以西結書17章

  以西結書17:1-10  ,  以西結書17:11-21   ,   以西結書17:22-24  ,

以西結書17:1-10

17:1 耶和華的話臨到我說：

17:2 「人子啊，你要向以色列家出謎語，設比喻，

17:3 說主耶和華如此說：有一大鷹，翅膀大，翎毛長，羽毛豐滿，彩色俱備，來到黎巴嫩，將香柏樹梢擰去，

17:4 就是折去香柏樹儘尖的嫩枝，叼到貿易之地，放在買賣城中；

17:5 又將以色列地的枝子栽於肥田裡，插在大水旁，如插柳樹，

17:6 就漸漸生長，成為蔓延矮小的葡萄樹。其枝轉向那鷹，其根在鷹以下，於是成了葡萄樹，生出枝子，發出小枝。

17:7 又有一大鷹，翅膀大，羽毛多。這葡萄樹從栽種的畦中向這鷹彎過根來，發出枝子，好得它的澆灌。

17:8 這樹栽於肥田多水的旁邊，好生枝子，結果子，成為佳美的葡萄樹。

17:9 你要說，主耶和華如此說：這葡萄樹豈能發旺呢？鷹豈不拔出它的根來，芟除它的果子，使它枯乾，使它發的嫩葉都枯乾了嗎？也不用大力和多民，就拔出它的根來。

17:10 葡萄樹雖然栽種，豈能發旺呢？一經東風，豈不全然枯乾嗎？必在生長的畦中枯乾了。」

1 The word of the Lord came to me:2 "Son of man, propound a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel; 3 say, Thus says the Lord God: A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, rich in plumage of many colors, came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar. 4 He broke off the topmost of its young twigs and carried it to a land of trade and set it in a city of merchants. 5 Then he took of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil. He placed it beside abundant waters. He set it like a willow twig, 6 and it sprouted and became a low spreading vine, and its branches turned toward him, and its roots remained where it stood. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out boughs.

7 "And there was another great eagle with great wings and much plumage, and behold, this vine bent its roots toward him and shot forth its branches toward him from the bed where it was planted, that he might water it. 8 It had been planted on good soil by abundant waters, that it might produce branches and bear fruit and become a noble vine.

9 "Say, Thus says the Lord God: Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it withers, so that all its fresh sprouting leaves wither? It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it from its roots. 10 Behold, it is planted; will it thrive? Will it not utterly wither when the east wind strikes it—wither away on the bed where it sprouted?"

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    上帝以兩隻鷹與兩棵樹的謎語告訴以色列人。第一隻鷹，是指「巴比倫王」。黎巴嫩指「猶大國」。香柏樹梢指「約雅斤」王，於西元前597年被擄至巴比倫。以香柏樹暗指「約雅斤」，一方面因為猶大王宮是「黎巴嫩林宮」，中間使用大量的香柏木木料。另一方面一般人認為香柏樹才是真正的「樹中之王」。從這隻鷹的描述，顯出這是一隻巨大又生氣蓬勃的鷲鷹。牠搬移香柏樹嫩枝的動機並沒有被闡述，只是說明這個舉動，也沒有任何負面的形容。鷹對葡萄樹有任何惡意，甚至還表達出這鷹給予葡萄樹相當優渥的環境。

    另一隻鷹，是指「埃及王」，不過顯然此處的鷹比不上頭先的鷹（巴比倫王），因為形容其厲害的篇幅短很多。也表示以色列不應該靠這隻鷹，以免得罪先前的鷹。

    西底家的國力薄弱，根本經不起巴比倫的攻擊。巴比倫只要出一點力氣，就可以報復西底家的不忠心，於是西底家與埃及的曖昧關係，就為自己的國家帶來滅亡。

    這也告訴我們面對敵人要弄清楚真正的問題，就像教會面對同志的問題，不要忘記背後的更大問題是人不信主耶穌和悖逆上帝，此問題沒有面對，光面對同志問題有何意義？淫亂的罪沒有處理，就無法處理同性戀的問題了！

以西結書16:59-63

16:59 「主耶和華如此說：你這輕看誓言、背棄盟約的，我必照你所行的待你。

16:60 然而我要追念在你幼年時與你所立的約，也要與你立定永約。

16:61 你接待你姊姊和你妹妹的時候，你要追念你所行的，自覺慚愧；並且我要將她們賜你為女兒，卻不是按著前約。

16:62 我要堅定與你所立的約（你就知道我是耶和華），

16:63 好使你在我赦免你一切所行的時候，心裡追念，自覺抱愧，又因你的羞辱就不再開口。這是主耶和華說的。」

59 "For thus says the Lord God:I will deal with you as you have done, you who have despised the oath in breaking the covenant, 60 yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant. 61 Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you take your sisters, both your elder and your younger, and I give them to you as daughters, but not on account of the covenant with you. 62 I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the Lord, 63 that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord God."

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    在這裡我們看見上帝使耶路撒冷被滅是暫時的，上帝沒有忘記祂的永約，祂仍然眷顧以色列民，仍然要透過他們施恩餘萬民！這也讓我們看見，耶路撒冷重建的希望，上帝必復興以色列人！

    教會更是上帝所鍾愛的，上帝透過耶穌基督所拯救的是超越以色列人的範圍，祂與被撿選的人所立的永約，是永不廢除的，正如祂與以色列人的約！

    上帝在基督裡的約，是包括猶太人和外邦人，將在基督裡都成為新以色列民，都成為亞伯拉罕的子孫，在上帝的眷顧下直到永遠！

以西結書16:53-58

16:53 「我必叫她們被擄的歸回，就是叫所多瑪和她的眾女，撒馬利亞和她的眾女，並你們中間被擄的，都要歸回，

16:54 好使你擔當自己的羞辱，並因你一切所行的使她們得安慰，你就抱愧。

16:55 你的妹妹所多瑪和她的眾女必歸回原位；撒馬利亞和她的眾女，你和你的眾女，也必歸回原位。

16:56 在你驕傲的日子，你的惡行沒有顯露以先，你的口就不提你的妹妹所多瑪。那受了凌辱的亞蘭眾女和亞蘭四圍非利士的眾女都恨惡你，藐視你。

16:57 【併於上節】

16:58 耶和華說：你貪淫和可憎的事，你已經擔當了。」

53 "I will restore their fortunes, both the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters, and I will restore your own fortunes in their midst, 54 that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all that you have done, becoming a consolation to them. 55 As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters shall return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former state, and you and your daughters shall return to your former state. 56 Was not your sister Sodom a byword in your mouth in the day of your pride, 57 before your wickedness was uncovered? Now you have become an object of reproach for the daughters of Syria and all those around her, and for the daughters of the Philistines, those all around who despise you. 58 You bear the penalty of your lewdness and your abominations, declares the Lord.

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    耶路撒冷曾經是上帝保守的城邑，讓附近的城市感到傷心，因為它們被亞述帝國的軍隊所踐踏。如今這城被巴比倫所滅，它們就覺得安慰。而耶路撒冷遭滅就是不專一敬拜上帝，敬拜別神，導致今天的下場。

    耶路撒冷的下場更是教會的借鏡，基督徒不單單敬拜上帝，還敬拜許多有形與無形的偶像，也會被上帝厭棄！

    但是教會不要忘記，我們是耶穌基督撒了寶血所拯救的！我們更是要透過耶穌基督專一來敬拜天父，才不致讓基督在十字架上白白的釘死！耶穌無法再為我們釘一次十字架，若是讓基督重釘十架，我們就有禍了！

以西結書16:44-52

16:44 「凡說俗語的必用俗語攻擊你，說：『母親怎樣，女兒也怎樣。』

16:45 你正是你母親的女兒，厭棄丈夫和兒女；你正是你姊妹的姊妹，厭棄丈夫和兒女。你母親是赫人，你父親是亞摩利人。

16:46 你的姊姊是撒馬利亞，她和她的眾女住在你左邊；你的妹妹是所多瑪，她和她的眾女住在你右邊。

16:47 你沒有效法她們的行為，也沒有照她們可憎的事去做，你以那為小事，你一切所行的倒比她們更壞。

16:48 主耶和華說：我指著我的永生起誓，你妹妹所多瑪與她的眾女尚未行你和你眾女所行的事。

16:49 看哪，你妹妹所多瑪的罪孽是這樣：她和她的眾女都心驕氣傲，糧食飽足，大享安逸，並沒有扶助困苦和窮乏人的手。

16:50 她們狂傲，在我面前行可憎的事，我看見便將她們除掉。

16:51 撒馬利亞沒有犯你一半的罪，你行可憎的事比她更多，使你的姊妹因你所行一切可憎的事，倒顯為義。

16:52 你既斷定你姊妹為義（為義：或譯當受羞辱），就要擔當自己的羞辱；因你所犯的罪比她們更為可憎，她們就比你更顯為義；你既使你的姊妹顯為義，你就要抱愧擔當自己的羞辱。」

“Behold, everyone who uses proverbs will use this proverb about you: ‘Like mother, like daughter.’  You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and her children; and you are the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.  And your elder sister is Samaria, who lived with her daughters to the north of you; and your younger sister, who lived to the south of you, is Sodom with her daughters.  Not only did you walk in their ways and do according to their abominations; within a very little time you were more corrupt than they in all your ways.  As I live, declares the Lord God, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done.  Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.  They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it.  Samaria has not committed half your sins. You have committed more abominations than they, and have made your sisters appear righteous by all the abominations that you have committed.  Bear your disgrace, you also, for you have intervened on behalf of your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. So be ashamed, you also, and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.

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    先知在此說的話是要耶路撒冷清楚自己犯罪受到上帝憎惡，而這城市的罪惡比所多瑪還嚴重！雖然口氣很重，但是上帝的用意是要他們悔改！

    其實教會若有犯罪的事，最難過的是上帝，責備最重的也是上帝！正如上帝則被耶路撒冷一樣，重要的是教會要常常在上帝面前認罪、悔改！

    今天我們還自以為義嗎？當求基督的寶血洗淨！我們自以為教會興旺是我們關心人結果，非也！若不是上帝自己透過基督吸引人，沒有人會到上帝面前，不要將榮耀歸給自己。