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弥迦书第 1 章 - 神看见你

主是你的见证人。

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4 分钟阅读

神看见他们的罪

你是否曾认为犯罪无关紧要,因为神不会注意到?

是否曾以为那看不见的神不会在意微不足道的过犯?

弥迦书开篇便对这样的想法发出警告:

“万民哪,你们都要听!
地和其上所有的,也都要侧耳而听!
主耶和华从他的圣殿要见证你们的不是.”
(弥迦 1:2)

尽管主坐在祂的圣殿中掌权,祂依然是鉴察万事的见证人。
祂对罪恶的见证是真实的,因为祂不能说谎(民数 23:19)。

神看见了撒玛利亚和耶路撒冷这两国首都所犯的罪(弥迦 1:5)。

但神的目光并未止步于此。

本章继续预言犹大境内十一座城的灭亡:迦特、伯亚弗拉、沙非、撒南、伯以薛、玛律、拉吉、摩利设迦特、亚革悉、玛利沙、亚杜兰。

当我们阅读圣经时,可能会略过这些名字——就像我们可能会跳过上面这份清单一样。

但神的目光不会随意掠过这些地方。对祂而言,这些不仅仅是地名,而是成千上万灵魂的居所——是祂深爱的子民所在之地。

弥迦精心撰写了对这些城邑的警告和哀歌,并根据它们的名字巧妙运用文字游戏(弥迦 1:10-15)。

如果弥迦如此用心地编写这些经文,神在监察和警戒每座城时,岂不是更加有意且充满关怀?

图 1:弥迦书第 1 章中列出的古代犹大城市地图(ESV 研读圣经: 英文标准版, 2008年) 

一个对我们时代的警醒

身处新加坡,我对这些城市的地理位置有一个深刻的体会:

  • 拉吉到耶路撒冷:约40公里

  • 迦特到伯利恒:约32公里

作对比,新加坡的范围约为:

  • 东西长 50公里

  • 南北宽 27公里

如果神如此关注这十一座城,祂岂不更看见我们这座小小的岛国以及我们在这里的教会?在祂的眼中,我们将如何被评判?

但我们也可以因神的监察而得安慰,因为神的眼目不仅是审判,更是赐福:
“耶和华的眼目遍察全地,要显大能帮助向祂心存诚实的人。”(历代志下 16:9)

当我们明白神如何察看,我们就不会沉默——我们会效法耶稣,呼召我们的邻舍归向祂。
当我们明白神如何察看,我们就会活出祂的圣洁,并被祂所认知(哥林多后书 5:11)。

神看见你。谨慎选择。

引用
1. “弥迦预言毁灭。” ESV 研读圣经:英文标准版,Crossway Bibles,2008年。

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但以理书 第四章(英文)

但以理书 第四章(英文)

The story in Daniel Chapter 4 is perhaps not unfamiliar to many of us. King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of the great Babylonian empire, the king of kings, being turned into a beast, how spectacular is that? It's not until we read through this chapter for ourselves that we realise something even more spectacular: this whole chapter is told by King Nebuchadnezzar himself. Daniel Chapter 4 is King Nebuchadnezzar's own personal testimony! Isn't King Nebuchadnezzar the infamous evil king? How is it that in this chapter he gives praise to the almighty God? Perhaps the first thing that should catch our attention from today's chapter is the repeated phrase in verses 17 and 32. The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He wills. This phrase can even be said to be the theme of the whole Book of Daniel. This book is mostly set in the time of exile, when there seemingly was no longer any king over the people of God. Yet, in the Book of Daniel we see that though there was no earthly king ruling over Israel, God made it clear to these foreign kings that He is the almighty God. He was still the one who was truly the King. The outcome of this is that the evil king Nebuchadnezzar, probably the greatest and most powerful man during his time, writes this testimony for all peoples, nations, and languages to hear (Daniel 4:1-3). Imagine being a subject in the Babylonian empire, and receiving this declaration from king Nebuchadnezzar praising and glorifying the God of Israel. Though God's people sin against Him and are punished by being taken into exile, the name of God is still magnified. God is not put to shame. Today through baptism we have entered into the Kingdom of God. Yet, it is key for us to consider whether God truly is the King of our lives. It's natural to make many plans for our future, out of a desire to lead our dream lives. But for us Christians, the sovereignty and authority of God is something that we must be well-aware of and fully willing to submit to. If God doesn't let me get that job, are we able to accept it? If God closes the path towards our dreams, are we will to say "Let Thy will be done"? If God takes away all that we have, are we able to be like Job and say "Blessed be the name of the Lord"? If all this is causing us to struggle, remember this: God loves us. He knows what's best for us, He knows what we need. He has already given His life for us, and given us His precious Spirit to dwell within us. Having faith in God's love towards us gives us strength to submit to our King with full assurance that this is the best path for us, this is the way to blessing and to eternal life. Since our God is the highest and rules over the kingdom of man, what then should our response ought to be? Nebuchadnezzar begins and ends his testimony by praising and glorifying God. Giving praises to God is something that we have been often taught but perhaps we have not given enough thought to or taken seriously enough. Yet, throughout the Bible, it's clear that praises are a key part of our worship to God (just read the Book of Psalms). What might we praise God for? Like Nebuchadnezzar, we can praise God for His greatness and His almightiness. Just consider the stars, or the intricacies of the human body. We can praise God for His love and wisdom as seen in His creation as well as in His word. The more we study into the holy scriptures, the more we are filled with awe at how complete, connected, and wonderful these life-giving words are. We can also glorify God for His salvation which He has so freely given to us. Imagine how different our lives might be today if not for His grace and mercy! It's when we decide to finally take the importance of praising God seriously and intentionally set aside some time in our daily prayers to praise God, that we truly experience the blessing that comes along with it. We go through life being filled with joy and gratitude, knowing that we have such a great and powerful Heavenly Father who loves us. In fact, it was when Nebuchadnezzar took the glory for Himself rather than giving all glory to God, that the infamous transformation into a beast took place. This brings us nicely to the final point of reflection for this devotional. Pride - when we take glory for ourselves rather than giving glory to God. Nebuchadnezzar's testimony serves as a stark warning for us. Even just a sentence or thought of pride can greatly displease God. How often have we unknowingly taken credit for ourselves for any achievements we have, or for any divine work that we do? Being puffed up with pride and not keeping to one's proper domain is precisely the sin of satan (1 Tim 3:6, Jude 6-7). If we are filled with pride, what difference is there between us and satan? In fact, while satan exalted himself, God on the contrary lowered Himself, coming in the likeness of man and humbling Himself even to the point of death (Phil 2:5-8). Whose example do we want to follow, that of God or of satan? Let us take warning from the story of Nebuchadnezzar and carefully consider who's example we want to follow. Indeed, God opposes the proud while giving grace to the humble. He blesses the meek, that they might inherit the earth .

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