旧约 - 阿摩司书(Amos)第9章

I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said: "Strike the tops of the pillars so that the thresholds shake. Bring them down on the heads of all the people; those who are left I will kill with the sword. Not one will get away, none will escape.
Though they dig down to the depths of the grave, from there my hand will take them. Though they climb up to the heavens, from there I will bring them down.
Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, there I will hunt them down and seize them. Though they hide from me at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent to bite them.
Though they are driven into exile by their enemies, there I will command the sword to slay them. I will fix my eyes upon them for evil and not for good."
The Lord, the LORD Almighty, he who touches the earth and it melts, and all who live in it mourn--the whole land rises like the Nile, then sinks like the river of Egypt--
he who builds his lofty palace in the heavens and sets its foundation on the earth, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land--the LORD is his name.
"Are not you Israelites the same to me as the Cushites?" declares the LORD. "Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?
"Surely the eyes of the Sovereign LORD are on the sinful kingdom. I will destroy it from the face of the earth--yet I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob," declares the LORD.
"For I will give the command, and I will shake the house of Israel among all the nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, and not a pebble will reach the ground.
All the sinners among my people will die by the sword, all those who say, 'Disaster will not overtake or meet us.'
"In that day I will restore David's fallen tent. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be,
so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name," declares the LORD, who will do these things.
"The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills.
I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them," says the LORD your God.
阿摩司书第九章   第 9 章 

  摩 9:1> 从祭坛开始,神宣告了祂的审判…… 

  9:1 审判要从祭坛开始,因为祭坛是百姓生活的中心,也是他们期望得到保护和赐福的地方。这审判要临到以色列所有的人,即十二个支派。解经家对祭坛的位置有不同理解:有的认为是伯特利的祭坛;但更可能是耶路撒冷圣殿内的祭坛。神要拆毁他们自以为安全的根基,好使他们回转归向祂。不过,神已应许要复兴祂更新了的子民、重建毁坏的以色列。( 9:11 ) 

  摩 9:2-4> 审判的烈焰令罪人惊恐,我也很怕呀,不用怕?如何可以? 

  9:2-4 阴间是死人之地,迦密山则是大山;两者都象征着遥不可及──没有人能逃脱神的审判。对忠于神的人来说,这是个佳音;但在敌挡神的人看来,这却是个噩耗。无论我们逃到山顶,还是潜入深海,神都必能找着我们,按我们所言所行的来审判我们。阿摩司把审判恶人形容得像深海、猛兽无情地追寻那些受咒诅的人。然而,对忠于神的信徒,审判只会带来和平而繁盛的新天地。对你来说,神的审判是佳音还是噩耗? 

  摩 9:7> 神看以色列竟如看待列国,这表示了什么? 

  9:7 古实在埃及以南,对以色列人来说,是一片遥远的蛮荒之地。迦斐托即克里特,是非利士人移居巴勒斯坦时落脚的小岛。神审判以色列,跟审判列邦无大不同。祂不但是以色列的神,更是万邦之神,统管万民。 

  摩 9:8> 神虽惩罚以色列人,是因为爱;有时祂管教我,难道…… 

  9:8 阿摩司向以色列人保证,神必不将以色列“灭绝净尽”;换言之,惩罚并非长久,尚留有余地。神是要拯救,而非刑罚;但在必需刑罚的时候,祂也不会按住不动。就好像充满慈爱的父亲一样,神所爱的,祂就要管教,使他们改正。假若神管教你,你便当视之为神对你的爱,要欣然接受。 

  摩 9:8-9> 以色列全都被掳了吗?全都失落了?那些忠于神的人呢? 

  9:8-9 虽然亚述要毁灭以色列,把以色列民掳去,但仍有人存留;早在数百年以前,对被掳一事已有预言了(参申 28:63-68 )。无疑百姓要在这次攻击和被掳中被净化,可是,没有一个真信徒会因此而永远失落。人间的审判制度纵然缺陷很多,但神却绝对公平;罪人必逃不了,义人却不会被忘记。真信徒必定不会失落。 

  摩 9:11-12> 现在倒塌了,将必重建。神这应许何时才应验? 

  9:11-12 在惩罚来临时,大卫家要成为“倒塌的帐幕”。神曾与大卫立约说,大卫必有一个后裔,永远接续他的王位(参撒下 7:12-16 )。然而,以色列民被掳,使这个应许看来无法实现。不过,神说“到那日”祂要重建以色列国,使它恢复应许中的荣耀。这是同时向以色列和犹大所发的应许,这应许并非由地上政治领袖去实现,而是弥赛亚将来复兴的属灵国度,并掌权直到永远。 

  雅各曾引述这几节经文(参徒 15:16-17 ),指出这应许是藉基督的复活和教会(包含犹太人和外邦人)来实现的。“得以东所余剩的”是指弥赛亚的国度乃是普世性的,也包括外邦人。当神把外邦人带进来的时候,便是把那被破坏的重新建立起来。外邦人也被召集起来后,神便要重新复兴新以色列的荣耀。所有以色列的领土,将来都要成为神国的一部分。 

  摩 9:13> 接续收割,是大丰收吗? 

  9:13 这节经文描述那时的谷物大丰收,百姓收也收不完。 

  摩 9:13-15> 世人似都忘了神,先知仍坚持行神的道;我可以如他一样吗? 

  9:13-15 阿摩司时代的犹太人,早已把神向他们所施的爱和眷顾忘得一干二净。有钱人过着无忧无虑、舒适安逸的生活,对有需要的人却袖手旁观。他们遵守宗教礼仪,期望藉此讨神喜悦,但心底里对神却没有一点爱。故此阿摩司宣告,他们要因自己的恶行遭神毁灭。 

  我们切不可以为参加教会、表面上作个好人就已经足够了。神期望我们对祂的信仰能深入到人生每一个层面,彰显在每一个行为上,也延伸至周围环境和所接触的人之中。我们应以阿摩司的话作为鉴戒,按神意旨,尽忠为主而活。──《灵修版圣经注释》