旧约 - 耶利米书(Jeremiah)第3章

They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.
Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.
Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.
Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?
Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest.
The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.
And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.
And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.
And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.
Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.
Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.
At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.
In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.
But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.
Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.
A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God.
Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.
Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.
For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.
We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.
耶利米书第三章   第 3 章 

  耶 3:1> 纵然我忘了神,祂仍愿我有一天会回到祂的身旁…… 

  3:1 在申命记 24 章 1 至 4 节提到;离婚再嫁之妇人永远不能重投前夫的怀抱。犹大与神“离婚”,并且与偶像“结婚”,神本来有权永远抛弃这些不忠的子民,但祂心存怜悯慈爱,仍然愿意让他们回到自己身边。 

  耶 3:2> 为什么将犹大人比喻作伺机埋伏的阿拉伯人? 

  3:2 “好像阿拉伯人在旷野埋伏一样”是形容犹大人追求偶像的情形。阿拉伯土匪常隐藏在商旅所经之地,伺机劫掠。犹大全国上下正是这样热切追求偶像的。 

  耶 3:4-5> 虚假的悔改只是对自己的欺骗,然则真诚的悔改又是怎样的呢? 

  3:4-5 以色列人虽然罪恶滔天,但仍然轻视自己的罪,还以神的儿女自居。我们自知做错了事时,总爱文过饰非,以减轻内疚,却不知道这样做不但是不敢正视罪的严重性,以致不会悔改,而且会继续沉溺犯罪。如果我们视每种错误的态度和行动都是得罪神的严重罪行,就会慢慢明白“为主而活”是怎么一回事了。你生命中有没有自认为“微不足道”的罪?神要我们承认及离开每一种罪。 

  耶 3:6-6:30> 犹大人罔顾神的提醒,以致带来恶劣的后果;我也是这样的吗? 

  3:6-6:30 北国以色列亡于亚述,人民被掳。本来南国犹大应该从这惨痛的历史中汲取教训,引以为鉴,重新归向耶和华,但他们却视若无睹,依然故我。耶利米再三恳求犹大国民归向耶和华,免受亡国之灾。这篇信息大约是在公元前 627-621 年间约西亚王执政时宣告的,约西亚王遵行神命令的榜样似乎未能打动民心,令他们悔改。耶和华宣告,如果人民再不悔改,祂便因约西亚祖父玛拿西王所犯的罪(参王下 23:25-27 )而惩罚犹大,使犹大遭到亡国之痛。 

  耶 3:11-13> 当我看到别人陷于罪中时,有否想想自己的光景是否如出一辙? 

  3:11-13 北国以色列人对神毫无敬畏之心,即便在表面上也不遵守神的旨意。南国犹大人的情况更甚,虽有敬虔的外貌,却没有真诚的心。只相信正确的教义而没有发自内心的遵行,就如献祭而不悔改一样。耶利米看见犹大人虚伪的悔改行为,就义正辞严地给予谴责。没有信心的生活是没有盼望的,单单为罪哀伤而没有改变也是虚伪的。只为罪难过懊悔是不够的,真正的悔改是要心意更新并以行动表现出来。 

  耶 3:12-18> 神呼唤祂子民回转的声音穿越时空地域,问题是我的耳朵在张开聆听吗? 

  3:12-18 北国以色列民因犯罪受到神的惩罚,终于国破家亡,成为别国的俘虏。犹大国的百姓看见北国异教之风猖獗,道德沦丧而遭到此报,无疑认为他们罪有应得,对他们嗤之以鼻。耶利米却告诉以色列的遗民,耶和华仍然祝福肯归向祂而认罪悔改的人,并警告那些自以为没罪而沾沾自喜的犹大人,要从以色列亡国的历史中汲取教训,悔改归向耶和华。由于犹大人不肯悔改,故耶利米以神对以色列遗民的应许教训他们。 

  耶 3:15> 神称治理百姓的领袖为牧者,显明在神心中领袖的真正素质该有哪些? 

  3:15 神应许将合祂心意的牧者赐给祂的百姓,作他们的领袖。这牧者会跟从祂、具有各样的知识、智慧和聪明。这是因为神看见以色列民缺乏方向,所以应许赐给他们合适的领袖。我们指望领袖,倚赖他们的引导,所以他们一旦不跟随神,就会领我们误入歧途。让我们为自己国家、社会和教会中敬畏神的领袖祈祷,祈求神让他们成为好榜样,并将神的智慧传授给我们。 

  耶 3:16-17> 旧约时代的约柜象征着什么?新约时代为何没有约柜了? 

  3:16-17 所罗门王统治整个以色列国的时候,百姓在富丽堂皇的圣殿中敬拜神,殿中放着神的约柜,里面藏有刻着“十诫”的法版,那就是神与百姓同在的象征(参出 25:10-22 )。在未来新的国度中,神的约柜永远不会消失,因为圣灵将亲自与祂的子民同在。 

  耶 3:22-25> 若非将指望放在神的身上,一切都必枉然。我的指望是放在什么之上? 

  3:22-25 耶利米在此预言终有一天以色列国将会归于统一,再次以真诚敬拜神并认清罪的本相。我们的世界高举财富、竞争和放纵情欲带来的罪中之乐,但我们忽视了这些罪中之乐背后所隐藏的罪恶。更可悲的是,能够真正看清罪之本相的人太少,大多数人都是被罪蒙骗,到了不能自拔的地步才开始省悟。相信神的道的最大益处,就是无需从身陷罪恶的惨痛经历中获得教训。 

  耶利米时代的王──《灵修版圣经注释》