路加福音5: 15-16

 

5:15 但耶穌的名聲越發傳揚出去。有極多的人聚集來聽道，也指望醫治他們的病。

5:16 耶穌卻退到曠野去禱告。

 

¹⁵ Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. ¹⁶ But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

 

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    一般人活在世界上的目的是求名和求利，已為這樣就可過得更好，更被人尊敬。然而主耶穌面對到名和利的事情，卻是不一樣的處理方式：「耶穌卻退到曠野去禱告」。

 

    主耶穌這樣做事要讓我們清楚：我們不是靠自己的能力來生活的，是要靠上帝來生活。即使是我們的能力，也是上帝所賜的，我們必須要在上帝的引導下來使用，才不至於誤用和濫用。若是用能力來求名和求利，很容易讓自己落入自以為是、自以為義，認為自己很有辦法，就使自己失去謙卑的心，搶奪了上帝的榮耀！

 

    「退到曠野去禱告」，讓我們認清楚自己本是一無所有、一無所是，一切都是上帝的恩賜！若不是上帝的安排環境，賜下能力，我們怎能做什麼呢﹖若不是上帝在耶穌基督裡的救贖，我們怎知道上帝是我們永遠的倚靠呢﹖

 

    也因此「退到曠野去禱告」是提醒我們：要藉由禱告來親近上帝，支取上帝的大能大力，為的是要榮耀上帝，如此我們的生命才會有真正的滿足！正如《韋斯敏斯德小要理問答》中的〈韋斯敏斯德小要理問答–引言〉說到：「人的主要目的就是榮耀上帝，永遠以祂為樂。」

 

歷代志上19章

      歷代志上19:1-19 ,

歷代志上19:1-19

 

19:1 此後，亞捫人的王拿轄死了，他兒子接續他作王。
19:2 大衛說：「我要照哈嫩的父親拿轄厚待我的恩典厚待哈嫩。」於是大衛差遣使者為他喪父安慰他。大衛的臣僕到了亞捫人的境內見哈嫩，要安慰他，
19:3 但亞捫人的首領對哈嫩說：「大衛差人來安慰你，你想他是尊敬你父親嗎？他的臣僕來見你不是為詳察窺探、傾覆這地嗎？」
19:4 哈嫩便將大衛臣僕的鬍鬚剃去一半，又割斷他們下半截的衣服，使他們露出下體，打發他們回去。
19:5 有人將臣僕所遇的事告訴大衛，他就差人去迎接他們，因為他們甚覺羞恥；告訴他們說：「可以住在耶利哥，等到鬍鬚長起再回來。」
19:6 亞捫人知道大衛憎惡他們，哈嫩和亞捫人就打發人拿一千他連得銀子，從美索不達米亞、亞蘭瑪迦、瑣巴雇戰車和馬兵，
19:7 於是雇了三萬二千輛戰車和瑪迦王並他的軍兵；他們來安營在米底巴前。亞捫人也從他們的城裡出來，聚集交戰。
19:8 大衛聽見了，就差派約押統帶勇猛的全軍出去。
19:9 亞捫人出來在城門前擺陣，所來的諸王另在郊野擺陣。
19:10 約押看見敵人在他前後擺陣，就從以色列軍中挑選精兵，使他們對著亞蘭人擺陣；
19:11 其餘的兵交與他兄弟亞比篩，對著亞捫人擺陣。
19:12 約押對亞比篩說：「亞蘭人若強過我，你就來幫助我；亞捫人若強過你，我就去幫助你。
19:13 我們都當剛強，為本國的民和上帝的城邑作大丈夫，願耶和華憑他的意旨而行。」
19:14 於是約押和跟隨他的人前進攻打亞蘭人；亞蘭人在約押面前逃跑。
19:15 亞捫人見亞蘭人逃跑，他們也在約押的兄弟亞比篩面前逃跑進城。約押就回耶路撒冷去了。
19:16 亞蘭人見自己被以色列人打敗，就打發使者將大河那邊的亞蘭人調來，哈大利謝的將軍朔法率領他們。
19:17 有人告訴大衛，他就聚集以色列眾人過約旦河，來到亞蘭人那裡，迎著他們擺陣。大衛既擺陣攻擊亞蘭人，亞蘭人就與他打仗。
19:18 亞蘭人在以色列人面前逃跑。大衛殺了亞蘭七千輛戰車的人，四萬步兵，又殺了亞蘭的將軍朔法。
19:19 屬哈大利謝的諸王見自己被以色列人打敗，就與大衛和好，歸服他。於是亞蘭人不敢再幫助亞捫人了。 

 

In the course of time, Nahash king of the Ammonites died, and his son succeeded him as king. ² David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father.

When David’s envoys came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites to express sympathy to him, ³ the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun, “Do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy? Haven’t his envoys come to you only to explore and spy out the country and overthrow it?” ⁴ So Hanun seized David’s envoys, shaved them, cut off their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away.

⁵ When someone came and told David about the men, he sent messengers to meet them, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, “Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back.”

⁶ When the Ammonites realized that they had become obnoxious to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents^[a] of silver to hire chariots and charioteers from Aram Naharaim,^[b] Aram Maakah and Zobah. ⁷ They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and charioteers, as well as the king of Maakah with his troops, who came and camped near Medeba, while the Ammonites were mustered from their towns and moved out for battle.

⁸ On hearing this, David sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men. ⁹ The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance to their city, while the kings who had come were by themselves in the open country.

¹⁰ Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans. ¹¹ He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai his brother, and they were deployed against the Ammonites. ¹² Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to rescue me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will rescue you. ¹³ Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight.”

¹⁴ Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him. ¹⁵ When the Ammonites realized that the Arameans were fleeing, they too fled before his brother Abishai and went inside the city. So Joab went back to Jerusalem.

¹⁶ After the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they sent messengers and had Arameans brought from beyond the Euphrates River, with Shophak the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.

¹⁷ When David was told of this, he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan; he advanced against them and formed his battle lines opposite them. David formed his lines to meet the Arameans in battle, and they fought against him. ¹⁸ But they fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers. He also killed Shophak the commander of their army.

¹⁹ When the vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been routed by Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to him.

So the Arameans were not willing to help the Ammonites anymore.

 

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    大衛王的好意竟然被匪徒扭曲，讓亞捫王哈嫩羞辱了大衛的臣僕，引起了戰爭。而且雪球越滾越大，還將亞蘭王牽扯進入這場戰爭。

 

    然而上帝保守，使以色列勝過了這兩國的大軍！

 

路加福音11:33-36

 

11:33 「沒有人點燈放在地窨子裡，或是斗底下，總是放在燈臺上，使進來的人得見亮光。
11:34 你眼睛就是身上的燈。你的眼睛若瞭亮，全身就光明；眼睛若昏花，全身就黑暗。
11:35 所以，你要省察，恐怕你裡頭的光或者黑暗了。
11:36 若是你全身光明，毫無黑暗，就必全然光明，如同燈的明光照亮你。」

 

³³ “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. ³⁴ Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy,^[g] your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy,^[h] your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵ See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. ³⁶ Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

 

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    人需要上帝的光照，才能行在上帝要人行的道路上！所以，主耶穌說：「你眼睛就是身上的燈。你的眼睛若瞭亮，全身就光明；眼睛若昏花，全身就黑暗。所以，你要省察，恐怕你裡頭的光或者黑暗了。」

 

    也因為這樣，我們需要求主與我們同行，用祂的話來引導我們，正如詩人所說：「你的話是我腳前的燈，是我路上的光。」(詩篇119:105)

 

    我們要求主一直與我們同在不要離開！正如詩歌《求主同住》：

夕陽西沉，求主與我同住，
黑暗漸深，求主與我同住，
求助無門，安慰也無覓處，
懇求助人之神與我同住。

渺少浮生，飄向生涯盡處，
世情歡樂，轉瞬都成過去，
四周所見，都是敗壞變故，
懇求不變之神與我同住。

我需要主，時刻在我身邊，
除卻主恩，怎能與魔作戰？
誰能像主，時常引導關註，
求主不論晴雨與我同住。

我閉目時，求顯救恩十架，
照徹幽暗，指示天上美家，
陰翳消逝，欣看天光破曙，
無論在天在地懇求同住。