約伯記10:1-22

 

10:1 我厭煩我的性命，必由著自己述說我的哀情；因心裡苦惱，我要說話，
10:2 對上帝說：不要定我有罪，要指示我，你為何與我爭辯？
10:3 你手所造的，你又欺壓，又藐視，卻光照惡人的計謀。這事你以為美嗎？
10:4 你的眼豈是肉眼？你查看豈像人查看嗎？
10:5 你的日子豈像人的日子，你的年歲豈像人的年歲，
10:6 就追問我的罪孽，尋察我的罪過嗎？
10:7 其實，你知道我沒有罪惡，並沒有能救我脫離你手的。
10:8 你的手創造我，造就我的四肢百體，你還要毀滅我。
10:9 求你記念─製造我如摶泥一般，你還要使我歸於塵土嗎？
10:10 你不是倒出我來好像奶，使我凝結如同奶餅嗎？
10:11 你以皮和肉為衣給我穿上，用骨與筋把我全體聯絡。
10:12 你將生命和慈愛賜給我；你也眷顧保全我的心靈。
10:13 然而，你待我的這些事早已藏在你心裡；我知道你久有此意。
10:14 我若犯罪，你就察看我，並不赦免我的罪孽。
10:15 我若行惡，便有了禍；我若為義，也不敢抬頭，正是滿心羞愧，眼見我的苦情。
10:16 我若昂首自得，你就追捕我如獅子，又在我身上顯出奇能。
10:17 你重立見證攻擊我，向我加增惱怒，如軍兵更換著攻擊我。
10:18 你為何使我出母胎呢？不如我當時氣絕，無人得見我；
10:19 這樣，就如沒有我一般，一出母胎就被送入墳墓。
10:20 我的日子不是甚少嗎？求你停手寬容我，叫我在往而不返之先─就是往黑暗和死蔭之地以先─可以稍得暢快。
10:21 【併於上節】
10:22 那地甚是幽暗，是死蔭混沌之地；那裡的光好像幽暗。

 

“I loathe my very life;
    therefore I will give free rein to my complaint
    and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.
² I say to God: Do not declare me guilty,
    but tell me what charges you have against me.
³ Does it please you to oppress me,
    to spurn the work of your hands,
    while you smile on the plans of the wicked?
⁴ Do you have eyes of flesh?
    Do you see as a mortal sees?
⁵ Are your days like those of a mortal
    or your years like those of a strong man,
⁶ that you must search out my faults
    and probe after my sin—
⁷ though you know that I am not guilty
    and that no one can rescue me from your hand?

⁸ “Your hands shaped me and made me.
    Will you now turn and destroy me?
⁹ Remember that you molded me like clay.
    Will you now turn me to dust again?
¹⁰ Did you not pour me out like milk
    and curdle me like cheese,
¹¹ clothe me with skin and flesh
    and knit me together with bones and sinews?
¹² You gave me life and showed me kindness,
    and in your providence watched over my spirit.

¹³ “But this is what you concealed in your heart,
    and I know that this was in your mind:
¹⁴ If I sinned, you would be watching me
    and would not let my offense go unpunished.
¹⁵ If I am guilty—woe to me!
    Even if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head,
for I am full of shame
    and drowned in^[a] my affliction.
¹⁶ If I hold my head high, you stalk me like a lion
    and again display your awesome power against me.
¹⁷ You bring new witnesses against me
    and increase your anger toward me;
    your forces come against me wave upon wave.

¹⁸ “Why then did you bring me out of the womb?
    I wish I had died before any eye saw me.
¹⁹ If only I had never come into being,
    or had been carried straight from the womb to the grave!
²⁰ Are not my few days almost over?
    Turn away from me so I can have a moment’s joy
²¹ before I go to the place of no return,
    to the land of gloom and utter darkness,
²² to the land of deepest night,
    of utter darkness and disorder,
    where even the light is like darkness.”

 

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

 

    透過約伯向上帝的質問和自我答辯，我們看出約伯是和上帝有親密的關係，這是約伯和他的朋友談論的教訓之中有不同的地方，因為他的朋友大多說到上帝的屬性，沒有談到上帝和他們的關係！

 

    我們和上帝的關係是不是建立在對話之中？還是建立在客觀的事實當中？這兩者在我們的信仰都很重要，但是我們信靠上帝的人，是要和上帝建立關係，不是只是在知識上認識祂。而主耶穌的拯救，也就要促成我們和上帝建立關係！正如主耶穌所說：「我就是道路、真理、生命；若不藉著我，沒有人能到父那裡去。你們若認識我，也就認識我的父。從今以後，你們認識他，並且已經看見他。」(約翰福音14:5-7)

 

    當然我們知道約伯本身是怎樣敬畏上帝，然而苦難的淬鍊，卻是越發彰顯約伯與上帝之間不是外表的遵行禮儀或是單單「善有善報、惡有惡報」的認識，讓他思考上帝為何如此這樣對他時，與上帝有更深的對話，將內心的感受像上帝抒發！

 

    所以，上帝讓約伯受到苦難似乎好像與撒但賭氣，卻進而讓約伯的生命得著成長！在我們的現實生命中，也像約伯的生命一樣，要經過苦難的陶造，激發出我們生命的光輝，這也是上帝的成全！