出埃及記23:20-33

23:20 「看哪，我差遣使者在你前面，在路上保護你，領你到我所預備的地方去。
23:21 他是奉我名來的；你們要在他面前謹慎，聽從他的話，不可惹（或譯：違背）他，因為他必不赦免你們的過犯。
23:22 「你若實在聽從他的話，照著我一切所說的去行，我就向你的仇敵作仇敵，向你的敵人作敵人。
23:23 「我的使者要在你前面行，領你到亞摩利人、赫人、比利洗人、迦南人、希未人、耶布斯人那裡去，我必將他們剪除。
23:24 你不可跪拜他們的神，不可事奉他，也不可效法他們的行為，卻要把神像盡行拆毀，打碎他們的柱像。
23:25 你們要事奉耶和華─你們的上帝，他必賜福與你的糧與你的水，也必從你們中間除去疾病。
23:26 你境內必沒有墜胎的，不生產的。我要使你滿了你年日的數目。
23:27 凡你所到的地方，我要使那裡的眾民在你面前驚駭，擾亂，又要使你一切仇敵轉背逃跑。
23:28 我要打發黃蜂飛在你前面，把希未人、迦南人、赫人攆出去。
23:29 我不在一年之內將他們從你面前攆出去，恐怕地成為荒涼，野地的獸多起來害你。
23:30 我要漸漸地將他們從你面前攆出去，等到你的人數加多，承受那地為業。
23:31 我要定你的境界，從紅海直到非利士海，又從曠野直到大河。我要將那地的居民交在你手中，你要將他們從你面前攆出去。
23:32 不可和他們並他們的神立約。
23:33 他們不可住在你的地上，恐怕他們使你得罪我。你若事奉他們的神，這必成為你的網羅。」

²⁰ “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. ²¹ Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. ²² If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. ²³ My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out. ²⁴ Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces. ²⁵ Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, ²⁶ and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.
²⁷ “I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run. ²⁸ I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. ²⁹ But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. ³⁰ Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.
³¹ “I will establish your borders from the Red Sea^[a] to the Mediterranean Sea,^[b] and from the desert to the Euphrates River. I will give into your hands the people who live in the land, and you will drive them out before you. ³² Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods. ³³ Do not let them live in your land or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you.”

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     上帝在前領路，所以以色列人可以出埃及進入應許的迦南美地！這是何等美好的恩典，也讓以色列人可以確認上帝是信實的上帝！不管前面有多少困難與險阻，只要跟隨上帝的引導，必能進入迦南美地！

    對今日得基督徒而言，我們也相信上帝也在前面領導我們走人生的道路，使我們的人生道路就成了上帝所預備得天路！我們在上帝的引導與保守之下，必定回到上帝所為我們預備的「更美家鄉」！

    也因為相信有這「更美家鄉」，所以「又有人忍受戲弄、鞭打、捆鎖、監禁、各等的磨煉，被石頭打死，被鋸鋸死，受試探，被刀殺，披著綿羊、山羊的皮各處奔跑，受窮乏、患難、苦害，在曠野、山嶺、山洞、地穴，飄流無定，本是世界不配有的人。這些人都是因信得了美好的證據，卻仍未得著所應許的；因為上帝給我們預備了更美的事，叫他們若不與我們同得，就不能完全。」（希伯來書11:36-40）

    所以真正的信心是來自上帝的應許與保證，是因為上帝是信實的上帝，所以我們可以透過堅信而產生堅忍，而這堅忍更是上帝的保守！