3 月 22 日 预苦期第二周 星期六

(邱品尧牧师 佳恩堂)

经文– 耶利米书 5：20-31

20 “当传扬在雅各家，报告在犹大说： 21 愚昧无知的百姓啊，你们有眼不看，有耳不听，现在当听这话！ 22 耶和华说：你们怎么不惧怕我呢？我以永远的定例，用沙为海的界限，水不得越过，因此你们在我面前还不战兢吗？波浪虽然翻腾，却不能逾越；虽然砰訇，却不能过去。 23 但这百姓有背叛忤逆的心，他们叛我而去。 24 心内也不说：‘我们应当敬畏耶和华我们的神，他按时赐雨，就是秋雨春雨，又为我们定收割的节令，永存不废。’ 25 你们的罪孽使这些事转离你们，你们的罪恶使你们不能得福。 26 因为在我民中有恶人，他们埋伏窥探，好像捕鸟的人，他们设立圈套陷害人。 27 笼内怎样满了雀鸟，他们的房中也照样充满诡诈，所以他们得成为大，而且富足。 28 他们肥胖光润，作恶过甚，不为人申冤，就是不为孤儿申冤，不使他亨通，也不为穷人辨屈。 29 耶和华说：我岂不因这些事讨罪呢？岂不报复这样的国民呢？”

30 “国中有可惊骇、可憎恶的事， 31 就是先知说假预言，祭司借他们把持权柄，我的百姓也喜爱这些事。到了结局，你们怎样行呢？

经文反思

这段经文是神对祂自己百姓的警告。人们应当对神有敬畏的心，但是百姓却背叛神。神配得我们敬畏，配得我们惧怕。神为我们立了海的界限。海不管再怎么汹涌翻腾，还是无法越过神所立的界限。海都会按照神的命令，在神所立的界限之内流动。但是人身为神在第六天所造的，有灵的活人，听了神的话，却不遵守神的命令。百姓对神的回应，比起大自然对神的回应，何等悖逆和软 弱。根本问题，是因为百姓对神的心出了问题。百姓没有敬畏神的心，百姓不怕神，只看到如何不择手段争取利益的社会。

百姓当中有恶人，随时准备用圈套来陷害人，并且他们用诡计掳掠人，用来赚取利益。作恶的人不为人伸冤，也不会维护穷人。甚至神的使者，先知和祭司都藉着权力和虚假，来行作恶事。宗教领袖到百姓都喜爱恶事。神问我们，如果我们是创造天地万物，并且定规一切的主，看到百姓悖逆不愿意顺从，你要如何对待这些百姓呢？

神在 29-31 节用三个问句来问百姓，这三个问句是修辞性问句，百姓不用回答，而是要思想。在以色列的国内，有这些罪恶的事，按着上帝公义的本性，神一定要追讨这些罪，神一定要报复这样的国民，神一定要在最后的审判日彰显祂的公义。

祷告

公义审判世界的主，我们在地上的生活，常常以自我为中心。我们没有顾念别人的需要，我们

认为在世界丛林当中，用心计来对付人，只是在世界中的常态；我们追求利益，牺牲别人的权益，我们认为正常；我们忽略穷人的需要，攻击神的仆人，我们以为神不会追究。甚至我们打着信仰的名号，但是，我们只是在扩张自己的野心和影响力。

主啊，我们求你光照我们，我们就在你面前认罪俯伏，求你怜悯我们，给我们回转归向你的机会。我们愿意转离我们的罪，求你给我们机会，更新我们的生命。奉主耶稣基督的名求，阿门。

实践

基督徒不是只有星期天才活出圣洁，而是在每一天活出圣洁的生命。我们每一天都需要按着神的话语而行，按着神的话语，活出舍己，怜悯，顾念穷人，敬重神的仆人，成为每一天的基督徒。

22 March The Saturday in the Second Week of Lent

(Rev Samuel Chiu Redeemer Methodist Church)

Scripture- Jeremiah 5:20-31

20 Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah:

21 “Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not,

who have ears, but hear not.

22 Do you not fear me? declares the Lord.

Do you not tremble before me?

I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass;

though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it.

23 But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away.

24 They do not say in their hearts, ‘Let us fear the Lord our God,

who gives the rain in its season,

the autumn rain and the spring rain, and keeps for us

the weeks appointed for the harvest.’

25 Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have kept good from you.

26 For wicked men are found among my people; they lurk like fowlers lying in wait.[a]

They set a trap;

they catch men.

27 Like a cage full of birds,

their houses are full of deceit;

therefore they have become great and rich;

28 they have grown fat and sleek.

They know no bounds in deeds of evil; they judge not with justice

the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy.

29 Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord,

and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?”

30 An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land:

31 the prophets prophesy falsely,

and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so,

but what will you do when the end comes?

Reflections on the Scripture

This passage is a warning from God to His own people. People should have the fear of God, but the people betrayed Him. God is worthy of our fear and worthy of our dread. God has set the boundaries of the sea for us. The sea, no matter how much it rages and churns, still cannot cross the boundaries that God has set. The sea will flow within the boundaries that God has established as He commands. But human beings, made by God on the sixth day, living beings with a spirit, hear God's words but do not obey God's commands. How much more rebellious and weak is the response of the people to God than the response of nature to God. The fundamental problem is because the people's hearts toward God are out of order. The people do not have the heart to fear God; the people are not afraid of God, but only see how to fight for a society that strives for benefits by any means necessary.

There are wicked people among the people who are ready to trap people with traps, and they use trickery to take people captive and use them to gain profit. Those who do evil do not seek justice for people, nor do they defend the poor. Even the messengers of God, the prophets and the priests, do evil through power and falsehood. The religious leaders to the people love evil. God asks us, if we are the Lord who created all things in heaven and earth and ordained all things, and we see that the people are disobedient and will not obey, what will you do to these people?

God asks the people in verses 29-31 with three questions, which are rhetorical questions that the people don't have to answer, but have to think about. In the country of Israel, there are these sinful things, according to God's righteous nature, God must pursue these sins, God must take vengeance on such a nation, and God must manifest His righteousness on the final day of judgment.

Prayer

The Lord who judges the world in righteousness, our lives on earth are often self-centered. We have no regard for the needs of others; we think that using mind tricks against people is just the norm in the midst of the world's jungle; we pursue profit at the expense of others' rights and interests, and we think it's normal; we ignore the needs of the poor, and we attack God's servants, and we think that God won't hold them accountable. Even we take the name of faith, but we are just expanding our ambitions and influence.

Lord, we ask you to shine on us, and we confess our sins and bow down before you, and ask you to have mercy on us and give us the opportunity to turn back to you. We are willing to turn away from our sins, and ask you to give us the opportunity to renew our lives. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Application

Christians do not live out holiness only on Sundays, but on every day. We need to walk according to God's word every day. According to God's word, we need to live out self-sacrifice, mercy, care for the poor, and honor God's servants, and become Christians every day.