QT 25/02/2025 Tue. Isaiah 12. Put aside fears. 放下恐惧.
QT 25/02/2025 Tue. Isaiah 12. Put aside fears.
READ http://www.esvbible.org/isaiah12
The message of chapters 7–12 is short: Your family and clan are asked to put aside your fears of the politics of the world and the manipulations of the cunning human hearts, and instead, place your trust in the LORD alone.
Chapter 12 closes the section and reassures readers of the wonderful future outcome of trusting the LORD. Even though in our lives it was sometimes difficult to envision how we could end up being thankful, Isaiah exhorts:-
Isaiah 12:1–2
[1] You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O LORD,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.
[2] “Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.” (ESV)
Isaiah appealed to his audience, the house of David and Judah, not to fear the nations that were surrounding and threatening them. The first reason being The LORD is their powerful saviour that would rescue them.
REFLECTION: Instead of being distracted by current problems and fears of humans or human institutions, would we choose to trust in the LORD instead?
Even though the LORD is a just and righteous God who deals with His people's sins, He did not completely delete His people from human history during Isaiah's time. This is grace received. The LORD would not ridicule His people for choosing foolishly the gods which their own human hands have made (How can these be gods?).
The LORD would not make the label "stupid" permanent when humans foolishly create chains, and then chain themselves with these same oppressive chains (How can humans who created Artificial Intelligence make these kinds of mistakes?).
APPLICATION: Focus your attention on God, who is sovereign over the nations and completely trustworthy.
Isaiah 12 looks forward in time when His people draw the correct conclusions of who The LORD is, and what the world is not. Before that day arrives completely, would we use Isaiah 12 frequently to worship The LORD for who He is and thank Him for what He has done, and would do in the future? Let the God of Isaiah and his readers be your own God too. Come with all you have and all that you are and get involved personally in worship this weekend.
QT 25/02/2025 星期二. 以赛亚书 12. 放下恐惧.
阅读 http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/isa/12
《以赛亚书》第7-12章的信息很简短：要求你的家人和族人放下对世界政治和狡诈人心的操纵的恐惧，转而单单信靠耶和华。
第 12 章是本段的结尾，它向我们保证了信靠耶和华的美好前景。尽管在我们的生活中，有时很难设想我们最终会如何感恩，但以赛亚劝诫我们
以赛亚书 12:1-2 到那日，你必说：“耶和华啊！我要称谢你，因为你虽曾向我发怒，你的怒气却已转消，你又安慰了我。2 看哪！ 神是我的拯救；我要倚靠他，并不惧怕，因为耶和华 神是我的力量，我的诗歌，他也成了我的拯救。”
以赛亚向他的听众--碎裂了的大卫家和犹大家呼吁，不要惧怕包围和威胁他们的列国。第一个原因是耶和华是他们强大的救世主，会拯救他们。
反思：我们是否会选择信靠耶和华，而不是被当前的问题和人类或人类机构的恐惧所困扰？
尽管耶和华是公义的神，祂会处理祂子民的罪，但在以赛亚的时代，祂并没有把祂的子民从人类历史中完全删除。这是蒙受的恩典。耶和华不会嘲笑祂的子民愚蠢地选择了他们自己亲手所造的神（这些怎么可能是神？）
耶和华也不会因为人类愚蠢地创造了锁链，然后又用这些压迫性的锁链锁住自己，就永久地给他们贴上 “没有智慧” 的标签（创造了人工智能的人类怎么会犯这样的错误呢？）
应用：将你的注意力集中在耶和华上帝身上，祂是万国的主宰，是完全可信赖的。
《以赛亚书》第 12 章展望未来，当祂的子民得出正确的结论，知道耶和华是谁，而世界不是什么了不起的东西。在这一天完全到来之前，我们是否愿意经常使用以赛亚书第 12 章来敬拜这样的一位耶和华，并为祂已经做的和将来要做的感谢祂？让《以赛亚书》及本书的读者的上帝也成为你自己的上帝。带着你的所有和你的全身心，在这个周末亲自参与敬拜吧！
