Tuesday, 23rd August 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
God has given us different revelation in Isaiah 56 today. God wants us to see that His work is at hand. It was a difficult time when the people of Israel was being captured and enslaved by Babylon. But we can also see the righteousness and mercy of God during this time. When we are experience difficult time, God wants us not to lose hope. He is reminding us our identity as the children of God, He is waiting for us to return and to change. He doesn’t want to spoil us, He wants us to see the truth. The culture of the Bible is about disciplining our children with love. The discipline of God is not in His rage but in His mercy.
We do not understand the truth. It’s easy for us to look for the wrongdoings of other but not easy to look at what is right in the eyes of God. In the Book of Isaiah , Gos wants to open our eyes, to see beyond the current situations.
Section One V1-8 To See God is Faithful
V1 ‘Thus says the Lord: Keep justice, and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come, and My righteousness to be revealed.’ In difficult time, we won’t believe in just. God wants to remind us, when we are in difficulties we must seek righteousness. Do not be conformed with this world but to set apart ourselves.
V2 ‘Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who lays hold on it; who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.’ In Sabbath, we must set apart ourselves, even when being enslaved in this world. On Sabbath, learn to let go what we have in our hands, and only seek to connect with God. We may not be able to change our environment right now but we can change our hearts. In our busy time, continue to connect with God, to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Make our hearts right with God, be reminded to worship God and not to be enslaved by this world. Do we know that we are blessed and loved? In difficult times, can we set apart ourselves?
V3 ‘Do not let the son of the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord speak, saying, “The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”; nor let the eunuch say, “here I am, a dry tree.”’ God still remember those who connect with the nonbelievers. When Hezekiah’s reign ended, his sons and grandsons were captured to be eunuch. But God still remembered them. God did not forget His promise for His chosen ones, the descendants of the king.
V6-7 ‘Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants—everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant— Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.’ We might feel like a foreigner in God’s House, but God said as long as we are willing to change today, He will accept us and He will restore us. We must connect with God, a lot of time we feel our prayers are not heard, it’s because we do not connect with God. Learn to see the heart of God, to be willing to come to Him and offer to Him.
V8 ‘The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, yet I will gather to him others besides those who are gathered to him.’ Are our lives influencing lives? God is reminding the people of Israel, who are in difficulties and enslaved, to influence their lives to others. Do not let our environment make us the poor and the needy, but the royal identities of the Kingdom
Section Two V9-12 To See Our Fall
V9-10 ‘All you beasts of the field, come to devour, all you beasts in the forest. His watchmen are blind, they are all ignorant; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.’ The mute dogs are those who know the Word of God but choose not to speak it. Why is it so important to come to Morning Devotion and to study the Bible? Because we must know the Truth, so the enemy will not attack us.
V11 ‘Yes, they are greedy dogs which never have enough. And they are shepherds who cannot understand; they all look to their own way, every one for his own gain, from his own territory.’ The dogs are only there to seek food and shelters. But God wants us to be sheet dogs and to shepherd those following us. We must understand the hearts of God, walk in God’s ways, not the ways of people.
V12 ‘Come, one says, I will bring wine, and we will fill ourselves with intoxicating drink; tomorrow will be as today, and much more abundant.’ God wants us to see who we really are, who He has created us to be. Do not be the slaves but live out the royal identity as the children of the Kingdom of God.
以赛亚书 56 – 神要开我们的眼睛
2022年8月23日 星期二
潘锡安牧师
神会借着他的先知告诉我们关于我们生命真实的事。神是有公义的，也是有怜悯的。在经历艰难的时刻，神要我们不要失去盼望，他在等着我们改变、回转。如果神只是溺爱，我们就永远不会看到自己的问题。神的管教是有爱的，不是在怒气中，而是在怜悯中。当我们只看到是非对错时，说明我们对真理不了解。那些从蒙福的生活变成国破家亡的百姓看见的就是自己一无所有，所以，神要开我们的眼睛，让我们可以看见超越自己环境的东西。
一、v.1-8 神是信实的
V1 当我们遭遇困难的时候，我们不会觉得有公平公义，然而，越是艰难，我们越要“守公平，行公义’。我们不要与世界同流合污，而要分别为圣。
V2 “不干犯”就是不违反，在被掳的地方如何能不违反安息日呢？这在于我们能否在安息日的时候放下自己坚持的东西。为奴为仆的人整天都要做事，身不由己。当我们在忙的时候，我们的心在哪里？我们的心是否能与神连接，还是与我们的手连接？我们在忙的时候，心就不愿与神连接，反而是着急赶快把事情解决后能休息。心要与神连接，这是一个很大的挑战，因为我们被一天要做的事情掳去了我们敬拜神的心。在忙碌中，我们的心是否怨天尤人？我们不要跟那些巴比伦的人一样做那些不该做的事，要凭信心分别为圣。只要我们心不偏离祂，愿意谨守他的教导，神就称我们为有福的。
V3-5 在艰难的时刻，神百姓就与外族人联姻了，神是否就不记念这些人了呢？神曾应许大卫王，他会与他的后代同在；可是到了希西家的子孙，他们就被掳到巴比伦为奴为仆，甚至沦为太监。然而，哪怕成了太监，在极度羞愧当中，也没有人能夺去我们的身份，神说：“那些谨守我的安息日，拣选我所喜悦的事，持守我约的太监，我必使他们在我殿中、在我墙内有纪念，有名号，比有儿女的更美。我必赐他们永远的名，不能剪除”。神应许那些回转向他的人名字被记载到家谱，将来能再次进入神的殿来敬拜他，因为神跟大卫立的约永不改变。神的约不仅祝福我们，也让我们知罪，因为神是爱我们的。
V6 我们可能会觉得自己像个外邦人一样做很多神不喜悦的事，但神看的是现在，我们是否愿意放下自己的包袱，不再自我控诉，而是回转事奉神？
V7 神会带我们出黑暗、进入他奇妙的光明，又进入他的圣山。我们的祷告不是为了解决自己的问题，而是求神的国降临，他的旨意行在地上如同在天上，使我们看见神的能力。为什么我们的祷告不能被悦纳？因为我们没有与神联合。当我们与神联合，我们的祷告就不一样，就能心欢喜、灵快乐，不再是对神有一种交换的心态。当我们看见神的祝福时，我们就会甘心乐意奉献。我们是否有感恩回报的心，还是跟神斤斤计较？要懂得回应神在我们生命中的每一件祝福的事。
V8 我们是否在巴比伦的地方用生命影响生命，是否去影响那些为奴为仆的人？在被掳的地方，我们是否就认命，还是像约瑟一样？约瑟被卖到埃及，即使被关进监狱，也能成为领袖。我们是否让人看到自己活出神的荣美？神要让我们看到他的信实。
二、v.9-12 我们的堕落
V9-10 我们心里会有很多疑惑，因为我们看不见真理。为什么田野、林中的野兽都来吞吃？因为“看守的人是瞎眼的，都没有知识，都是哑巴狗，不能叫唤”。“狗”指的是牧羊犬，代表那些懂得神话语的人。当看到问题的时候，我们是否不说话？我们没有办法帮助人，因为我们没有知识、不知道神的话语。唯有神的知识才能让我们知道问题所在，从而警醒，让仇敌无法攻击我们。然而，我们只知道“做梦”，说很多自己的感觉。这些狗觉得自己很累，只想要”躺卧、贪睡“。当耶稣基督疲倦的时候，他会去向天父祷告，我们是否只体贴自己的肉体，不愿从神那里得力量？求神帮助我们看到自己生命的问题，我们是否只看到自己的需要？我们是否愿意成为神的牧羊犬？
V11-12 神要我们牧养下面的人，但我们没有按着神给我们的教导，只顾着自己的心意、只做自己想做的事，活在自己的情欲中。
我们是否看到自己为奴为仆的环境就埋怨神？我们看见的都是问题，没有活出神的荣美，所以神要开我们的眼睛。神提醒我们，哪怕是“太监”，只要我们愿意回转，我们都可以看到我们君尊的身份，蒙神祝福。