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Isaiah 44 – Only Jehovah 以赛亚书 44 – 唯有耶和华 

Tuesday, 26th July 2022

Rev Daniel Xi An Poon

Section One V1-8 Do Not Fear, Listen to God

V1-2 ‘Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant, and Israel whom I have chosen. Thus says the Lord who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you: Fear not, O Jacob My servant; and you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.’ Bad things happening in the news make us afraid; our environment and surroundings make us fear. But God is always there, our Comforter, our Fortress, our Salvation.

Section Two V9-20 Do Not Know, Do Not Meditate, Worship the Idols

V9 ‘Those who make an image, all of them are useless, and their precious things shall not profit; they are their own witnesses; they neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed.’ They will go hungry, grow tired and weary, because they worship God. They live under the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and they look at the environment instead of God. But following God is easy, when we really rely on Him, then we will not feel tired, and we will not need to seek idols.

V15-16 ‘Then it shall be for a man to burn, for he will take some of it and warm himself; yes, he kindles it and bakes bread; indeed he makes a god and worships it; he makes it a carved image, and falls down to it. He burns half of it in the fire; with this half he eats meat; he roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He even warms himself and says, ah! I am warm, I have seen the fire.”’ When we are afraid, we try to look for a way out with our own methods, we build idols and worship it.

V18 ‘They do not know nor understand; for He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand.’ God never wants to hide His truth from us, but when we refuse to listen to God, to meditate on His Word, then we will not receive the life coming from the Word of God. Then our hearts will be blocked and our eyes blinded. We only wanted to know what’s next, but we are not willing to wait.

V20 ‘He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside; and he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, is there not a lie in my right hand?’ When we worship the idols, we will be blinded, and we will walk astray. We are no longer able to walk on the Way of God, we even do not have the power and authority to pray and bless others. Everything we do will be in vain.

Section Three V21-28 Return, God Will Revive

V21 ‘Remember these, O Jacob, and Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant; o Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me!’ God is love, He opens our lives to see the light and allows us to receive the teaching openly. Let us be bold to admit our sins and mistakes, do not fear and let God speak the Word of teaching into our lives.

V28 ‘Who says of Cyrus, He is My shepherd, and he shall perform all My pleasure, saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” and to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”’ The Israelites at the time were hoping for a Prophet among them to be raised up and save them, but God used a foreign country to defeat their enemy and save them. We often expect God to save us according to our ways and our imagination, but God’s Way is higher than ours. We must humble ourselves, submit to the guidance of God and become the servants of God.

以赛亚书 44 – 唯有耶和华                     

2022年7月26日 星期二

潘锡安牧师 

耶和华神早已借着先知宣告犹大国的结局,但他们的心仍然顽梗,听到神的话后不愿回转,最后国破家亡。神是有怜悯的神,但他也是有公义的。在第44章的时候,以色列百姓已经亡国被掳,神仍然释放真理和盼望给他们。我们在现实生活中也面临这许多负面的事情,经济、物价、治安等等问题让我们心生恐慌。然而,神将我们带到这片土地有他的心意,他要借着他的话语给我们释放真的平安。

一、v.1-8 不要害怕 听从神

V1 神在一开始的时候让我们知道我们的身份:我们是被拣选的,也是神的仆人。如果我们不知道自己的身份,我们会成为“主人”、“老板”,也因此跌倒。神告诉我们“现在你当听”,意思就是要听从、服从。我们要服从神的话。

V2 神创造我们,我们或许都不认识自己,但他真认识我们。我们里面一切的辛苦、恐慌,神都知道。“耶书仑”代表以色列,意思是“正直的”。我们里面或许隐藏了很多歪曲的东西,很多时候我们觉得自己做得不好就很想放弃,但神看我们是他所拣选的正直的以色列。神知道我们听到这样的名称后会心虚,所以马上说“不要害怕”,用他的话语来包裹我们。

V3 我们是否口渴、干旱,是否愿意让神成为我们后裔的神,是否愿意谦卑承认自己需要神?我们确实是歪曲的、是得罪神的。我们愿意承认自己是仆人、让神来说话而自己去听从吗?

V4-5 当人听到神说的他愿意包裹我们的心的话语后,就愿意承认自己是属于神的。

V6-8 我们会害怕不知道前面道路的方向,因此容易自立为王,但耶和华神才是唯一的神。就算前面的道路非常渺茫,我们也“不要恐惧,也不要害怕”,这是神对我们说的。我们愿意谦卑听从神吗?

二、v.9-20 不知道 不思想 拜假神

V9 当神的能力彰显的时候,“制造雕刻偶像的尽都虚空”。

V12 偶像是人费自己的力气去做的,但人是会累的。跟从神本来是很轻松的,但当我们一直靠自己去做事的时候,我们就会疲倦、会因为环境而放弃,没有看见神是那位在沙漠开江河、在旷野开道路的神。

V13-16 为什么我们会造偶像、拜偶像?当我们想从这个世界上的人事物寻找安全感的时候,我们就会为自己雕刻偶像。偶像都是按着我们的思维想法来造的(“仿照人的体态”),我们以为它们住在我们里面就使我们不害怕。雕刻了偶像后,看见自己想要的东西,人就发出赞叹。

V17 木头本是神给我们用来生火取暖的,结果我们反而将这个东西雕刻成偶像去拜。我们很容易想要用一些看得见摸得着的东西当作从神而来的“印证”,因为我们不愿意成为神的仆人,因怕危险而不愿顺服神。神是借着他的话语立定诸天,他也在地上拣选领袖、权柄带领他的百姓。当我们不愿成为仆人的时候,我们就会自己雕刻偶像,想成为自己的王。

V18 其实不是神挡住这些人的眼睛,而是他们不愿意谦卑顺服,所以看不见神的带领。当我们不昼夜思想神的话语的时候,我们的心就闭塞,“不能明白”。当我们看不见神的带领时,我们就不愿意等。我们是否愿意谦卑跟从神?

V20 我们这些被蒙蔽、拜偶像的人,心是昏迷的,就偏离神,无法自救。“右手”代表我们祝福的手,当我们没有对准神的时候,即使举起手祝福别人也是没有能力的,我们所做的都是虚空的。

三、v.21-28 回转 神必复兴

圣灵来是要让我们为罪为义为审判自己责备自己。神跟我们讲上面这段话的时候,不是要贬低我们的,不是要定我们的罪,而是让我们回转。

V21 只要我们是神所拣选的仆人,神说他不会忘记我们。

V22 神是爱,他确实将我们的罪和蒙蔽在人群中赤裸敞开,使众人都能因此得到提升,并归荣耀给神。当初亚当夏娃犯罪后就躲藏起来,但在生命树的气息下,我们要勇敢面对我们过犯,因为神涂抹了我们的过犯和罪孽,是救赎我们的神。

V23 我们的生命千疮百孔,但神会用我们的生命来荣耀他自己。

V24-26 神的权能让我们这些靠自己能力的人羞愧。当我们愿意成为仆人、愿意听从,我们就会看到神话语的真实。当我们用自己的思想方式的时候,反而一败涂地。我们要在生命树的气息下与我们的权柄对水位,我们的服事才会轻省、见证神的荣耀。

V28 当时的以色列人在巴比伦的统治下为奴为仆,于是渴望一个本民族的伟人能被神兴起、拯救他们。但神说他要使用“居鲁士”- 这是一个拜其它教的外邦君王。神用当时的人想不到的波斯国将巴比伦灭掉,并让以色列人回归耶路撒冷重建圣殿。我们想要操控神,妄图让神按照我们的方法做事,但耶和华的意念不是我们的意念,他的道路也不是我们的道路。我们是否愿意谦卑顺服神的带领,成为神的仆人?