創世記21:8-21

21:8 孩子漸長，就斷了奶。以撒斷奶的日子，亞伯拉罕設擺豐盛的筵席。
21:9 當時，撒拉看見埃及人夏甲給亞伯拉罕所生的兒子戲笑，
21:10 就對亞伯拉罕說：「你把這使女和她兒子趕出去！因為這使女的兒子不可與我的兒子以撒一同承受產業。」
21:11 亞伯拉罕因他兒子的緣故很憂愁。
21:12 上帝對亞伯拉罕說：「你不必為這童子和你的使女憂愁。凡撒拉對你說的話，你都該聽從；因為從以撒生的，才要稱為你的後裔。
21:13 至於使女的兒子，我也必使他的後裔成立一國，因為他是你所生的。」
21:14 亞伯拉罕清早起來，拿餅和一皮袋水，給了夏甲，搭在她的肩上，又把孩子交給她，打發她走。夏甲就走了，在別是巴的曠野走迷了路。
21:15 皮袋的水用盡了，夏甲就把孩子撇在小樹底下，
21:16 自己走開約有一箭之遠，相對而坐，說：「我不忍見孩子死」，就相對而坐，放聲大哭。
21:17 上帝聽見童子的聲音；上帝的使者從天上呼叫夏甲說：「夏甲，你為何這樣呢？不要害怕，上帝已經聽見童子的聲音了。
21:18 起來！把童子抱在懷中（懷：原文是手），我必使他的後裔成為大國。」
21:19 上帝使夏甲的眼睛明亮，她就看見一口水井，便去將皮袋盛滿了水，給童子喝。
21:20 上帝保佑童子，他就漸長，住在曠野，成了弓箭手。
21:21 他住在巴蘭的曠野；他母親從埃及地給他娶了一個妻子。

 ⁸ The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. ⁹ But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, ¹⁰ and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”

¹¹ The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. ¹² But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring^[b] will be reckoned. ¹³ I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”

¹⁴ Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.

¹⁵ When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. ¹⁶ Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she^[c] began to sob.

¹⁷ God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. ¹⁸ Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

¹⁹ Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

²⁰ God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. ²¹ While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.

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    夏甲和以實瑪利雖然不得人疼，但是卻一直蒙上帝的眷顧與安慰，尤其是在苦境中，上帝再次拯救他們，使他們得安慰和力量！雖然以實瑪利不是蒙應許的後裔，但是每個生命上帝都眷顧、都愛護！

    也因為這樣，我們的人生雖然有許多不盡自己的意，似乎上帝不要你如此做的時候，要放下自己的堅持，讓上帝的心意成就，在上帝面前尋得安慰，上帝或許有更偉大的事情要你去成就！

    相信上帝拯救比一切更重要，超過自己領受怎樣的職分、有沒有受人尊敬與喜愛、有沒有許多財富、…！因為，我們人生的目的不是成就自己，而是榮耀上帝、永遠以上帝為樂！

創世記21章

          創世記21:1-7  ,

         創世記21:1   ,  創世記21:1  ,

         創世記21:6   ,

          創世記21:8-21   ,

         創世記21:22-34  ,

創世記21:1-7

21:1 耶和華按著先前的話眷顧撒拉，便照他所說的給撒拉成就。
21:2 當亞伯拉罕年老的時候，撒拉懷了孕；到上帝所說的日期，就給亞伯拉罕生了一個兒子。
21:3 亞伯拉罕給撒拉所生的兒子起名叫以撒。
21:4 以撒生下來第八日，亞伯拉罕照著上帝所吩咐的，給以撒行了割禮。
21:5 他兒子以撒生的時候，亞伯拉罕年一百歲。
21:6 撒拉說：「上帝使我喜笑，凡聽見的必與我一同喜笑」；
21:7 又說：「誰能預先對亞伯拉罕說『撒拉要乳養嬰孩』呢？因為在他年老的時候，我給他生了一個兒子。」

 Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. ² Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. ³ Abraham gave the name Isaac^[a] to the son Sarah bore him. ⁴ When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. ⁵ Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

⁶ Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” ⁷ And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

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    撒拉清楚以撒的出生是出於上帝，所以她勇敢的宣告：「上帝使我喜笑，凡聽見的必與我一同喜笑」；「誰能預先對亞伯拉罕說『撒拉要乳養嬰孩』呢？因為在他年老的時候，我給他生了一個兒子。」

    而以撒的出生，亞伯拉罕不敢隨便，他在以撒出生第八天的時候，照著上帝所吩咐的，給以撒行了割禮。讓以撒有屬乎上帝子民的記號，讓大家知道他是應許之子！

    說到上帝的應許，我們要用信心來領受，尤其是關乎永生的事情，我們更是要信靠耶穌基督，因為上帝的應許是在基督裏，也因此猶大書20-21節更是我們念念不忘的：「親愛的弟兄啊，你們卻要在至聖的真道上造就自己，在聖靈裡禱告，保守自己常在上帝的愛中，仰望我們主耶穌基督的憐憫，直到永生。」

箴言23:29-35

23:29 誰有禍患？誰有憂愁？誰有爭鬥？誰有哀歎（或譯：怨言）？誰無故受傷？誰眼目紅赤？
23:30 就是那流連飲酒、常去尋找調和酒的人。
23:31 酒發紅，在杯中閃爍，你不可觀看，雖然下咽舒暢，終久是咬你如蛇，刺你如毒蛇。
23:32 【併於上節】
23:33 你眼必看見異怪的事（或譯：淫婦）；你心必發出乖謬的話。
23:34 你必像躺在海中，或像臥在桅杆上。
23:35 你必說：人打我，我卻未受傷；人鞭打我，我竟不覺得。我幾時清醒，我仍去尋酒。

²⁹ Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
    Who has strife? Who has complaints?
    Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
³⁰ Those who linger over wine,
    who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.
³¹ Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
    when it sparkles in the cup,
    when it goes down smoothly!
³² In the end it bites like a snake
    and poisons like a viper.
³³ Your eyes will see strange sights,
    and your mind will imagine confusing things.
³⁴ You will be like one sleeping on the high seas,
    lying on top of the rigging.
³⁵ “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt!
    They beat me, but I don’t feel it!
When will I wake up
    so I can find another drink?”

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    酒不僅是穿腸毒藥，更是使麻醉忘記自己。雖然讓人暫時忘卻一切，卻無法使人真正解決人生的問題。因此，人若想用酒來麻醉自己，只有增加問題得複雜度，是毫無益處！

    有些人喝酒就鬧事，更是破壞了自己的人際關係，使人更看不起。還有人喝了酒就亂性，就像動物一般，真的是有損自己的身分！而且喝到最後，不僅上癮還會酒精中毒，身體大大的損傷！

    因此，我們要避免被酒來控制，要遠離酒做一個正常的人。這才是明智的人，才可以不被人輕看，才能榮耀上帝！

箴言23:26-28

23:26 我兒，要將你的心歸我；你的眼目也要喜悅我的道路。
23:27 妓女是深坑；外女是窄阱。
23:28 她埋伏好像強盜；她使人中多有奸詐的。

²⁶ My son, give me your heart
    and let your eyes delight in my ways,
²⁷ for an adulterous woman is a deep pit,
    and a wayward wife is a narrow well.
²⁸ Like a bandit she lies in wait
    and multiplies the unfaithful among men.

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    「性」在聖經中不看為惡，只是限制於夫妻的關係之內，不是性解放者認為可以跨越許多狀態和關係的。然而，在不同的文化中都有「妓女」提供性來使男人陶醉、忘我！以致於造成許多的社會和家庭的問題，在以色列人中是被上帝禁止的。以致於在以色列人當中的妓女大多是外邦女子！

    《箴言》的作者勸誡：「我兒，要將你的心歸我；你的眼目也要喜悅我的道路」。之所以這樣說，是因為在性的誘惑上，對男人而眼是從眼目來的，男人喜歡看女人的身體，然後想到要發生關係，進而可能產生行動。而妓女以這種方式來影響男人，以致男人陷入如陷阱之中，無法自拔，以致人財兩失，家庭破碎！一時的快樂，帶來永遠的痛苦。

    男人的個性上比較自我中心，受到這樣的誘惑與糾纏，通常會亂了人生方向，更可怕的是把自己辛辛苦苦建立家庭給毀了！不僅如此，還影響到下一代，這是非常嚴重的事情，是不榮耀上帝的！