2:14 以色列是僕人嗎?是家中生的奴僕嗎?為何成為掠物呢?
2:15 少壯獅子向他咆哮,大聲吼叫,使他的地荒涼;城邑也都焚燒,無人居住。
2:16 挪弗人和答比匿人也打破你的頭頂。
2:17 這事臨到你身上,不是你自招的嗎?不是因耶和華─你上帝引你行路的時候,你離棄他嗎?
2:18 現今你為何在埃及路上要喝西曷的水呢?你為何在亞述路上要喝大河的水呢?
2:19 你自己的惡必懲治你;你背道的事必責備你。由此可知可見,你離棄耶和華─你的上帝,不存敬畏我的心,乃為惡事,為苦事。這是主─萬軍之耶和華說的。
14 "Is Israel a slave? Is he a
homeborn servant?
Why then has he become a prey?
15 The lions have roared against him;
they have roared loudly.
They have made his land a waste;
his cities are in ruins, without
inhabitant.
16 Moreover, the men of Memphis and
Tahpanhes
have
shaved the crown of your head.
17 Have you not brought this upon yourself
by forsaking the Lord your God,
when he led you in the way?
18 And now what do you gain by going to
Egypt
to drink the waters of the Nile?
Or
what do you gain by going to Assyria
to drink the waters of the Euphrates?
19 Your evil will chastise you,
and your apostasy will reprove you.
Know and see that it is evil and bitter
for you to forsake the Lord your God;
the fear of me is not in you,
declares the Lord God of hosts.
************
先知在此說到人受到懲罰和責備,不是上帝故意要這樣來惡代人,而是出於人自己的惡:離棄耶和華,不存敬畏上帝的心。所以人不可怪上帝沒有慈愛或恩典,而是人自己所造成的!
而先知這樣的話,就是要猶大的君臣和百姓說明,今天他們要面臨巴比倫強國壓境,甚至於將來要被滅亡,正如以色列被亞述所滅,都是同樣一個原因:就是離棄耶和華上帝!
今天,若是要從滅亡的路脫離,就是要回歸到上帝面前,存敬畏上帝的心!然而人因為罪孽深重,豈能說回救回呢?上帝也明白人憑著自己的條件或狀態是不蒙上帝接納,所以上帝自己主動修復這個關係,就是透過愛子耶穌基督的降世為人,以人的樣式為人承擔罪惡的刑罰,並以復活來證明上帝已經滅絕了死亡!人可以在上帝面前,享受上帝所賜的永生之福!
弟兄姊妹,這是已經成就了!我們今天不是靠我們的努力服事和行善來得救恩,而是我們得了救恩之後靠努力服事和行善來表達我們歸向上帝與敬畏耶和華,願主保守我們常在基督裡,享受永生之福!