耕作与安息

作者:每日箴言   来源:普世佳音

“你六日要作工,第七日要安息,虽在耕种收割的时候也要安息。” - 出 34:21

  在一个早春明媚的周六下午,我出去到园子里犁地。随着我犁完第一遍,天很快就黑了。我知道我还需要犁得更深一些,我想到周日下午应该是再犁一遍的最好时机。可是我心里有样东西阻止我这样做,我想可能是我在教会中成长所领受的教导。当我再深入思想时,我觉得可能是我的创造主园丁叫我马上停下来的。

  今天我们读到的经文,谈及在耕作时的安息,不过恐怕这经文往往被那各种有关节期、献祭和驱赶异教民族的律法掩盖了。这个“虽在耕种收割的时候”也要安息的命令,可能看来和现实有点冲突。正如任何好的园丁和农夫所知,这些都是最忙碌和最关键的时刻。然而,因着这个以及其它美好的原因,安息仍是必要的。我们也要铭记真正的安息来自哪里。

  我们很容易忘记,认识神和以神为乐才是我们人生的目标,而非辛苦劳作和物质成功。花时间敬拜神,会为我们在一个忙碌和次序颠倒的、令人困惑的旷野重造一个安息与避难之所。园林会枯萎,帝国会崩溃。若没有从工作中安息并与神相处的时间,我们会看不见那位带领我们到达应许之地的创造主和救赎主。

祷告

神啊,为着祢的智慧和恩典感谢祢。愿我们因生命中各个季节能享受安息而心怀感恩,特别是在忙碌时节。当我们安息于救主耶稣时,求祢更新我们。奉耶稣的名祷告,阿们。

 

出埃及记 34:10-21

10耶和华说:“我要立约,要在百姓面前行奇妙的事,是在遍地万国中所未曾行的。在你四围的外邦人就要看见耶和华的作为,因我向你所行的是可畏惧的事。
11“我今天所吩咐你的,你要谨守。我要从你面前撵出亚摩利人、迦南人、赫人、比利洗人、希未人、耶布斯人。
12你要谨慎,不可与你所去那地的居民立约,恐怕成为你们中间的网罗;
13却要拆毁他们的祭坛,打碎他们的柱像,砍下他们的木偶。
14不可敬拜别神;因为耶和华是忌邪的神,名为忌邪者。
15只怕你与那地的居民立约,百姓随从他们的神,就行邪淫,祭祀他们的神,有人叫你,你便吃他的祭物,
16又为你的儿子娶他们的女儿为妻,他们的女儿随从她们的神,就行邪淫,使你的儿子也随从她们的神行邪淫。
17“不可为自己铸造神像。
18“你要守除酵节,照我所吩咐你的,在亚笔月内所定的日期吃无酵饼七天,因为你是这亚笔月内出了埃及。
19凡头生的都是我的;一切牲畜头生的,无论是牛是羊,公的都是我的。
20头生的驴要用羊羔代赎,若不代赎就要打折它的颈项。凡头生的儿子都要赎出来。谁也不可空手朝见我。
21“你六日要做工,第七日要安息,虽在耕种收割的时候也要安息。

Plowing And Rest

"Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest." — Exodus 34:21

英语音频 English Audio

On a glorious early spring Saturday afternoon, I went out to plow up my garden. It was growing dark quickly as I finished my first pass. I knew that I needed to plow deeper. It occurred to me that Sunday afternoon might be my next best opportunity to plow again. But something stopped me in my tracks. Perhaps it was my upbringing. Digging deeper, I wonder if my Creator and Master Gardener drew me up short.

Today's verse about resting from plowing may seem to be buried in instructions about feasts, sacrifices, and driving out pagan nations. This command to rest, "even during the plowing season and harvest," might seem counter to the obvious. As any good gardener or farmer knows, these are the busiest and most crucial times. Still, for this and other good reasons, rest is necessary. We also need to remember where real rest comes from.

We can easily forget that toil and material success are not the goals of life. Knowing and enjoying God is our purpose. Taking time to worship recreates for us a place of rest and refuge in a bewildering wilderness of busyness and misguided priorities. Gardens wither; empires crumble. Without rest from work and time with God, we lose sight of our Creator, Rescuer, and Deliverer, who leads us to the land of promise.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for your wisdom and grace. May we be grateful for rest in all the seasons of life, especially the busy times. Refresh us as we rest in our Savior, Jesus. Amen.

诵读: 孙大中
片头: 张妙阳


发布日期:2017-06-06