不要忘記:神愛罪人
詩篇一三九篇13至24節
13我的肺腑是你所造的;我在母腹中,你已覆庇我。
14我要稱謝你,因我受造,奇妙可畏;你的作為奇妙,這是我心深知道的。
15我在暗中受造,在地的深處被聯絡;那時,我的形體並不向你隱藏。
16我未成形的體質,你的眼早已看見了;你所定的日子,我尚未度一日(或譯:我被造的肢體尚未有其一),你都寫在你的冊上了。
17神啊,你的意念向我何等寶貴!其數何等眾多!
18我若數點,比海沙更多;我睡醒的時候,仍和你同在。
19神啊,你必要殺戮惡人;所以,你們好流人血的,離開我去罷!
20因為他們說惡言頂撞你;你的仇敵也妄稱你的名。
21耶和華啊,恨惡你的,我豈不恨惡他們麼?攻擊你的,我豈不憎嫌他們麼?
22我切切地恨惡他們,以他們為仇敵。
23神啊,求你鑒察我,知道我的心思,試煉我,知道我的意念,
24看在我裡面有甚麼惡行沒有,引導我走永生的道路。
信息分享
在這之前,詩人正驚歎神如何在母腹之中造人的微妙身體──對那些一直認為神並不重視胎兒生命的人,這篇詩正提出了強而有力的反駁,因為是神親自使胎兒身體的每一部分得以協調地成形和成長。
當詩人想到這一切,便不禁聯想到另一個更寶貴和更深激勵他的真理,就是神一直與他同在,而他也永遠與神在一起。於是,他突然有感而發地高呼:「主啊,當我想到你是那麼的奇妙和聖潔,我就對於怎麼有人會不愛你而感到震驚。主啊,照我認為,你對付這些惡人的最佳方法,就是把他們統統殺掉。」
他這種想法有甚麼錯誤?他已逐漸認識到神的偉大和神的聖潔,然而,卻未曾明白神愛罪人。彼得後書三章9節怎樣說:「主不願有一人沉淪,乃願人人都悔改。」
來到結尾,詩人的思想再次回到自己身上,他說:「主啊,我錯了。我剛才說的話,正顯出我的內心充滿了惡念,我何等需要你每天指出我的錯處。主啊,求你鑑察我的心思意念,我將會接受你的指正和引導。」我們每天同樣都需要神的鑑察和引導。
神永不改變;祂仍然是那位奇妙而偉大的神,祂仍然深愛著每個罪人。我們有沒有向那些未認識神的人,分享神的愛?今天,有沒有人正極需我們向他分享這愛?願我們都能親嚐加略山的愛,以致我們能將這愛與其他未認識主的人分享。
DON'T FORGET - GOD LOVES THE SINNER
Psalm 139: 13 - 24
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.
19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!
Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
20 For they speak against You wickedly;
Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
Message
There are some beautiful thoughts here on how God forms the body of the tiny baby before it is born into this world. It is an answer to those who think that an unborn child is not of any interest to God. It is God himself who forms or weaves every part of the tiny growing body together.
All of this makes the writer remember the wonderful truth that God is always with him and he is always with God, a most encouraging and comforting truth. But suddenly he bursts out 'Lord when I think how wonderful and how holy you are, I am staggered to think there are people who don't love you, Lord I'll tell you what is the best way to handle them - shoot the lot of them.'
What was wrong with his thinking? He had come to realise the greatness of God and the holiness of God but did not understand the love of God for sinners. What does 2 Peter 3:9 say? 'God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.'
Finally the writer turns to himself again and says 'Lord I'm wrong. It just shows how sinful my heart is and how much I need you to show me where I am wrong, day by day and week by week. I'll trust you to do this Lord and will accept whatever you say to me.' That is also the place for us day by day.
God hasn't changed. He is still the same great and wonderful God and he still loves the sinner. Do we share anything of that love he has for those who don't know him? Is that one of the real needs of our hearts today? If he searched our hearts, would this love be what he would find? Can we ask him today to give us something of Calvary love for those who don't know him as we do?

