旧约 - 约珥书(Joel)第2章

Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand--
a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come.
Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste--nothing escapes them.
They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry.
With a noise like that of chariots they leap over the mountaintops, like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle.
At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale.
They charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They all march in line, not swerving from their course.
They do not jostle each other; each marches straight ahead. They plunge through defenses without breaking ranks.
They rush upon the city; they run along the wall. They climb into the houses; like thieves they enter through the windows.
Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine.
The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?
'Even now,' declares the LORD, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.'
Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.
Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing--grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God.
Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.
Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.
Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, 'Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?''
Then the LORD will be jealous for his land and take pity on his people.
The LORD will reply to them: 'I am sending you grain, new wine and oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.
'I will drive the northern army far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land, with its front columns going into the eastern sea and those in the rear into the western sea. And its stench will go up; its smell will rise.' Surely he has done great things.
Be not afraid, O land; be glad and rejoice. Surely the LORD has done great things.
Be not afraid, O wild animals, for the open pastures are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.
Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.
The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
'I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten--the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm--my great army that I sent among you.
You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.
Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.
'And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls.
约珥书第二章   第 2 章 

  珥 2 章 > 吹角声起,定有所示…… 

  2 章 约珥继续描述蝗虫所造成的破坏( 2:25 )。角声显示灾难已迫在眉睫。约珥更指出蝗灾只是先头部队,若百姓还不离罪悔改,更大的灾难还在后头。 

  珥 2:3> 地如伊甸,那时还有伊甸园? 

  2:3 伊甸园是神为亚当和夏娃造的第一个居所(参创 2:8 ),以美丽闻名,此处用作形容大地受破坏前的美丽。 

  珥 2:12,13> 事情宜早不宜迟,──时间还有的是?我敢这么夸口吗? 

  2:12,13 神告诉百姓当趁还有时间时离罪归向祂,因为毁灭将至。对我们而言,时间也正在消逝,因为无人能知生命何时终结,所以要尽早相信并且顺服神,别让任何事情阻挠你归向神的心。 

  珥 2:13> 悔罪得捶胸顿足不可?还是── 

  2:13 撕裂衣服是人彻底懊悔的表现。但神所要的,不是没有内涵、实质和虚有其表的悔罪(参撒上 16:7 ;太 23:1-36 )。因此,要检讨自己对神的态度是否正确,而非只注重外在的表现。 

  珥 2:18> 审判──让人绝望;什么?还有赦免的可能?只要…… 

  2:18 这是约珥所发出预言的转捩点:从预言神发出审判,转到神赐赦免和恩福。可是,后者只会在百姓离弃罪恶,过神所喜悦的生活时才临到。事实上,有悔改的地方就有盼望。约珥书这部分所提到的就是盼望,没有这部分,整个预言只会带来绝望和无奈。在此,赦免的应许鼓励人作出悔改的回应。 

  珥 2:20> 2:20 约珥见有攻击从北方的亚述和巴比伦而来,并以蝗虫作预示。 

  珥 2:21> 审判──灭亡,赦免──喜乐,选择哪一个是不言而喻的吧…… 

  2:21 约珥将神审判所引发的恐惧( 2:1 ),与祂介入所带来的喜乐做对比。在耶和华的日子,罪要带来审判,只有神的赦免才会带来喜乐。除非你已悔改,否则你的罪只有招致审判。因此,让神进入你的生命吧!这样,到那日你必定喜乐,不再恐惧。往昔是禁食、灾难和挽歌,将来则有筵席、丰收和颂赞。当神作王的时候,神的重建工作便会完成。与此同时,我们必须谨记,神并没有应许祂所有的跟随者在世上都会倍享荣华;神赦免我们,我们可以与祂重建关系,但这并不意味个人会因此发大财。神的应许是要满足爱祂之人最深切的需要:爱我们、赦免我们、赐我们生命的意义,并给我们一个互相关爱的社群。 

  珥 2:26,27> “我的百姓必永远不至羞愧”,据我所知不是这样的呀…… 

  2:26,27 假如按经文所说,犹大人将永不再经历象蝗虫灾害那样的毁灭(“必永远不至羞愧”),那么,我们当如何解释他们被掳到巴比伦、在希腊及罗马人手下作奴隶、以及遭希特勒大屠杀等等的事件?我们须谨记一点,解经切不可断章取义。这经文是约珥预言中“赐福”的部分,即说只有当百姓真心悔改,才可避免像约珥所描述那般的灾难。神的恩福只应许赐给真诚恒久地跟随祂的人。不过,神的确应许在最后审判之后,祂的选民永远不再经历这样的苦难(参亚 14:9-11 ;启 21:1-27 )。 

  珥 2:28-32> 神的灵要浇灌在人身上,我身上也有吗?若真是如此…… 

  2:28-32 彼得曾引述这段经文(参徒 2:16-21 )。约珥预言神要将圣灵浇灌在人身上,这事在圣灵降临时(五旬节)已应验了。过去,神的灵似乎只临到列王、先知及士师身上,但约珥预见将来圣灵必要临到每一位信徒。以西结也曾提及圣灵浇灌的事(参结 39:28-29 )。如今,凡信神的人必有圣灵在他身上( 2:32 )。 

  珥 2:30> 2:30 这些“奇事”会稍稍呈现将至的景象。 

  珥 2:31,32> 在耶路撒冷路上必有逃脱的人!他们是…… 

  2:31,32 在此,“耶和华的日子”是用以描述神审判万邦的特定时刻(参 1:15 注释)。审判与怜悯是不可分割的。约珥曾指出,只要肯悔改,神必要从审判中把人拯救出来( 2:12-14 )。所以,在审判和大灾难的日子,仍会有人得救。神的心意并非要破坏,而是要医治和拯救;然而我们必须接受救恩才可幸免于难,否则必要和那些不悔改的人一同灭亡。──《灵修版圣经注释》