山姆全神贯注地沉思,以致听不到太太正在对他讲话,这个不单是夫妻之间的问题,也是全人类的问题。许多年之前,神责备祂的百姓说:“你们这耳聋的,听吧!你们这瞎眼的,看吧!…你看见许多事却不领会;耳朵开通却不听见。”(以赛亚书 42:18-20)
诸天用人类每一种语言来述说神的荣权,但我们却听不进去,就好像听别人说话时左耳进右耳出,或者更严重的,就是索性拒绝去听。
在十九世纪末期,乘坐新的横贯大陆铁路的乘客,在走过大平原时,不断射击一群群一望无际的水牛,被杀的牛只数以千百计,留下遍地的尸骸,在太阳下腐烂。他们为什么做出这种无法无天的事情?他们简直是蹂躏了大自然。没有什么能阻止他们,因为他们在那些动物身上看不见它们的造物主的威严。
那以后,我们对生态学已经有多点认识,但我们仍然没有正确的观念,很多人对大自然采取不看不听的态度,例如,在火星找寻微生物(一项有意义的科学研究),但却不去看创造这一切生物的源头。神的荣耀已经在整个宇宙中清楚显明了,你看到了吗?
主啊,求祢帮助我们看见和听到大自然所说的话,又感动我们,明白祢呼召我们去照管祢的创造,好叫每一个人都得到益处。奉耶稣的名祷告,阿们。
诗篇 19
1诸天述说神的荣耀; 穹苍传扬他的手段。
2这日到那日发出言语; 这夜到那夜传出知识。
3无言无语, 也无声音可听。
4它的量带通遍天下, 它的言语传到地极。 神在其间为太阳安设帐幕;
5太阳如同新郎出洞房, 又如勇士欢然奔路。
6它从天这边出来,绕到天那边, 没有一物被隐藏不得它的热气。
7耶和华的律法全备,能苏醒人心; 耶和华的法度确定,能使愚人有智慧。
8耶和华的训词正直,能快活人的心; 耶和华的命令清洁,能明亮人的眼目。
9耶和华的道理洁净,存到永远; 耶和华的典章真实,全然公义-
10都比金子可羡慕,且比极多的精金可羡慕; 比蜜甘甜,且比蜂房下滴的蜜甘甜。
11况且你的仆人因此受警戒, 守着这些便有大赏。
12谁能知道自己的错失呢? 愿你赦免我隐而未现的过错。
13求你拦阻仆人不犯任意妄为的罪, 不容这罪辖制我, 我便完全,免犯大罪。
14耶和华-我的磐石,我的救赎主啊, 愿我口中的言语、心里的意念在你面前蒙悦纳。
"The heavens declare the glory of God. . . . They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them." - Psalm 19:1-3
Sam was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn't hear his wife talking to him. That is not just a husband-wife problem; it affects all humanity. Ages ago, God rebuked his people, saying, "Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see! . . . You have seen many things, but you pay no attention; your ears are open, but you do not listen" (Isaiah 42:18-20).
The heavens declare the glory of God in every language of humankind. But what if we don't listen? It's as bad as letting someone's words go in one ear and out the other or, worse, refusing to hear.
During the late 1800s people riding the new transcontinental railway on the Great Plains of America blasted away at herds of buffalo stretching as far as the eye could see, killing hundreds of thousands, leaving the corpses to rot in the sun. Why would they do such an outrageous thing, amounting to a rape of nature? Nothing restrained them because they failed to see in those creatures the majesty of their Creator.
We've learned a few things about ecology since then. But we still haven't got it right. There's still a widespread blindness and deafness about nature: for example, looking for microscopic life on Mars (a worthwhile scientific effort) but not seeing the Source of all life. Do you see the glory of God that is plainly visible throughout the universe?
Lord, help us see and hear what nature is saying. Move us to understand that you call us to care for your creation, for the benefit of all. Amen.
诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳