Thursday 26 May 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-3 God will Intervene
God’s beloved people are rebellious and prideful, not willing to follow God’s guidance and receive God’s providence. Do we really see God in our lives? The world is full of corruption but we can still live our lives, this is the grace of God. But we are dissatisfied, we still walk our way and follow our desires.
David had been faithful to God all his life, following God’s teaching and trusting in God, but when Solomon became the king, he married the daughter of Pharaoh and wanted to please Egypt, which was a strong nation. God has His timing, are we willing to wait and follow?
V1 ‘Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but who do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
Nor seek the Lord!’ When God is about to intervene, He said to His people, woe to you. Because the people were seeking help from the Egyptians, the people of the world, but not God. We see those who are strong, who are knowledgeable, who are well known, but we forgot to seek God.
Moses was the prince of Egypt, but God only used him after he was in the wilderness for 40 years; David was anointed king of Israel, but God only used him after he was poor and being chased after; Samson was strong, but God only used him when he finally humbled himself and sought God’s strength. We must seek God with His Word. Do we really know our God? He’s merciful but He is also righteous, He has the ability to bring down destruction in our lives. Can we really see God’s strength and power and authority?
V2 ‘Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster, and will not call back His words, but will arise against the house of evildoers, and against the help of those who work iniquity.’ God will rise up to attack the evildoers, those who don’t listen and obey the Word of God.
V3 ‘Now the Egyptians are men and not God, and their horses are flesh and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out His hand, both he who helps will fall, and he who is helped will fall down; they all will perish together.’ In the same way, have we become people’s help? Do they see us more than seeing God? We must follow the flow of God and of God’s church, bring people to God, not to ourselves.
Section Two V4-9 God will Save
V4 ‘For thus the Lord has spoken to me: As a lion roars, and a young lion over his prey (When a multitude of shepherds is summoned against him, He will not be afraid of their voice nor be disturbed by their noise), So the Lord of hosts will come down to fight for Mount Zion and for its hill.’ We are unable to set ourselves apart from this world, only God can help us to do it. God intervene by bringing the environment to us, so we can rely on Him. Then He can save us and set us apart. God is above everything in this world, why are we hiding away from our problems? Why are we pretending we don’t need God?
What do we rely on in this world? Not our wealth and not our health, but God of Hosts. We must stop relying on the things of the world but only on God. Everything we have is from God, and everything we are able to do is by God’s blessings. Let us put God first.
以赛亚书 31 – 神要分别为圣
2022年5月26日 星期四
潘锡安牧师
神的儿女原来是叛逆的，就是骄傲、不愿意听从神的安排。神在今天的经文继续告诉我们，犹大百姓不仅心里想走向埃及，甚至在行动上也做出来了。世界变幻莫测，但人的心还是这样。当年北国以色列灭亡后，南国犹大却没有一颗警醒的心。犹大王希西家还把自己的财物炫耀给巴比伦使者，他只看到自己有的，没有看到神。我们或许看到环境的严峻，却没有看到神的恩典。我们心里害怕，还是想用自己的方式在世上生存。摩西早已警告以色列百姓不可回埃及，但到了大卫的儿子所罗门登位的时候，他选择回到世界，因为他看见埃及有马匹，以为能用埃及的战马保护自己，没有看到保守自己的是万军之耶和华。人一直倚靠世界的力量、别人的帮助，没有看到神。神在这个时刻让我们教会用RPG祷告的方式去牧养，不再以自我为中心，不再让人看到哪个人很厉害，而是让我们谦卑借着祷告祈求将一切都交给他，降服在神面前。
一、v.1-3 神出手
V1 当神要出手的时候，他会先说“祸哉”，这些百姓“下埃及”- 就是去找那些他们觉得可以帮助他们的人。我们现在不也是“仗赖马匹，倚靠甚多的车辆，并倚靠强壮的马兵，却不仰望以色列的圣者，也不求问耶和华”吗？我们喜欢听大教会牧者的教导、听权威机构的建议，我们看人重要过神。然而，神兴起领袖的时候却不像人所看的、不是在人能力很大、风光无限的时候 – 大卫被兴起时，只是被家人所看不起的牧羊人；摩西被兴起时，只是在旷野牧羊的80岁老人家；约瑟被神使用时，是在监牢里；参孙被神使用时，是当他愿意承认自己的罪、求神饶恕的时候；神使用使徒保罗的时候，是保罗眼睛瞎了时候。我们是用世界的方法还是神的法则来行事。让我们不看人，单单看神！我们有RPG，是用神的话语仰望神，谦卑求神带领。在RPG里，我们不再沉浸在虚浮的事工里、不再高举个人的恩赐，而是放下世界的东西，单纯的来仰望、求问他。
V2 我们想要智慧，其实只有神才有智慧。他也是有能力降灾祸的，所以我们不要任意妄为，以为神只有爱。我们作为带领的人不要轻看自己的能力，我们背后是一位有智慧和降灾祸能力的神。别人不听我们的话，因为他们看不到我们背后的神，所以我们不要计较，也不要诅咒他们，而是祷告让他们自己能遇到神。不要看我们自己有多厉害，是我们背后的神厉害。神做事是有法则的，“并不反悔自己的话”。当我们没有神的灵在我们里面，我们就听不懂神的话。我们受洗时本来就有神的灵在我们里面，但当我们看自己太大的时候，我们就看不见神的灵，唯有谦卑祈求才能有神的灵，让我们趋吉避凶、过蒙福的生活。“作恶之家”指的是犹大家，因为他们眼中无神，看人大过神。“作孽”指的是偶像崇拜，我们牧养的时候不要让人看我们很厉害、很有爱心、只听我们说的话，不要成为别人的偶像，而要将人带去神那里，带到教会的水流中，不管下面牧养了多少人，他们都还是能跟我们的主任牧师师母连接。
V3 不要倚靠这些马和车，因为为我们争战的是万军之耶和华。我们牧养中遇到很多问题，因为我们没有将人带到神那里，所以我们跌倒了，别人也跌倒。
二、v.4-9 神拯救
我们没有办法自己分别为圣，我们能分别为圣，都是神的恩典。神让一些不好的事情出现在我们生命中时，我们看不到问题的根源，还要寻求埃及、找世界来帮助我们，或者以为挖一个洞躲进去进去就可以逃避问题。唯有倚靠神，看到神在万有之上，才能让我们分别为圣。
V4 原文这一节开头有“因为”这个词。“耶和华”就是自有永有的神，他对他的百姓说话。神不怕这个世界，无论你觉得那些攻击你的人和事有多大多困难，神都能为我们争战。
V5 城门城墙，神都能够越过，为要保护我们。
V6 “深深”原文是歇斯底里，我们看不到神，只会寻求人的帮助，就“深深地悖逆耶和华”。神对我们说，“现今要归向他”- 就是现在、不要拖延。
V7 我们要如何归向神？世上有什么事情让我们觉得心里踏实、开心？这些事都是我们所倚靠的偶像。我们要看到，我们能走到如今，都是神的带领。遇到不如意的事，我们就躲起来、玩手机，还是像大卫一样谦卑来寻求神？
V8 神要处理以色列的强敌 – 亚述。你愿意让神来将你分别为圣吗？你愿意不倚靠车不倚靠马，单单倚靠耶和华吗？你是否看到自己的祝福都来自神，是否愿意先神后人再大地？