結好果子 或 自作自受 FRUIT OR CONSEQUENCES


[WOTS]
1/4/2018


FRUIT OR CONSEQUENCES

                                                                       結好果子 或 自作自受                                                      (Isaiah’s Messianic Hope)

By Dr. Meiman Lai Saidi

 

Isaiah (以賽亞書) 5:1-7

The Song of the Vineyard (葡萄園之歌)

  1. I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.
  2. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.
  3. “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.
  4. What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?
  5. Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled.
  1. 我要為我所親愛的唱歌、是我所愛者的歌、論他葡萄園的事。我所親愛的有葡萄園、在肥美的山岡上．
  2. 他刨挖園子、撿去石頭、栽種上等的葡萄樹、在園中蓋了一座樓、又鑿出壓酒池．指望結好葡萄、反倒結了野葡萄。
  3. 耶路撒冷的居民、和猶大人哪、請你們現今在我與我的葡萄園中、斷定是非。
  4. 我為我葡萄園所作之外、還有甚麼可作的呢．我指望結好葡萄、怎麼倒結了野葡萄呢。
  5. 現在我告訴你們、我要向我葡萄園怎樣行．我必撤去籬笆、使他被吞滅、拆毀牆垣、使他被踐踏．

 

 

 

6.      I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.”

7.      The vineyard of the LORD Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

 

6.      我必使他荒廢、不再修理、不再鋤刨．荊棘蒺藜倒要生長．我也必命雲不降雨在其上。

7.      萬軍之耶和華的葡萄園、就是以色列家、他所喜愛的樹、就是猶大人．他指望的是公平、誰知倒有暴虐．〔或作倒流人血〕指望的是公義、誰知倒有冤聲。

Preface: The parable of Isaiah 5:`1-7 (葡萄園之比喻: 以賽亞書五章1-7節) uses the metaphor of vine yards and grape harvests to indict “the nation of Israel and the people of Judah (v.7). Isaiah put his message into the form of a song about a vineyard with the hopes of gaining attention and getting results. Isaiah 5 reminds us that God is forever optimistic about His creation. God’s care of never stops working in our lives. God continues to questioning and correcting us so that we might be all that He planned for us to be. 以色列是神的葡萄園但不忠、結惡果，神糾正使成祂所計畫目標.

1.      GOD’S CARE上帝的用心 (Isaiah 5:1-2).  

            Isaiah compares the farmers’ care for their vineyard with God’s care for us. Grape vines grow well if we are patient and willing to work hard at it.  New plants grew from the cuttings of “choicest vines”, including regular pruning, for several years before they produced fruit; the farmer must built a watchtower, looked for a crop of good grapes,  “cut out a winepress” from a limestone outcropping (v2). 

As we listen to Isaiah’s song, many images of God’s good care for us. Isaiah reminds us that God wants to see His people flourish. He pours a tremendous amount of effort into each person.  Also, God often sent someone to help us, leading us but we did not listen to them, because we said that we have our own agenda. Have you examined your own “fruit” lately? Is it good or bad- useful or wild? Please be quite to listen His voice by studying bible or prayer!

            以賽亞比較農夫照顧葡萄園和上帝相似。農夫之耐心刨挖園子、撿去石頭、栽種上等的葡萄樹、在園中蓋了一座樓關看照顧、又鑿出壓酒池．指望結好葡萄好可作酒。雖是栽種上等的葡萄樹、但農夫失望了，葡萄園卻反結了野葡萄(v.2)  。如同上帝要看到祂的百性成長，祂深愛我們、用心照顧我們每一個人。   上帝雖常派人或天使幫助我們，但我們大多人隨心所欲的行事，結果也是常常失望。您最近檢察過自己的 “果子”沒有呢？是好的還是壞的呢？是有用的還是沒有用的呢？請快速靜心的聽神的聲音好嗎？敬心禱告和讀其話語呀!

           

2.      GOD’S QUESTIONS 上帝的問話 (Isaiah 5:3-4)

            God felt about the bad fruit, for examples 1) grasping for possessions at the expense of others (vv.8-10), 2) living from one pleasure to the next (vv. 11-17), 3) making fun of God and His people (vv.18-19), 4) rewriting the rules of right and wrong (v.20), 5) making heroes of people with misplaced values (v.21), taking advantage of innocent people (vv.22-23), 6) rejecting the law of the Lord Almighty (v.24)…

           According to Apostle Paul’s good fruit in a person’s life includes: “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23) This was the kind of fruit God was looking for in Isaiah’s audience, but did not find. 

            被上帝已感受到人民結惡果有六: 1)  人民以房接房、以地連地、以致不留餘地的、只顧自己獨居境內。許多又大又美的房屋、成為荒涼、無人居住。三十畝葡萄園只出一罷特酒、一賀梅珥穀種只結一伊法糧食。(vv.8-10), 2) 有人清早起來、追求濃酒、留連到夜深、甚至因酒發燒, (vv. 11-17), 3) 有些人以虛假之細繩牽罪孽的人、他們又像以套繩拉罪惡。任他急速行、趕快成就他的作為、使我們看看．任以色列聖者所謀劃的臨近成就… (vv.18-19), 4), 有些稱惡為善、稱善為惡、以暗為光、以光為暗、以苦為甜、以甜為苦… (v.20), 5) 有人自以為有智慧、自看為通達。(v.21), 有些勇於飲酒、以能力調濃酒。他們因受賄賂、就稱惡人為義、將義人的義奪去。(vv.22-23), 6) 葚至，有些人厭棄萬軍之耶和華的訓誨、藐視以色列聖者的言語。 (v.24)…

             我們務必結好果子: 跟據保羅在加拉太書五章22-23節勸我們要有聖靈所結的果子、就是仁愛、喜樂、和平、忍耐、恩慈、良善、信實、 溫柔、節制．這樣的事、就是上帝所尋找的 但在以賽亞之觀眾當中找不到。

 

3.      GOD’S CORRECTION上帝的指正 (Isaiah 5: 5-7)

            Bearing bad fruit carries consequences. The vine keeper in Isaiah’s song determined to correct the situation. He would tear down “its hedge” and “its walls” that protected it (v.5). When the farmer no longer would spend time to help the vine grow good, he would allow it to become ‘a wasteland’ filled with thorns (v.6)

            Like a good gardener, God also cares enough to correct us. God will not allow us to continue producing bad fruit with our lives. God desires ‘justice’ among us, not ‘bloodshed’ (v.7). When we keep acting more like the world than His disciples, God will eventually withdraw His hand of protection and allow the beasts of this world to take over.

            Isaiah’s song reminds us that God’s care for us and works hard for us at making us productive, for we truly are ‘the garden of his delight’ (v.7). God will question us about the bad choices we make in life when we do not produce good fruit. God will allow us to bear the consequences.

            結壞果子必帶來懲處，葡萄園之園丁在 “葡萄園之歌”改進情況。他必撤去籬笆、使受保護之．當園丁無法再付出時間讓葡萄長好，他必使它荒廢的地且長了荊棘… (v.6) 。                                                                                                               上帝就如好園丁 ，祂也付出時間來糾正我們。上帝不許讓壞的習慣繼續饒身，祂要我們行 “公平” ，不可行 “暴虐”, 但若您如世人而行不合神指意的事而不接受祂的糾正時，上帝將收手隨您讓人欺侮了。                

            以賽亞的葡萄園之歌提醒我們，上帝要我們生長，但我們若選擇不長，祂 是應允我們受苦的。          

4.      CONCLUSION 結論: 以下兩節聖經的話作結論:

            The following two verses in concluding this message:

  1. Revelation 22:1-2, John caught a glimpse of God’s final world. He saw ‘the river of the water of life…flowing from the throne of God, nourishing the tree of life whose leaves would bring ‘healing to the nations’

      啟示錄22:1-2,所提到的河和亞拉巴那條河很相似，兩條河都與伊甸園中的河有關係 (參創2:10) 。這條河象徵著從上帝而來的生命，和從上帝的寶座流出來的祝福。

  1. Ezekiel 47:1-12, As Ezekiel envisioned, it also said, on that day a life-giving river will flow from God’s presence and ‘fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks’ (The commentary of NIV explained this river is similar to the river mentioned in Revelation 22:1, 2. Both rivers are associated with the river in the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 2:10). The river symbolized life from God and the blessings that flow from his throne. It is a gentle, safe, deep river, expanding as it flows.

      以西結書47:1-12的亞拉巴是指死海所在的地理上的凹地；那使變成甜的海  說的就是死海，死海的水是鹼性水，裏面沒有生命；這條河象徵著從上帝而來的生命，  和從上帝的寶座流出來的祝福，這是從聖殿流出來的水能賜入生命；不管我們是多麼腐敗和沒有生命，上帝都有改變我們生命的能力。水在聖經中充滿象徵意義，您有何體會呢？.。就是在我們心亂如痲，毫無指望的時候，上帝都有醫治我  們的能力，所以您務必相信上帝。

      Throughout the book of Isaiah God invites us to return to Him and be     restored. God’s plan is that one day we will all rejoin Him in the Garden of         Eden, the place of perfect fellowship where it all began. Are you ready to join with us? As you read this Isaiah’s message about the good or bad fruit, have      you examined your own ‘fruit’ lately? Is it good or bad,      useful or wild? What              do you plan to improve yourself?

      以賽亞書邀請我們務必信主，上帝的計畫有一天我們將全部與祂在天上相會，您準備好了嗎？當您讀這以賽亞的有關好果子和壞果子的信息，您有檢查自己的果果嗎？是好果或壞果? 是有好處呢或沒有？您如何計畫改進自己呢？

 

Song of Guidance:

Assurance of Guidance

PROVERBS 3:5, 6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING

In all your ways; (2x)

Acknowledge Him He will direct your paths. (2x)

 

(台) 引導的確據

箴言三章5, 6節

你著專心，依靠耶和華；

毋通依靠，自己的聰明。

在你一切，所行的事；

攏著認定祂，祂欲指點你的路；

攏著認定祂，祂欲指點你的路。

 

(華) 引導的確據

箴言三章5, 6節

你要專心，仰賴耶和華；

不可依靠，自己的聰明。

在你一切，所行的事上；

都要認定祂，祂必指引你的路；

都要認定祂，祂必指引你的路。