旧约 - 何西阿书(Hosea)第2章

Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah.
Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;
Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst.
And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms.
For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.
Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths.
And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.
For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal.
Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness.
And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand.
I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts.
And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them.
And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the LORD.
Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.
And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.
And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali.
For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.
And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.
And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.
I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.
And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the LORD, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth;
And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel.
And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.
何西阿书第二章   第 2 章 

  何 2 章 > 被管教的儿女再次投入父亲的怀抱,以色列如是,我们…… 

  2 章 以色列所受的惩罚和复兴是本章的主题。正如在法庭上奸淫者要受审判被定罪一样,以色列也要受惩罚。但惩罚过后,她要欢喜、轻柔地投回神的怀抱。 

  灵性上与肉体上的不忠 

  何 2:5-7> 以色列人走迷时,神带领他,犯罪时,神阻止他。但神只对以色列人如此作吗? 

  2:5-7 以色列人崇拜假神,特别崇拜他们相信能控制气候、掌管农业的巴力,而不敬拜供应他们衣、食、住的真神。所以神用荆棘堵塞以色列的道,筑墙挡住他们的路,让崇拜偶像的结果令他们大大失望,藉此使他们归向真神。不管以色列如何叛逆,神仍然信实且满有怜悯。耶和华继续向祂的子民展开双臂,甚至在他们恣意妄为的路上阻止他们,使他们回转归向祂。 

  何 2:7> 在不得意时才回到从前所弃的怀抱!我对神也是如此?我…… 

  2:7 正如歌篾可能在认为跟着何西阿会比较幸福时重回丈夫怀抱一样,人也常在无法承受人生的挣扎时归向神。因失意沮丧而归向神总比与神对抗好,但因出于感谢的心而归向神就更好了。 

  何 2:8> 歌篾以金钱供奉巴力;今天我们也毫不逊色,有没有察验什么是自己的“巴力”? 

  2:8 在绝大多数社会中,财富丰厚是成功的象征。当时的以色列是一个富裕的国家,歌篾也许已积蓄了不少金银。然而,歌篾并没意识到所有的财富都是何西阿给她的,就好像以色列人不知道神是赐恩惠者一样。歌篾和以色列都在追求情人和假神时,任意挥霍他们所拥有的财富。你怎样运用你的钱财?是用神赐给我们的财产来荣耀祂吗? 

  何 2:12> 环顾我所拥有的,大概都是我所努力争取得来的。你说我忘了那个很重要的? 

  2:12 以色列人沉迷于崇拜偶像之中,以致他们相信自己的葡萄园和果园(“她的葡萄树和无花果树”)都是来自异教之神的。他们忘记了以色列全地都是神所赐的(参申 32:49 )。今天,许多人把自己的成就归功于神以外的人和事──幸运、勤奋、聪慧、交际广泛;当你成功时,你归功于谁? 

  何 2:13> 既有耶和华,为何还要供奉巴力?既有耶和华,人为什么还总不满足? 

  2:13 巴力是迦南诸神中最主要的一个,人们用他的名字来代表所有在以色列领土上的假神。以色列人没有按照神的命令废除偶像和异教的崇拜,反而容忍、甚至参与对巴力的崇拜。百姓敬拜巴力,往往是受了昏君的影响,以色列王亚哈就是其中的带领者。先知以利亚曾与亚哈所雇的先知一决雌雄,证明神的力量远超过巴力(参王上 18 章)。 

  何 2:14-15> 困境背后,仍见彩虹,只因为有神的应许!以色列人应当体会得到,你的生命又如何? 

  2:14-15 神应许:( 1 )将以色列民领到旷野,使他们不致分心,以便与他们沟通。( 2 )将困苦的时光变为希望的时刻。亚割谷(意为 " 麻烦 " )是亚干违反神的吩咐,藏起战利品而犯罪的地方(参书 7 章),因亚干的罪,约书亚的军队在攻打艾城时惨败。神甚至利用惨痛教训来制造机会使人归向祂。当你面对困难和考验时,要记住不论在顺境或逆境,神都对你说话。 

  何 2:16> 与神的关系可以亲密如夫妻一样?我看今天我和神嘛…… 

  2:16 直到犹大人被掳,整个民族才开始醒悟,并放弃偶像归向神;直到神通过弥赛亚耶稣来统治世界,神和祂的百姓之间的关系才会恢复。那时,神不再像人的主人,而像个丈夫(参赛 54:4-8 ),神人关系会更深厚、更亲密。虽然我们对这种关系所知有限,却可透过婚姻关系来体会。 

  何 2:19-20> 今天婚姻遭人冷漠,但神所期盼的神人关系却是那样神圣…… 

  2:19-20 总有一天,人不可能再对神不忠,因为神要以祂那完美的公义、公平、慈爱、怜悯和信实来坚固我们与祂的关系。在何西阿的时代,婚约不只是一纸简单的婚书,而且是一个有约束力的合约,是双方为了未来永久的关系而作出的重大承诺。这里,神应许的是神人关系的一个崭新开始,而不是在陈旧契约里作出的一个临时修改(参耶 31:31-34 )。 

  何 2:19-20> 神以怜悯聘我们,我们怎能配得?…… 

  2:19-20 神赐给他的子民的结婚礼物,在何西阿时代是丰盛的怜悯,在今日亦然。神原谅我们,使我们在祂面前称义,并不是因为我们的优点和功劳,因靠我们的努力根本无法达到神对于道德和属灵生命的最高标准。神仁慈地接纳我们,宽恕我们,把我们引到祂的身边,使我们可以和祂有个人的、亲密的交通。──《灵修版圣经注释》