撒迦利亞書7:8-14

7:8 耶和華的話又臨到撒迦利亞說：

7:9 「萬軍之耶和華曾對你們的列祖如此說：『要按至理判斷，各人以慈愛憐憫弟兄。

7:10 不可欺壓寡婦、孤兒、寄居的，和貧窮人。誰都不可心裡謀害弟兄。』」

7:11 他們卻不肯聽從，扭轉肩頭，塞耳不聽，

7:12 使心硬如金鋼石，不聽律法和萬軍之耶和華用靈藉從前的先知所說的話。故此，萬軍之耶和華大發烈怒。

7:13 萬軍之耶和華說：「我曾呼喚他們，他們不聽；將來他們呼求我，我也不聽！

7:14 我必以旋風吹散他們到素不認識的萬國中。這樣，他們的地就荒涼，甚至無人來往經過，因為他們使美好之地荒涼了。」

And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, "Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart." But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. They made their hearts diamond- hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts. "As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear," says the Lord of hosts, "and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate."

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    先知這段話警告我們：上帝所喜悅的是「行公義、好憐憫」，而不是外表的儀文縟節。我們常荒略這些，而去做一些無意義的事情，如同以色列人一般，導致迦南地本是人間的天堂，變成上帝咒詛的荒場！

    這也是為甚麼，在新約之中一直強調要恢復那真正的敬虔，就是透過信靠與上帝有正確的關係。因為人要服在上帝的手下，遵行上帝話語的教導，而非用守儀文縟節來表達自己的敬虔。

    所以，我們的生活中心應該是：行公義、好憐憫，存謙卑的心與上帝同行，就由信靠耶穌基督，與上帝有正確的關係！