神的異象
禱告反映我們的內心
經文
但以理書九1-19
1瑪代族亞哈隨魯的兒子大利烏立為迦勒底國的王元年，
2就是他在位第一年，我但以理從書上得知耶和華的話臨到先知耶利米，論耶路撒冷荒涼的年數，七十年為滿。
3我便禁食，披麻蒙灰，定意向主神祈禱懇求。
4我向耶和華我的神祈禱、認罪，說：主啊，大而可畏的神，向愛主、守主誡命的人守約施慈愛。
5我們犯罪作孽，行惡叛逆，偏離你的誡命典章，
6沒有聽從你僕人眾先知奉你名向我們君王、首領、列祖，和國中一切百姓所說的話。
7主啊，你是公義的，我們是臉上蒙羞的；因我們猶大人和耶路撒冷的居民，並以色列眾人，或在近處，或在遠處，被你趕到各國的人，都得罪了你，正如今日一樣。
8主啊，我們和我們的君王、首領、列祖因得罪了你，就都臉上蒙羞。
9主我們的神是憐憫饒恕人的，我們卻違背了他，
10也沒有聽從耶和華我們神的話，沒有遵行他藉僕人眾先知向我們所陳明的律法。
11以色列眾人都犯了你的律法，偏行、不聽從你的話；因此，在你僕人摩西律法上所寫的咒詛和誓言都傾在我們身上，因我們得罪了神。
12他使大災禍臨到我們，成就了警戒我們和審判我們官長的話；原來在普天之下未曾行過像在耶路撒冷所行的。
13這一切災禍臨到我們身上是照摩西律法上所寫的，我們卻沒有求耶和華我們神的恩典，使我們回頭離開罪孽，明白你的真理。
14所以耶和華留意使這災禍臨到我們身上，因為耶和華我們的神在他所行的事上都是公義；我們並沒有聽從他的話。
15主我們的神啊，你曾用大能的手領你的子民出埃及地，使自己得了名，正如今日一樣。我們犯了罪，作了惡。
16主啊，求你按你的大仁大義，使你的怒氣和忿怒轉離你的城耶路撒冷，就是你的聖山。耶路撒冷和你的子民，因我們的罪惡和我們列祖的罪孽被四圍的人羞辱。
17我們的神啊，現在求你垂聽僕人的祈禱懇求，為自己使臉光照你荒涼的聖所。
18我的神啊，求你側耳而聽，睜眼而看，眷顧我們荒涼之地和稱為你名下的城。我們在你面前懇求，原不是因自己的義，乃因你的大憐憫。
19求主垂聽，求主赦免，求主應允而行，為你自己不要遲延。我的神啊，因這城和這民都是稱為你名下的。
信息分享
在思考神高高在上的形象時，我們必須小心，不能將祂想像為不同等級的生物中最高級的一種，由單細胞生物一直向上發展，譬如說由魚到鳥，再到人，到天使，到天使長，然後是神。這樣只不過是視神為卓越，或者甚至是在卓越之上，而實際上神遠遠不僅是這樣，祂是高高在上的超越。
神與所有的被造物不同。祂在天使長之上，就好像祂在單細胞的阿米巴原蟲之上一樣，因為區分阿米巴原蟲和天使長之間的界限是有限的，但區分神和天使長的界線卻是無限的。阿米巴原蟲和天使長雖然在受造物中相距甚遠，但他們同樣是受造物，是屬於同一個類別，就是被神學家稱為「不是神」的類別──與神相隔著「無限」的距離。
哪怕是漫不經心地閱讀聖經的人，都會留意到那些十分認識神的人對神均懷有崇敬的態度。這在神百姓的禱告中可以明顯的看到──今天但以理這個禱告就是一個例子。如果你想知道人們怎樣看神，那麼聆聽他們的禱告吧！有趣的是，我們看到那些十分認識神的人，總是以承認祂的偉大開始。他們知道當他們把神放在恰當的地位時，其他一切就可能都處於恰當的位置。
「凡親近神的人，都懂得承認神的偉大」
進深研究
尼一1-11；尼四1-15；尼九32
1. 尼希米對神有甚麼看法？
2. 這怎樣影響城牆的重建？
祈禱
神啊，破曉的晨光在逐漸的顯現。我想，要是人們不把您放在恰當的位置，其他的一切都會出軌。神啊您可以沒有我，但沒有您我就沒有希望了。求您幫助我永不要忘記這點。奉主耶穌的聖名祈求。阿們。
The Vision of God
Our prayers reveal us
Bible reading:
Daniel 9:1-19
1 In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes[a] (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian[b] kingdom—
2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.
3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: "Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,
5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.
6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.
7 "Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you.
8 We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you.
9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him;
10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets.
11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. "Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you.
12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem.
13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth.
14 The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.
15 "Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong.
16 Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.
17 "Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary.
18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.
19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name."
Message
When dwelling on the fact that God is "high and exalted" we must be careful not to think of Him as highest in an ascending order of beings, starting with a single cell and going on up from, say, a fish to a bird, to a man, to an angel, to an archangel, and then - God. This would be to see God merely as eminent, perhaps even pre-eminent. He is so much more than that. He is transcendent.
That means He stands apart from creation. He is as high above an archangel as He is above an amoeba, for the gulf that separates the amoeba from the archangel is finite, whereas the gulf separating God from an archangel is infinite. The amoeba and the archangel, though far removed from one another in the scale of created things, are, nevertheless, one in that they are both created. They belong in the category of what one theologian describes as "that which is not God" - separated from God by infinitude itself.
Even a casual reader of the Scriptures could not help but notice that those who appear to have a great knowledge of God have lofty thoughts concerning Him. This comes out most clearly in the prayers of God's people - Daniel's prayer which we have ready today being just one example. If you want to know how a person views God, listen to him or her pray! It's interesting to note that those who know God intimately invariably begin by acknowledging His greatness. They know that when they accord God His rightful place then it is more likely that everything else will be put in its rightful place.
"Those who know God intimately acknowledge His greatness"
Prayer
O God, slowly the light is dawning - when You are not accorded Your rightful place then nothing else is in place. You can get along without me, but I can't get along without You. Help me never to forget this. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
Further study
Nehemiah 1:1-11; 4:1-15; 9:32
1. What was Nehemiah's view of God?
2. How did this affect the rebuilding of the wall?
本文英文版權屬 CWR 所有，承蒙允准刊載。
背景音樂版權屬 讚美之泉音樂事工 所有，承蒙允准使用。