QT 27/03/2025 Thu. Isaiah 34. Desert or Garden: The seriousness of life. 沙漠还是花园：生命的严肃性。
QT 27/03/2025 Thu. Isaiah 34. Desert or Garden: The seriousness of life.
READ http://www.esvbible.org/isaiah34
Swipe up or down, left or right. Life is busy in this electronic world—few things do not have electricity running through it. But today's QT reminds us of the seriousness of life's choices.
Isaiah 34 reminds us that one type of life choice leads to a desert. Isaiah 35, however, points to a desert transformation into a garden. This is a fitting close regarding Isaiah' simple and clear teaching of the LORD's sovereignty over the nations (Isaiah 13–35):-
Arrogant self-centred humanity would not prevail of this sovereign LORD who reigns over the universe. Repeating the mistake of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11) was to be avoided. As much as we endeavour to be self-sufficient and say "What I say count. Full stop", we end up sinning against God.
Isaiah 34:6–8 [6] The LORD has a sword; it is sated with blood; it is gorged with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom. [7] Wild oxen shall fall with them, and young steers with the mighty bulls. Their land shall drink its fill of blood, and their soil shall be gorged with fat. [8] For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. (ESV)
The strong language in the Isaiah 34:1–7 points to prescriptions for those who abandon God and the narrative that He had blessed the world with for her recovery. This prediction by Isaiah would be literally true in history to come, and also true for the eternity to come.
REFLECTION: Isaiah 34:8 speaks of the LORD's "day of vengeance" for those who abandon the "cause of Zion". What would constitute the "cause of Zion" for today? Are you pursuing His "cause" with all your might, minds and motivations?
Isaiah 34:15–17 [15] There the owl nests and lays and hatches and gathers her young in her shadow; indeed, there the hawks are gathered, each one with her mate.
[16] Seek and read from the book of the LORD: Not one of these shall be missing; none shall be without her mate.For the mouth of the LORD has commanded, and his Spirit has gathered them.
[17] He has cast the lot for them; his hand has portioned it out to them with the line; they shall possess it forever; from generation to generation they shall dwell in it. (ESV)
Isaiah exhorted readers to "seek and read from the book of the LORD" (34:16) because The LORD is sovereign, even over the little details in Creation—the hawk and its mate. That being said, the LORD's prediction and response to dispossessing humans of His land (Isaiah 34:11–12) and to give it to the wild and unclean creatures (Isaiah 34:13–17) should deter readers from going on their own frolic of their own to establish another "cause" not related to the LORD's. Desert or Garden? Make the right choice today!
QT 27/03/2025 星期四 以赛亚书 34. 沙漠还是花园：生命的严肃性。
阅读 http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/isa/34
向上或向下，向左或向右滑动。在这个电子世界里，生活是忙碌的--很少有东西是不带电的。但今天的灵修章节提醒我们要认真对待人生的选择。
《以赛亚书》第 34 章提醒我们，一种人生选择会导致荒漠。《以赛亚书》第 35 章则指出，沙漠会变成花园。以赛亚书简单明了地教导了耶和华对万国的主权（以赛亚书 13-35 节），这是一个恰如其分的结尾。
傲慢自大、以自我为中心的人类将无法战胜这位掌管宇宙的至高无上的耶和华。要避免重蹈巴别塔的覆辙（创世纪第 11 章）。尽管我们努力做到自给自足，并说 "我说的话算数。句号"，我们最终还是会得罪上帝。
以赛亚书 34:6-8 耶和华的刀染满了血，这刀因脂肪、羊羔和公山羊的血，以及公绵羊腰子的脂肪而滋润，因为耶和华在波斯拉有杀牲献祭的事，在以东地有大屠杀。7 野牛、牛犊与壮牛要与他们一同倒下，他们的地喝足了血，他们的尘土因脂肪而肥润。8 因为耶和华有报仇的日子，为锡安的案件，必有报应之年。
《以赛亚书》34:1-7 中强烈的语言指向那些抛弃上帝的人，以及上帝赐福给这个世界使其复兴的叙述。以赛亚的这一预言在未来的历史中是真实的，在未来的永恒中也是真实的。
反思：以赛亚书 34：8 说到耶和华对那些抛弃 “锡安的案件” 的人的 “报仇的日子”。什么才是今天的 “锡安的案件” 或事业呢？你是否在全力以赴地追求耶和华的事？
以赛亚书 34:15-17 箭蛇要在那里筑窝、下蛋、孵蛋，并且聚子在它的阴影下；鹞鹰也各与自己的伴偶，聚集在那里。16 你们要查考和阅读耶和华的书卷；这些都无一缺少，也没有一个是没有伴偶的，因为他的口已吩咐了，他的灵已把它们聚集。17 他也为它们抽签，他的手用准绳给它们分地；它们必永远得着那地，也要世世代代住在其中。
以赛亚劝诫读者 “你们要查考和阅读耶和华的书卷”（34:16），因为耶和华是至高无上的，甚至对创造中的小细节--鹰和它的配偶--也是如此。尽管如此，耶和华对人类剥夺祂的土地（以赛亚书 34：11-12）并将其赐给野兽和不洁之物（以赛亚书 34：13-17）的预言和回应，应能阻止读者自己去建立与耶和华无关的另一项 “事业”。沙漠还是花园？今天你该做出正确的选择。
