MHCC:創世記 12

<趙威叔叔你猜何葉怎麼弄成的這簽名，邁克叔叔你也猜猜看。何葉真聰明!O(∩_∩)O~>

Chapter 12第十二章

God calls Abram, and blesses him with a promise of Christ. (1-3) 上帝呼召亞伯蘭，以基督的應許作為對他的祝福。（1-3）

Abram departs from Haran. (4,5)亞伯蘭離開哈蘭。（4,5）

He journeys through Canaan, and worships God in that land. (6-9)他到達迦南，並在那地敬拜上帝。(6-9)

Abram is driven by a famine into Egypt, He feigns his wife to be his sister. (10-20) 亞伯蘭因饑荒而下到埃及，並謊稱他的妻子是他的妹妹。(10-20)

Verses 1-3 God made choice of Abram, and singled him out from among his fellow-idolaters, that he might reserve a people for himself, among whom his true worship might be maintained till the coming of Christ. From henceforward Abram and his seed are almost the only subject of the history in the Bible. Abram was tried whether he loved God better than all, and whether he could willingly leave all to go with God. His kindred and his father's house were a constant temptation to him, he could not continue among them without danger of being infected by them. Those who leave their sins, and turn to God, will be unspeakable gainers by the change. The command God gave to Abram, is much the same with the gospel call, for natural affection must give way to Divine grace. Sin, and all the occasions of it, must be forsaken; particularly bad company. Here are many great and precious promises. All God's precepts are attended with promises to the obedient. 1. I will make of thee a great nation. When God took Abram from his own people, he promised to make him the head of another people. 2. I will bless thee. Obedient believers shall be sure to inherit the blessing. 3. I will make thy name great. The name of obedient believers shall certainly be made great. 4. Thou shalt be a blessing. Good men are the blessings of their country. 5. I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee. God will take care that none are losers, by any service done for his people. 6. In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Jesus Christ is the great blessing of the world, the greatest that ever the world possessed. All the true blessedness the world is now, or ever shall be possessed of, is owing to Abram and his posterity. Through them we have a Bible, a Saviour, and a gospel. They are the stock on which the Christian church is grafted.

1-3上帝選擇了亞伯蘭，把他從同時代的拜偶像的人中挑選出來。上帝要為自己預備一個民族，使他的純正信仰能夠在這個民族中延續下去，直到基督的到來。從此以後，亞伯蘭和他的那位子孫幾乎成了《聖經》歷史中的僅有的主角。亞伯蘭受到試煉，看他是否愛上帝甚於一切，是否願意與上帝同行而撇下一切。他的親屬和他父親的房子，構成對他的持續誘惑，在他們中間，就難免有被他們影響的危險。那些離開自己的罪惡，轉向上帝的人，能夠獲得無法形容的巨大改變。上帝給亞伯蘭的命令，與福音的呼召何其相似，因為人天然的情感，必須為上帝的恩典讓路。罪，以及一切相關的事情，都應該被拋棄，尤其要脫離罪惡的團體。這裏有一些偉大而寶貴的應許。所有上帝的誡命都伴隨着應許。1「我必叫你成為大國。」當上帝將亞伯蘭從他的民族中帶出來的時候，他應許他將成為另一個民族的起頭。2「我必賜福給你。」順服的信徒必然承受祝福。3我要「叫你的名為大」。順服的信徒的名字必然成為偉大。4「你也要叫別人得福」。義人是他們所在的國的祝福。5「為你祝福的，我必賜福與他；那咒詛你的，我必咒詛他。」上帝不會讓那些為他的子民提供幫助的人蒙受任何損失。6「地上的萬族都要因你得福。」耶穌基督是這個世界最偉大的祝福，是這個世界所擁有過的最偉大的祝福。無論過去、現在還是未來，這個世界一切真正的祝福都應該歸功於亞伯拉罕和他的子孫。通過他們，我們有了一本《聖經》，有了一位救主，有了福音。他們是樹幹，從這樹幹上，長出了基督教。

Verses 4-5 Abram believed that the blessing of the Almighty would make up for all he could lose or leave behind, supply all his wants, and answer and exceed all his desires; and he knew that nothing but misery would follow disobedience. Such believers, being justified by faith in Christ, have peace with God. They hold on their way to Canaan. They are not discouraged by the difficulties in their way, nor drawn aside by the delights they meet with. Those who set out for heaven must persevere to the end. What we undertake, in obedience to God's command, and in humble attendance on his providence, will certainly succeed, and end with comfort at last. Canaan was not, as other lands, a mere outward possession, but a type of heaven, and in this respect the patriarchs so earnestly prized it.

4-5亞伯蘭相信，全能者的祝福能夠彌補一切他所損失的、撇下的，滿足他一切的需求，乃至超過他的所求所想。而且他知道，如果不順服，那麼帶來的只能是悲慘的境遇。這樣相信的人，就因着信在基督里稱義，獲得上帝的平安。他們重新踏上通往迦南之路。他們沒有被路上的困難嚇倒，也沒有被途中的各種讓人愉悅的事情吸引。那些為了天國而出發的人必須堅持到底。如果我們按照上帝的命令行事，對他的恩典保持前輩的態度，那麼我們必然會成功，將獲得最終的安慰。迦南和其他的地方不同，不僅僅是一種外在的財富，它還預表着天堂，正是從這個方面講，那些族長們才如此真誠地追求迦南。

Verses 6-9 Abram found the country peopled by Canaanites, who were bad neighbours. He journeyed, going on still. Sometimes it is the lot of good men to be unsettled, and often to remove into various states. Believers must look on themselves as strangers and sojourners in this world, hebrews 11:8,13,14 . But observe how much comfort Abram had in God. When he could have little satisfaction in converse with the Canaanites whom he found there, he had abundance of pleasure in communion with that God, who brought him thither, and did not leave him. Communion with God is kept up by the word and by prayer. God reveals himself and his favours to his people by degrees; before, he had promised to show Abram this land, now, to give it to him: as grace is growing, so is comfort. It should seem, Abram understood it also as a grant of a better land, of which this was a type; for he looked for a heavenly country, hebrews 11:16 . As soon as Abram was got to Canaan, though he was but a stranger and sojourner there, yet he set up, and kept up, the worship of God in his family. He not only minded the ceremonial part of religion, the offering of sacrifice; but he made conscience of seeking his God, and calling on his name; that spiritual sacrifice with which God is well pleased. He preached concerning the name of the Lord; he taught his family and neighbours the knowledge of the true God, and his holy religion. The way of family worship is a good old way, no new thing, but the ancient usage of the saints. Abram was rich, and had a numerous family, was now unsettled, and in the midst of enemies; yet, wherever he pitched his tent, he built an altar: wherever we go, let us not fail to take our religion along with us.

6-9亞伯蘭發現，他的鄰居——那些迦南地的居民，都不是好鄰居。他的旅程還在繼續。好人往往被命定是不安定的，他們會遷居到許多不同的國家。信徒們在世界上應該將自己視為異鄉人，視為寄居者（希伯來書11：8,13,14）。但是，我們會注意到，亞伯蘭在上帝那裏得到了多大的安慰。他在與他所遇到的迦南人的交往中，他得不到什麼滿足，但是在與上帝交通時，他獲得了巨大的喜樂。正是這位上帝將他帶到這裏，並且沒有離棄他。與上帝的交通是通過讀他的聖言和祈禱來實現的。上帝總是逐步地將他自己以及他的愛啟示給屬於他的人。以前，上帝答應將這地指示給亞伯蘭看，現在他將這地賜予他。恩典就是這麼不斷地增加，他的安慰也是如此。看起來應該是這樣的，亞伯蘭知道上帝要賜他一塊更好的土地，眼下的迦南只是一個預表；因為他仰望一個屬天的國度（參希伯來書11:16）。亞伯蘭一達到迦南，他就在自己的家中建立並保持了對上帝的崇拜，雖然，他在那地僅僅是一個異鄉人、寄居者。他不僅留心信仰的儀式、奉獻的祭物；而且他有意識地尋求上帝，呼求他的名，這種心靈的獻祭是上帝所喜悅的。他傳揚主的名，向他的家人、鄰居講解關於這位真神、關於他的神聖信仰的知識。家庭里的敬拜是一種古老而美好的方式，它不是什麼新事物，而是聖徒們一種古老的習慣。亞伯蘭非常富有，他有很多家庭成員，但是他沒有定居下來，而是寄居在仇敵中間。他在哪裏紮下帳篷，他就在哪裏築一座祭壇；我們無論走到哪裏，都不可背棄我們的信仰。

Verses 10-20 There is no state on earth free from trials, nor any character free from blemishes. There was famine in Canaan, the glory of all lands, and unbelief, with the evils it ever brings, in Abram the father of the faithful. Perfect happiness and perfect purity dwell only in heaven. Abram, when he must for a time quit Canaan, goes to Egypt, that he might not seem to look back, and meaning to tarry there no longer than needful. There Abram dissembled his relation to Sarai, equivocated, and taught his wife and his attendants to do so too. He concealed a truth, so as in effect to deny it, and exposed thereby both his wife and the Egyptians to sin. The grace Abram was most noted for, was faith; yet he thus fell through unbelief and distrust of the Divine providence, even after God had appeared to him twice. Alas, what will become of weak faith, when strong faith is thus shaken! If God did not deliver us, many a time, out of straits and distresses which we bring ourselves into, by our own sin and folly, we should be ruined. He deals not with us according to our deserts. Those are happy chastisements that hinder us in a sinful way, and bring us to our duty, particularly to the duty of restoring what we have wrongfully taken or kept. Pharaoh's reproof of Abram was very just: What is this that thou hast done? How unbecoming a wise and good man! If those who profess religion, do that which is unfair and deceptive, especially if they say that which borders upon a lie, they must expect to hear of it; and they have reason to thank those who will tell them of it. The sending away was kind. Pharaoh was so far from any design to kill Abram, as he feared, that he took particular care of him. We often perplex ourselves with fears which are altogether groundless. Many a time we fear where no fear is. Pharaoh charged his men not to hurt Abram in any thing. It is not enough for those in authority, that they do not hurt themselves; they must keep their servants and those about them from doing hurt.

10-20世界上沒有一個國家能避免災難，也沒有哪種性格能避免瑕疵。全地之中最富庶的迦南地也有饑荒；信心之父亞伯蘭也攜帶着不信與罪惡。完全的喜樂與完全的純潔只有在天堂里才有。當亞伯蘭不得不暫時離開迦南，下到埃及的時候，他沒有往回看，而且他立定心志，決不在埃及做無必要的過長逗留。在埃及，亞伯蘭掩蓋了自己與撒萊的真實關係，他在這方面支吾其詞，並且讓他的隨從們也這麼做。他隱瞞真相，並企圖否認真相，結果使他的妻子和埃及人都暴露在罪中。亞伯蘭最大的美德是他的信心；但是，即使在上帝向他顯現兩次之後，他依然因為對上帝的眷顧的不信而失敗到這樣的程度。唉，連亞伯蘭那樣的堅強的信心尚且會動搖，那些脆弱的信心會怎樣呢？若非上帝一次又一次地將我們從困苦的深淵中救拔，（我們因為我們的罪惡與愚蠢將自己帶入痛苦的深淵），我們必將敗壞。他不以我們的不好待我們。他的那些令人愉快的懲罰使我們避免走上罪惡之路，把我們帶回到自己的本職，尤其是使被我們錯誤持守的本職得到恢復。法老對亞伯蘭的斥責充滿正義：「你這向我做的是什麼事呢？」亞伯蘭這位智慧而善良的人竟然幹了這麼不得體的事！一個公開自己的信仰的人，如果他做了不義的、虛偽的事情，特別是他如果撒謊，那麼他必然會得到這樣的斥責。另外，他完全有理由該感謝那些斥責他的人。法老送走亞伯蘭時是友好的。他根本沒打算殺死亞伯蘭，因為他對亞伯蘭心存敬畏，而且，他還特別地厚待亞伯蘭。我們常常被自己的一些毫無根據的擔心而困擾（就像下埃及時的亞伯蘭一樣）。我們常常在不必擔心的時候擔心。法老命令他的民不得在任何事上傷害亞伯蘭。當權者僅僅做到自己不傷害別人還是不夠的，而應該使自己的手下以及和他有關的人也都不做傷害的事。--【譯】趙威&（搬）何葉^-^~2012年3月22日(四)17:27 (CST)