rebelliousness
Today’s scripture is talking about the environment surrounding us in 2022. God is talking to us through Isaiah 30. Every day when we open the Bible, do we hear God? When we attend Sunday Service and come to Morning Prayer, do we hear God? He knows everything and He sees everything. We thought we can hide from Him.
Do we really know how great our God is? Why did the lives of Israelites always go up and down? God has been sending different prophets to talk to them, to teach them, to remind them… but they still rebel against God. In the same way, do we also hear the Word of God but don’t listen? This is rebellious in God’s eyes.
We know there is a discipline policy at our school and our workplace, when we receive too many warnings we’ll be expelled. But God loves us, He doesn’t want to give up on us. He’s merciful and righteous, but He continues to teach us, to remind us, to give us hope.
V1 ‘Woe to the rebellious children, says the Lord, Who take counsel, but not of Me, and who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin.’ The first verse is a summary of this chapter. We want to win this world, we want to do things our way, but God is teaching is to focus on Him… the decisions we’ve made, the things we see, the priorities we’ve set… are they from God? Or from our lustful desires? Do we really know what God wants us to do and where He wants us to go?
V2 ‘Who walk to go down to Egypt, and have not asked My advice, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!’ What is rebelliousness? Do seek our own ways to solve problems, to use our familiar methods to face the challenges ahead. We’ve forgotten that God led His people out of Egypt, out of the ways of the world. But now we go back to the world and away from God. We work so hard every day in this world thinking we will prepare for our retirement life but we do not focus on living our current life!
V8 ‘Now go, write it before them on a tablet, and note it on a scroll, that it may be for time to come, forever and ever.’ We should focus on our eternal life, and prepare for the treasures in Heaven, not on this world. Not only for us but also for the next generation. We tend to teach our children the ways of the world, what to study, what to do for work, and what to invest in. We came out of Egypt but somehow we’re sending our children back. We must examine the values we are giving to our children.
V10 ‘Who say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, do not prophesy to us right things; speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits.’ Stop saying the void words, things that are not building us up but only to satisfy our desires.
Section Two V15-22 God will prepare
V16 ‘And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses”—Therefore you shall flee! And, “We will ride on swift horses”— Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift!’ We thought we walk fast, we thought we are way ahead of God, but we don’t realise that we were being chased after. We thought our ways can help us, but actually our worldly ways will only lead to a dead end. When we live under the fragrance of the Tree of Life, the people of the world may think we are doing pointless deeds, but only God knows how much we have actually done for Him. When we stop following the ways of the world and start seeking the ways of God, His blessings will come upon us.
V18-19 ‘Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him. For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you.’ Are we willing to wait upon God? God hears our every prayer and every cry. He hears and He will answer. Do not given up but strive to live a life set apart from the world.
V20 God will lead us, all the difficulties and challenges are actually blessing us, building us up, making us better. What do we focus on? Money, authority, comfort…? God wants us to get rid of focusing on all these things, and start following God.
Section Three V23-33 Wait Diligently
On that day, God will provide for us, we must be planted in the good soil, let God mould our lives and let us wait upon Him.
以赛亚书 30 – 在黑暗中要等候神
2022年5月25日 星期三
潘锡安牧师
一、v.1-14 活在叛逆中
V1a 神的话语永远不过时，他仍然对今天的我们说话。本章第一节的经文就总结了全章内容。“耶和华说”这句话有很重要的意义，我们在晨祷或主日中是否听到耶和华神对我们说话，还是觉得是牧者的讲道在针对我们？其实神都知道我们的生命，他知道我们处在什么光景，只有我们不知道而已。我们在被教导时，抱着跟以色列人一样无所谓的心态，没有把牧者的话当成耶和华神对我们说的话。当以赛亚先知说“耶和华说”时，这其实是神在跟先知说的话，借着先知的口对百姓说话。从出埃及记到以赛亚书的时代，以色列人生命高高低低，因为他们一直活在同样的模式中。我们是否也是这样，明明知道自己应该要做的事却不去做？于是神不断跟他所爱的子民说话。当我们没有根据神的话去行的时候，我们就是“悖逆”，要受神的责备。在学校或工作上，我们处理不听话的人，会先给他们一些警告，若这些人仍然不听，就会被开除；然而爱我们的耶和华神面对叛逆的我们，仍然看为“儿女”，不会丢弃。神有怜悯，也有公义，这是神的法则，不会改变。我们虽然活在叛逆中，却还是有希望的，因此不要轻言放弃。
V1b 这些人计划很多事情，却都不是在神的心意里。我们所看重的是什么呢？是金钱、名利、享乐、好的生活吗？我们的优先次序若不是先神后人再大地，就一定会找借口不选择神。“结盟却不由于我的灵”- 说明这些人的所有决定都不在神的灵的带领里面，他们看到的都是自己想要的东西，看不到神要给他们的。当我们“罪上加罪”，神本可以掩面不看我们，但他仍然爱我们这群“悖逆的儿女”。我们不要自欺欺人，公义的神不会与有罪的我们同在，当我们叛逆的时候，我们听不到神，因此以赛亚才跟神的百姓、也包括祭司利未人讲话。
V2-3 叛逆就是我们用自己的方法去解决我们所面对的问题。我们选择找”埃及”来帮助我们，用我们以前熟悉的人或做事方式来处理事情，但我们忘了，埃及是神用十灾带我们离开的地方。我们经历了多少困难才知道，靠着自己我们无法有永生、唯有倚靠耶和华才能使我们和下一代得到祝福。然而遇到问题时，我们又回到埃及，以为可以不用面对世界，只要每天吃喝、工作、或者玩手机、上网，用这些事情麻醉自己、逃避压力。工作上的成就可能一开始给我们好处，但最后就让我们沉醉在埃及的生活里，不断忙我们自己要做的事，无法看到永生，只会担忧我们年老后的生活。我们穷尽一生是否只为那最后的几十年？我们不为永生预备，却为最后生病的那些年预备，这岂不可笑？我们不要为我们自己的情欲而活，要为永生预备。
V8-9 神的话不是只跟当时的南国犹大说的，神的话也跟今天的我们和我们的子孙后代说的。为什么神说我们的“后世”（后代）是叛逆的？要思想，我们遗留给我们孩子的是什么呢？我们是否要求他们一定有努力读书、有光鲜亮丽的工作、赚很多钱，要他们认同世界的价值观？他们是叛逆的，因为我们是叛逆的，我们给他们的是世界、埃及的价值观而不是神国度的价值观。我们常希望用圣经里的名字给孩子起名，期望他们因此得祝福，但我们是否真的愿意让孩子服事神而不是服事世界？我们要帮助孩子活出神给他的命定。
V10 当时的百姓不想看见或听见那些“不吉利的事”。现今的教会也喜欢“说柔和的话，言虚幻的事”，就是让我们觉得舒服的话。但耶稣基督说，“天国近了，你们要悔改”，保罗告诫我们要“攻克己身，叫身服我”。他们并没有叫我们要“做自己”、顺服自己的情欲而活。
V11-14 活在叛逆中的人是不想看到神审判的。我们叛逆的时候，有很多自我辩护的理由，但神什么都看得见，所以我们不要欺骗自己。
二、v.15-22 神必有预备
V15 神一早就对他的百姓说过，你们不愿意倚靠神！
V16-18 我们以为自己跑得很快，甚至可以跑在神前面，然而落难时我们要被追赶。我们以为可以靠自己，但最后都只能逃跑。我们在生命树下的时候，好像自己是吃亏的，好像都是自己在做事，但是，当我们不跟着世界或自己的情欲走时，神知道我们一切所行的，必要施恩给我们。神是公平的，必会报应各人，“凡等候他的，都是有福的！”
V19 我们难过时的哭声，神都会听见，也必应允我们，所以不要放弃为神过分别为圣的生活。
V20 我们做权柄、小组长的，我们要如何带领下面的人？是否只用“神是爱”来安慰他们，还是愿意将他们交托给神，在经历艰难困苦中仍与他们一起？要让他们知道在艰难困苦中神与我们同在，他是祝福我们的。
V22 我们生命中所看重的是什么呢？是金钱、将来、还是生活的安逸？神要我们丢弃自己亲手赚来的东西。我们是否相信，当我们先神后人再大地，专心跟从神，神必有预备?
三、v.23-33 要专心等候
V23 你选择的土是好土吗？是否有神的教导和修剪？神不止给我们种子，也有牲畜，我们要做的就是撒种，神就会供应我们，我们相信吗？
V31-33 我们眼中看为巨人的仇敌，神都会使他们消失，我们是否相信？