創世記 24:54-67 (Genesis 24:54:67)
摘要 Summary：第二天，僕人便準備立即回迦南地，利百加的族親不捨她那麼快離開，要求再等十天，但是僕人堅持要盡快上路，而利百加也同意馬上與僕人同去，因此家人們便祝福歡送利百加；一行人到了南地，就是以撒居住的地方，利百加舉目看見以撒在田間默想，僕人便向以撒報告事情經過，以撒便帶利百加進了他母親撒拉的帳篷，然後兩人結為夫妻。The following day, the servant prepared to return to Canaan immediately, yet Rebekah’s relatives did not want her to leave so quickly. They requested for her to stay for another ten days, but the servant insisted to hit the road at once. When asked of her opinion, Rebekah agreed to leave right away. So the family members blessed her and sent her on. When they got to Negev where Isaac lived, Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac meditating in the field. The servant reported what happened to Isaac; Isaac then took Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent, and the two of them got married and became husband and wife.
上帝 God：神是賜人信心的神（徒3:16; 羅12:3; 弗6:23），不論是叫我們得救的信心（弗2:8）還是超然的信心之屬靈恩賜（林前12:9）都是從神來的，僕人和利百加的信心也是神所賜的，甚至家人們給利百家的祝福也是信心的表現。神是主宰婚姻的神，祂安排了以撒和利百加的婚姻，將來祂也要為祂的愛子耶穌預備完美無瑕的新婦！神是安慰人心的神，當以撒在田間默想的時候，神就將他的妻子帶來，他因此從喪母的傷痛當中得了安慰。God is a giver of faith (Acts 3:16; Rom. 12:3; Eph. 6:23); whether it’s the saving faith (Eph. 2:8) or the spiritual gift of supernatural faith (1 Cor. 12:9), they are all from God. The faith of the servant and of Rebekah were both given by God as well, and even the blessings spoken over Rebekah by her relatives was an expression of faith. Secondly, God is the God of marriage. He arranged the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah, and He will prepare a perfect and spotless bride for His beloved Son Jesus! Thirdly, God is a God of comfort. When Isaac meditated in the field, God brought his wife to him. He thus was comforted from his grief of the loss of his mother.
教導 Learning：若是沒有信心我們便無法討神的喜悅（來11:6）；若是沒有信心，亞伯拉罕的僕人便無法在整個招親的旅程上堅定前行；若是沒有信心，利百加便無法立即離開她的家鄉，跟著僕人去嫁給一位素未謀面的陌生人；信心是我們屬靈生命的基石（彼後1:5-7），耶穌要我們將房子蓋在磐石上（太7:24-27），這個房子的根基就是在基督裡面的信心，若是我們的信心不穩固，就好像把房子蓋在沙土上，隨時可能會有倒塌的危險；並且這個信心是活潑有生命的信心，是遵行基督話語帶出行動的信心（雅2:17），而不是只有頭腦知識的死信心。Without faith we cannot please God (Heb. 11:6). Without faith the servant of Abraham could not persist in this journey; without faith Rebekah would not be able to leave her home at once and followed the servant to marry a stranger whom she never met before. Faith is the cornerstone of our spiritual life (2 Pet. 1:5-7). Jesus told us to build a house on top of the rock (Matt. 7:24-27). The foundation of this house is faith in Christ, and if our faith is not rock-solid, then it would be like building a house on quicksand; the house can come tumbling down at any moment. True faith from God is also a living faith, one that obeys God’s Word and brings forth action (James 2:17); it is not a lifeless faith with only head knowledge.
感恩 Thanksgiving：感謝主為以撒建立家室，將滿有信心的利百加賜給他為妻，安慰他的心。感謝祢使用利百加的族親再次重申祢恩典的約定，讓亞伯拉罕的後裔蒙大福，能得著仇敵的城門，得勝有餘！感謝主讓屬靈的產業能一代一代地傳承下來，讓屬神的百姓得著上尖下流、連搖帶按的滿滿福份（路6:38），不只是物質的產業，更是屬靈的產業–就是豐盛的信心、敏銳清楚的屬靈分辨力、立即而完全的順服，這些祝福有許多是世上的人看為愚拙、不值一哂的（林前2:14），但智慧之子總以智慧為是（太11:19b; 路7:35）。Thank You Lord for building Isaac’s household, and for giving him the faithful Rebekah as his wife, bringing comfort to his heart. Thank You for using Rebekah’s relatives to restate Your covenant of grace, that Abraham’s offspring will be greatly blessed and will possess the gates of their enemies, for they are more than conquerors! Thank You Lord that spiritual inheritance can be passed down through generations, so that Your people can receive blessings that are pressed down, shaken together and running over (Luke 6:38). And these are not just physical inheritance, but also spiritual inheritance–which are abundant faith, sharp and clear spiritual discernment, and immediate and complete obedience. Some of these blessings are viewed by the people of this world as foolishness (1 Cor. 2:14), yet wisdom is proved right by all her children (Matt. 11:19b; Luke 7:35).
聆聽 Listening：孩子啊，我愛你，甚願賜福與你，我所賜的不像世人所賜的，你要憑著信心來領受，才能得著；不要注目在那些看得見的、短暫的事物上，乃要掉轉你的眼目來注視我，你越親近我，你就越明白我對你的心意，我對你的愛是超乎你所求所想的，不要選擇那次好，要切慕那上好的，我喜悅把上好的福份賜給你，你願意領受嗎？Child, I love you, and I’m pleased to bless you. What I give is unlike what people give. You can only receive if you receive by faith. Do not keep your eyes on those temporal things that are seen, but turn your eyes to gaze upon me. The more you come close to me, the more you will understand my will for you. For my love to you is more than what you can ask or think of. So do not choose the second best, but choose the very best. For I long to give you the very best of blessings. Would you come and receive?
應用 Application：高等教育讓我學會分析經濟效益、按照外部條件做出判斷，這些和其他許多現下看為至理的法則卻是和聖經裡面信心的原則背道而馳，要得著屬天的祝福必須放棄屬世的錯誤價值，否則這些思考模式會模糊我們的眼光，甚至帶我們進入迷惑當中，因為我們以為可以又得著神的祝福，又能同時享有一切世界所提供的安逸。神所要給祂百姓的平安，是在大風暴中仍能安歇的極深平安，這個平安是存到永遠的；而世界的安逸卻是要我們犧牲家庭、健康並承擔極重的工作、情緒壓力才能獲得的奢侈品，這樣的安逸只是暫時的。Higher education taught me to analyze economic effectiveness and to make decisions based on external circumstances. These and other methods that are esteemed in this day and age run contrary to the principle of faith taught in the Bible. In order to receive heavenly blessings we need to give up the wrong earthly value system, or else these thinking patterns can blur our sight, and even bring us into confusion. Because we might thought that we can receive God’s blessings on the one hand, and at the same time receive all the comfort offered by this world on the other hand. The peace that God wants to give to His people is a deeper peace that will allow us to rest even in great storms, and this peace will last forever. The comfort offered by the world is a luxury that requires us to sacrifice our family and health to bear the heavy emotional work pressures, and this comfort only last for a fleeting moment.
禱告 Prayer：主耶穌啊，求祢賜我勝過世界的信心，讓我定睛仰望祢充滿炙熱愛火的雙眼和如烈日放光的面容（啟1:14,16）；主啊，我為自己仍然使用世界的價值觀來判斷是非向祢認罪，求主將祢的話語烙印在我的心上，更新我的心思意念，好讓我用祢的眼光來看事物，能愛祢所愛並恨祢所恨，以至我能選擇接受那上好的福份，而不是被那次好的吸引。奉耶穌的名，阿們。Lord Jesus, please give me faith to overcome this world, so that I can gaze into Your eyes of passionate flame and Your face like a shining sun (Rev. 1:14, 16). Lord, I repent to You for judging right from wrong based on the value system of this world. Please burn Your Word onto my heart to renew my mind and my thoughts, so that I may see things with Your eyes. That I may love what You love and hate what You hate, and that I may choose the better part, and not be drawn by the lesser things. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
主題 Topic：選擇信心的道路 Choose the Pathway of Faith
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