旧约 - 以赛亚书(Isaiah)第48章

"Listen to this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel and come from the line of Judah, you who take oaths in the name of the LORD and invoke the God of Israel--but not in truth or righteousness--
you who call yourselves citizens of the holy city and rely on the God of Israel--the LORD Almighty is his name:
I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.
For I knew how stubborn you were; the sinews of your neck were iron, your forehead was bronze.
Therefore I told you these things long ago; before they happened I announced them to you so that you could not say, 'My idols did them; my wooden image and metal god ordained them.'
You have heard these things; look at them all. Will you not admit them? "From now on I will tell you of new things, of hidden things unknown to you.
They are created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today. So you cannot say, 'Yes, I knew of them.'
You have neither heard nor understood; from of old your ear has not been open. Well do I know how treacherous you are; you were called a rebel from birth.
For my own name's sake I delay my wrath; for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you, so as not to cut you off.
See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.
"Listen to me, O Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am he; I am the first and I am the last.
My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they all stand up together.
"Come together, all of you, and listen: Which of the idols has foretold these things? The LORD'S chosen ally will carry out his purpose against Babylon; his arm will be against the Babylonians.
I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him. I will bring him, and he will succeed in his mission.
"Come near me and listen to this: "From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret; at the time it happens, I am there." And now the Sovereign LORD has sent me, with his Spirit.
This is what the LORD says--your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.
If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
Your descendants would have been like the sand, your children like its numberless grains; their name would never be cut off nor destroyed from before me."
Leave Babylon, flee from the Babylonians! Announce this with shouts of joy and proclaim it. Send it out to the ends of the earth; say, "The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob."
They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and water gushed out.
"There is no peace," says the LORD, "for the wicked."
以赛亚书第四十八章   赛 48:1> 以色列人自称为圣城的人,错了吗? 

  48:1 犹大的百姓因为生活在耶路撒冷,有神的殿而感到自信。他们依靠自己的传统、城巿和圣殿,但因为他们不依靠神,所以这乃是虚假的安全。我们是不是也因为自己去教会或生活在基督教的国家就感到安全呢?传统、建筑或国家不能帮我们建立同神的关系。我们必须自己全心全意地依靠神。 

  圣经中提到的主要偶像 

  赛 48:9-11> 神为何一再安慰以色列人?神对我是否也如此? 

  48:9-11 在以色列人的行动、态度或成就中,没什么能迫使神来爱他们和拯救他们的,但神为了自己的缘故,为显示神是谁及能力,而救了他们。神救我们不是因为我们好,而是因为神爱我们和神有赦免的本性。 

  赛 48:10> 当我们的生活变得复杂或困难时,我们是否很容易抱怨呢? 

  48:10 为什么一位慈爱的神允许一大堆不愉快临到自己的儿女呢?这节经文明确地告诉我们,神要在“苦难的炉中”熬炼我们。我们的反应不应该是抱怨,而是靠信心走向神,向神求坚持下去的力量,并且在苦难中喜乐(参罗 5:3 ;雅 1:2-4 )。没有试炼,我们将无法知道我们能做什么,我们也不能成长。没有提炼,我们将不会变得更加纯洁和更像基督。你最近面对什么逆境没有? 

  赛 48:14-15> 神想使用谁就使用谁,所以你不必奇怪祂使用那些你意想不到的人…… 

  48:14-15 “耶和华所爱的人”说的是塞鲁士,这一定会吓坏以赛亚的听众。神怎么会挑选一位外邦国王,一个敌人呢?但神的确将使用塞鲁士来释放在巴比伦被掳的以色列人。塞鲁士的使命是攻占巴比伦,释放以色列人,然后宣布所有犹太人可以回到自己的国土上去。只有神的先知才能在事件发生前几乎 200 年,说出这样不易理解但却真实的预言。 

  赛 48:17-18> “平安如河水,公义如海浪”,这样的景象令人向往! 

  48:17-18 就像慈爱的父亲,神教导和引领着我们。我们应听从神,因为当我们顺从神的时候,平安和公义便临到我们。人拒绝注意神的命令,就会自招惩罚,平安和公平也会受到威胁。 

  赛 48:20> 虽然我有自由,有时竟也感到身受束缚…… 

  48:20 你有没有看见被掳者在许多年后离开了巴比伦呢?难怪他们像祖先跨过红海后快乐欢呼那样,因终于从奴役中得到了自由而尽情欢呼!是什么把你俘虏了?要挣脱出来!主已从罪恶的奴役中救赎了祂的仆人。当主把你从被掳中释放出来时,你一定也会尽情地欢呼。 

  赛 48:22> 什么人没有平安?