出埃及記9:13-35

9:13 耶和華對摩西說：「你清早起來，站在法老面前，對他說：『耶和華─希伯來人的上帝這樣說：容我的百姓去，好事奉我。
9:14 因為這一次我要叫一切的災殃臨到你和你臣僕並你百姓的身上，叫你知道在普天下沒有像我的。
9:15 我若伸手用瘟疫攻擊你和你的百姓，你早就從地上除滅了。
9:16 其實，我叫你存立，是特要向你顯我的大能，並要使我的名傳遍天下。
9:17 你還向我的百姓自高，不容他們去嗎？
9:18 到明天約在這時候，我必叫重大的冰雹降下，自從埃及開國以來，沒有這樣的冰雹。
9:19 現在你要打發人把你的牲畜和你田間一切所有的催進來；凡在田間不收回家的，無論是人是牲畜，冰雹必降在他們身上，他們就必死。』」
9:20 法老的臣僕中，懼怕耶和華這話的，便叫他的奴僕和牲畜跑進家來。
9:21 但那不把耶和華這話放在心上的，就將他的奴僕和牲畜留在田裡。
9:22 耶和華對摩西說：「你向天伸杖，使埃及遍地的人身上和牲畜身上，並田間各樣菜蔬上，都有冰雹。」
9:23 摩西向天伸杖，耶和華就打雷下雹，有火閃到地上；耶和華下雹在埃及地上。
9:24 那時，雹與火攙雜，甚是厲害，自從埃及成國以來，遍地沒有這樣的。
9:25 在埃及遍地，雹擊打了田間所有的人和牲畜，並一切的菜蔬，又打壞田間一切的樹木。
9:26 惟獨以色列人所住的歌珊地沒有冰雹。
9:27 法老打發人召摩西、亞倫來，對他們說：「這一次我犯了罪了。耶和華是公義的；我和我的百姓是邪惡的。
9:28 這雷轟和冰雹已經夠了。請你們求耶和華，我就容你們去，不再留住你們。」
9:29 摩西對他說：「我一出城，就要向耶和華舉手禱告；雷必止住，也不再有冰雹，叫你知道全地都是屬耶和華的。
9:30 至於你和你的臣僕，我知道你們還是不懼怕耶和華上帝。」
9:31 （那時，麻和大麥被雹擊打；因為大麥已經吐穗，麻也開了花。
9:32 只是小麥和粗麥沒有被擊打，因為還沒有長成。）
9:33 摩西離了法老出城，向耶和華舉手禱告；雷和雹就止住，雨也不再澆在地上了。
9:34 法老見雨和雹與雷止住，就越發犯罪；他和他的臣僕都硬著心。
9:35 法老的心剛硬，不容以色列人去，正如耶和華藉著摩西所說的。

¹³ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, ¹⁴ or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. ¹⁵ For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. ¹⁶ But I have raised you up^[a] for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. ¹⁷ You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go. ¹⁸ Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now. ¹⁹ Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every person and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.’”
²⁰ Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. ²¹ But those who ignored the word of the Lord left their slaves and livestock in the field.
²² Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt—on people and animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt.” ²³ When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt; ²⁴ hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. ²⁵ Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both people and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree. ²⁶ The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.
²⁷ Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he said to them. “The Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. ²⁸ Pray to the Lord, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don’t have to stay any longer.”
²⁹ Moses replied, “When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the Lord. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. ³⁰ But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the Lord God.”
³¹ (The flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom. ³² The wheat and spelt, however, were not destroyed, because they ripen later.)
³³ Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his hands toward the Lord; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the land. ³⁴ When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts. ³⁵ So Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had said through Moses.

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    上帝雖然透過摩西向法老宣告自己的主權，似乎看不到任何效果，甚至還是更加心硬，甚至還感染到他的臣僕，和他一樣硬心，不相信上帝得主權。甚至於上帝的話都不理，寧可讓自己的財產受損，也不聽從上帝的話！

    在人看來，好像上帝失敗了，其實並沒有，因為一切都在上帝掌握之中，雖然法老一再的硬心和抵擋。但是，人總是有限的，豈能和那無限的上帝相爭呢？雖然一時看來好像人佔上風，但是人已經敗亡且付上極大的代價了！

    也因為如此，我們遇到強橫的敵人，不要害怕！上帝是站在我們這邊的，要是我們敬畏耶和華上帝！上帝必定保守他的子民，十分的安全與穩妥的！但是，悖逆祂的，上帝必定會採取嚴厲的手段來使他們悔改！

箴言14:34

公義使邦國高舉；罪惡是人民的羞辱。

Righteousness exalts a nation,
    but sin condemns any people.

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    國家是人民的總體，所以一個國家的品質是取決於人民的品質。然而人民品質是取決於是否完成上帝造人的目的，因為上帝期待人是一個最高品質的受造之物！

    上帝造其他事物的時侯，包括天使，從來沒有像造人的時候說：「我們要照著我們的形像、按著我們的樣式造人，使他們管理海裡的魚、空中的鳥、地上的牲畜，和全地，並地上所爬的一切昆蟲。」（創世記1:26）

    既然如此，人需要有上帝的公義，人需要被耶穌基督拯救和聖靈的引導，如此人才能真正脫離罪惡的羞辱，也因為這樣才能使國家充滿公義！這也是為什麼許多國家嘗試用教育來改變人民，提升人民素質！

    然而教育是必要的，只是做的有限，那是從外在的規範，真正改變人要從內再開始，就需要人與上帝重新連結在一起，人才能得著真正的更新，真正是屬於公義的！

出埃及記9:8-12

9:8 耶和華吩咐摩西、亞倫說：「你們取幾捧爐灰，摩西要在法老面前向天揚起來。
9:9 這灰要在埃及全地變作塵土，在人身上和牲畜身上成了起泡的瘡。」
9:10 摩西、亞倫取了爐灰，站在法老面前。摩西向天揚起來，就在人身上和牲畜身上成了起泡的瘡。
9:11 行法術的在摩西面前站立不住，因為在他們身上和一切埃及人身上都有這瘡。
9:12 耶和華使法老的心剛硬，不聽他們，正如耶和華對摩西所說的。

⁸ Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. ⁹ It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on people and animals throughout the land.”
¹⁰ So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on people and animals. ¹¹ The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians. ¹² But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said to Moses.

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    說到法老的心剛硬是來自上帝，以致於不聽摩西和亞倫所說的，讓人覺得上帝怎麼會是這樣的上帝？他既然命令摩西去向法老要求讓百姓去敬拜祂，應該讓法老好好的配合，好讓摩西好做事！

    可是，上帝不僅沒軟化法老的心，讓他一再的硬心，這是多麼令人想不通的事！但是上帝就是用這樣的方式來鍛鍊祂的僕人，讓祂的僕人清楚自己就是要經過這樣的考驗，好讓上帝的名得著榮耀！另一方面，更是讓祂的僕人知道，在大的困難就是要遵行上帝的旨意！

    想到事奉的過程中，也是有許多大大小小的事情，甚至得著牧師資格，卻沒有機會封牧，讓我認識成為上帝的僕人，不要在乎頭銜，不要表現自我，一切得主全都在上帝，上帝的同在勝過一切！