Loading Player...

SECTION A
甲部

1. Hello, listening friends.
亲爱的朋友,你好!

2. It is a delight for us to bring you this broadcast on a regular basis.
感谢你按时收听这个节目。

3. If you are joining us for the first time,
假如你是第一次收听的话,

4. we have just started a series of broadcasts called, "Biblical Compassion."
我们现在所播出的系列就叫做“神的怜悯”。

5. We are studying the Book of Jonah.
出自圣经的约拿书。

6. Last time, we've learned that we could not find a clearer example about the love of God in the Old Testament than in the Book of Jonah.
上一次,我讲到,在旧约当中,没有一卷书像约拿书那样彻头彻尾体现了神对人的大爱。

7. Let me summarize what we have said in the past.
我先把上次讲的稍微总结一下。

8. Jonah disobeyed the Lord and was trying to run away on a boat.
约拿不听神的话,企图坐船逃离神的面。

9. A ferocious storm blew up.
却在船上遇到了狂风。

10. The sailors knew the storm was unnatural.
水手发觉这次的暴风非同寻常,

11. The pagan sailors were trying desperately to escape.
这些外邦人尝试用各种方法以求死里逃生,

12. The problem was Jonah, who put himself ahead and above the Word of God;
可问题是出在约拿的身上,他把自己放在了比神还重要的位置上;

13. then, we began to look at the first irony in the story that is found in verse 6 of Chapter 1.
上一次的最后,我提到了,在第1章第6节有一个颇具讽刺意味的情节。

14. There, we see Jonah when the pagan Captain wakes him up.
那就是,船长过来把约拿叫醒。

15. When I left you the last time, I promised to tell you what happened next.
上次节目最后,我答应过你,要告诉你随后所发生的事情。

16. I want you to listen to the Scripture, as we read from Jonah, Chapter 1, verses 7 to 9.
现在,请你留心听我为你所读出的经文,约拿书1章7到9节。
船上的人彼此说:“来吧,我们掣签,看看这灾临到我们是因谁的缘故。”于是他们掣签,掣出约拿来。
众人对他说:“请你告诉我们,这灾临到我们是因谁的缘故?你以何事为业?你从那里来?你是那一国?属那一族的人?”
他说:“我是希伯来人。我敬畏耶和华那创造沧海旱地之天上的神。”

17. I try to imagine Jonah when the captain wake him up
我们来想象一下,当船长叫醒约拿的时候,他是个什么样子。

18. Imagine when Jonah came up on deck and all of the sailors began to yell at him,
想象一下,当约拿来到甲板上,所有的水手朝他大喊大叫的那种光景,

19. “Who are you?”
“你是谁?”

20. “Who is your god?”
“你的神是哪路神仙?”

21. “Where are you going?”
“你要到哪里去?”

22. and Jonah, then, replies with honesty,
约拿老老实实地回答,说:

23. “Well, my name is Jonah
“我叫约拿,

24. and I’m running away from God.”
我正在逃跑,躲避神的面。”

25. Can you imagine what those sailors might have said next?
你想,那些水手会怎么回答呢?

26. “Well, which god are you talking about,
“那么,你所说的神是何方神圣呢?

27. because we carry lots of gods as cargo?
我们船上就装满了各种神佛。

28. We just brought five statues of Baal from Lebanon,
我们刚刚就从黎巴嫩请回了五蹲巴力神像,

29. and we have taken several Asherahs and Ashtoreths to Gaza.
我们也把一些亚舍拉和亚斯他录的像运到迦萨去。

30. Which one are you talking about?”
你的是哪一个神呢?”

31. then, all of a sudden, just for a moment, Jonah becomes spiritually sober, and he said to them,
这时,约拿似乎突然清醒过来,回答他们说:

32. “No, no, no. You don’t understand.
“都不是,你们不明白。

33. The God I worship is the God of the universe.
我所侍奉的这位神是宇宙的主宰。

34. The God I worship is the God who made the sun and the stars and the moon.
祂创造了太阳、月亮和星宿。

35. The God I worship is the God who made the land and the sea.
我所敬拜的这位神,建立了海洋和陆地。

36. The God I worship is the God who sees all things.
我所敬拜的这位神,祂无所不知。

37. The God I worship is the God of power and might…”
祂是充满能力和威严的主。”

38. and you can imagine how their jaws must have dropped;
你能够想象得到,当那些水手听见这些话,他们一定吓得目瞪口呆了;

39. and their eyes got as big as saucers,
他们一定万分惊讶,

40. and they looked at him and said,
他们一定瞪着他,说:

41. “You have got a battle on your hands, Jonah!
“约拿,这下你可闯了大祸了!

42. How can you run away from this kind of God?”
你怎么敢从这样的神面前逃跑呢?”

43. and, in verse 10, you're going to find the second irony.
在第10节,我们看到第二个颇具讽刺性的事。

44. Let’s read verse 10
我们一起读第10节。
他们就大大惧怕,对他说:“你作的是甚么事呢?"他们已经知道他躲避耶和华,因为他告诉了他们。

45. The pagan sailors were terrified of Jonah’s God.
那些水手们大大地惧怕约拿所敬拜的这位神。

46. The sailors feared God, more than Jonah did.
水手甚至比约拿还懂得敬畏神。

47. The pagans knew the God of the Old Testament Hebrews by reputation.
这些水手早就听说过,这位旧约当中希伯来人之神的威名。

48. They've all heard the stories of how the God of the Hebrews did mighty things for His people;
他们也听说过,神如何为祂自己的选民所做奇妙的大事;

49. that He was the God who sent plagues to Pharaoh;
就是这位神,曾经降灾给法老王;

50. that He was the God who parted the Red Sea;
就是祂,曾经使红海的水分开;

51. that He was the God who closed the Red Sea, and drowned Pharaoh’s army;
就是这位神,曾经让红海的水覆盖在法老的军队以上,淹死了他们;

52. that He was the God who provided them with the manna in the wilderness.
就是祂,曾经在旷野用吗哪喂养了以色列人。

53. They knew that the God of the Hebrews was the One who made the walls of Jericho crumble.
他们知道,就是这位希伯来人的神让耶利哥的城墙倒塌。

54. They knew that Yahweh was known for being a loving and faithful God;
他们知道,耶和华是充满仁爱信实的神;

55. but they only knew Yahweh by reputation;
但是,他们以前只是听说而已;

56. but, now, they come face to face with one of His apathetic followers.
而现在,他们眼前竟然有一个冷淡的随从者。

57. My listening friends, I want you to listen very, very carefully, if you are a believer.
我亲爱的朋友,假如你是一位基督徒的话,我请你特别留心地听。

58. In some situations, you are the only person who represents Jesus Christ in your environment;
在某些环境里,你是唯一能够代表耶稣基督的人。

59. and, the way you act, and the way you behave, is going to reveal to them what kind of God you worship;
你的行事为人就会影响别人对你所敬拜之神的印象。

60. and these sailors responded, as if to say to themselves,
那些水手们,禁不住地说:

61. “Who would want to run away from such a God?
“有谁敢从这样一位神面前逃跑呢?

62. Who would want to disobey such a God?”
谁敢不听这位神的话呢?”

63. In fact, they even ask Jonah, in verse 11,
其实,他们在11节里这样问约拿说:

64. "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?"
“我们当向你怎样行,使海浪平静呢?

65. Jonah’s counsel to the pagan sailors was far more desperate than you can imagine.
你绝不会想到,约拿是怎么建议那些水手的。

66. He did not say, “Turn the boat around!”
他没有说:”打道回府吧!”

67. He did not say, “Take me back to Nineveh and the storm will be over.”
他也没有说:“把我带到尼尼微去,风暴就会停止了。”

68. He did not say, “I need to repent and obey the Lord and the storm will be over.”
他更没有说:“我要向神悔改,听从神的话,风暴就会止息了。”

69. No. Let’s look at what he said, in verse 12 of Chapter 1.
没有。我们来看看,他在1章12节里是怎么说的。
他对他们说:“你们将我抬起来,抛在海中,海就平静了;我知道你们遭这大风是因我的缘故。”

70. My listening friends, please listen carefully.
我亲爱的朋友,请仔细听我说。

71. Here’s what Jonah was basically saying in verse 12:
约拿在12节里所说的话,意思就是说:

72. "I would rather die than do the Lord’s will in my life.
“我就是去死,也不愿意做神要我做的事情。”

73. I would rather die than obey."
我宁愿死也不愿顺服。”

74. That's what verse 12 is all about.
在12节那里,约拿就是这个意思。

75. Do you know that some believers are so stubborn that they actually would rather die than do the will of God in their lives.
你知道吗,有些信徒真的是很顽固,他们宁愿死,都不愿意遵行神的旨意。

76. Some of you might be asking right now,
也许你会问,

77. "Can a believer really become so hardened that he or she prefers death to obeying and doing what God wants them to do?"
“真的有这么顽固的基督徒,甚至选择死,都不愿意听神的话吗?”

78. I wish I could say “No” to that question;
我希望可以用“没有”来回答这个问题

79. but, unfortunately, the answer is “Yes.”
但是,很不幸,答案是“有的”。

80. Sin can deceive to the point of death.
罪恶可以把一个人置于死地。

81. In 1955,
1955年,

82. there was a well-known church leader who was the first Bishop to lead a major denomination into unbelief.
有一个著名的领袖,他是第一个带领整个宗派背弃信仰的主教。

83. He was the first modern Bishop to openly doubt the virgin birth and biblical revelation;
他是第一个公开怀疑童女怀孕的事实和圣经默示论的主教。

84. and, at the end of his life,
在他去世之前,

85. he became an alcoholic
他已经成了一个酒鬼,

86. and he had three marriages.
他结过三次婚。

87. One son attempted suicide;
一个儿子企图自杀;

88. and, then, the former Bishop drifted into the occult.
这位前主教,后来陷入异端之中。

89. He eventually claimed that he made contact with his dead son through a medium.
他甚至说,透过灵媒,他常和死去的儿子有接触。

90. Finally, he died alone on the Judean hills in 1969.
最后,他于1969年孤独地死在犹太地一座小山丘上面。

91. It is said that he died while he was writing another heretical book.
据说,他死之前,正撰写另外一本异端的书籍。

92. This Bishop’s story is tragic, not only for himself,
这位主教的故事不仅对他自己是个悲剧,

93. but, also, to his family and the church that he misled;
而且对他的家庭和他所带领的教会都是一大悲剧;

94. but that is what sin does.
然而,这就是罪所带来的结果。

95. Give sin enough time,
只要有足够的时间,

96. enough opportunity,
足够的机会,

97. and enough fuel,
足够的动力,

98. and it will devastate you.
罪就会带来毁灭性的结果。

99. My listening friends, this is very important.
我亲爱的朋友,这一点相当的重要。

SECTION B
乙部

1. Disregard for the Word of God and the will of God in your life has its consequences.
在你的生活中漠视神的话和祂的旨意一定会带来相应的后果。

2. The third irony is in verses 14 to 16.
第三个具讽刺性的事情记在14节到16节这里。

3. Let's listen to the Word of God.
请听我读。
他们便求告耶和华说:“耶和华啊,我们恳求你,不要因这人的性命使我们死亡,不要使流无辜血的罪归与我们;因为你耶和华是随自己的意旨行事。”
他们遂将约拿抬起,抛在海中,海的狂浪就平息了。
那些人便大大敬畏耶和华,向耶和华献祭,并且许愿。

4. The pagan sailors cried to the Lord.
那些不信主的水手们反而向耶和华呼求。

5. Someone said the following,
有人曾说过:

6. “Non-believers never look better than when they are compared with some believers.”
“有的时候,某些基督徒还比不上非信徒呢。”

7. Certainly, that is true in Jonah’s case.
在约拿的故事里,正是如此。

8. Jesus’ own people cried out for His blood;
耶稣的同胞,大声疾呼地要流耶稣的血,

9. while the pagan, Pontius Pilate, was reluctant to kill Jesus and was trying to stop the crucifixion.
作为外邦人的彼拉多反而试图制止这场无辜的残杀。

10. Why?
为什么呢?

11. Because the pagan saw that Jesus was a righteous man.
因为,连外邦人都知道,耶稣是无辜的。

12. Throughout history, we see incidents where God’s people are more blind than unbelievers.
纵观历史,我们不难发现,神的子民反而比不信的人更糟糕。

13. Jonah was running to the ends of the earth.
约拿要逃到天涯海角去。

14. Why?
为什么呢?

15. Jonah wanted to avoid seeing heathens being converted to God and receiving His blessings;
因为约拿不愿看到外邦人回转归向神,并接受祂的赐福;

16. and what does Jonah get on the ship?
约拿在船上遭遇了什么呢?

17. He sees heathens converted on the boat right there with him!
他看到和他同船的人悔改转向神。

18. How can God speak to us more clearly?
还有什么比这说得更清楚的呢?

19. Because God loves His own, He loves them to the end and He will always love them;
因为神爱属祂的人,祂爱他们就爱到底;

20. and that is why He calls them again and again;
这就是为什么神要一再地呼唤他们;

21. but, when the believer continues in disobedience, God might take your body, so that your soul might be saved.
但是,假如信徒一再反抗神,神也许就会拿走你的身体,好让你的灵魂可以得救。

22. God might be warning someone who is listening right now.
我们在座的朋友当中,也许神正在警告你。

23. Maybe, this is a final warning to someone who is listening right now.
也许,神今天对你的警告是你最后的机会。

24. I do not know.
我不知道,

25. It is between you and God;
只有神和你知道;

26. and that is why God welcomes repentant believers with open arms when they repent.
神总是张开双臂欢迎那些愿意悔改归向祂的信徒。

27. There is an old hymn that was written by a young man who was 23 years old.
有一首古老的诗歌,是一位23岁的年轻人所写的。

28. The song is titled, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”
诗歌就叫做“万福源头。”

29. The third verse contains the phrase,
第三节这么写的:

30. "Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love...”
“我深知道心易放荡,远离所爱之真神。”

31. This was a prophetic song,
这是一首预言诗歌,

32. because the young man, after writing this hymn, wandered as far away from God as anyone can;
因为,这位年轻人在写完这首歌之后,完完全全地离开了神;

33. but, one day, he was riding in a coach.
然而,有一天,当他乘坐一辆马车。

34. A woman sitting across from him began humming this hymn.
一位坐在他对面的女士哼着这首歌。

35. She noticed that he was being affected by the humming of the song.
那时候,女士发觉坐在对面的那个男士很受感动,

36. She did not know who he was;
她并不知道这个人是谁;

37. so, she engaged him in conversation and began to talk with him about the Lord.
这位女士开始和他谈起有关信仰的问题。

38. She began to talk to him about the love of God and the forgiveness of God.
她谈到了神的慈爱和饶恕。

39. The man was overcome with emotion.
这位曾经远离神的人终于抑制不住自己的感情。

40. As he wept and sobbed, he said to her,
他一边哭,一边说:

41. “Madame, I am the poor wretched man who wrote that hymn many years ago.
“夫人,我就是多年以前写这首诗歌的那位可怜的叛逆者。

42. I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the joy and the peace that I had back then.”
我愿意用千千万万个世界来换回我曾经拥有的喜乐和平安。”

43. This lady used the songwriter’s own words to bring him back to the Lord.
这位女士用这首诗歌,把写歌的人又带回到神的面前来。

44. We are all prone to wander.
我们都是偏行己路的人,

45. We are all prone to deception.
我们都是诡诈不义的人。

46. Self-deception is the worst of all,
自我欺骗是世界上最糟糕的事了,

47. and that is why we need each other,
这就是为什么我们需要彼此提醒,

48. to hold each other up from the clutches of sin
相互扶持,免得被罪恶挟制,

49. and the devastation of sin.
脱离罪恶的毒害。

50. Perhaps, there is someone who’s listening today who’s been living in sin and disobedience.
也许,你身陷罪恶和悖逆当中,

51. God is calling you back.
神正呼唤你回来。

52. Will you say, “Yes, Lord Jesus.
你是否愿意对神说:“是的,主耶稣。

53. I repent of my sins.
我向你承认我的罪,

54. I receive Your forgiveness.
求主饶恕我,

55. Help me never to wander away from Your fold again.
帮助我再也不要离开你的保护。

56. Thank You for answering my prayers, Lord Jesus.
主耶稣,谢谢你垂听我的祷告。

57. Amen."
阿们。”

58. Until next time, I wish you God’s richest blessing.
我们下次再见,愿神大大地赐福给你。