旧约 - 玛拉基书(Malachi)第1章

An oracle: The word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi.
"I have loved you," says the LORD. "But you ask, 'How have you loved us?' "Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" the LORD says. "Yet I have loved Jacob,
but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals."
Edom may say, "Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild the ruins." But this is what the LORD Almighty says: "They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the LORD.
You will see it with your own eyes and say, 'Great is the LORD--even beyond the borders of Israel!'
"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?" says the LORD Almighty. "It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name. "But you ask, 'How have we shown contempt for your name?'
"You place defiled food on my altar. "But you ask, 'How have we defiled you?' "By saying that the LORD'S table is contemptible.
When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?" says the LORD Almighty.
"Now implore God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?"--says the LORD Almighty.
"Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you," says the LORD Almighty, "and I will accept no offering from your hands.
My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations," says the LORD Almighty.
"But you profane it by saying of the Lord's table, 'It is defiled,' and of its food, 'It is contemptible.'
And you say, 'What a burden!' and you sniff at it contemptuously," says the LORD Almighty. "When you bring injured, crippled or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?" says the LORD.
"Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king," says the LORD Almighty, "and my name is to be feared among the nations.
玛拉基书第一章   第 1 章 

  玛拉基 

  玛 1:1> 玛拉基书──旧约的最后一卷书;玛拉基──旧约时代最后一位先知,他有什么信息给我们? 

  1:1 默示是指从神而来的信息。玛拉基是旧约中的最后一位先知。约在公元前 430 年前后,他继哈该、撒迦利亚和尼希米出来传讲神的默示。当时,圣殿重建完成差不多已经一个世纪了,百姓对敬拜开始失去热心,再加上以赛亚、耶利米和弥迦那些令人兴奋的、关于弥赛亚的预言仍未实现,使百姓觉得失望,于是便渐渐冷淡下来。此外,导致耶路撒冷在公元前 586 年沦陷的各种罪,仍存留在他们中间。因此,玛拉基特别针对他们的伪善和罪行,把公义的神跟这些心硬的百姓的一连串争辩和对话生动地描绘出来。 

  玛 1:2-3> “你在何事上爱我们呢?”这也是我常问神的话吗? 

  1:2-3 神藉玛拉基所说的第一句话是:“我曾爱你们。”此话虽是对以色列人说的,但其实也是对每一个时代的人说的。可惜,许多人都以世俗的眼光看神的爱,他们用政治和经济的成就来作为成功的标准。以色列人因为当时的政治腐败,经济不景,人民穷困,就以为神已经不爱他们,这实在是大错特错了。神爱所有的人,因为万民都是祂所创造的。然而,永远的赏赐只属于信靠祂的人。 

  玛 1:2-5> 神的拣选很奇妙,能被祂选上岂不是极大的荣幸吗? 

  1:2-5 “我恶以扫”这句话只说出神拣选了雅各来作以色列民和弥赛亚的祖先,与以扫的永生问题无关(参罗 9:10-13 )。其实,神也让以扫成为以东人的祖先,只可惜他们后来成了以色列的世仇(参创 25:19-34 ; 27:30-43 )。因为神要藉雅各和他的后裔赐福给万国,所以对以色列人特别看顾,只可惜他们虽蒙神拣选,却把神拒诸门外。 

  玛 1:6-8> 要把最好的献给主,我,做得怎样? 

  1:6-8 神的律法要求只可把洁净、无残疾的祭牲献给祂,但这些祭司却容许百姓把瘸腿的、有残疾的、瞎眼的祭牲献上。因此神极不喜悦,指责祭司们竟然容许这种藐视祂的行为。其实,我们的生命就是献给神的活祭(参罗 12:1 ),如果我们没有把最宝贵的部分献上,只肯把剩余的时间、金钱和精力给祂,就与这些敬拜者同罪。我们向神所献上的,充分反映出我们心底对祂的态度。 

  玛 1:6-14> 藐视神的名?当时的祭司如是?当时的人如是?── 

  1:6-14 神指控祭司没有敬畏祂,甚至藐视祂的名,灵性上也没有给百姓作好的榜样。圣殿在公元前 516 年重建后,他们虽然在那里敬拜神,却没有正确地敬拜,也从不按神的律法献祭。祭司以斯拉曾在公元前 458 年左右发起一次大复兴运动,但到了玛拉基的时代,民族领袖又再次跌倒离开神,而百姓自然跟他们一样。敬拜不再是由衷地赞美神,而变成了祭司沉重的公事。 

  玛 1:7-8> 神不会受人欺哄,人要好自为之── 

  1:7-8 在献祭上百姓犯了错误,他们贪图方便,贪便宜,祭物越贱越好,又漠视献祭方法,更不遵守神的命令,随心所欲地乱献祭。此等行径反映出他们对神的轻率态度。你有没有贪图方便或草率地奉献呢?你是不是也随一己之意来奉献呢? 

  玛 1:10> 基督徒都是神的祭司,我有没有辱没这职分? 

  1:10 祭司是神与百姓之间的桥梁,有责任反映神的性情、态度和价值观。他们接纳有残疾的祭牲,百姓便以为神也会接纳,但神说:“我不喜悦你们。”同样,我们也会影响亲友对神的看法。别人从你身上看见神的什么性情呢?假如我们任意犯罪,就与玛拉基时代的祭司无异,神也不会喜悦我们这样做。 

  玛 1:11> 今日神的名在哪里还没有被尊为大?对此,我可以做点什么? 

  1:11 旧约中经常出现“我(耶和华)的名在外邦中必尊为大。”这一信息在这里再次得到确定。以往神拣选了犹太人,要藉他们来拯救赐福全世界,今日神同样使用所有相信祂的人,包括犹太人和外邦人来拯救赐福世界。基督徒是神的选民,我们献给神的馨香祭乃是在基督里的新生命(参林后 2:14-15 )。你让神来使用你,叫祂的名在各国受尊崇没有呢?这个使命首先从我们的家庭和邻舍中开始,与此同时,我们更要为神的全球宣教使命祷告与努力。 

  玛 1:13> 事奉神有时真很累、很烦,可是…… 

  1:13 对这些祭司们来说,敬拜是烦琐之事,是重担。太多人以为跟随神可以使生活舒适安逸、事事亨通,他们只想在神身上找方便、占便宜。事实上要达到神的标准,我们必须付出极大的努力,甚至要过贫穷困苦的生活。不过,如果我们以事奉神为人生的最高目标,那么现在所付出的代价,与日后所承受的永生和赏赐相比实在微不足道。──《灵修版圣经注释》