QT 13/02/2025 Thu. Isaiah 4. The Deficiency of Self-sufficiency. 自给自足的缺陷
QT 13/02/2025 Thu. Isaiah 4. The Deficiency of Self-sufficiency.
READ http://www.esvbible.org/isaiah4
Isaiah 4:1 And seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach.” (ESV)
With an artistic brushstroke, Isaiah 4:1 painted for us the graphic deficiency occurring during his time—a shortage of men. This situation was the consequence of the preceding verses—
Isaiah 3:25–26
[25] Your men shall fall by the sword
and your mighty men in battle.
[26] And her gates shall lament and mourn;
empty, she shall sit on the ground. (ESV)
While all wars in history would lose soldiers during battle, frequently it was that more men lost their lives in battle than women, e.g. during World War II. The situation became so desperate that women gave up trying to marry men, because there were just not enough of men to be paired with women. The prohibited polygamy was also not an option on the table. Isaiah 4:1 pointed the ratio of seven women to one remaining man, i.e., a statistically very lopsided population ratio. The women in Isaiah's time did not even request for the expected support from the men as bread winner of the family, because that would be just too tall a request to be made in that situation of male deficiency.
Therefore, the women then was prepared even to provide for their own sustenance (4:1), be it bread (nutrition) or clothing (protection) rather than expecting maintenance from a husband. They only requested for some legal identity or social status by having some connection to a man's family name.
REFLECTION: Self-sufficiency without dependence on The LORD (putting Him out of all the "pictures" of our lives, decision making or worship) is extremely disastrous and degrading, not merely disadvantages. Would we choose commitment to God and His purposes today rather than going on a frolic of our own?
Isaiah 4:2–6, on the other hand, pointed to the opposite end results if God's people allowed themselves to be cleansed by God as He would decide—
Isaiah 4:3–4 [3] And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, [4] when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning. (ESV)
The LORD's method is not to ignore wrongdoings, cover it up for reputation's sake or personal legacy's sake. These were not to be explained away with a crafty spin on massaged facts. Neither was the LORD pleased with just merely harping on His people's wrong doings, whether "filth" or "bloodstains" (4:4). Isaiah would continue to prophesy a hopeful future that the LORD's solution to come would be so comprehensive that once again, their relationship would be as authentic as before—
Isaiah 4:5–6 [5] Then the LORD will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy. [6] There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain. (ESV)
The above depictions bring to mind the very similar experience they had with the LORD at Sinai peninsular during their exodus from Egypt–
Exodus 13:21–22 [21] And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. [22] The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people. (ESV)
REFLECTION: Would you be lifted up in morale and spirit, be built up as provided by The LORD via submission to God and one another? Would you avoid self-sufficiency (without dependence on the LORD), and avoid the consequences of spiritual poverty, despair, desperation and bondage? Self-sufficiency without the LORD is deficient. Choose carefully.
QT 13/02/2025 星期四. 以赛亚书 4. 自给自足的缺陷
阅读 http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/isa/4
以赛亚书 4:1 到那日，七个女人必拉住一个男人，说：“我们吃自己的饭，穿自己的衣服；只求你让我们归在你名下，使我们的羞辱可以除掉。”
以赛亚书4：1节以艺术的笔触为我们描绘了他所处时代出现的明显不足--男人的短缺。这种情况是前几节经文--《以赛亚书》3:25-26--的后果。
以赛亚书 3:25-26 你的男丁要倒在刀下，你的勇士必死在战场。26 锡安的城门必悲哀哭号，锡安被掠夺，成了一片荒凉后，必坐在地上。
虽然历史上所有战争都会在战斗中损失士兵，但在战场上牺牲的男性往往多于女性，例如在第二次世界大战期间。以赛亚的时代的情况也变得如此绝望，以至于女性放弃了与男性结婚的尝试，因为没有足够的男性与女性配对。被禁止的一夫多妻制也不在考虑之列。《以赛亚书》4：1 指出了七个女人对剩下的一个男人的比例，也就是说，从统计上看，人口比例非常悬殊。以赛亚所处时代的妇女甚至没有要求作为家庭经济支柱的男性提供预期的支持，因为在男性不足的情况下提出这样的要求实在是太高了。
因此，当时的妇女甚至准备自己解决温饱问题（4:1），无论是面包（营养）还是衣服（保护），而不是指望丈夫的供养。她们只要求与男人的姓氏有某种联系，从而获得某种合法身份或社会地位。
反思：不依靠耶和华的自给自足（把祂排除在我们生活、决策或敬拜的所有 “画面 ”之外）是极其灾难性的，不仅是不利因素，而且是有辱人格的。今天，我们会选择委身于上帝和祂的旨意，而不是自己去嬉戏吗？
《以赛亚书》4：2-6 则指出，如果上帝的子民按照祂的决定让自己接受上帝的洁净，最终的结果将截然相反–
以赛亚书》4:3-4 [3] 那时，锡安余剩、仍留在耶路撒冷的人，就是所有登记在耶路撒冷活人名册上的，都必称为圣。4 主要用审判的灵和焚烧的灵把锡安女子的污秽洗去，又把耶路撒冷中间的血腥洗净。
耶和华的方法不是无视错误行为，不是为了个人名誉或遗产而掩盖错误行为。这些都不能用巧妙地捏造事实来解释。无论是 “污秽 ”还是 “血腥”（4:4），耶和华也不乐于只对祂子民的错误行为喋喋不休。以赛亚将继续预言一个充满希望的未来，耶和华的解决方案将是如此全面，以至于他们之间的关系将再次像以前一样真实--
以赛亚书 4:5-6 [5] 然后，耶和华必在锡安全山之上，并会众之上，在日间创造云和烟，夜间创造有火焰的光亮，因为在一切荣耀之上，必有遮盖。6 也必有亭子，日间可以使人得阴凉、避炎热，也可以作避难时藏身之所，或作躲避狂风暴雨之处。
上述描述让人想起他们出埃及时在西奈半岛与耶和华的相似经历--《出埃及记》13:21-22
出埃及记 13:21-22 [21] 耶和华在他们前面行，日间用云柱领他们的路，夜间用火柱光照他们，使他们日夜都可以行走。22 日间云柱，夜间火柱，都不离开众民的面前。
反思：你会在士气和灵性上得到提升，通过耶和华的所供应的顺服神和彼此来被建立吗？你会避免自给自足（不依靠耶和华），避免属灵贫穷、绝望和捆绑的后果吗？没有耶和华的自给自足是有缺陷的。请慎重选择。
