箴言23:13-14

23:13 不可不管教孩童；你用杖打他，他必不至於死。
23:14 你要用杖打他，就可以救他的靈魂免下陰間。

¹³ Do not withhold discipline from a child;
    if you punish them with the rod, they will not die.
¹⁴ Punish them with the rod
    and save them from death.

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    《箴言》這段話常常被父母當成養育兒女重要法則，也告訴我們管教的重要性。因為沒有讓小孩活在紀律之中，是殘害他不是幫助他，很容易偏離上帝的法則，而離開上帝。

    所以，該勸誡、該責罰，都要進行，不可以不忍心，反而是害了他們。正如這裡所說：「你用杖打他，他必不至於死。你要用杖打他，就可以救他的靈魂免下陰間。」

    我們都不希望自己的小孩的靈魂下到陰間，因此，勇敢的管教吧！

創世記17:15-27

17:15 上帝又對亞伯拉罕說：「你的妻子撒萊不可再叫撒萊，她的名要叫撒拉。
17:16 我必賜福給她，也要使你從她得一個兒子。我要賜福給她，她也要作多國之母；必有百姓的君王從她而出。」
17:17 亞伯拉罕就俯伏在地喜笑，心裡說：「一百歲的人還能得孩子嗎？撒拉已經九十歲了，還能生養嗎？」
17:18 亞伯拉罕對上帝說：「但願以實瑪利活在你面前。」
17:19 上帝說：「不然，你妻子撒拉要給你生一個兒子，你要給他起名叫以撒。我要與他堅定所立的約，作他後裔永遠的約。
17:20 至於以實瑪利，我也應允你：我必賜福給他，使他昌盛，極其繁多。他必生十二個族長；我也要使他成為大國。
17:21 到明年這時節，撒拉必給你生以撒，我要與他堅定所立的約。」
17:22 上帝和亞伯拉罕說完了話，就離開他上升去了。
17:23 正當那日，亞伯拉罕遵著上帝的命，給他的兒子以實瑪利和家裡的一切男子，無論是在家裡生的，是用銀子買的，都行了割禮。
17:24 亞伯拉罕受割禮的時候年九十九歲。
17:25 他兒子以實瑪利受割禮的時候年十三歲。
17:26 正當那日，亞伯拉罕和他兒子以實瑪利一同受了割禮。
17:27 家裡所有的人，無論是在家裡生的，是用銀子從外人買的，也都一同受了割禮。

¹⁵ God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. ¹⁶ I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
¹⁷ Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” ¹⁸ And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”
¹⁹ Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.^[d] I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. ²⁰ And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. ²¹ But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” ²² When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.
²³ On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. ²⁴ Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, ²⁵ and his son Ishmael was thirteen; ²⁶ Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. ²⁷ And every male in Abraham’s household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.

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    亞伯拉罕與上帝立盟約，連妻子的身分也有所不同，上帝也重新給一個新的名字。「撒萊」的字義是「公主」，而「撒拉」則是「貴族婦女」！這都是極為尊貴的女子之名！

    上帝更是直接說出將要發生得事情：「我必賜福給她，也要使你從她得一個兒子。我要賜福給她，她也要作多國之母；必有百姓的君王從她而出。」「你妻子撒拉要給你生一個兒子，你要給他起名叫以撒。我要與他堅定所立的約，作他後裔永遠的約。」

    然而亞伯拉罕雖然是信心之父，卻仍然受到常理限制，他回應上帝：「一百歲的人還能得孩子嗎？撒拉已經九十歲了，還能生養嗎？」

    但是，對於哥理這件事，他沒有馬虎，正如聖經所說：「正當那日，亞伯拉罕和他兒子以實瑪利一同受了割禮。家裡所有的人，無論是在家裡生的，是用銀子從外人買的，也都一同受了割禮。」

    亞伯拉罕讓我們看見一個榜樣，信心要有行動，這是真信心的表現！

創世記17:9-14

17:9 上帝又對亞伯拉罕說：「你和你的後裔必世世代代遵守我的約。
17:10 你們所有的男子都要受割禮；這就是我與你並你的後裔所立的約，是你們所當遵守的。
17:11 你們都要受割禮【原文是割陽皮；14，23，24，25節同】；這是我與你們立約的證據。
17:12 你們世世代代的男子，無論是家裡生的，是在你後裔之外用銀子從外人買的，生下來第八日，都要受割禮。
17:13 你家裡生的和你用銀子買的，都必須受割禮。這樣，我的約就立在你們肉體上作永遠的約。
17:14 但不受割禮的男子必從民中剪除，因他背了我的約。」

⁹ Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. ¹⁰ This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. ¹¹ You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. ¹² For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. ¹³ Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. ¹⁴ Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

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     亞伯拉罕與上帝立盟約，不只是改名字，更是要受割禮。而割禮的範圍，不只是亞伯拉罕本人，還包括在亞伯拉罕的僕人和子孫。正如上帝所說：「你和你的後裔必世世代代遵守我的約。你們所有的男子都要受割禮；這就是我與你並你的後裔所立的約，是你們所當遵守的。」

    割禮是什麼呢？就是男子將包皮割掉，使受割禮的知道自己和上帝是有關係的，而且是有可見得記號。正如去買牲畜時，為了確認牲畜是有主人所有的，就會在牠們的身上烙印一個記號。上帝和亞伯拉罕的後裔立永約的記號，就是割禮！

    到新約時代雖然非猶太人不需要受割禮，只要因信就可以蒙上帝拯救，但是保羅確將外在的割禮延伸至心靈的割禮。正如腓立比書3章3節：「因為真受割禮的，乃是我們這以上帝的靈敬拜、在基督耶穌裡誇口、不靠著肉體的。」

創世記17章

      創世記17:1-8, 創世記17:1-2 ,

      創世記17:9-14  ,

      創世記17:15-27  ,  創世記17:23   ,

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！