Thursday, 28th July 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-2 True Face of the Idol
V1 ‘Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle. Your carriages were heavily loaded, a burden to the weary beast.’
V2 They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but have themselves gone into captivity.’ The idols cannot change, they stay in the same place, and they can never help us. The idols will only make us lose the peace and give us more burdens.
Section Two V3-7 Only Jehovah
V3 ‘Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been upheld by Me from birth, who have been carried from the womb.’ God reminds us that we are the remnant, we must see where we are, and we must know who we are. Those who follow the world and worship the idols will eventually parish, but God is talking to us and reminding us that He is the One, who carried us through our darkest times.
V4 ‘Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.’ God has been carrying us all this way, but can we see it? Do we know it? He is our Creator and He will take responsibility for us until the end.
V5 ‘To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal and compare Me, that we should be alike?’ The Will of God for us is good, but we do not understand. When we receive the teaching and disciplines from God, we feel upset and discouraged. We should let go our ourselves and do the work of God. Only Jehovah, is the One, who can help us t the end and give us answers to all the questions we have in life.
Section Three V8-13 Return and Repent
V8 ‘Remember this, and show yourselves men; recall to mind, O you transgressors.’ God does not come to judge us, but to help us. So stop hiding in the dark, but start facing the truth. Speak the words of encouragement and power, think about the good things God has given to us in our life, then we can see more and more blessings surround us.
Deuteronomy 32:6-7 says, ‘Do you thus deal with the Lord, o foolish and unwise people? Is He not your Father, who bought you? Has He not made you and established you? Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will show you; your elders, and they will tell you.’ What do we focus on when we teach our children and those who follow us? Do we really show them the wonderous miracles of God in our lives? When we live a life of testimony, then we can also influence our next generations. But a lot of time, we spend money and time for our children to gain knowledge of this world.
Psalm 77:6-12 says, ‘I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search. Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favourable no more? Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah. And I said, this is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the works of the Lord; surely, I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work and talk of Your deeds.’ When we pray, what is our attitude? Do we expect God to perform miracles according to what we pray for? Do we want to control God with our prayers? We must now we seek the Most High God, Who created the Heaven and Earth.
We must have wisdom to gather our treasures in Heaven. The things on this world will pass away, do not hold onto the things we have in this world, but to follow God’s guidance, we must know God is God, and let God be God! V9-10 ‘Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.’ What is pleasing to God? God wants to bless us and whatever pleases Him must be beneficial to us.
V11 ‘Calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed, I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.’ The Way of God is not decided by us. God saved the Israelites through a foreign Kingdom, He would do new things, not by our will but by His Will.
V12-13 ‘Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted, who are far from righteousness: I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger. And I will place salvation in Zion, for Israel My glory.’ God sees us as His glory, are we willing to repent and return, to receive the salvation of God? God loves us, He is our Abba Father, so let go of the things we want to do, and the things we hold onto, and worship Him only.
以赛亚书 46 – 耶和华施行的救恩
2022年7月28日 星期四
潘锡安牧师
一、v.1-2 偶像的真面目
“彼勒”意思是君主，是当时巴比伦所拜的最大的偶像，但它在创造天地的真神面前也要“屈身”；“尼波”掌管学习、文学的偶像，代表智慧，但人不知道智慧是从耶和华出来，反而造出偶像来拜，以为偶像可以给他们智慧。他们将人手所造出的偶像驮在牲畜背上，结果反成了重担。我们人手做的东西让我们劳苦重担，没有爱，但感谢神，我们在马可楼连接于神，也与弟兄姐妹连接，成为爱的共同体，也可以影响到下面要关怀牧养的人，这份爱就不是重担。偶像让人没有平安、失去自己。我们要认清偶像的真面目，才能放下我们的偶像。我们生命中有什么自己制造出来的偶像呢？是智慧、财富、权力吗？这些都会让我们劳苦重担。我们在困难的环境中会被蒙蔽以致改变我们的信心，其实这些重担蒙蔽了我们，让我们无法领受从天而来的爱。
二、v.3-7 唯有耶和华
V3a 神提醒我们，我们是“余剩的”。跟从世界的结果是死亡，然而因着神的怜悯，我们今天能够在这里，神要对我们说话，我们要听他说话。
V3b-4 神是何等怜悯我们，但我们还在蒙蔽当中。偶像给我们劳苦重担、让我们失去平安，唯有耶和华神是那从我们出生就背负我们的神，他背负我们走过一生最困难的时刻。神创造我们、看顾我们，为我们负责到底，也必拯救我们。
V5 谁能够像耶和华这样爱我们呢？耶和华向我们所怀的意念是赐平安的意念，但当我们被提升的时候，我们没有意识到那是神挽回的爱。神知道我们所遇到的一切困难，我们是否愿意放下自己，让神来做他的工作？
V7 人手所做的东西不能够给我们答案，“也不能救人脱离患难”。
三、v.8-13 回转悔改
V8-9 当我们知道真相后，就不要再执迷不悟。耶和华施行的是救恩，不是来审判我们的。我们要“想念这事”，表现出“大丈夫”气概，而不是讲负面的话。我们要思想神过去为我们所行美好的事。
申命记32:6-7说：“愚昧无知的民哪，你们这样报答耶和华吗？他岂不是你的父，将你买来的吗？他是制造你，建立你的。你当追想上古之日，思念历代之年。问你的父亲，他必指示你；问你的长者，他必告诉你。”我们做父亲、做权柄的是否跟下面的人见证神如何帮助我们走过高山低谷？我们带给下一代的是什么？做父母的花很多金钱和时间让孩子得到世界的知识技能，希望孩子能出人头地，却没有花时间让孩子明白神的救恩，也忘了是神让我们“居上不居下，居首不居尾”。唯有神的话语才是对我们的下一代最重要的。让我们做“大丈夫”，不要屈服于这个世界。
诗篇77:6-12 说：“我想起我夜间的歌曲，扪心自问，我心里也仔细省察：难道主要永远丢弃我，不再施恩吗？难道他的慈爱永远穷尽，他的应许世世废弃吗？难道神忘记开恩，因发怒就止住他的慈悲吗？（细拉）我便说：‘这是我的懦弱，但我要追念至高者显出右手之年代。’我要提说耶和华所行的，我要纪念你古时的奇事。我也要思想你的经营，默念你的作为。”我们向神祷告，不是要操控神来一次又一次成就我们的心愿，而是要看到神所显明的权能后就愿意来谦卑跟随他。这个世界是堕落的，唯有神为我们预备的是永恒，我们所追求的、花时间做的投资在哪里呢？让我们不要成为又恶又懒的仆人，而是积财宝在天上。
V10 神说，“我的筹算必立定，凡我所喜悦的，我必成就”，我们所祈求的若不是神喜悦的，就不会成就。我们要对准水位，才知道神所喜悦的是什么事，神所做的都是能祝福我们的。
V11 “鸷鸟”就是波斯古列王（塞鲁士）。以色列人当时想的是一个像摩西一样的人来拯救他们，但神做的是新事。神不是按照人的方法来行事，他使用外邦君王来帮助以色列百姓。神让我们知道他是主，是自有永有的神。
V12-13 “远离公义”就是远离神。我们是否看自己是神的“荣耀”？可能我们看自己什么都不是，想要靠自己的力量能够出人头地，却不知道神所预备给我们的，不知道神已经看我们为他的荣耀。我们是否愿意回到锡安、是否愿意悔改、回到神的救恩？让我们放下生命中拦阻我们领受神的爱的一切偶像，单单跟随神。