新约 - 使徒行传(Acts)第7章

Then said the high priest, Are these things so?
And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,
And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.
Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.
And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.
And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years.
And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place.
And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.
And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,
And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.
But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.
And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.
Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.
So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers,
And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.
But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,
Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph.
The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live.
In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months:
And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.
And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.
And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:
For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.
And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?
But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?
Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?
Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.
And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.
When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the LORD came unto him,
Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.
Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground.
I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt.
This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.
He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.
This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.
This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,
Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?
Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.
Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.
Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;
Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.
But Solomon built him an house.
Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,
Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?
Hath not my hand made all these things?
Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
使徒行传第七章   第 7 章 

  徒 7:2-53> 虽被责难不忘福音,他所讲的你明白吗?可是我们大多的时候都只为自己打算…… 

  7:2-53 司提反开始作出一篇很长的演说,内容是关于以色列与神的关系。他的演说有三大重点:( 1 )以色列的历史是神在世上工作的历史。( 2 )人类远在圣殿建成之前已敬拜神,神并不住在圣殿里。( 3 )耶稣的死是以色列人反叛和拒绝神的又一例证。事实上,司提反并不是为自己辩护;相反,他采取攻势,争取机会摘要阐述关于耶稣的教导。你遇到与司提反相同的攻击时,是忙于自辩、保自己的名声,还是忘我地为福音辩护呢? 

  徒 7:8> 割礼是立约的记号,犹太人仍施行表示他们仍顺服,是吗? 

  7:8 割礼是神与亚伯拉罕和整个以色列民族之间立约的记号(参创 17:9-13 )。司提反的演说是以色列历史的概要,也总括这个“约”怎样随着时间而成就。尽管在司提反时代的犹太人仍然奉行割礼仪式,但他们却没有顺服神。 

  徒 7:17> 司提反不是没什么好说吧,竟拿历史出来说?“我的历史”也会很有用? 

  7:17 司提反重温犹太人的历史,清楚印证神的信实和权能。尽管神的选民不断失败,但祂仍然可以实现祂的计划。当要面对一个混乱的局面时,要记住:( 1 )神正在掌管一切,没有什么是祂意料之外的;( 2 )这个世界将要过去,惟有神是永存的;( 3 )神是公义的,祂必会赏善罚恶。重温自己的信主历程或教会的历史,可以叫你看到神的不断看顾和保守,这一种历史感会支持你继续上路。讲述自己的得救见证是最好的传福音材料。 

  徒 7:38> 顺服与否是以色列人和神关系好坏的关键,是他们一生的功课,你可有同感? 

  7:38 司提反演说的重点是指出神藉着摩西传给百姓的律法,就是神与百姓立约的记号,只要他们顺服,就可以继续成为神的选民,否则,就破坏了这个约,并且放弃了作选民的权利。 

  徒 7:43> 以色列人流行拜偶像,那个摩洛是一个什么偶像? 

  7:43 司提反叙述以色列人在旷野漂流时拜偶像的情况(参出 32:4 )。摩洛是一个要以孩童作祭物的神,理番是一个埃及神。 

  徒 7:52> 许多先知也曾遭受逼迫?太可怕啦,谁曾遭害? 

  7:52 许多先知也曾遭受逼迫和杀害:如耶利米(参耶 38:1-6 )、以赛亚(参王下 21:16 )、阿摩司(参摩 7:10-13 )、撒迦利亚(参代下 24:20-22 )、以利亚(参王上 19:1-2 )等。耶稣也说过犹太人如何不断拒绝神的信息并迫害祂使者的比喻(参路 20:9-19 )。那“义者”是指弥赛亚。 

  徒 7:55-58> 甘心殉道不尤人──为福音的缘故竟可以这样,我可以有如此的心志为福音吗? 

  7:55-58 司提反看到神的荣耀,耶稣基督站在神的右边。司提反所说的话与耶稣在公会前所说的话很相似(参太 26:64 ;可 14:62 ;路 22:69 )。司提反所见的异象证实耶稣的宣告,并激怒了那些判耶稣死罪的犹太领袖;他们不能再容忍司提反的话,所以便聚集群众把他打死。人们大概不会因为我们见证基督而杀害我们;不过,他们会让我们知道他们不想听什么真理,也希望我们闭口不言。虽然有许多人会攻击你和你的信息,但你仍然要在你的行为和言语上荣耀神,也许有些人会因此而跟随主。记住,司提反的殉道给保罗留下深刻的印象,他后来成为最伟大的布道家。 

  徒 7:58> 曾经逼迫基督徒,且是大发热心,这人是谁? 

  7:58 扫罗又叫保罗( 13:9 ),是一个伟大的宣教士,曾写了新约圣经中多封书信。扫罗是希伯来名,保罗则是希腊名字;当他开始到外邦地方传道时,就用保罗这个名字了。路加第一次提到的扫罗,是憎恨和迫害耶稣信徒的人,但后来的描述截然不同。在此书的其余部分,记录了保罗是一个献身跟随基督又满有恩赐的传道者。因为保罗曾经逼迫信徒,他很了解反对耶稣的人,所以他最有资格向那些犹太人传讲耶稣。神可以改变任何人,保罗就是一个有力的例子。 

  徒 7:59> 司提反被打死了,可真残忍!不知道他们的心想些什么? 

  7:59 “亵渎”是指说了侮辱神的话;亵渎神者要被石头打死(参利 24:14 )。盛怒的宗教领袖未经审讯,就用石头打死司提反。他们不明白司提反的话是真理,因为他们并不寻求真理,只固守自己的看法。 

  徒 7:60> 司提反求主赦免他们,人何有这种宽容?如果,我是说如果别人如此对你…… 

  7:60 司提反临死前说的话,与耶稣在十字架上所说的话甚为相似(参路 23:34 )。初期信徒都很高兴承受耶稣曾经受过的苦难,因为这表示他们配得上( 5:41 )。司提反预备要像耶稣一样受苦,甚至愿意求主赦免杀他的人。这种宽容的表现惟有靠圣灵才能做到。圣灵也能帮助我们像司提反一样的宽容,能够爱我们的仇敌(参路 6:27 )。如果有人因为你的信仰而伤害你,你会有什么反应呢?──《灵修版圣经注释》