QT 10/03/2025 Mon. Isaiah 21. The sadness of warfare. The seriousness of God's judgments. 战争的悲哀. 上帝审判的严肃性.
The effects of war and the loss of a nation have untold pain, not only for soldiers but all citizenry.
Isaiah 21:3
[3] Therefore my loins are filled with anguish;
pangs have seized me,
like the pangs of a woman in labor;
I am bowed down so that I cannot hear;
I am dismayed so that I cannot see. (ESV)
We mourn for an individual that departs from us. What more a nation that disappears, that becomes betrayed by the betrayer, destroyed by the destroyer (21: 2)? War brought about destruction of crops, property and more importantly, lives, including the innocent. Believers today are to do their best to avoid conflict, where the horrors of war inevitably result in countless numbing painful episodes and suffering. Isaiah 21 dealt with the wilderness by the sea (21:1–10), Dumah (21:11–12), Arabia (21:13–17).
Isaiah 21:9
[9] And behold, here come riders,
horsemen in pairs!”
And he answered,
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon;
and all the carved images of her gods
he has shattered to the ground.” (ESV)
Babylon represented the narrative and worldview of life without God. Babylon's carved images were used to support that pagan worldview. Dumah and Seir on the other hand represented Edom, the estranged sibling of Jacob, who was now plagued with darkness and silence (21:11–12). Refugees and the lost were so prevalent that they sought refuges in the thickets of Arabia (21:13).
REFLECTION: Various worldviews today have their own emphases. But the common thread among them is that God is sidelined and has no impact nor interaction with their lives. Life in the modern world might similarly come to the same end if we are not careful. Would we be sensitive to any attempts to drive God out of the lives of nations or their inhabitants?
"Glory" was referred to in 21:16. Much of human activity had been motivated by the pursuit of glory. Whether the "hired worker" (21:16) or the archers of mighty men (21:17), glory achieved without the LORD would be shortlived. Today, much human activities are actually self-destructive, even without the presence of external threats. Isaiah 21 reminds readers that any hope for humans starts with embracing God fully, not half-heartedness. Avoid coming under His judgment for being uncommitted. We need to pay heed to Isaiah's advice, because "the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken" (21:17) and it shall come to pass.
QT 10/03/2025 星期一. 以赛亚书 21 战争的悲哀. 上帝审判的严肃性.
阅读 http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/isa/21
战争的影响和亡国几乎会给士兵和所有公民带来难以言表的痛苦。
以赛亚书 21:3 因此，我满腰疼痛，痛苦抓住我，好像产妇的痛苦一样；我绞痛弯腰至听不见，我惊惶至看不到。
我们为离我们而去的人哀悼。更何况是一个消失的国家，那行诡诈的仍然行诡诈，那行破坏的仍然行破坏（21: 2）？战争摧毁了庄稼、财产，更重要的是摧毁了生命，包括无辜的人。今天的信徒应尽力避免冲突，战争的恐怖必然导致无数麻木的痛苦和折磨。《以赛亚书》第 21 章涉及海边的旷野（21：1-10）、度玛（21：11-12）、阿拉伯（21：13-17）。
以赛亚书 21：9 看哪！有一队骑兵来了，马兵一对一对而来。”又有人答话说：“倾倒了，巴比伦倾倒了！它所有雕刻的神像都被打碎在地上了。”
巴比伦代表了没有上帝的生活叙事和世界观。巴比伦的雕刻图像反而被用来支持这种异教的世界观。而杜马和西珥则代表着雅各疏远的兄弟姐妹以东，他们现在被黑暗和沉默所困扰（21：11-12）。难民和迷失的人非常普遍，他们在阿拉伯的灌木丛中寻找避难所（21：13）。
反思：今天，各种世界观都有自己的侧重点。但他们的共同点是，上帝被搁置一旁，对他们的生活没有任何影响或互动。如果我们不小心的话，现代世界的生活也可能走向同样的结局。我们是否应该警惕任何将上帝从国家或其居民的生活中赶走的企图?
21:16 中提到了 “光荣”。人类的许多活动都是为了追求荣耀。然而，无论是 “雇工”（21:16）还是勇士的弓箭手（21:17），没有耶和华的荣耀都是短暂的。今天，即使没有外来的威胁，人类的许多活动实际上都是自我毁灭的。以赛亚书第 21 章提醒读者，人类的任何希望都始于全心全意地拥抱上帝，而不是半心半意。避免不委身而遭受祂的审判。我们需要注意以赛亚的忠告，因为 “这是耶和华以色列的 神说的。”（21:17），而且必将实现。
