HOPE

信息題目: 眼中的瞳人 

講員: 姜禮振牧師

引用經文: 申命記 32:10-14

大綱 :

   一 . 遇見他 – 得救 - 生命的轉捩點 ( Deut.32:10)

       1. 曠野荒涼 – ( Gen.28:11,16; Exd.3:1-5 )

       2. 野獸吼叫 -

       3. 遇見 – 尋見 ( Lk.19:10 )

二 . 保護他 – 尊責 - 眼中的瞳人 ( Deut.32:10 )

        1. 環繞他 – ( Ps.17:8 )

       2. 看顧他 –看見, 注目, 仰望

       3. 保護他 – ( Jude 24-25 )

     三 . 引導他 – 成長 - 在兩翼之上 ( Deut.32:11-14 )

       1. 攪動巢窩 – 接取 ( Exd.19:4 )

       2. 背在上面 – 兩翼 ( Isa.40:28-31; 41:10 )

       3. 乘駕高處 – 磐石的蜜 , 堅石的油 ( Ps.81:16 )

信息總結:

申命記 32 章是一篇詩歌 – 摩西之歌。 在今天的經文裡我們看到神對祂的子民的兩種保護: 如眼中瞳人的保護 (細緻的護衛); 如老鷹訓練幼鷹的保護 (成長的操練)。 父母對子女的愛亦然如此, 呵護之外, 也當有操練。

32:10 指出神保護的對象, “他” 可以指雅各, 百姓, 摩西, 或者是神的兒女, 也就是今日的教會。 “遇見” (英文為 “找著”) 是得救的經歷, 而且是發生在 “曠野荒涼野獸吼叫” 之地, 也就是人生中最無助的時期。 出 3:1-5 摩西與神相遇, 摩西所站的聖地本是荒涼的荊棘之地。 不僅如此, 與神相遇也發生在野獸吼叫的危險之地。 在這種境遇之下, 神看我們, 保護我們如精微細緻的瞳人, 如同經不起折磨的瞳人。

為甚麼摩西以 “瞳人” 為例, 來形容神的保護呢? 透過眼睛, 我們可以看到美麗的圖像, 因而使我們能有更開闊的心胸。 在患難試煉中, 神保護我們, 使我們能看, 看到神的國度, 看到下一代的需要, 看到神要我們看的。 透過這種深度的看見, 使我們順服呼召, 活出更豐盛的生命。

屬靈的成長不單是領受神細緻的保護, 我們也要接受磨練。 32:11 我們讀到 “老鷹攪動巢窩, 在雛鷹以上兩翅搧展, 接取雛鷹, 背在兩翼之上”。 鷹巢的構造, 最底下是刺狀的樹枝, 上面有細草, 羽毛。 所以當老鷹攪動巢窩, 在鷹巢之上兩翅搧展的時候, 羽毛, 細草就被抖動滑落。 當鷹巢剩下帶刺的樹枝的時候, 雛鷹只能離巢而飛翔。 要是有不能完全展翅的小鷹, 老鷹將它 “接取, 背在兩翼之上”。 (“兩翼” 可指真裡與聖靈, 信心與愛心, 或公義與慈愛。) 摩西用這種方式形容神對我們的操練。 摩西也提到神的帶領使我們乘駕高處, 享受32:13 所提到的 “磐石中咂蜜, 堅石中吸油” 的經歷。 新約中保羅提到基督是磐石 (林前10:4), 所以真實的生命是在基督裡的磨練之後所結的果子。

和大家分享一個小故事。 有一條流經山石, 森林的小河, 盼望前往傳說中的東方大海, 但是在森林與大海之間有沙漠相隔。 每年冬雪融化之後, 小河就奮力的向前游, 但沒有一次能越過沙漠。 有一天, 小河聽到一個聲音 “要是你放棄自己的做法, 我可以幫助你到達大海。” 說話的原來是 “風”。 小河同意放棄自己的 “努力”。 第二天, 太陽高掛在天空, 小河裡的水一滴一滴的被蒸發到空中, 藉著風的幫助, 被吹到大海之上, 又化成雨水, 一滴一滴的落在大海之內。 放下我們的驕傲, 聖經應許我們能在 “磐石中取蜜”。 願我們能在磨練中, 由聖靈帶領進入更豐盛之地。

Topic: Apple of His Eye

Speaker: Rev. Michael Chiang

Scripture: Deu. 32:10-14

Deuteronomy chapter 32 is a song – the Song of Moses. In the scriptures today we read two kinds of protection God has for his people: the protection of the kind of “apple of his eye” (intricate protection) and the protection of the kind of “eagle training its young” (discipline of maturity). The love of parents for their children is the same; besides protection and care, there should be training and discipline.

The object of God’s protection can be found in 32:10, where “him” can be referred to as Jacob, the Israelites, Moses, or God’s people (which is today’s church). To be found by God is an experience of salvation, which happens in a land of “barren and howling waste” – the darkest moments of our lives. In Ex. 3:1-5 Moses encountered God in burning bush in a place referred to as “holy ground” (3:5), a place used to be barren and wasted. Encountering God also takes place in the “howling waste” – the place with danger. In this circumstance, God looks after us and protect us as if we are the precious and intricate “apple of his eye”.

Why did Moses use “apple of his eye” to illustrate God’s protection? Through our eyes we can see beautiful images, which enable broader perspectives. During trial and hardship God protects us so that we can see – we can see more clearly His kingdom, we can see the needs of the next generation, we can see what God wants us to see. The deep perception enables us to be obedient to our callings and to allow us to live out a more abundant life.

But spiritual growth is not receiving God’s intricate care and protection alone, we also need to be subject to discipline. Deu. 32:11 reads “like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions.” At the very bottom of an eagle’s nest are branches of thorns, and on top it is covered with finer grass and feathers. As an eagle stirs up and hovers over its nest, the grass and feathers are blown away, leaving the thorny branches. This makes the young eagles uncomfortable and their only option is to spread their wings and fly away. If there are young eagles that are not quite up to the task, the parent eagles will catch them and carry them on its two wings. (The two wings can be considered as truth and spirit, or faith and love, or righteousness and mercy.) This is how Moses described God’s love and discipline for us. But Moses also mentioned that God made us “ride on the heights of the land and He nourishes us with honey from the rock and with oil from the flinty crag” (32:13). In the New Testament Paul further explained that Jesus is the rock (1 Cor. 10:4). Therefore, true life is the fruit of discipline in Christ.

I would like to share a little story with you. There was a little stream which passed through mountains and rocks and through forests. Its dream was to reach the great eastern sea. But there was a desert separating the forest and the sea. And so every year in the early spring when the winter snow began to melt, the little stream swam forward the best it could. As hard as it tried, it could not cross the desert. One day, little stream heard a voice saying “If you could give up your way of pursue, I might be able to help you.” It turned out that it was the “Wind” talking. Agreeing to this new approach and when the sun came out the next day, little stream waited quietly as its water droplets were evaporated to the sky one by one. Through the help of the Wind, these droplets were carried to be over the great eastern sea and turned into rain as every drop ended up in the sea. Let go of our pride, for the Bible promises that we will be nourished with “honey from the rock”. May we be disciplined in His love and be led by the Spirit to a land of evermore abundance.