(Amos 阿摩司書 4:1-13) 獻犯罪祭 SIN OFFERING

獻犯罪祭 SIN OFFERING (Amos 阿摩司書 4:1-13)

祈禱 : 求主指教我怎樣準備好與神心靈相交。

PRAYER:  Lord, please help me to prepare my heart to have fellowship with You.

                                

讀經:  摩四章1~13節

SCRIPTURE READING:  Amos 4:1-13

釋義:  當以色列人聽到先知宣告審判的信息, 一個很自然的反應就是到聖殿獻祭求恩。所以阿摩司提到以色列人「往伯特利去……到吉甲……每日早晨獻上你們的祭物，每三日奉上你們的十分之一……獻有酵的感謝祭……」(4~5)不過, 他們的獻祭不單不蒙神悅納, 更被神責備是犯罪的行動, 原因:

INSIGHT:  When the Israelites heard the prophet declare a message of judgment on them, a very natural response was to go to the temple, make an offering and ask for mercy.  Hence, Amos mentions what the Israelites did, they:  “Went to Bethel…to Gilgal…brought sacrifices every morning…tithed every three years…and burned leavened bread as a thank offering…” (v. 4-5)  However, their sacrifices were not only unacceptable to God, they were considered a sinful act towards God.  Because they were:

(1) 假冒為善 -- 「任你們獻有酵的感謝祭，把甘心祭宣傳報告給眾人，因為是你們所喜愛的。這是主耶和華說的。」(5)這裏講的是反話。讀者若留意本節句子結構, 就可以知道這裏所說「你們所喜愛的」並非上文幾次提到的獻祭, 而是上句「把甘心祭宣傳報告給眾人」。甘心祭必須獻

得樂意，而且只是對神的，不必向人宣傳。但是他們大事宣揚，惹人注意，使人稱讚，完全失去獻祭的精神。呂振中譯本把這種自我吹噓的動機翻出來: 「把自願獻的祭宣告而公佈吧！因為、以色列人哪、你們所愛的就只是如此！」這就如耶穌所說: 「你們要小心，不可將善事行在人的

面前，故意叫他們看見，若是這樣，就不能得你們天父的賞賜了。所以，你施捨的時候，不可在你面前吹號，像那假冒為善的人在會堂裏和街道上所行的，故意要得人的榮耀。我實在告訴你們，他們已經得了他們的賞賜……你們禱告的時候，不可像那假冒為善的人，愛站在會堂裏和十字路口上禱告，故意叫人看見。我實在告訴你們，他們已經得了他們的賞賜。」(太六1~2,5)

(1) HYPOCRITES – “ ‘Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill offerings—boast about them, you Israelites,  for this is what you love to do,’ declares the Sovereign Lord.” (v. 5)  This is a sense of irony here.  If you pay careful attention to the sentence structure in this section, you will notice that the phrase, “what you love to do,” isn’t really referring to the offerings mentioned above, but to their “bragging about their freewill offerings --- boasting about them.”  A freewill offering to God must come from the heart, and it need not be proclaimed publicly.  But they announced it as a major event, to catch people’s attention, so that people would praise them for it; totally missed the point of the spirit of sacrifice.  Lu Chen-Chung’s Chinese version translated this kind of self-bragging motive as:  “Proclaim and publicize your freewill offering!  Because, O Israel, that is what you love!”  Like what Jesus said:  “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.   So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full… And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”  (Matthew 6:1-2, 5)

(2) 死不悔改 -- 6~11節是一系列的曉諭，共有五方面，每一次都以「你們仍不歸向我，這是耶和華說的」作為結束。這五點曉諭，每一點都指出了神的一個審判行動，藉以引導百姓悔改；但是每一次他們仍不歸向神。饑餓和糧食的缺乏對他們無效（6節）；乾旱也無助他們看見自己的情形（7-8節）；枯萎和出產的霉爛也不能開他們的眼睛（9節）；瘟疫和軍事災難也都無效（10節）；甚至災難傾覆了他們，就像所多瑪和蛾摩拉所遭遇的那樣，以色列人仍不覺得他們危險的處境。

(2) UNREPENTANT – Verses 6 to 11 mentions 5 aspects which end with,  

“yet you have not returned to me.”   Each of these five points indicates a judgment from God with the purpose of leading them to repentance; but time after time they did not return to God.  Hunger and lack of food was in vain (v. 6);   drought did not help them see their own situation (v. 7-8);  withering and rotting of their crops did not open their eyes (v. 9); plagues and catastrophic wars were ineffective (v. 10); even when disasters overwhelmed them, like what Sodom and Gomorrah encountered; even after all that, the Israelites still did not feel that they were in a plight situation.

(3) 毫無準備 -- 當人到祭壇獻祭, 必定有所準備, 至少不會不帶祭物、空手(申十六16)。但先知所指的是心靈的準備, 「以色列啊……你當豫備迎見你的神。」（12節）帶有諷刺的意思。因為朝聖者的禮拜就是使人重新迎見上帝；但是先知不能期望一種快樂的相逢，他暗示他們將遭遇

審判。他最後對朝聖者的話指出，他們要迎見上帝，是一位有能力的造物主，祂創造了天和地，只有祂能夠成就祂所宣告的審判（13節）。

(3) UNPREPARED – When a person comes before the altar to offer a sacrifice, he must be prepared, he shouldn’t come empty-handed (Deuteronomy 16:16).  But the prophet refers to the preparation of the heart, “Israel, prepare to meet your God.” (v. 12)  There is a bit of irony here because the act of worship of a pilgrim is to bring people to meet  God once again; however, the prophet cannot expect it to be a joyful encounter, he is hinting that they will be facing judgment.  At the end, the prophet tells the worshippers that the God that they will meet is the Lord God Almighty, He created the heavens and the earth, and only He can bring about the judgment which He proclaimed.

by 洪同勉牧師 Rev. Tommy Hung

(阿摩司書 Amos 3:1-15) 傳禍音 PREACHING BAD NEWS

傳禍音  PREACHING BAD NEWS (阿摩司書 Amos 3:1-15)

祈禱:  求神開我心竅, 聽到和感受到神要我傳講的心意。

PRAYER:  May God open my heart so I can distinctively hear and feel what God wants me to preach.

讀經:  摩三章1~15節

SCRIPTURE READING:  Amos 3:1-15

釋義:  保羅說: 「我傳福音原沒有可誇的，因為我是不得已的。若不傳福音，我便有禍了。我若甘心做這事，就有賞賜；若不甘心，責任卻已經託付我了。」(林前九16~17)這是基督徒傳福音的一個原因。

INSIGHT:  Paul said:  ^“For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!   If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.”  (1 Corinthians 9:16-17)  This is one of the reasons why Christians preach the Gospel.

不過阿摩司雖絕對贊同這個使命、但將「福音」改為「禍音」。阿摩司傳講的信息是: 「耶和華攻擊你們」(1)、「必追討你們的一切罪孽」(2)、「災禍若臨到」(6)、「敵人必來圍攻這地，使你的勢力衰微，搶掠你的家宅」(11)、「壇角必被砍下」(14)、「房屋也必毀滅」(15)。唯一的「福音」只是:「牧人怎樣從獅子口中搶回兩條羊腿或半個耳朵，住撒馬利亞的以色列人躺臥在角上或鋪繡花毯的榻上，他們得救也不過如此。」(12)

However, although Amos absolutely agrees with this mission, he changed “good news” into “bad news”.  The message that Amos preached was:  “The Lord has spoken against you” (v. 1),  “I will punish you for all your sins” (V. 2),  “disaster comes” (v.6),  “an enemy will overrun your land, pull down your strongholds and plunder your fortresses” (v. 11), “the horns of the altar will be cut off” (v. 14), “the houses will be destroyed” (v. 15).  The only “good news” was:  “As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth only two leg bones or a piece of an ear; so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued, with only the head of the bed and a piece of fabric from a couch.” (v. 12)

既然如此, 阿摩司為什麼要傳禍音? 其原因就和保羅要傳福音一樣: 「是不得已的」、「若不甘心，責任卻已經託付我了」。阿摩司說:「主耶和華若不將奧秘指示他的僕人─眾先知，就一無所行。獅子吼叫，誰不懼怕呢？主耶和華發命，誰能不說預言呢？」(7~8)

Why did Amos preach bad news?  The reason is the same as Paul’s preaching the good news of the Gospel:  “I am compelled to preach, “ “If not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.”  Amos said:   “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.  The Sovereign Lord has spoken—who can but prophesy?  The lion has roared—who will not hear?” (vs. 7-8)

但是, 為什麼耶和華會像獅子般吼叫呢? 正如阿摩司說: 「獅子若非抓食，豈能在林中咆哮呢？」(4)飢餓使獅子吼叫, 耶和華乃因傷心和憤怒而發聲: 「以色列人哪，你們全家是我從埃及地領上來的，當聽耶和華攻擊你們的話：在地上萬族中，我只認識你們；因此，我必追討你們的一切罪孽。二人若不同心，豈能同行呢？」(1~3)若配偶變心,難免產生憤恨。

But why does the Lord roar like a lion?  As Amos said:  “Does a lion roar in the thicket when it has no prey? (v. 4)  Hunger makes the lion roar; thus, the Lord voices out of His grief and anger:  “Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:  ‘You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins.’  Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” (v. 1-3)  If a spouse changes his/her heart and is unfaithful, a feeling of resentment is inevitable.

我們傳神愛世人的福音, 多少時候有點像保羅所說, 是出於使命感。福音一旦傳出, 責任已盡, 如釋重負, 我們就只等著看聽福音者的反應了。但約翰卻給我們指出愛世人的神的心情, 如果神的愛被拒絕, 祂是多麼激憤: 「神愛世人，甚至將他的獨生子賜給他們，叫一切信他的，不至滅亡，反得永生。因為神差他的兒子降世，不是要定世人的罪，乃是要叫世人因他得救。信他的人，不被定罪；不信的人，罪巳經定了，因為他不信神獨生子的名……信子的人有永生；不信子的人得不著永生，神的震怒常在他身上。」(約三16~18,36)下次當你傳福音時,可否設身處地, 想想神的感受。

Often, when we preach the good news of God’s love for the people of this world, it comes from a sense of mission as Paul mentioned.  Once the good news of the Gospel is preached, and we have done all we can from our part, we just wait for the reaction of the listener.   But Paul points out the frame of mind of a God who loves the people of this world; if God’s love is rejected, He will be very angry:  ^“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.   Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son…Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” (John 3:16-18, 36)  Next time you preach the good news of the Gospel, put yourself in God’s position and think about how He would feel.

by 洪同勉牧師 Rev. Tommy Hung

(阿摩司書 Amos 2:4-16) 神子民三番四次犯罪 FOR THREE SINS OF GOD’S PEOPLE, EVEN FOR FOUR

神子民三番四次犯罪 FOR THREE SINS OF GOD’S PEOPLE, EVEN FOR FOUR (阿摩司書 Amos 2:4-16)

祈禱:  求主幫助我作燈臺, 照亮四周, 使人得見神的榮耀和恩澤。   

PRAYER:  Pray that the Lord will help me to be a lampstand, to give light to those who surround me so that they can see God’s glory and grace.                        

讀經:  摩二4~16節

SCRIPTURE READING:  Amos 2:4-16

釋義:  當聖經說: 「耶和華從天上垂看世人，要看有明白的沒有，有尋求神的沒有。他們都偏離正路，一同變為污穢；並沒有行善的，連一個也沒有。」(詩十四2~3五三2~3)或用肯定的句子說: 「世人都犯了罪」(羅三23)時, 就是指全人類━━包括古今中外、外邦或蒙神揀選的選民或信徒都是罪人, 雖然不是犯同一樣罪, 無論如何總是犯罪。

INSIGHT:  When the Bible says, " The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.   All have turned away, all have become corrupt;    there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 14:2-3; 53:2-3) or when it uses a definite sentence such as:  "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), that means that all human beings -- in the past and in the  present, in China and anywhere else in the entire world, gentiles and God’s chosen people,  even believers, although they commit different sins, no matter what, all are sinners.

當先知向四周鄰國宣告: 「三番四次地犯罪，我必不免去他們的刑罰」以色列也許心中暗笑, 以為他們可以倖免。誰知阿摩司向他們撥冷水說, 猶大和以色列也同樣「三番四次地犯罪，我必不免去他們的刑罰。」

When the prophet declared to the neighboring nations:  “For three sins, even for four, I will not relent.”   Israel may have laughed within herself thinking that she would be spared.  Who would have known that Amos would throw a wet blanket on Judah and Israel when he also said to them:  “For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not relent.”

表面上看，猶大人好像沒有其他國家那樣犯罪，刑罰好像太嚴厲害了。先知沒有說到猶大人從事奴隸交易、也沒有提到他們過多的行強暴。他們沒有殺害孕婦和未出生的嬰孩，或者其他褻瀆的行為。他們只是「厭棄耶和華的律法」。這樣的行為，在我們現代的民主社會，被當作每

一個人的自由和權利。我們現在生活在宗教信仰自由的時代，人人有不信教的自由。

Apparently, the Israelites did not sin as the other nations did, thus it seemed that their punishment was too harsh.  The prophet did not mention their slave trade nor their excessive violence.  They did not murder pregnant women or unborn children, nor did they do other blasphemous acts.  They simply:  “Rejected the law of the Lord.”  That kind of behavior, in our modern democratic society, is considered to be everyone’s freedom and rights.  We are now living in an era of freedom of religious beliefs. Everyone has the freedom to not believe in a religion.

但是我們不能用現代的社會思潮，去衡量古代的猶大。神是按着「多給誰，就向誰多取；多託誰，就向誰多要」(路十二48)的原則來評判。以色列人有蒙揀選極大的權利，因此也有極大的責任。他們蒙揀選成為一個特別的民族，藉以使地上的各國都因他們蒙福（創十八18）。面

對四周三番四次犯罪的國家，猶大應站出來作為一個見證，作為一個表明正直和公義的榜樣；但是很可惜她不但失敗了, 更是社會不公(6)、道德敗壞(7)、宗教淪落(8,11~12)。她的失敗是該責備和不可饒恕的。該責備是因為猶大領受了那麼多，但毫無回報；不可饒恕是因為這個

國家的殘忍，已經部分表現在他們喪失良心，不能再為公義的神作見證。

But we cannot use modern social trends to evaluate Judah from ancient times. God judges according to the following principle: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:48) The Israelites were God’s chosen people and as such they had greater responsibilities.  They were a special group of people because they were the chosen ones and all nations on earth would be blessed through them. (Genesis 18:18)   Judah should have stood up as an example of integrity and justice as a witness to the sinful nations that surrounded her; but, unfortunately, she not only neglected to do so but was full of social injustice (v. 6), moral corruption (v. 7), and her religion was a failure. (v. 8, 11-12).  Her negligence was reproachable and unforgivable.  Judah was to be blamed because she received much but gave nothing in return.  They were unforgivable because due to the inhumanness of this nation they had forfeited their conscience and were unable to be a witness to the righteous God.

by 洪同勉牧師 Rev. Tommy Hung

(阿摩司書 Amos 1:1 – 2:3) 耶和華吼叫 THE LORD ROARS

耶和華吼叫 THE LORD ROARS (阿摩司書 Amos 1:1 – 2:3)

祈禱: 求聖靈警戒我, 免得我三番四次地犯罪, 招致神刑罰。

PRAYER: May the Holy Spirit guard me against sinning three even four times so as to not bring upon myself the punishment of God.

讀經: 摩一章1~二章3節

SCRIPTURE READING: Amos 1:1 – 2:3

釋義: 阿摩司信息的引言非常特別。一般的先知會以「耶和華的話臨到某人、某人得神的默示論什麼」或類似的句點作為開場白, 但阿摩司卻開門見山地說: 「耶和華吼叫」(2)。

INSIGHT: Amos starts the introduction of his message in a very unusual way. Ordinary prophets will begin by saying: “The word of the Lord came to the prophet so and so,” or something similar, but Amos goes right to the point and says: “The Lord roars.” (v. 2)

動詞「吼叫」是一種最強烈的措詞，用於神和祂說話的對象之間。神有時表露對人的不滿, 也許會發怒、甚至是烈怒, 但是最嚴厲的措辭莫過於阿摩司提到的「吼叫」。

The verb "to roar" is the strongest word used between God and the person He speaks with. God sometimes expresses dissatisfaction with people, and may be angry, even fierce, but the most severe wording is "roaring" mentioned by Amos.

這個詞的直接意思，可以用先知自己的比喻：「獅子吼叫，誰不懼怕呢？」（三8）來加以說明。因為「獅子若非抓食，豈能在林中咆哮呢？少壯獅子若無所得，豈能從洞中發聲呢？」(三4)換句話說，先知將要傳講的信息，不像是從作為牧者的上帝之音調，而是可怕的響聲。這個詞帶有強烈的兇猛和威脅的含意。就像任何人聽見獅子在夜間的怒吼一樣，神的話也將刺入那些聽的人，使他們感到同樣可怖。

The direct meaning of this word can be explained in the metaphor used by the prophet himself: "The lion has roared – who will not fear?" (3: 8). Because "Does a lion roar in the thicket when it has no prey? Does it growl in its den when it has caught nothing?" (3: 4) In other words, God is not using the tone of voice of a shepherd, but rather a very terrifying sound . The word has a strong meaning of ferocity and threat. Just like when someone hears the roar of a lion at night, the word of God will pierce those who hear it, making them feel just as terrified.

耶和華為什麼這麼憤怒而吼叫呢?

Why is the Lord so angry that He roars?

原因是當神觀看祂的選民周圍的人(大馬士革、迦薩、非利士、泰爾、以東、摩押), 就如聖經所說: 「耶和華從天上垂看世人，要看有明白的沒有，有尋求　神的沒有。他們都偏離正路，一同變為污穢；並沒有行善的，連一個也沒有。」(詩十四3五三3羅三10~12)

Because God sees all the peoples (Damascus, Gaza, Philistia, Tyre, Edom, Moab) that are surrounding His chosen ones, as the Bible says: “The LORD looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 14:3; 53:3; Romans 3:10-12).

但世人都犯了罪這個事實雖然傷神的心, 卻不至於令神吼叫。神發烈怒是因為人不肯悔改: 「三番四次地犯罪」(3,6,9,11,13二1),神才一萬個不願意地說: 「我必不免去她的刑罰」。

The people of this world, all have sinned, and even though this breaks God’s heart, that will not make God roar. What makes God angry is the fact that people are unwilling to repent: “For three sins, even for four.” (v. 3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1), After not willing to do it ten thousand times, at the end, God says, “I will not relent”.

其實公義的神絕不喜歡審判, 彌迦先知:「神啊，有何神像你，赦免罪孽，饒恕你產業之餘民的罪過，不永遠懷怒，喜愛施恩？必再憐憫我們，將我們的罪孽踏在腳下，又將我們的一切罪投於深海。」(彌七18~19), 「因為，他的怒氣不過是轉眼之間；他的恩典乃是一生之久。 一宿雖然有哭泣，早晨便必歡呼。」(詩卅5)

In fact, the righteous God never takes pleasure in judging us. The prophet Micah said, " Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." (Micah 7: 18-19) “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)

by 洪同勉牧師 Rev. Tommy Hung

(Nahum 那鴻書 3:1-19) 流人血的城 THE CITY OF BLOOD

流人血的城 THE CITY OF BLOOD (Nahum 那鴻書 3:1-19)

祈禱: 主啊, 我多謝你, 因你是有憐憫、有恩典的神, 不輕易發怒、並有豐盛的慈愛和誠實。

PRAYER:  O Lord, I thank you, because you are a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

釋義:  那鴻稱呼尼尼微是「血城」，因為這城的最大特色是血▬流人的血。以「血」一個字來描寫這城，十分生動和貼切。

INSIGHT:  Nahum called Niniveh the “city of blood”, because the most distinguished feature of this city was – shedding people’s blood.  The word “blood” described this city in a very vivid and appropriate manner.

本章首三節正確地說出亞述人的實況。他們素來以窮兵黷武、極盡兇殘而臭名遠播。例如，他們會把戰俘剝皮或活活燒死，弄瞎他們的眼睛，割去他們的鼻子、耳朵或手指。《神祇、墳墓、學者》^註說：「在人類歷史上，尼尼微人留下的是戰爭和暴行的血腥記錄，他們濫殺無辜，肆意搶掠，作威作福，欺淩弱小，發動戰爭，濫用暴力，君主兇殘無道，施行血腥統治，結果他們受一些比他們更兇殘的對手所滅。」

The first three verses of this chapter tell the actual situation of the Assyrians. They were notorious for being extremely brutal. For example, they would skin or burn to death prisoners of war, blind their eyes, and cut off their noses, ears, or fingers.  The book  “Gods, Graves, and Scholars; The Story of Archaeology “ notes:  "In human history, the Nineveans have left bloody records of war and atrocities. They indiscriminately killed innocent people, plunder, prey on and bullied the weak, and when they waged war they were violent and abusive, their king displayed horrific levels of cruelty , and as a result they were destroyed by some of their more brutal  and ferocious opponents. "

雖然那鴻說預言的時候, 亞述國勢如日中天, 似乎牢不可破, 但是世界並沒有不滅的國, 尤其是神已說「我與你為敵」(二13)。那鴻就以亞述攻陷埃及的事跡為鑑(8~10):

Although, the Assyrian Empire seemed invincible during the times of Nahum’s  prophesy, there is not one kingdom in the world that is indestructible, especially when God said, “I am against you” (2:13).  Nahum used the story of the Assyrian attack on Egypt as a lesson to prove that point (v. 8-10).

亞述王亞述巴尼帕在主前663年曾遠征到埃及的底比斯，那時底比斯被稱為挪（城），意思是唯一的城。又因為底比斯的「城神」是「亞們」，故稱為挪亞們。在亞述王遠征的時候，那時的古實，即今之蘇丹管轄，聯合了弗及路比族（利比亞）等附近國家，當然也包括了埃及本身的力量組成 聯軍來抵抗。當時這支軍隊是非常龐大的，底比斯還有地理之便，遠處的防線地中海，城又座落在尼羅河的許多條支流的中間，這些都是天然的防線。然而終究還是不敵，打敗以後，人民逃亡，許多人都被擄。甚至嬰孩被亞述殘酷的軍人摔死在十字路口；一些貴族由遠征軍的領袖以抽籤的方式來決定他們是屬於誰家的命運；很多大人物都被鎖著擄去。

The king of Assyria, Ashurbanipal, expeditioned to Thebes in Egypt in 663 BC. At that time Thebes was called Nowe or Nuwe (“City of Amon”), named for its chief god.  During the Assyrian expedition, Cush at that time, which is now under the jurisdiction of Sudan, Put and Lybia were among her allies, and of course it included the Egyptian forces to form a coalition of forces.  At that time, the army was very large.  Thebes was strategically located by the Mediterranean Sea.   It was built largely on the alluvial plains of the Nile Valley which follows a great bend of the Nile. The city was laid in a northeast-southwest axis parallel to the contemporary river channel.  These were natural lines of defense.    Yet, regardless of its strategical location, the city was defeated.  It was taken captive and went into exile.  Her infants were dashed to pieces at every street corner. Lots were cast for her nobles, and all her great men were put in chains.

這些畫面對亞述人是非常熟悉的，他們曾不斷提起這些事來誇耀他們的戰功。但是那鴻指出, 亞述人該自問，你們現在較之當年的底比斯又如何呢？　

These images are very familiar to the Assyrians, who have boasted repeatedly about their outstanding military conquests. But Nahum points out to the Assyrians that they should ask themselves this question:  “How do we compare to Thebes now?”

底比斯的失敗是敗在亞述人的手裏，但最主要的是上帝的懲罰；同樣地，上帝也要懲罰亞述。亞述要遭遇到相同的厄運。

Thebes was defeated at the hands of the Assyrians, but mainly, it was God’s punishment.  Assyrian was going to suffer the same fate.

那鴻書的信息相當灰暗、嚴厲, 盡顯神公義的審判。但本書應與早一百多年、同是預言尼尼微滅亡的約拿書一起讀。兩位先知異口同聲說神是「不輕易發怒」(拿四2鴻一3), 尼尼微不同的結果繫於對神審判信息的回應: 約拿時的尼尼微「後悔」行差踏錯, 神就「後悔」不降所說的災。聖經清楚告訴我們: 「主耶和華說：我指我的永生起誓，我斷不喜悅惡人死亡，惟喜悅惡人轉離所行的道而活。以色列家啊，你們轉回，轉回吧！離開惡道，何必死亡呢？」(結卅三11)只要我們真誠認罪, 即或是第七十個七次, 神也必定再接納我們。

The message of the book of Nahum was rather bleak and harsh, showing God’s righteous judgment.  But this book should be read together with the book of Jonah which was written more than 100 years before where it prophesied about the demise of Niniveh.  Both prophets agreed with each other when they said that God was “slow to anger” (Jonah 4:2; Nahum 1:3).  Nineveh’s different results depended on how they responded to God’s message of judgement:  The Nineveh during Jonah’s time “repented” and turned from their evil ways, then God “relented” and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.  The Bible tells us clearly:  “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11)  As long as we sincerely confess our sins, even when we sin seventy times seven, God will for sure accept us again.  

by 洪同勉牧師 Rev. Tommy Hung

註 Gods, graves, and scholars; the story of archaeology / by C. W. Ceram. Translated from the German by E. B. Garside and Sophie Wilkins. New York : Knopf, 1967.

(Nahum 那鴻書 2:1-13) 我與你為敵 I AM AGAINST YOU (Nahum 那鴻書 2:1-13)

我與你為敵 I AM AGAINST YOU (Nahum 那鴻書 2:1-13)  

祈禱:  求神助我不看世界的浮誇, 等候那座有根基的城，就是神所經營所建造的。(來十一10)

PRAYER:  Oh Lord, help me not to look at the splendor of this world, but to look forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. (Hebrews 11:10)                          

讀經:  鴻二章1~13節

SCRIPTURE READING:  Nahum 2:1-13

釋義:  尼尼微是古代世界霸主亞述國的最重要的大城。尼尼微的遺址由底格里斯河東岸的兩個土墩（在現代伊拉克北部的摩蘇爾城對開之處）標明出來。它四周有高大的城牆和護城河, 皇宮有70多個房間，外牆幾有三公里長。牆上遺留著燒焦了的雕刻，上面記著各場勝仗及其他功績。

但它們大多已損毀不堪。在發掘中，發現了一個 保存得很好的房間，牆上展示的浮雕描述一個堅固城遭敵軍攻陷，御駕親征的國王坐在城外一個寶座上，俘虜在他面前列隊走過。國王的上頭刻了一些以亞述文寫成的字，專家們將這句話譯作如下：「世界的王亞述國王西拿基立坐在

尼米杜寶座上，檢閱從拉吉（奪得）的戰利品。」

INSIGHT:  Niniveh was the most important city in the ancient Assyrian empire.  The ruins of Niniveh are marked by two mounds on the eastern bank of the Tigris River (on the other side of the city of Mosul in modern northern Iraq).  It was surrounded by tall city walls and moats, the Royal Palace had more than 70 rooms, and the outer wall was almost three kilometers long. Charred carvings were left on the wall, which recorded the various battles and other feats.  But most of them have been damaged. During an excavation, a well-preserved room was found. The relief displayed on the wall depicts a fortified city captured by the enemy. The king sitting on a throne outside the city, and the captives marching in front of him.  An inscription above the seated figure of the king read:  "Sennacherib, the mighty king, king of the country of Assyria, sitting on the throne of judgment, before (or at the entrance of) the city of Lachish (Lakhisha). I give permission for its slaughter".

               在那鴻的日子，除了耶和華的先知外，沒有人預言當時的世界處於鼎盛時期的世界霸權亞述的首都會「河閘崩裂、宮殿被大水沖沒……(變成)一片荒蕪淒涼」(4,10; 現代中文譯本)。隨後的事態發展表明，這些預言超越地應驗。主前612年，巴比倫人、西徐亞人、米底亞人圍攻尼尼微城。暴發的洪水衝破城牆，敵軍隨即突破防線，攻進城裏。巴比倫王那波帕拉薩爾的編年史論及米底亞人及巴比倫人攻取尼尼微城的經過說：「［他們將］城嚴重摧毀，使之淪為一片殘［垣敗瓦］」。

In the days of Nahum, no one but the prophets of the Lord prophesied that the most prosperous capital of the mighty Assyrian Empire would be destroyed as “The chariots race madly in the streets, they rush wildly in the squares, their appearance like torches, they dash to and fro like lightning flashes…she is emptied, desolate and waste.” (v. 4, 10).  Subsequent developments show that these prophecies were fully fulfilled.  In 612 BC, the Babylonians, Scythians and Medes besieged the city of Niniveh.  They broke through the line of defense and rushed wildly into the city walls as a flash flood.  The chronicles of the king of Babylon, Nabopolassar said:  "[They destroyed] the city, and made it a ruin [a ruined city]."
    

               那鴻先知指出, 尼尼微的傾覆不只是一次戰爭，而是對那些許多世紀以來一直存在的帝國主義殘暴的懲罰。尼尼微的被劫掠是該城罪惡造成的直接結果，而個結果並沒有給人一種愉快的感覺，也不值得慶祝。那鴻一針見血地指出，這事件是因為：「萬軍之耶和華說，我與你為敵

！」（13）對人施行殘暴，不可避免地導致神的反對。

The Prophet Nahum draws attention to the fact that the fall of Nineveh was not the result of a war, but a punishment for the brutal imperialistic regime that had been rampant for centuries. The capture of Nineveh was a direct result of the city's wickedness, and should not have given the people a pleasant feeling, nor was it worth celebrating.  Nahum pointed out sharply that the incident was because the Lord of Hosts declared: “Behold, I am against you!”  (v. 13) The brutality of man inevitably leads to the opposition of God.

尼尼微的陷落，正好提醒我們：所有人類偉大的力量和自信心的標誌，都是不能長久的、都是脆弱的。任何要塞城堡、或給予人安全感的制度, 都可能在壓力下被攻破，特別是當它已經因暴力的腐蝕而衰弱時，就更是如此。而且在它失敗前的榮耀愈大，在它崩潰後的陷落看來愈會加深。

The fall of Nineveh reminds us that all the signs of human great power and self-confidence is fragile and will not last. Any fortress, castle, or system that gives people a sense of security, can crumble under pressure, especially when it is weakened by the erosion of violence. And the greater the glory before its failure, the deeper the fall after it collapses.

那鴻提醒我們, 人類的驕傲和力量其實是多麼脆弱。他暗示我們必須

在這個世界上尋求一座比尼尼微更恆久的城市。

Nahum reminds us that human pride and strength are actually very fragile.  He suggests that we must seek a city that is more lasting than Niniveh.