耶和華的祭司 THE PRIESTS OF THE LORD (Isaiah 以賽亞書 61:1~11) -- 每日讀經 by 洪同勉牧師 Rev. Tommy Hung

我因耶和華大大歡喜、我的心靠　神快樂‧

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God.

耶和華的祭司

THE PRIESTS OF THE LORD

經文:   Isaiah  以賽亞書 61:1~11

神差派以賽亞向選民宣告信息, 但是信息並非單單為以色列人。神的福音、大喜的信息是關乎萬民的(路二14), 正如本章預言, 神的拯救和公義是要在萬民中發出(10~11)。先知的職責是對選民宣講信息,而使福音傳達到萬民是祭司──神、人間中保的任務。

God commissions Isaiah to proclaim a message to His people.  However this message is not just for Israelites.  God’s gospel, good news of great joy is for all the people (Luke 2:10).  As prophesied in this chapter, God’s deliverance and righteousness will sprout up before all the nations (10-11).  The prophet’s duty is to proclaim the message; and to spread the gospel to all the people is the responsibility of the priests – the mediators between God and men.  

以色列人出埃及的時候，神曾對他們說，「如今你們若實在聽從我的話，遵守我的約，就要在萬民中作屬我的子民。因為全地都是我的, 你們要歸我作祭司的國度，為聖潔的國民。」(出十二6)希伯來人一直沒有完全實現神的這個理想，但藉著耶和華僕人的工作，這個理想將會實現: 那時「你們倒要稱為耶和華的祭司」(6)。

When the Israelites left Egypt, God said to them, “If you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:5-6)  The Hebrews have not fully attained this ideal of God’s.  But through the work of the Lord’s servants, it will happen: At that time, “you shall be called the priests of the Lord” (6).    

本章聖經詳細介紹一位末世祭司的幾方面:

Here are the several aspects of a priest of the end times detailed in this chapter:

• 祭司的設立(1)  —   耶穌基督在會堂讀經唸到這兩節聖經時，指出這話在他身上應驗(路四18-19)。祭司必須經過受膏程序, 才正式就職(參利八至十章)。新約多處經文印證聖靈膏立耶穌(徒四27十38來一9)  — 「主耶和華的靈在我身上」這句經文，說到祂的整個使命──祂由童貞女受聖靈孕而生，到祂在十字架上靠著聖靈捨己, 都是在聖靈的大能中成就的。

• The appointment of a priest (1)  — After Jesus Christ read these two Bible verses in the synagogue, He pointed out that they have been fulfilled in Him (Luke 4:18-19).  A priest has to be anointed before he can officially take the position (refer to Leviticus 8-10).  There are numerous scriptures in the New Testament that testify that Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:27, 10:38, Hebrews 1:9).  “The spirit of the Lord is upon me” tells us that Jesus’s missions – from being born to a virgin conceived by the Holy Spirit to sacrificing Himself on the cross in the Holy Spirit, are all achieved through the power of the Holy Spirit.  

• 祭司的任務(2)  —  耶和華的祭司又稍為「我們神的僕役」(6)。僕人的存在就是為了服務。以賽亞預告祭司的任務包括: 傳/報告好信息(即傳福音);  醫好傷心的人;   安慰一切悲哀的人。

• A priest’s responsibilities (2) —   The priests of the Lord are also called “the ministers of our God” (6).  Servants are here to serve.  Isaiah foretells a priest’s responsibilities which include: 
• Spread/Proclaim good news (i.e. spread the gospel);
• Heal the brokenhearted;
• Comfort all who mourn.

• 讀這一段的時候，很自然地想起耶穌在會堂中時，唸到「報告耶和華的恩年」這一句話，就停止了。因為當時神報仇的日子尚末開始，但正如保羅向雅典人所說, 在這恩典時代, 神「吩咐各處的人都要悔改。因為他已經定了日子，要藉著他所設立的人按公義審判天下」(徒十七30~31)

• When reading the passage, we would naturally imagine Jesus in the synagogue, stopping right after reading “proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor”, because the day of vengeance of God had not begun at the time.  But as Paul said to the people of Athens, during the Age of Grace, God “commands all people everywhere to repent, because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed”(Acts 17:30-31)

• 祭司的果效(3~7) —  這段經文以「代替」(五次)突顯祭司事奉的結果──帶來改變的新景象。人方面, 因著得著好信息(福音)的好處,帶來生命的改變, 結果喜樂、讚美代替悲哀、羞辱(3,7)。神方面, 因著罪人生命的改變, 得著讚美, 「叫祂得榮耀」。

• The effect of a priest (3-7)   — The use of ‘instead of’ (5 times) in this passage highlights the effect of a priest’s work – setting a new scene of changes.  For men, the benefits of the good news (gospel) bring changes to their life, such that joy and praises instead of mourning and shame (3, 7).  For God, He receives praises and “He may be glorified” from the changes of the sinners’ life.   

以賽亞收到耶和華給他的這個啟示信息, 欣然回應, 樂於接受: 「我因耶和華大大歡喜; 我的心靠神快樂。」(10)

When Isaiah received the revelation from the Lord, he responded and accepted it joyfully: “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God.” (10)

聖經告訴我們, 信徒是「被揀選的族類、是有君尊的祭司、是聖潔的國度、是屬神的子民, 要叫你們宣揚那召你們出黑暗入奇妙光明窨的美德」(彼前二9)。你有什麼行動回應?

The Bible tells us, believers are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).  In response, what kind of action would you be taking?

每日讀經 by 洪同勉牧師 Rev. Tommy Hung

(English Translation:  Ms. Lori Wong)