以賽亞書49:14-26

49:14 錫安說：耶和華離棄了我；主忘記了我。
49:15 婦人焉能忘記她吃奶的嬰孩，不憐恤她所生的兒子？即或有忘記的，我卻不忘記你。
49:16 看哪，我將你銘刻在我掌上；你的牆垣常在我眼前。
49:17 你的兒女必急速歸回；毀壞你的，使你荒廢的，必都離你出去，
49:18 你舉目向四方觀看；他們都聚集來到你這裡。耶和華說：我指著我的永生起誓：你必要以他們為妝飾佩戴，以他們為華帶束腰，像新婦一樣。
49:19 至於你荒廢淒涼之處，並你被毀壞之地，現今眾民居住必顯為太窄；吞滅你的必離你遙遠。
49:20 你必聽見喪子之後所生的兒女說：這地方我居住太窄，求你給我地方居住。
49:21 那時你心裡必說：我既喪子獨居，是被擄的，漂流在外。誰給我生這些？誰將這些養大呢？撇下我一人獨居的時候，這些在哪裡呢？
49:22 主耶和華如此說：我必向列國舉手，向萬民豎立大旗；他們必將你的眾子懷中抱來，將你的眾女肩上扛來。
49:23 列王必作你的養父；王后必作你的乳母。他們必將臉伏地，向你下拜，並舔你腳上的塵土。你便知道我是耶和華；等候我的必不致羞愧。
49:24 勇士搶去的豈能奪回？該擄掠的豈能解救嗎？
49:25 但耶和華如此說：就是勇士所擄掠的，也可以奪回；強暴人所搶的，也可以解救。與你相爭的，我必與他相爭；我要拯救你的兒女。
49:26 並且我必使那欺壓你的吃自己的肉，也要以自己的血喝醉，好像喝甜酒一樣。凡有血氣的必都知道我─耶和華是你的救主，是你的救贖主，是雅各的大能者。

14

But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me,

my Lord has forgotten me.”

15

Can a woman forget her nursing child,

or show no compassion for the child of her womb?

Even these may forget,

yet I will not forget you.

16

See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands;

your walls are continually before me.

17

Your builders outdo your destroyers,

and those who laid you waste go away from you.

18

Lift up your eyes all around and see;

they all gather, they come to you.

As I live, says the Lord,

you shall put all of them on like an ornament,

and like a bride you shall bind them on.

19

Surely your waste and your desolate places

and your devastated land—

surely now you will be too crowded for your inhabitants,

and those who swallowed you up will be far away.

20

The children born in the time of your bereavement

will yet say in your hearing:

“The place is too crowded for me;

make room for me to settle.”

21

Then you will say in your heart,

“Who has borne me these?

I was bereaved and barren,

exiled and put away—

so who has reared these?

I was left all alone—

where then have these come from?”

22

Thus says the Lord God:

I will soon lift up my hand to the nations,

and raise my signal to the peoples;

and they shall bring your sons in their bosom,

and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.

23

Kings shall be your foster fathers,

and their queens your nursing mothers.

With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you,

and lick the dust of your feet.

Then you will know that I am the Lord;

those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.

24

Can the prey be taken from the mighty,

or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?

25

But thus says the Lord:

Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken,

and the prey of the tyrant be rescued;

for I will contend with those who contend with you,

and I will save your children.

26

I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh,

and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with wine.

Then all flesh shall know

that I am the Lord your Savior,

and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

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

    在這樣沒有收入的日子，常常會感覺自己是不是被上帝所遺棄了？一直街那麼多的委託物件，忙著駐點，發DM，甚至帶看，但是離成交的路途似乎還很遙遠，就會感是到先知所說的：「錫安說：耶和華離棄了我；主忘記了我。」

    然而上帝給先知的答案是：「婦人焉能忘記她吃奶的嬰孩，不憐恤她所生的兒子？即或有忘記的，我卻不忘記你。看哪，我將你銘刻在我掌上；你的牆垣常在我眼前。」

    在耶穌基督未來到以前，上帝用被擄歸回來激勵猶大百姓，讓他們知道上帝沒有忘記他們。今日上帝用耶穌的復活與再來激勵我們，表示祂不會忘記我們的，即使我們眼前是多麼艱難與缺乏，上帝沒有忘記，上帝仍然記得我們，保守我們到底！

    雖然這段時間沒有牧會，做房仲沒有成交，完全沒有收入，但是上帝並沒有離棄我，仍然讓我有吃有喝有住有穿，就當感謝！但是，心中卻深深的盼望有轉機，讓我可以繼續服事上帝，牧養祂的羊群，求主保守與引導！

 

以賽亞書49:8-13

49:8 耶和華如此說：在悅納的時候，我應允了你；在拯救的日子，我濟助了你。我要保護你，使你作眾民的中保（中保：原文是約）；復興遍地，使人承受荒涼之地為業。
49:9 對那被捆綁的人說：出來吧！對那在黑暗的人說：顯露吧！他們在路上必得飲食，在一切淨光的高處必有食物。
49:10 不飢不渴，炎熱和烈日必不傷害他們；因為憐恤他們的必引導他們，領他們到水泉旁邊。
49:11 我必使我的眾山成為大道；我的大路也被修高。
49:12 看哪，這些從遠方來；這些從北方、從西方來；這些從秦（原文是希尼）國來。
49:13 諸天哪，應當歡呼！大地啊，應當快樂！眾山哪，應當發聲歌唱！因為耶和華已經安慰他的百姓，也要憐恤他困苦之民。

8

Thus says the Lord:

In a time of favor I have answered you,

on a day of salvation I have helped you;

I have kept you and given you

as a covenant to the people,

to establish the land,

to apportion the desolate heritages;

9

saying to the prisoners, “Come out,”

to those who are in darkness, “Show yourselves.”

They shall feed along the ways,

on all the bare heights shall be their pasture;

10

they shall not hunger or thirst,

neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down,

for he who has pity on them will lead them,

and by springs of water will guide them.

11

And I will turn all my mountains into a road,

and my highways shall be raised up.

12

Lo, these shall come from far away,

and lo, these from the north and from the west,

and these from the land of Syene.

13

Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;

break forth, O mountains, into singing!

For the Lord has comforted his people,

and will have compassion on his suffering ones.

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

    保羅引用了「在悅納的時候，我應允了你；在拯救的日子，我濟助了你」，來宣告：「看哪，現在正是悅納的時候！現在正是拯救的日子！」

    是的，上帝無時無刻不是要悅納我們與拯救我們！也因此，我們要隨時隨刻來讚美上帝，因為祂的悅納和拯救，我們的生命變的有價值和有意義。雖然人為了自己的財富和權力，來掠奪和欺壓，但是上帝要從其中將我們拯救出來！

    人不僅有個人性的罪惡，更是有結構性的罪惡。因為，我們都是罪人，集合起來還是一樣的罪惡，一樣的悖逆上帝，就像巴別塔的建立，是要聯合眾人來高舉人名，要達到人類道德的最高標準。然而這樣的行為中，每個人都很「道德」，卻產生不道德的結果，就悖逆上帝！

    我們以「服務人群」的高超理想是很好，可是若將「服務人群」當成目的，而不是以事奉上帝為目的，這樣的行為終究會被上帝所厭棄，正如蓋巴別塔所造成的結果！

    也因此，我們就是要來讚美主，歸榮耀給上帝！

以賽亞書49:1-7

49:1 眾海島啊，當聽我言！遠方的眾民哪，留心而聽！自我出胎，耶和華就選召我；自出母腹，他就提我的名。
49:2 他使我的口如快刀，將我藏在他手蔭之下；又使我成為磨亮的箭，將我藏在他箭袋之中；
49:3 對我說：你是我的僕人以色列；我必因你得榮耀。
49:4 我卻說：我勞碌是徒然；我盡力是虛無虛空。然而，我當得的理必在耶和華那裡；我的賞賜必在我上帝那裡。
49:5 耶和華從我出胎，造就我作他的僕人，要使雅各歸向他，使以色列到他那裡聚集。原來耶和華看我為尊貴；我的上帝也成為我的力量。
49:6 現在他說：你作我的僕人，使雅各眾支派復興，使以色列中得保全的歸回尚為小事，我還要使你作外邦人的光，叫你施行我的救恩，直到地極。
49:7 救贖主─以色列的聖者耶和華對那被人所藐視、本國所憎惡、官長所虐待的如此說：君王要看見就站起，首領也要下拜；都因信實的耶和華，就是揀選你─以色列的聖者。

Listen to me, O coastlands,

pay attention, you peoples from far away!

The Lord called me before I was born,

while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.

2

He made my mouth like a sharp sword,

in the shadow of his hand he hid me;

he made me a polished arrow,

in his quiver he hid me away.

3

And he said to me, “You are my servant,

Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”

4

But I said, “I have labored in vain,

I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;

yet surely my cause is with the Lord,

and my reward with my God.”

5

And now the Lord says,

who formed me in the womb to be his servant,

to bring Jacob back to him,

and that Israel might be gathered to him,

for I am honored in the sight of the Lord,

and my God has become my strength—

6

he says,

“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant

to raise up the tribes of Jacob

and to restore the survivors of Israel;

I will give you as a light to the nations,

that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

7

Thus says the Lord,

the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,

to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations,

the slave of rulers,

“Kings shall see and stand up,

princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,

because of the Lord, who is faithful,

the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

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

    先知以賽亞在此說出了上帝僕人的心聲：「我勞碌是徒然；我盡力是虛無虛空。然而，我當得的理必在耶和華那裡；我的賞賜必在我上帝那裡。」

    這樣的情形正如保羅所說：「反倒在各樣的事上表明自己是上帝的用人，就如在許多的忍耐、患難、窮乏、困苦、鞭打、監禁、擾亂、勤勞、警醒、不食、廉潔、知識、恆忍、恩慈、聖靈的感化、無偽的愛心、真實的道理、上帝的大能；仁義的兵器在左在右；榮耀、羞辱，惡名、美名；似乎是誘惑人的，卻是誠實的；似乎不為人所知，卻是人所共知的；似乎要死，卻是活著的；似乎受責罰，卻是不至喪命的；似乎憂愁，卻是常常快樂的；似乎貧窮，卻是叫許多人富足的；似乎一無所有，卻是樣樣都有的。」（哥林多後書6:4-10）

 

    所以，既然蒙上帝揀選成為祂的僕人，就要將盼望和滿足放在上帝本身，不要求是上的財富與權力，這是世人所看為滿足的，看為重要的！但是上帝的僕人，要以基督為我們的滿足，為我們的至寶！再次借用保羅的話：「只是我先前以為與我有益的，我現在因基督都當作有損的。不但如此，我也將萬事當作有損的，因我以認識我主基督耶穌為至寶。我為他已經丟棄萬事，看作糞土，為要得著基督。」（腓立比書3:7-8）