2020年11月22日 星期日

約伯記31:1-40

 


31:1 我與眼睛立約,怎能戀戀瞻望處女呢?
31:2
從至上的上帝所得之分,從至高全能者所得之業是甚麼呢?
31:3
豈不是禍患臨到不義的,災害臨到作孽的呢?
31:4
上帝豈不是察看我的道路,數點我的腳步呢?
31:5
我若與虛謊同行,腳若追隨詭詐;
31:6
(我若被公道的天平稱度,使上帝可以知道我的純正;)
31:7
我的腳步若偏離正路,我的心若隨著我的眼目,若有玷污粘在我手上;
31:8
就願我所種的有別人吃,我田所產的被拔出來。
31:9
我若受迷惑,向婦人起淫念,在鄰舍的門外蹲伏,
31:10
就願我的妻子給別人推磨,別人也與她同室。
31:11
因為這是大罪,是審判官當罰的罪孽。
31:12
這本是火焚燒,直到毀滅,必拔除我所有的家產。
31:13
我的僕婢與我爭辯的時候,我若藐視不聽他們的情節;
31:14
上帝興起,我怎樣行呢?他察問,我怎樣回答呢?
31:15
造我在腹中的,不也是造他嗎?將他與我摶在腹中的豈不是一位嗎?
31:16
我若不容貧寒人得其所願,或叫寡婦眼中失望,
31:17
或獨自吃我一點食物,孤兒沒有與我同吃;
31:18
(從幼年時孤兒與我同長,好像父子一樣;我從出母腹就扶助(原文是引領)寡婦。)
31:19
我若見人因無衣死亡,或見窮乏人身無遮蓋;
31:20
我若不使他因我羊的毛得暖,為我祝福;
31:21
我若在城門口見有幫助我的,舉手攻擊孤兒;
31:22
情願我的肩頭從缺盆骨脫落,我的膀臂從羊矢骨折斷。
31:23
因上帝降的災禍使我恐懼;因他的威嚴,我不能妄為。
31:24
我若以黃金為指望,對精金說:你是我的倚靠;
31:25
我若因財物豐裕,因我手多得資財而歡喜;
31:26
我若見太陽發光,明月行在空中,
31:27
心就暗暗被引誘,口便親手;
31:28
這也是審判官當罰的罪孽,又是我背棄在上的上帝。
31:29
我若見恨我的遭報就歡喜,見他遭災便高興;
31:30
(我沒有容口犯罪,咒詛他的生命;)
31:31
若我帳棚的人未嘗說,誰不以主人的食物吃飽呢?
31:32
(從來我沒有容客旅在街上住宿,卻開門迎接行路的人;)
31:33
我若像亞當(或譯:別人)遮掩我的過犯,將罪孽藏在懷中;
31:34
因懼怕大眾,又因宗族藐視我使我驚恐,以致閉口無言,杜門不出;
31:35
惟願有一位肯聽我!(看哪,在這裡有我所劃的押,願全能者回答我!)
31:36
願那敵我者所寫的狀詞在我這裡!我必帶在肩上,又綁在頭上為冠冕。
31:37
我必向他述說我腳步的數目,必如君王進到他面前。
31:38
我若奪取田地,這地向我喊冤,犁溝一同哭泣;
31:39
我若吃地的出產不給價值,或叫原主喪命;
31:40
願這地長蒺藜代替麥子,長惡草代替大麥。約伯的話說完了。

 

“I made a covenant with my eyes
    not to look lustfully at a young woman.
For what is our lot from God above,
    our heritage from the Almighty on high?
Is it not ruin for the wicked,
    disaster for those who do wrong?
Does he not see my ways
    and count my every step?

“If I have walked with falsehood
    or my foot has hurried after deceit—
let God weigh me in honest scales
    and he will know that I am blameless—
if my steps have turned from the path,
    if my heart has been led by my eyes,
    or if my hands have been defiled,
then may others eat what I have sown,
    and may my crops be uprooted.

“If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
    or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
10 then may my wife grind another man’s grain,
    and may other men sleep with her.
11 For that would have been wicked,
    a sin to be judged.
12 It is a fire that burns to Destruction[a];
    it would have uprooted my harvest.

13 “If I have denied justice to any of my servants,
    whether male or female,
    when they had a grievance against me,
14 what will I do when God confronts me?
    What will I answer when called to account?
15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?
    Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?

16 “If I have denied the desires of the poor
    or let the eyes of the widow grow weary,
17 if I have kept my bread to myself,
    not sharing it with the fatherless—
18 but from my youth I reared them as a father would,
    and from my birth I guided the widow—
19 if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,
    or the needy without garments,
20 and their hearts did not bless me
    for warming them with the fleece from my sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,
    knowing that I had influence in court,
22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
    let it be broken off at the joint.
23 For I dreaded destruction from God,
    and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things.

24 “If I have put my trust in gold
    or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’
25 if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,
    the fortune my hands had gained,
26 if I have regarded the sun in its radiance
    or the moon moving in splendor,
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed
    and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,
28 then these also would be sins to be judged,
    for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.

29 “If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune
    or gloated over the trouble that came to him—
30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin
    by invoking a curse against their life—
31 if those of my household have never said,
    ‘Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?’—
32 but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,
    for my door was always open to the traveler—
33 if I have concealed my sin as people do,[b]
    by hiding my guilt in my heart
34 because I so feared the crowd
    and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
    that I kept silent and would not go outside—

35 (“Oh, that I had someone to hear me!
    I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;
    let my accuser put his indictment in writing.
36 Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,
    I would put it on like a crown.
37 I would give him an account of my every step;
    I would present it to him as to a ruler.)—

38 “if my land cries out against me
    and all its furrows are wet with tears,
39 if I have devoured its yield without payment
    or broken the spirit of its tenants,
40 then let briers come up instead of wheat
    and stinkweed instead of barley.”

 

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

 

    約伯在此最後的談論是要說到自己的道德是多麼高超也是沒有瑕疵的!而他的高超的道德是凡事都為別人著想,不是為個人的好處或滿足自己的慾望,更是常常施捨關心困苦人!

 

    讀到約伯這樣的論述,心中感到慚愧,因為和約伯比較起來實在差太多了!然而這樣冰清玉潔的人實在是遭魔鬼的忌妒,所以祂遭受這麼大的災害不是因為上帝的懲罰,而是上帝要證實約伯是真正敬畏主的人!這也就是說他所以有今天,不是因為犯罪而是上帝要證明約伯的敬畏上帝是真實的,有永遠的冠冕為他預備!正如保羅說:「那美好的仗我已經打過了,當跑的路我已經跑盡了,所信的道我已經守住了。從此以後,有公義的冠冕為我存留,就是按著公義審判的主到了那日要賜給我的;不但賜給我,也賜給凡愛慕他顯現的人。」(提摩太後書4:7-8

 

    主耶穌的兄弟雅各也說:「忍受試探的人是有福的,因為他經過試驗以後,必得生命的冠冕;這是主應許給那些愛他之人的。」(雅各書1:12

 

    除了約伯為義受苦,主耶穌也是為義受苦,使徒彼得也鼓勵我們要為義受苦,「倘若人為叫良心對得住上帝,就忍受冤屈的苦楚,這是可喜愛的。你們若因犯罪受責打,能忍耐,有甚麼可誇的呢?但你們若因行善受苦,能忍耐,這在上帝看是可喜愛的。你們蒙召原是為此;因基督也為你們受過苦,給你們留下榜樣,叫你們跟隨他的腳蹤行。」(彼得前書2:19-21

 

    今日的基督徒大多不明白「為義受苦」的意義,但是歷代的信徒卻有這樣的經歷,並且以此為榮!他們認為「為義受苦」也是背十字架跟隨主的表現,是證明自己真為耶穌基督的門徒!

 

    也因為如此使徒此彼得說:「因此,你們是大有喜樂;但如今,在百般的試煉中暫時憂愁,叫你們的信心既被試驗,就比那被火試驗仍然能壞的金子更顯寶貴,可以在耶穌基督顯現的時候得著稱讚、榮耀、尊貴。」(彼得前書1:6-7)

 

    因此為義受逼迫,也是促使我們以喜樂的心盼望耶穌基督再來,並且清楚那是得榮耀的日子,是美的無比的!

 

 

 

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