Day 19 March 18

Day 19 March 18

Passage: Isaiah 44: 24-28

With the demise of the Kingdom of Judah, the country’s elite and leaders were sent into exile in Babylon. For 50 years under the harsh rule of the Babylonians, the Jews were disheartened and their dreams of restoring their kingdom had vanished.

Nonetheless, God was on the move! But the task of awakening His people’s desire to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple seemed formidable. How was God going to change the people’s mindset that all was possible in Him?

First, through the prophet, God reminded the people that He was the Creator - even up to that very moment. As God described how He created heaven and earth, He has also shown himself to be the protector. The word “protector” originally meant "Redeemer." For God to protect His people was to redeem them out of their plight. Since God was the Creator, He could “create” a new situation in a desperate situation. Remember how He parted the Red Sea?

Were they going to continue to believe those diviners or so-called “wise men” (verse 25)? Or would they trust in the decree and proclamation of the Prophet? God asked His people. The promise of God’s redemption stems from His power to create (verse 24). It was not some faint hope appearing out of thin air. What God was about to do would be beyond their imagination. If the Jews had understood this, they would have seen beyond what was in front of them and caught a glimpse of what God had in store for them. God’s plan was indeed fascinating. He went so far as to accomplish His will with a Gentile - King Cyrus, whom God said to be His shepherd (verse 28). King Cyrus built the Persian Empire and his unprecedented kingdom included all civilized nations of the ancient Near East, which spanned from the west of Hellespont to the east of Indus. But just like Moses and David, who were God’s servants and instrument, God used him to redeem His people, thus accomplishing a seemingly impossible task. He is the God beyond imagination.

Prayer: God, Your proclamation amazes us. Your way awes us.

第十九天 Mar 18

经文：以赛亚书 44:24-28

当犹太人灭国以后，国家里的精英与领袖都被掳到巴比伦去。经过了漫长的50年，也许复国的梦想早已烟消云散；又或者在那种弱肉强食的时代，强大的巴比伦让人容易丧志而心灰意冷。但如今，神又要行动了。而其中最为关键，也是最困难的，是如何唤醒神的子民重建耶路撒冷和圣殿的心志。神要如何让犹太人突破观念上的局限，而把看似不可能的，变为在神那里是可能的。

首先，神通过先知提醒他们，神是创造主，而至今仍然在创造。神在形容祂开天辟地的作为的同时，亦表明自己是保护者（NET的翻译为“保护者”，和合本的翻译为“救赎主”）。保护者的原文是“救赎者”。可见对神而言，祂保护子民的方式就是救赎他们脱离困境。神既然是创造主，那祂就能在绝境中创造出崭新的局面。就算是要在红海中开辟道路，又有何难 ？   

耶和华挑战他的子民。他们还要继续相信那些装神弄鬼的占卜和所谓的“智慧人”（参44:25）？  还是他们要仰望先知的圣谕和宣告？ 这不是凭空的盼望。神救赎的承诺是建立在祂创造的能力（参44:24）。即使如此，神要做的事又岂是凡夫俗子能够想象的。犹太人只要想通这点，就能超越当时的状况，展望神所预备的未来。

而神的预备果然奇妙。祂竟然用一个外邦人的君王古列(Cyrus)来完成自己的旨意。神说这个创立波斯帝国的伟人，是神本身的牧人（参44:28）。他的帝国囊括了古代近东的所有文明国家，从西边的赫勒斯滂到东边的印度河，是前所未有的大帝国。但他就如摩西、大卫一样，是神的仆人和器皿。神用他来救赎祂的子民，完成了人人以为绝望的事。祂是超乎想象的神。

祷告：耶和华啊，祢的宣告让我们惊讶。祢行事奇妙可畏。

注：在不同的中文圣经版本，Cyrus翻译为“古列”或者“居鲁士”。