沒有把握的倚靠 RELYING ON THE UNRELIABLE (以賽亞書 ISAIAH 20:1-6)

沒有把握的倚靠  RELYING ON THE UNRELIABLE  (以賽亞書 ISAIAH 20:1-6)

讀經: 以賽亞書 廿1~6

SCRIPTURE READING:  Isaiah 20:1-6

釋義:  最後一篇論及埃及與古實的豫言是和其餘前面的不同, 這是以歷史事件作開始:「亞述王撒珥根打發…到亞實突的那年」, 而不是以「當那日」或相似的字詞開始。

INSIGHT:  The last prophecy about Egypt and Cush is different from all the previous ones. It starts with a historical event, ‘In the year that the commander in chief, who was sent by Sargon the king of Assyria…’ instead of wording like ‘In that day’.

本章短篇經文提到了三件重要的事:

This short passage mentions 3 important events:

撒珥根攻取非利士城市亞實突(1) --  圍攻亞實突這事清楚地記載在亞述的編年史中。根據記錄, 撒珥根(主前七二一至七○五年)命令亞述軍隊, 而不是如一節所言, 由他的「他珥探」(tartan,意思是總司令)負責領兵; 聖經可能保存了撒珥根攻打亞實突城的細節。亞實突在被圍攻三年後, 於主前七一一年失守。

SARGON ATTACKED AND CAPTURED ASHDOD, A PHILISTINE CITY (1) -- The siege of Ashdod was clearly recorded in Assyria’s chronicles.  According to the records, Sargon (721 – 705 BC) himself commanded the Assyrian army, whereas verse 1 indicates that Tartan (meaning commander in chief) was in command. The difference probably arises from the Bible preserving the detail of the attack. After a siege for 3 years, Ashdod fell in 711 BC.

先知為時三年之久的非常行為(2-3) --  以賽亞的行動可能象徵亞實突被攻陷:  麻布代表了哀哭(例撒下廿一10),這一定是說到亞實突的遭遇(參十四29-31)。 哀哭者要赤身露體, 哀器被羞辱所取代, 那些為非利士人之死而哀哭的人, 包括埃及人與古實人, 他們將遭打敗, 被迫放逐。所以先知以其行動來象徵非利士人過去的命運, 以及埃及人和古實人未來的遭遇。在聖經關於先知行為的記載中，這種象徵式的行動並不罕見，例「基拿拿的兒子造了兩個鐵角，說，耶和華如此說， 你要用角抵觸亞蘭人，直到將他們滅盡」（王上廿二11）。以西結展

示了更細膩的「動作喻言」(結十二1-16),還有其他例子(參耶十三1-7; 十九章)。

THE PROPHET DEMONSTRATES BIZARRE BEHAVIOR FOR 3 YEARS (2-3) -- Isaiah’s actions perhaps symbolize the fall of Ashdod:  Sackcloth represents wailing (example, 2 Samuel 21:10) for Ashdod’s calamity (refer to 14:29-31).  Mourners are to go around stripped and barefoot, with wailing replaced by shame; those mourning for the Philistines include Egyptians and Cushites; they are about to be defeated and exiled.  So, the prophet uses his actions to symbolize the Philistines’ fate in the past and the Egyptians’ and Cushites’ upcoming calamities. Regarding the prophet’s bizarre behavior, this type of symbolic actions is not uncommon. Here is an example - “And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’” “(1 King 22:11).  In another one, Ezekiel exhibits a more exquisite ‘action prophecy’ (Ezekiel 12:1-16). More examples can be found in 13:1-7 and chapter 19.

亞述王 擊敗 埃及與古實 --   我們知道這第三件事發生於主前七○一年, 但以賽亞宣告時還是未曾發生的預言。不久倚仗埃及的古實王朝再次作反，並煽動鄰國聯同抵抗亞述。可是在亞述軍再度南下平亂時，古實王並沒有履行盟約給巴勒斯坦的友邦任何支援，叛變最後失敗。  這篇預言正好警惕猶大勿仰賴自身難保的埃及。

THE KING OF ASSYRIA DEFEATS EGYPT AND CUSH -- We know that these 3 events happened in 701 BC, not fulfilled yet at the time of Isaiah’s prophecy.  Not long after the proclamation, the king of Cush who relied on Egypt rebelled again and incited neighboring nations to resist Assyria. However, when the Assyrian army moved south once again to neutralize the threat, Cush did not comply with the alliance agreement to back up his Palestinian allies. In the end, the insurrection failed. This prophecy is a warning against Judah relying on Egypt who can hardly save herself. 

兩個印弟安人問巫師今年冬天會不會很寒冷。「一定會,」巫師回答, 「你最好採集大量木柴。」

Two native American Indians asked a wiseman whether the coming winter would be very cold.  The wiseman answered, ‘Definitely, you’d better stash away plenty of wood.’

一連幾星期, 許多人都向巫師求教, 而他也作了同樣的回答。可是, 他私下卻開始懷疑自己對神靈朕兆的解釋是否正確, 於是打電話向氣象台一位專家求證。專家說: 「今年冬天一定非常寒冷, 你看, 那些印弟安人正在瘋狂地收集木柴呢!」

Several weeks in a row, many people sought advice from the wiseman, and he gave the same answer. But deep down, he started to question his interpretation of his god’s omen. So, he phoned an expert at the weather observatory to get confirmation.  The expert said, ‘This winter is going to be very cold for sure, you see, the native American Indians are collecting wood frantically!’

  

請問你在解決所面對的困難時是否有肯定的把握? 不要倚靠世界虛浮的事物, 仰望主, 祂才是唯一和真正的把握。

When you face a problem, do you have absolute confidence in the solution? Don’t rely on the fleeting and volatile worldly things.  Look to the Lord.  He is the only one in whom we can truly rely on.

每日讀經  by 洪同勉牧師 Rev. Tommy Hung