創世記17:1-8

17:1 亞伯蘭年九十九歲的時候，耶和華向他顯現，對他說：「我是全能的上帝。你當在我面前作完全人，
17:2 我就與你立約，使你的後裔極其繁多。」
17:3 亞伯蘭俯伏在地；上帝又對他說：「
17:4 我與你立約：你要作多國的父。
17:5 從此以後，你的名不再叫亞伯蘭，要叫亞伯拉罕，因為我已立你作多國的父。
17:6 我必使你的後裔極其繁多；國度從你而立，君王從你而出。
17:7 我要與你並你世世代代的後裔堅立我的約，作永遠的約，是要作你和你後裔的上帝。
17:8 我要將你現在寄居的地，就是迦南全地，賜給你和你的後裔永遠為業，我也必作他們的上帝。」

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty^[a]; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. ² Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”

³ Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, ⁴ “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. ⁵ No longer will you be called Abram^[b]; your name will be Abraham,^[c] for I have made you a father of many nations. ⁶ I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. ⁷ I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. ⁸ The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”

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    改名字也是人生轉變的時刻，正如亞伯拉罕是在99歲的時候改名字，之前得名字是「亞伯蘭」（意思是「被高舉之父」），在這之前就蒙上帝的引導。後來改名為「亞伯拉罕」（意思是「一大群人之父」），上帝要立他為多國的父！而他今日真的成為多國的父，凡持「因信稱義」信仰的，就是他的後裔！

    「亞伯蘭」和「亞伯拉罕」的音韻只差"ha"，有人認為是上帝與亞伯拉罕立盟約所留得記號，使亞伯拉罕被人呼喊的時候，想到自己是屬於上帝的，應當記念上帝的同在！

    然而在這一次立盟約中上帝仍然宣告祂的應許：「我必使你的後裔極其繁多；國度從你而立，君王從你而出。我要與你並你世世代代的後裔堅立我的約，作永遠的約，是要作你和你後裔的上帝。我要將你現在寄居的地，就是迦南全地，賜給你和你的後裔永遠為業，我也必作他們的上帝。」

    上帝向亞伯拉罕這樣宣告，是要說明祂是守約施慈愛的上帝，是值得我們信靠的，我們要堅心倚賴祂！

箴言23:12

你要留心領受訓誨，側耳聽從知識的言語。

Apply your heart to instruction
    and your ears to words of knowledge.

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    面對上帝的話語的兩個重要的器官是「心」和「耳」，尤其是我們在禮拜的時候，我們敬拜上帝的程序就是：等候上帝的話、領受上帝的話、回應上帝的話！之後受到差遣，回到自己的生活與工作場合，面對廣大的人群時，我們要實踐上帝的話！

    雖然禮拜有唱詩、有禱告，但是聆聽上帝的話語，更是人和上帝建立關係最重要的步驟！而我們聆聽是要聽到心裡面的，「心」和「耳」顯得更是重要！我們不要沉迷在禮拜的音樂中，因為音樂世人對上帝表達自己，所以享受音樂得上帝不是我們！

    我們要像《箴言》的作者一樣，要敞開新領受上帝的話語，我們是要過上帝的話語感受到上帝的同在，我們在生活上實踐上帝的話語，更是需要上帝的同在，才能像人見證上帝得拯救。因此，我們「要留心領受訓誨，側耳聽從知識的言語」！

創世記16:7-16

6:7 耶和華的使者在曠野書珥路上的水泉旁遇見她，
16:8 對她說：「撒萊的使女夏甲，你從哪裡來？要往哪裡去？」夏甲說：「我從我的主母撒萊面前逃出來。」
16:9 耶和華的使者對她說：「你回到你主母那裡，服在她手下」；
16:10 又說：「我必使你的後裔極其繁多，甚至不可勝數」；
16:11 並說：「你如今懷孕要生一個兒子，可以給他起名叫以實瑪利（就是神聽見的意思），因為耶和華聽見了你的苦情。
16:12 他為人必像野驢。他的手要攻打人，人的手也要攻打他；他必住在眾弟兄的東邊。」
16:13 夏甲就稱那對她說話的耶和華為「看顧人的上帝」。因而說：「在這裡我也看見那看顧我的嗎？」
16:14 所以這井名叫庇耳‧拉海‧萊。這井正在加低斯和巴列中間。
16:15 後來夏甲給亞伯蘭生了一個兒子；亞伯蘭給他起名叫以實瑪利。
16:16 夏甲給亞伯蘭生以實瑪利的時候，亞伯蘭年八十六歲。

⁷ The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. ⁸ And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”
“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.
⁹ Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” ¹⁰ The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”
¹¹ The angel of the Lord also said to her:

“You are now pregnant
    and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,^[a]
    for the Lord has heard of your misery.
¹² He will be a wild donkey of a man;
    his hand will be against everyone
    and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
    toward^[b] all his brothers.”

¹³ She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen^[c] the One who sees me.” ¹⁴ That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi^[d]; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.

¹⁵ So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. ¹⁶ Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

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    夏甲雖然有滿腹的委屈，但是上帝仍然眷顧她，甚至於在她離家出走的時候，上帝主動的尋求並且安慰她說：「我必使你的後裔極其繁多，甚至不可勝數」「你如今懷孕要生一個兒子，可以給他起名叫以實瑪利（就是神聽見的意思），因為耶和華聽見了你的苦情。」

    上帝是主動俯就卑微的人，正如祂和夏甲建立關係也是出於上帝的作為。雖然夏甲為埃及人，甚至是奴隸，但是在上帝的眼中，仍然是寶貴的，祂願意安慰並且為她伸冤！所以，她稱上帝為「看顧人的上帝」！

    你有沒有像夏甲一般，在人生遇到困難的時候，被人藐視、被人看輕？快來投靠耶和華上帝，祂必看顧你，也必安慰你，讓你感受到上帝真的是「看顧人的上帝」！

創世記16:1-6

16:1 亞伯蘭的妻子撒萊不給他生兒女。撒萊有一個使女，名叫夏甲，是埃及人。
16:2 撒萊對亞伯蘭說：「耶和華使我不能生育。求你和我的使女同房，或者我可以因她得孩子（得孩子：原文是被建立）」。亞伯蘭聽從了撒萊的話。
16:3 於是亞伯蘭的妻子撒萊將使女埃及人夏甲給了丈夫為妾；那時亞伯蘭在迦南已經住了十年。
16:4 亞伯蘭與夏甲同房，夏甲就懷了孕；她見自己有孕，就小看她的主母。
16:5 撒萊對亞伯蘭說：「我因你受屈。我將我的使女放在你懷中，她見自己有了孕，就小看我。願耶和華在你我中間判斷。」
16:6 亞伯蘭對撒萊說：「使女在你手下，你可以隨意待她。」撒萊苦待她，她就從撒萊面前逃走了。

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; ² so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”

Abram agreed to what Sarai said. ³ So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. ⁴ He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.
When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. ⁵ Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.”
⁶ “Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.

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    在亞伯拉罕的家庭中，夏甲是個沒有地位的婢女，她的命運沒有主動權，受制於撒拉。然而撒拉自己不會生產，就讓夏甲成為妾，好為亞伯拉罕延續子嗣。殊不知夏甲懷孕之後，自以為身分提升了，看不起撒拉，導致撒拉反擊，夏甲受不了就逃走。

    亞伯拉罕雖然是上帝所呼召的人，卻在家庭的治理上，讓然感覺是不及格！竟然沒有好好尋求上帝的心意，太太說什麼就做什麼，導致後來惹出家庭不和睦，他還是讓太太要怎樣就怎樣，沒有男人該有的魄力。

    其實男人在家中要發揮上帝賦予男人的角色，也就是要做一個稱職的治理者，如此家庭才會和睦，才能榮耀上帝的名！