新視域的力量
祂一直在掌舵

經文
詩篇七十六1-12
1(亞薩的詩歌,交與伶長。用絲弦的樂器。)在猶大,神為人所認識;在以色列,他的名為大。
2在撒冷有他的帳幕;在錫安有他的居所。
3他在那裡折斷弓上的火箭,並盾牌、刀劍,和爭戰的兵器。(細拉)
4你從有野食之山而來,有光華和榮美。
5心中勇敢的人都被搶奪;他們睡了長覺,沒有一個英雄能措手。
6雅各的神啊,你的斥責一發,坐車的﹔騎馬的都沉睡了。
7惟獨你是可畏的!你怒氣一發,誰能在你面前站得住呢?
8,9你從天上使人聽判斷。神起來施行審判,要救地上一切謙卑的人;那時地就懼怕而靜默。(細拉)
10人的忿怒要成全你的榮美;人的餘怒,你要禁止。
11你們許願,當向耶和華─你們的神還願;在他四面的人都當拿貢物獻給那可畏的主。
12他要挫折王子的驕氣;他向地上的君王顯威可畏。
信息分享
昨天我們談及一個真理──為甚麼不敬虔的人會處於顯要的位置,是因為那是神的安排。詩人接著繼續說神不單興起不敬虔的人,也令他們衰敗:「使他們掉在沉淪之中。他們轉眼之間成了何等的荒涼」(詩七十三18-19)。這一雙把他們提到高峰上的手,也將他們拋進深淵。為甚麼神的行徑會這麼奇怪和神秘?
其中一個原因是,神要藉此告訴我們那些選擇不與祂同行的人,他們的道路是多麼不可靠和不安全。這也解釋了為何我們會經常看到一些顯要但不敬虔的人,例如受人讚賞的電影明星,會突然從地上消失。這些人的腳就是站在滑地上。這幾節經文亦令人想起希特勒(Adolf Hitler),以前世界上的人都懼怕他,但是現在他不僅已經離去甚至幾乎被人遺忘了。
詩人說:「使他們掉在沉淪之中,他們轉眼之間成了何等的荒涼」,他實際上是敬虔地驚嘆罪人的傾覆是多麼突然和完全。神讓我們看到那些一直拒絕祂的愛和恩典的人,他們的生命雖然有片刻的光輝,但卻很快就離去、被人遺忘。所以當你在思考世界問題的時候要記得這一個事實。有時我們會以為神好像沒有在掌控宇宙,實際上祂的手一直在掌握人類的事情。
「神一直在掌管宇宙萬物」
進深研究
羅一18,三19-20;提後二1-19;彼前四18
1. 律法揭露甚麼?
2. 神的憤怒如何平息?
祈禱
慈愛和滿有恩典的天父,每當我想到您的偉大,我的心就在安靜的驚嘆中屈服。求您開我的眼睛讓我看見您正在我身邊工作,您正不斷的在對抗邪惡。奉耶穌的名求,阿們。
The Power of a New Perspective
He never leaves the helm

Bible reading:
Psalm 76:1-12
1 God is renowned in Judah; in Israel his name is great.
2 His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion.
3 There he broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.[b]
4 You are radiant with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game.
5 The valiant lie plundered, they sleep their last sleep; not one of the warriors can lift his hands.
6 At your rebuke, God of Jacob, both horse and chariot lie still.
7 It is you alone who are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry?
8 From heaven you pronounced judgment, and the land feared and was quiet—
9 when you, God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land.
10 Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise, and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.[c]
11 Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them; let all the neighboring lands bring gifts to the One to be feared.
12 He breaks the spirit of rulers; he is feared by the kings of the earth.
Message
We touched yesterday on the truth that the reason why the ungodly are set in eminent places is because God arranges it. The psalmist goes on to say that not only does God raise up the ungodly, but He also brings them down: "You cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed..." (Psa. 73:18-19). The hand that led them up to the top of the slope is the hand that also casts them down. Why does God act in this strange and mysterious manner?
One reason is that God is able to demonstrate how unreliable and insecure are the ways of those who choose not to walk with Him. This explains why we so frequently read of some prominent godless person, such as a film star whom everyone is acclaiming, being suddenly removed from the face of the earth. The feet of such people were set in slippery places. Some reading these lines will remember how everyone stood in dread of Adolph Hitler. He had the whole world frightened, but now he is gone and almost forgotten.
The psalmist's words "You cast them down...how suddenly are they destroyed" are really an exclamation of godly wonder at the suddenness and completeness of the sinner's overthrow. God makes a spectacle of those who persist in rejecting His love and grace. They make a splash for the moment of their lives, but after that they are gone and soon forgotten. Keep that fact before you as you look out upon the world. It may sometimes seem as if God is not in control, but in actual fact His hand is ever upon the helm of human affairs.
"God's hand is on the helm of human affairs"
Prayer
Gracious and loving Father, my heart bows in silent wonder as I contemplate the awesomeness of Your ways. Open my eyes that I might see that You are at work all around me and that Your face is constantly set against evil. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Further study
Romans 1:18
Romans 3:19-20
2 Timothy 2:1-19
1 Peter 4:18
1. What does the law expose?
2. How is God's wrath averted?
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