Friday, 5th August 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-8 Listen to the Word of God
V1-2 God is reminding His people, who think they are going after righteousness, to follow Abraham. When Abraham decided to no longer follow this world but to follow God, then He was blessed. God wants us to let go and only rely on Him.
V3 God was talking to Judah, that He is comforting them. Can we see God’s comfort in the waste places? Or do we only see the problems? We are afraid of the environment, we are afraid of losing ourselves, but we don’t see God protects and provides for us until today. We don’t see and we don’t feel God because we focus too much on the problems. We have lots of little dramas inside of us, we have lots of excuses not to follow God. We thought God abandoned us in the desert, but it’s our attitude, we rejected God first.
V4 God is calling His people to hear, do not let what we see influence our faith, but to hear what God is saying to us. When we are willing to listen, then we can hear the Word of God, the teaching of God, and the guidance of God. When we are lost in the darkness, only the Word of God can show us the way out.
V5 Only when God’s teaching and God’s Word are spoken, then we can receive righteousness and salvation. We must have attentive ears to listen. God will judge those, who prosecuted us and took away our peace. Do not be afraid and let God vindicate.
V6 Do we really see it? The world that we run after will fade away one day. The things and people we rely on will fade away. Only the salvation and righteousness of God will never change. God’s Word makes firm Heaven and earth.
V7-8 Believe that God’s salvation lasts for eternity. Stop using our eyes to see and to make judgement, but to listen with our ears, follow God out of darkness.
Section Two V9-16 Do Not Be Afraid
V9 Everything we rely on and everything we are afraid of will be destroyed by God.
V10 How did the Red Sea and the Jordan River open? When people lost faith and hope, God performed miracles for His people to go out of Egypt and to enter the Promised Land.
V11 God’s people will be saved, and they will receive salvation. Do not be afraid anymore, do not worry about the desert, and do not look back to Egypt. We are unwilling to let go and let God. Let us sing the words of praises and the words of worship, not the words of despairs and complaint.
V12 We want to do many things for ourselves and for others, but who are we? Without God we cannot do anything. We must stand in the right position and do the right things pleasing to God.
V13 Do not be afraid and do not be overwhelmed by the dramas in our lives. Let praise and worship lead us to seek God.
V14 The captives will be released and will not die. God is our God and He will sustain us. We only want to avoid the problems in lives, but God wants us to never lacking. We only see what’s in front of us, we only worry about the problems we have right now, but God does not want us to live in fear, He will provide for us and we will lack nothing.
V15-16 God will use us, He will lift us up and protect us from all the attacks. Because we are His people, His chosen ones, and we belong to God. Do we really understand this?
Section Three V17-22 To Stand Up
V17 We stay in our sin for too long, God has already given us His Word, and we must live out the life! God sees us as Jerusalem, the place of the Holy Temple. Can we see Jerusalem in our darkness? We must awake and stand up, stop seeking people’s approval, but become the Temple of God.
V21 Listen to God, stand up and see God’s Light. Are we willing to stand up and be raised up? God’s hands are always guiding us, but we must be willing to stand by the power of God. See God in our troubles, His love is real, we can hold onto His hands and walk out of the darkness through His salvation!
以赛亚书 51 – 如何走出黑暗 进入神的命定
2022年8月5日 星期五
潘锡安牧师
在巴比伦的犹大人已经在被掳被囚的地方习惯了那里的生活，好像当初在埃及400年的以色列百姓那样，失去了对亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各的神的相信。他们觉得为奴为仆的日子是应该的，看自己一无是处。神让他的百姓重新看到自己的身份，走出为奴为仆的生命。当以色列百姓跨出去，就看到云柱火柱的带领；神也同样对被掳到巴比伦的犹大百姓这样说话，让他们知道如何走出黑暗，进入神的命定。
一、v.1-8 要听神的话
V1-2 当我们在黑暗、蒙蔽里的时候，我们会以为自己是“追求公义、寻求耶和华的”，所以神要我们听他说的话。神要我们回想起过去他如何帮助我们，我们又如何活到如今。当时的人遇到困难时马上想到要去埃及得帮助，但当年亚伯拉罕去到埃及时因为怕人会抢了他的妻子撒拉而杀他，就骗别人说撒拉只是自己的妹妹，好在神亲自跟法老说话，拯救亚伯拉罕和撒拉。 神要他的百姓追想起这些事。当亚伯拉罕愿意不追求世界而单单追求神的时候，神就“选召他，赐福于他，使他人数增多”。神的心意是要赐福我们，我们要单单倚靠他。
V3 神跟经历家破人亡的百姓说，神的安慰已经来了，你们看到的是荒场、问题，还是神的安慰和保守让你们能走到如今？当我们在伤心难过的时候，我们没有看到神一路都在陪伴我们，因为我们都在看问题和环境。在破碎的环境中，如何看到“伊甸”和“耶和华的园囿”？这都在乎我们的态度。我们里面只有抱怨、愤怒、不平、难过等小剧场，好像旷野和沙漠，若我们态度不改变，它们就无法变为“伊甸”和“耶和华的园囿”。“在其中必有欢喜、快乐、感谢和歌唱的声音”- 这就是“马可楼”的情景- 当年在罗马军兵和犹太祭司的追捕下，门徒仍然每天来到马可楼祷告。我们 不愿意聚焦于神，但神要我们即使在沙漠中也有“欢喜、快乐、感谢和歌唱的声音”。我们相信神的话，还是自己眼睛看到的东西？
V4 不要被我们的眼睛影响我们的信心，要留心去听，因为神说“训诲必从我而出，我必坚定我的公理为万民之光”。遇到问题，我们期盼的是神出手相救，但唯有神的训诲-就是他的话语才能帮助我们从我们的黑暗、蒙蔽里看见亮光。唯有神的话才是两刃的剑，砍断、破除我们的黑暗，让我们看清前方的道路。我们要听的不是花言巧语或甜言蜜语，而是神的训诲，唯有听的时候，我们才能出黑暗入光明。
V5 唯有在神的训诲里，我们才能靠近神的公义。我们以为自己在寻求神，其实我们是瞎眼的，唯有愿意留心、侧耳聆听，神的公义、救恩才会临到。当神的审判来到时，那些让我们害怕、失去信心的人和事，他都会处理。
V6 我们是否有真的去看？我们所追求、谋算想要得到的世界、所倚靠的人都会过去，唯有神的拯救、公义永不改变，他的话语立定天下。
V7-8 我们是否相信唯有神的“公义永远长存”，他的“救恩直到万代”？我们是否愿意不用眼睛去看而侧耳去听？唯有谦卑聆听神，才能走出黑暗。
二、v.9-16 不要再害怕
V9 这世上我们所倚靠或害怕的都会过去。“拉哈伯”指的就是埃及（以赛亚书30:7）我们倚靠那我们觉得可以帮助人的埃及，但神说他们帮不了我们。
V10 神再一次提醒这些为奴为仆的人，在人失去盼望的时候，神将红海、约旦河分开，让以色列人可以离开为奴为仆之地、进入应许之地。他是那行奇事、美事的神。
V11 不要再害怕前面的路如何走，不要害怕旷野、不要害怕没有埃及怎么办？我们想要抓住使自己舒适的环境，不愿让神带领我们，但神说他必拯救。我们是否有欢喜快乐的声音？当我们遇到不公平的事情、生气的时候，那欢喜快乐的声音在哪里？在难过的时候，我们是否仍然选择敬拜神、让我们的口说出赞美的话，还是说出负面、诡诈、让人跌倒的话？
V12 我们很容易成为自己的神，为我们和家人做了很多事。但神提醒我们，我们是谁呢？
V13 不要再害怕，不要让我们里面的小剧场带我们走进死亡。在不可能的时候，要用赞美和敬拜寻求耶和华。
V14-15 我们的祈求和盼望是“快得释放”和“不死而下坑”，希望问题不要再来，但神还会给我们“食物”，使我们“不致缺乏”。我们看的只是不要受苦、不要贫穷、不被批评论断，神要的是我们不致缺乏，不活在恐惧害怕里。我们会难过、躲在山洞里，因为我们不知道自己是缺乏、瞎眼的，我们还以为自己是公义的、是寻求神的。神要我们在生命树的气息下谦卑去听。
V16 神要使用我们，保护我们，使烈日无法伤害我们，因为我们是神所拣选的，是属他的百姓。
三、v.17-23 要兴起 要站起来
V17 我们陷在过去的罪恶中，但神给了我们教导，我们就能出来。我们要活出生命，就要“兴起”。“耶路撒冷”不在巴比伦，也不在旷野、沙漠，神看我们是耶路撒冷，是圣殿的所在。在问题中，我们是否看到耶路撒冷？神要我们兴起，而不是躺在原处只用自己的嘴巴说反败为胜、只想要人的同情和安慰。神要我们成为耶路撒冷、要兴起，不要整天躺在那里怨天尤人。我们有看到神的大能和拯救，有从大便中找黄金吗？
V19-20 那些让我们躺卧的东西，我们要离开，我们要兴起，高过这一切。
V21 我们是“困苦”的吗？要听神的话。
V22 你愿意被兴起、愿意靠主站立吗？当你觉得受伤、难过、害怕时，你真的有看到神吗？神的爱是真实的，神的预备是充充实实的，我们是否愿意去听他的训诲，是否愿意不再害怕，而是兴起、走出我们的害怕、迷茫、伤感吗？神的手一直都在，我们愿意伸出手，让神牵着我们，带领我们走前方的路吗？