以賽亞書29:1-14

29:1 唉！亞利伊勒，亞利伊勒，大衛安營的城，任憑你年上加年，節期照常周流。
29:2 我終必使亞利伊勒困難；她必悲傷哀號，我卻仍以她為亞利伊勒。
29:3 我必四圍安營攻擊你，屯兵圍困你，築壘攻擊你。
29:4 你必敗落，從地中說話；你的言語必微細出於塵埃。你的聲音必像那交鬼者的聲音出於地；你的言語低低微微出於塵埃。
29:5 你仇敵的群眾，卻要像細塵；強暴人的群眾，也要像飛糠。這事必頃刻之間忽然臨到。
29:6 萬軍之耶和華必用雷轟、地震、大聲、旋風、暴風，並吞滅的火焰，向她討罪。
29:7 那時，攻擊亞利伊勒列國的群眾，就是一切攻擊亞利伊勒和她的保障，並使她困難的，必如夢景，如夜間的異象；
29:8 又必像飢餓的人夢中吃飯，醒了仍覺腹空；或像口渴的人夢中喝水，醒了仍覺發昏，心裡想喝。攻擊錫安山列國的群眾也必如此。
29:9 你們等候驚奇吧！你們宴樂昏迷吧！他們醉了，卻非因酒；他們東倒西歪，卻非因濃酒。
29:10 因為耶和華將沉睡的靈澆灌你們，封閉你們的眼，蒙蓋你們的頭。你們的眼就是先知；你們的頭就是先見。
29:11 所有的默示，你們看如封住的書卷，人將這書卷交給識字的，說：「請念吧！」他說：「我不能念，因為是封住了。」
29:12 又將這書卷交給不識字的人，說：「請念吧！」他說：「我不識字。」
29:13 主說：因為這百姓親近我，用嘴唇尊敬我，心卻遠離我；他們敬畏我，不過是領受人的吩咐。
29:14 所以，我在這百姓中要行奇妙的事，就是奇妙又奇妙的事。他們智慧人的智慧必然消滅，聰明人的聰明必然隱藏。

Ah, Ariel, Ariel,

the city where David encamped!

Add year to year;

let the festivals run their round.

2

Yet I will distress Ariel,

and there shall be moaning and lamentation,

and Jerusalem shall be to me like an Ariel.

3

And like David I will encamp against you;

I will besiege you with towers

and raise siegeworks against you.

4

Then deep from the earth you shall speak,

from low in the dust your words shall come;

your voice shall come from the ground like the voice of a ghost,

and your speech shall whisper out of the dust.

5

But the multitude of your foes shall be like small dust,

and the multitude of tyrants like flying chaff.

And in an instant, suddenly,

6

you will be visited by the Lord of hosts

with thunder and earthquake and great noise,

with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire.

7

And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel,

all that fight against her and her stronghold, and who distress her,

shall be like a dream, a vision of the night.

8

Just as when a hungry person dreams of eating

and wakes up still hungry,

or a thirsty person dreams of drinking

and wakes up faint, still thirsty,

so shall the multitude of all the nations be

that fight against Mount Zion.

9

Stupefy yourselves and be in a stupor,

blind yourselves and be blind!

Be drunk, but not from wine;

stagger, but not from strong drink!

10

For the Lord has poured out upon you

a spirit of deep sleep;

he has closed your eyes, you prophets,

and covered your heads, you seers.

¹¹ The vision of all this has become for you like the words of a sealed document. If it is given to those who can read, with the command, “Read this,” they say, “We cannot, for it is sealed.” ¹²And if it is given to those who cannot read, saying, “Read this,” they say, “We cannot read.”

 

13

The Lord said:

Because these people draw near with their mouths

and honor me with their lips,

while their hearts are far from me,

and their worship of me is a human commandment learned by rote;

14

so I will again do

amazing things with this people,

shocking and amazing.

The wisdom of their wise shall perish,

and the discernment of the discerning shall be hidden.

*************

   

    對於真理的認識不可以用人的智慧，必須透過聖靈的啟示與啟發，人才可以明白。因此，重生是很重要的事，正如主耶穌對尼哥底母說：「我實實在在地告訴你，人若不重生，就不能見上帝的國。」（約翰福音3:3）「我實實在在地告訴你，人若不是從水和聖靈生的，就不能進上帝的國。」（約翰福音3:5）

    人不能讓自己重生，必須透過聖靈和聖道，人才可以重生。也就說，重生是上帝的作為，人就像陶土在匠人的手中，讓匠人來塑造，成為祂要我們成為的樣式，我們無權更是無法抗議，而人受造本來就是要在上帝的陶造中。

    也因此，我們是智慧或愚拙，預我們得救無關。更重要的就是，上帝為了讓人能順服在祂的面前，祂更是使用人看為愚拙和軟弱的人，來彰顯她的智慧和大能，使有能力和智慧的人感到羞愧，好使人願意放下自己而得著救恩。