(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