詩篇一1∼6 | 捷徑或正路
Psalm 1:1-6 | The Fast Lane or the Right Path
作者:博愛思(James Boice) 譯者:駱鴻銘
(1)兩條路的教義 The Doctrine of the
Two Ways
(2)惡人的道路Theme: The Way of
the Wicked
(3)義人的道路The Way of the
Righteous
(4)繁茂昌盛還是不結果子 Flourishing or Fruitless
(5)兩種結局Theme: The Two
Final Ends
捷徑或正路(1)
The Fast Lane or the Right
Path
主題:兩條路的教義
Theme:
The Doctrine of the Two Ways
在這週的研讀中,我們會學到聖經如何描述「兩條路」的教導,以及只有主耶穌基督完全地符合了詩篇第一篇對「義人」的描述。
In
this week’s studies we learn how the doctrine of the two ways is described, and
that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who perfectly fits the description
of the righteous man of Psalm 1.
經文:詩篇一1~6Scripture: Psalm 1:1-6
「兩條路」的教義是一個非常普遍的概念。大多數美國人非常熟悉佛斯特(Robert Frost)在《無人走過的路》(The Road Not Taken)這首名詩裏對這個觀念的處理:
The
doctrine of the two ways is a very common concept. Most Americans are
acquainted with Robert Frost's use of the idea in the poem "The Road Not
Taken:”
林中兩條岔路,而我——
選了一條人跡罕至之路,
我的人生從此大不相同。(註1)
Two
roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by, and that has
made all the difference.1
更嫻熟於文學的人也清楚這個林中分叉道路的觀念是來自中世紀佛羅倫薩詩人但丁(Dante Alighieri)的《神曲》,它是這樣起頭的:
Those
who know literature a bit more thoroughly are aware that the idea of paths
diverging in a wood is found in Dante Alighieri, the Florentine poet of the
Middle Ages, whose Divine Comedy begins:
我走過人生一半旅程,
卻發現自己身處一片幽暗森林,
正路早已失迷難覓。(註2)
Midway
this way of life we’re bound upon, I woke to find myself in a dark wood, where
the right road was wholly lost and gone.2
聖經也有類似的例子。最重要的是耶穌在馬太記載的登山寶訓最後所用的觀念。這篇講道最後一個段落列出一系列對比,包括必須在這些對比中作出選擇:兩個門,兩條路,兩棵樹,兩種果子,兩種房子,兩種根基,等等。關於兩條路的部分是這樣說的:「你們當進窄門,因為引到滅亡的門是寬的,路是大的,進去的人也多」(太七13;新譯本)。
But
there are biblical examples too. The most important is the use of the idea by
Jesus toward the end of the Sermon on the Mount as recorded by Matthew. The
last section of the sermon lists a series of contrasts, among which choices
must be made: two gates and two roads, two trees and their two types of fruit,
two houses and two foundations. The part regarding the two ways says,
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road
that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and
narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matt. 7:13).
詩篇第一篇是對聖經裏這個觀念最清楚、最成熟的,也是第一次最完整的表達。不過,讓我倒回去一下。這首詩篇可以被歸類為好幾種不同的類型或文體,多達七種。(註3)其中一種被稱為「智慧詩」,這就是這首詩的實質。它描繪了智慧人所選擇的路。但還不只這樣,它是所有智慧詩之父。耶柔米,拉丁文武加大聖經的翻譯者,稱詩篇第一篇是「聖靈給詩篇集所作的前言」。司布真(Charles Haddon
Spurgeon)也稱詩篇第一篇是「詩篇的前言」,又補充說,「詩人想要教導我們蒙福的道路,並警告我們罪人必定要滅亡。這就是這首詩篇的內容,從某些角度來說,整部詩篇所組成的一篇講道就是建立在這段經文的基礎上。」(註4)
The
first psalm is the clearest, most developed, and first full expression of this
idea in the Bible. But let me back up slightly. The psalms may be classified in
a variety of types or genres, about seven of them.3 One of those types is known
as "a wisdom psalm," and that is what this is. It portrays the way
the wise man chooses. But it is more than this. It is the father of all the
wisdom psalms. Saint Jerome, the translator of the Latin Vulgate, called Psalm
1 "the preface of the Holy Spirit" to the Psalter. Charles Haddon
Spurgeon, who also calls Psalm 1 a "Preface Psalm," adds, "It is
the psalmist's desire to teach us the way to blessedness, and to warn us of the
sure destruction of sinners. This then, is the matter of the first psalm, which
may be looked upon in some respects, as the text upon which the whole of the
psalms make up a divine sermon."4
朗文(Tremper Longman III),西敏神學院的舊約助理教授,在他所寫的詩篇簡介裏寫到:「詩篇第一篇刻意要在我們的心裏描繪出兩幅圖案:惡人的圖案和智慧人的圖案。然後問了這個問題:我們是哪一幅圖案?當我們進入到詩篇的聖所去敬拜、祈求上主時,我們屬於哪一邊?」(註5)
In
his helpful introduction to the psalms Tremper Longman III, an associate
professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary, writes,
"Psalm 1 deliberately draws two portraits in our minds: the portrait of
the wicked man and the portrait of the wise man. The question then is posed:
Which are we? As we enter the sanctuary of the psalms to worship and petition
the Lord, whose side are we on?"5
研讀問題:
1. 耶穌在登山寶訓如何處理兩條路的教義?你會想到聖經關於這個觀念的其他哪些例子?
2. 你認為詩篇屬第一篇於哪一類?為什麼?
Study
Questions:
1.
How does Jesus work with the doctrine of the two ways in the Sermon on the
Mount? What other biblical examples of
this doctrine can you think of?
2.
What kind of psalm is Psalm 1 considered, and why?
應用:既然這首詩篇吩咐我們要晝夜思想,請把背誦這首詩篇當成你這週的目標
Application:
Since this psalm instructs us to meditate on Scripture day and night, make it a
goal this week to memorize this psalm.
註:
1
Robert Frost, "The Road Not Taken," in Major American Writers, vol.
2, ed. Howard Mumford Jones, Ernest E. Leisy and Richard M. Ludwig (New York:
Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1952), p. 1609.
2
Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy: The Inferno, trans. Dorothy L. Sayers
(Harmdonsworth, England: Penguin, 1951), p. 71.
3 See
Tremper Longman III, How to Read the Psalms (Downers Grove, IL and Leicester,
England: InterVarsity, 1988), pp. 23-35.
4 C.
H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, vol. la, Psalms 1-26 (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 1968), p. 1.
5
Tremper Longman III, How to Read the Psalms, p. 45.
捷徑或正路(2)
The
Fast Lane or the Right Path
主題:惡人的道路Theme: The Way of the Wicked
在這週的研讀中,我們會學到聖經如何描述「兩條路」的教導,以及只有主耶穌基督完全地符合了詩篇第一篇對「義人」的描述。
In
this week’s studies we learn how the doctrine of the two ways is described, and
that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who perfectly fits the description
of the righteous man of Psalm 1.
經文:詩篇一1~6 Scripture: Psalm 1:1-6
詩篇第一篇的第一節經文,也就是整部詩篇集的第一節經文,是從「有福的」這個詞開始的(譯按:中文聖經沒有表達出來)。這當然很重要,因為這等於是說,上帝賜下詩篇(也包括所有聖經)是為了使我們得著益處。「有福的」,這個詞的意思是非常快樂或十分滿足。事實上,在希伯來文裏,這個詞是一個複數,是指眾多的福氣,或是強調這些福分。這節經文也可以這樣翻譯:「不從惡人計謀的人,他擁有的眾多福分啊......」
The
first verse of Psalm 1 and therefore also the very first verse of the Psalter,
begins with the word "blessed." This is important certainly, for it
is a way of saying that the psalms (as well as all Scripture) have been given
to us by God to do us good. "Blessed" means supremely happy or
fulfilled. In fact, in Hebrew the word is actually a plural, which denotes
either a multiplicity of blessings or an intensification of them. The verse
might correctly be translated, "O the blessednesses of the man who does
not walk in the counsel of the wicked."
乍看之下,緊接在「蒙福或快樂的人」這個觀念之後的,是對惡人的描述,表面上,這會讓人感到驚訝,尤其是因為對惡人道路的描述後來也出現在第4、5節裏。但是這實際上是一個傑出的手法。這樣開始,詩人作到了三件重要的事。
At
first glance it might seem surprising that the idea of the blessed or happy man
is at once followed by a description of the wicked man, particularly since a
description of the way of the wicked also appears later on in verses 4 and 5.
But it is actually an excellent device. By starting in this way the poet
achieves three important things.
首先,他是從我們的現況起步。我們任何人都不是自動從一種義人的身份起步的。我們是從罪人的身份開始的,而假若我們最終的確通過了窄門,走在通往永生的窄路上,這全都是靠著上帝的恩典。沒有人——無論是在舊約或新約聖經時期——是靠其他方法得救的。其次,詩人從一開始就介紹出兩條道路的教義。我們不需要等到第4節才讀到另外有一條有別於義人的道路。第三,作者也說到有關敬虔的要事。他會從正面的角度來介紹敬虔這個觀念。敬虔就是一個喜愛耶和華律法的人所走的路。
First,
he begins where we are. None of us automatically starts out being righteous. We
start out being sinners, and if we do eventually enter by the straight gate
upon the narrow road that leads to life, it is by God's grace. No one, either
in the Old Testament or the New Testament periods, was saved in any other way.
Second, the poet is able to introduce the doctrine of the two ways from the
start. We do not have to wait until verse 4 to read that there is a way other
than the way of the godly. Third and finally, the author also says something
important about godliness. He is going to present godliness positively as the
way of the one who delights in the law of the Lord. But any positive
affirmation, to have meaning, must have a negative to go with it.
但是要讓任何正面的肯定變得有意義,必須說明反面是什麼。要讓「A等於B」有意義,你必須說明,「A不是C」,或不是其他任何東西。如果A等於所有的事,那麼A就是空洞的。同樣,為了說明敬虔的人的道路是什麼,我們必須說明敬虔人的道路不是什麼,這就是第1節經文所作的。
For
the formula "A" equals "B" to have meaning, you must also
be able to Say, "A" is not "C" or something else. If
"A" equals everything, then "A" is nothing. Similarly, in
order to say what the way of the godly man is, we must also be able to say what
it is not, and that is what the first verse of the first psalm does.
這種寫法真是優美!希伯來詩歌最凸出的特色是所謂的平行對比,也就是用兩行連在一起的詩行,來說相同的事,或各種相同的事。這就是我們在這裏看到的,只不過在這節經文裏有三行關聯的詩行,每一節詩行裏有三個平行的詞。第一組:從(走),站,坐;第二組:計謀,道路,律法;第三組:惡人,罪人,褻慢人。
How
beautifully it does it! The most striking feature of Hebrew poetry is what is
known as parallelism, one form of which is to say the same thing or a variety
of the same thing, in two linked lines. That is what we have here, only in this
verse there are three linked lines and there are three parallel terms in each
line: set number 1, "walk, stand, sit"; set number 2, "counsel,
way, seat"; and set number 3, "wicked, sinners, mockers."
由於希伯來詩歌的這個常見特色,有一些作者不太願意說這些語詞有任何特殊的漸進發展。(註1)但是我們很難相信,說這些語詞不是在說惡人的道路是一條向下沉淪的道路,罪人總是會變本加厲。司布真一定也是這麼想的,他說到:「當人活在罪中,他們會每下愈況。一開始他們只是跟從疏忽草率、不敬虔的計謀——這時的罪惡是相當實際的,還沒有養成習慣——但是在此之後,一旦養成了犯罪的習性,他們就會站在明目張膽的罪人的道路上,肆意違反上帝的命令;如果繼續放任不理,他們就會變本加厲,讓自己變成害人的教師,專門誘惑他人,如此,他們就是坐在褻慢人的座位上。他們取得了邪惡的學位,被封為如假包換的『咒詛博士』(Doctors of
Damnation)。」
Because
of this common feature of Hebrew poetry, a number of writers are reluctant to
see any special progression in these terms.1 But it is hard to believe that the
phrases are not saying that the way of the wicked is downhill and that sinners
always go from bad to worse. Certainly Spurgeon thought so. He said, "When
men are living in sin they go from bad to worse. At first they merely walk in
the counsel of the careless and ungodly, who forget God--the evil is rather
practical than habitual--but after that, they become habituated to evil, and
they stand in the way of open sinners who willfully violate God's commandments;
and if let alone, they go one step further, and become themselves pestilent
teachers and tempters of others, and thus they sit in the seat of the scornful.
They have taken their degree in vice, and as true Doctors of Damnation they are
installed."2
按照我的判斷,這種解讀是內建在這首詩篇裏的。因為這首詩篇不僅僅是描繪惡人的生活形態,它也說明生命之道的果子及其結局。對未得救之人來說,「罪人的道路」看似美妙,令人興奮。他們渴望走在這條路徑之上。但是詩人警告說,這實際上是一條通往今生虛空絕望的捷徑,更是通往來世審判的捷徑。
In my
judgment, this interpretation is built into the psalm. For the psalm does not
merely describe the lifestyle of the wicked. It shows the fruit of that way of
life and its end. To the unsaved "the way of sinners" may seem
wonderful and exciting. It is the track they want to be on. But the psalmist
warns that it is actually a fast track to emptiness and frustration here as
well as to judgment in the life to come.
研讀問題:
1. 「有福的」這個詞是什麼意思?在希伯來文中,這個詞是複數,有什麼重大意義?
2. 作者很早就開始對比義人和惡人的道路,他達成了哪三件事?
3. 詩篇第一篇如何描述罪的進展?
Study
Questions:
1.
What does the word “blessed” mean, and what is the significance that in Hebrew
the word is plural?
2. By
contrasting so early the righteous and the wicked, what three things does the
author achieve?
反思:對這個世界高舉罪惡,拒絕相信不義會帶來永恆的後果,你如何看待?
What
is the progression of sin as illustrated in Psalm l?
Reflection:
How do you see the world exalting in sin, refusing to believe that
unrighteousness has eternal consequences?
註:
1 H.
C. Leupold says, “It is true, these three clauses are presented in an ascending
climax. But no particular importance is attached to this climax” (Exposition of
the Psalms [Grand Rapids: Baker,1969], p. 34). Peter C. Craigie writes,
"Though the three lines, taken together, provide a full picture of what is
to be avoided, it would be stretching the text beyond its natural meaning to
see in these lines three distinct phases in the deterioration of a person's
conduct and character" (Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 19, Psalms 1-50
[Waco, TX: Word, 1983], p. 60.
2 C.
H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, vol. 1 a, Psalms 1-26 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
1968), pp. 1-2.
捷徑或正路(3)
The Fast Lane or the Right
Path
主題:義人的道路Theme: The Way of the
Righteous
在這週的研讀中,我們會學到聖經如何描述「兩條路」的教導,以及只有主耶穌基督完全地符合了詩篇第一篇對「義人」的描述。
In
this week’s studies we learn how the doctrine of the two ways is described, and
that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who perfectly fits the description
of the righteous man of Psalm 1.
經文:詩篇一1∼6 Scripture:
Psalm 1:1-6
另一條路,即義人的道路是怎樣的呢?我們也許會期待,既然惡人是以他所交往的人來描述的,那麼,敬虔人也會以他的夥伴關係來描述,即他是一位與敬虔人來往的人。但是情況並非如此。相反,他被描述為是「喜愛耶和華的律法」的人,他「晝夜思想」的是耶和華的律法(第2節)。
What
about the other way, the way of the righteous? We might expect, since the
wicked man has been described in terms of his associations, that the godly man
will now be described in terms of his associations too, that is, as a person
who associates with the godly. But that is not the case. Instead, he is described
as one whose "delight is in the law of the Lord" on which "he
meditates day and night" (v. 2).
這個表達法十分有力:「喜愛」耶和華的律法。但也有點令人困惑,至少是在乍看之下。魯益士(C.S.Lewis)也發現這種情形。在《詩篇擷思》(Reflections on the Psalms)書中,他描述當他剛開始發現詩人對神的律法的喜愛時,如何感到「徹底地困惑」和「神秘」。魯益士說他可以理解人如何喜愛上帝的憐憫、眷顧,喜愛上帝的屬性,但是無法理解人如何會喜愛上帝的律法。人是不會喜歡律法的,人只會尊敬律法,順服律法(希望如此)。
That
is a powerful expression: to "delight" in the law of the Lord. But it
is also somewhat puzzling, at least at first glance. C. S. Lewis found it to be
so. In Reflections on the Psalms he describes how at first he found the
psalmist's delight in God's law "utterly bewildering" and
"mysterious." Lewis said he could understand how one could delight in
God's mercies, visitations, and attributes, but not how one could delight in
God's law. You do not delight in law. Rather law is something you respect and
(hopefully) obey.
我會論證說,喜愛一種良善的律法是可能的,也就是一種面面俱到、能有效促進公義的律法。但是我認為魯益士正確地暗示到,還不只是這樣。他發現要想了解詩人的意思,其線索是在「默想上帝律法」這個觀念上。這使得律法成了義人研究的對象。因此,當古代猶太人說他喜愛律法,就很像我們說我們喜愛歷史、喜愛物理、喜愛考古學同樣的意思。當然,還不只是這樣而已。因為當我們研讀聖經時(「律法」一詞當然是指上帝道成文字的完整啟示),我們真正在學習的,並不是主要關於人或自然的事(這是其他學科教導的內容),而是關於上帝的事。因此,如同魯益士所說,「體現在神聖律法裏的上帝心智的秩序,是美麗非凡的。」詩人的語言「不是自命不凡,也不是多愁善感,而是陶醉在道德之美的人的語言。」(註1)
I
would argue that it is possible to delight in a good law, one which is both
well written and effective in promoting righteousness. But I think Lewis is
also right when he suggests that more than this is involved. He finds the clue
to the psalmist's meaning in the idea of meditation on God's law. This makes
the law a subject of the righteous man's study. So for the ancient Jew to say
that he delighted in the law is very much like what we might mean if we said
that we loved history or physics or archeology. But, of course, it is even more
than that. For when we study the Bible--the word "law" is, of course,
used to refer to the whole of God's inscripturated revelation--we are really
learning, not about human beings or nature primarily (which is what the other
disciplines teach us) but about God. And, as Lewis says, "The Order of the
Divine mind, embodied in the Divine Law, is beautiful." The language of
the poet is "not priggery nor even scrupulosity; it is the language of a
man ravished by a moral beauty."1
斯托德(John R. W. Stott)有智慧地補充說,這種喜愛「是新生命的徵兆,因為......邪惡的心智是與上帝為敵的。它不服從上帝的律法,也沒有能力服從(羅八7)。然而,因著聖靈內在、重生的工作,敬虔人會發現他們之所以喜愛上帝的律法,純粹是因為律法將上帝的旨意傳達給了他們。他們不會悖逆它嚴格的命令;他們全心全意地贊同、認可律法......喜悅律法,敬虔人會晝夜默想,不斷鑽研。」(註2)
John
R. W. Stott adds wisely that this delight "is an indication of the new
birth, for…the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law,
nor can it do so (Rom. 8:7). As a result of the inward, regenerating work of
the Holy Spirit, however, the godly find that they love the law of God simply
because it conveys to them the will of their God. They do not rebel against its
exacting demands; their whole being approves and endorses it…Delighting in it,
the godly will meditate in it, or pore over it, constantly, day and
night."2
這兩條道路的對比可以這樣來形容。這是愛罪的人和愛神的人之間的差別。第一種人喜愛罪惡的道路,並跟隨這個道路。第二種人愛慕上帝,並且在聖經裏尋找祂,尋找的必尋見。
The
contrast between the two ways may be put like this. It is the difference
between those who are in love with sin and those who love God. The first class
love sin's ways and follow it. The second love God and seek him in Scripture,
where he may be found.
研讀問題:
1. 這首詩篇如何描述義人的道路,如何把它和罪人的道路拿來對比?
2. 我們如何「喜愛」上帝的律法?
3. 追求上帝道路的人,其「有福」的結果是什麼?
Study
Questions:
1.
How is the way of the godly man described by contrast to the way of the sinful
man?
2.
How do we "delight" in the law of the Lord?
Explain
the result of "blessedness" for the person who pursues God's ways.
應用:從順服聖經所得到的福分和喜悅,你是如何經歷到的?
Application:
How have you experienced the blessedness and delight that comes from obedience
to the Bible?
註:
1 C.
S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms (New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company,
1958), pp. 59 60. The full discussion is on pp. 54-65.
2
John Stott, Favorite Psalms, Selected and Expounded (Chicago: Moody, 1988), p.
8.
捷徑或正路(4)
The Fast Lane or the Right
Path
主題:繁茂昌盛還是不結果子Theme: Flourishing or
Fruitless
在本週的研讀中,我們會學到聖經如何描述「兩條路」的教導,以及只有主耶穌基督完全地符合了詩篇第一篇對「義人」的描述。
In
this week’s studies we learn how the doctrine of the two ways is described, and
that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who perfectly fits the description
of the righteous man of Psalm 1.
經文:詩篇一1∼6 Scripture:
Psalm 1:1-6
絕大多數的人會從「獎賞」這個角度來思考正直或敬虔生活的結果。也就是說,他們認為,如果他們遵行上帝的命令,上帝就會獎賞他們,而若他們不遵行,就會遭殃。這種觀點含有部分的真理;這涉及到最後審判的教義。但是詩人接下來在這首詩篇裏所說的,卻是大異其趣的。他說的是「有福」:不走罪人的道路、卻以耶和華的律法為樂的人是有福的。但是他的重點不是獎賞,而是「一種特殊生活形態的結果」。(註1)
When
most people think of the results of upright or godly living they think of
rewards. That is, they think that if they do what God tells them to do, he will
reward them, but that, if they do not, they will get zapped. There is an
element of truth to this; it is what is involved in the doctrine of the final
judgment. But what the psalmist says next in the psalm is quite different. He
is talking about "blessedness," the blessedness of the man who does
not walk in the way of sinners but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and
his point is that this is not a reward but rather "the result of a
particular type of life."1
詩人用兩幅圖案來說明這兩條路的結果。第一幅圖案是一棵結實纍纍的果樹。它將喜愛上帝律法、並且從這律法汲取屬靈養分的人,描寫為一棵從一條湧流不斷的溪流汲取養分的樹。周圍的土地也許是乾涸的不毛之地,或許吹襲著熱風。但這棵樹若是栽種在溪水旁,以至於可以往下扎根,汲取養分,它就會生長茂盛,並且結出果子。敬虔的人就是這樣:「他要像一棵樹栽在溪水旁,按時候結果子,葉子也不枯乾。凡他所做的盡都順利。」(第3節)
The poet
uses two images to show the result of these two ways. The first is a fruitful
tree. It describes the man who delights in the law of God and draws his
spiritual nourishment from it as a tree which draws its nourishment from an
abundantly flowing stream. The land about might be quite dry and barren. The
winds might be hot. But if the tree is planted by the stream, so that it can
sink its roots down and draw nourishment, it will prosper and yield fruit. This
is the godly man: “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields
its fruit in season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does he
prospers” (v. 3).
多年以前,一對前往中國擔任宣教士的夫婦,用這幅圖案來描寫共產黨在二戰後奪取大陸之後,他們在那裏的生活。他們姓馬太,是中國內地會最後脫逃的宣教士。他們在共產黨的統治下生活了兩年,在那段期間當中,他們和他們的小女兒里拉(Lilah)擠在一間小小的房間裏。他們唯一的家具是一張凳子。他們無法與基督徒友人聯絡,因為擔心會給他們帶來麻煩。他們的基金來源被政府切斷了,只差還有零星的小額收入。他們只能從一個小小的爐子裏獲得少許的熱源,他們用這個爐子一天煮一頓晚飯。他們唯一的燃料是Art Matthews從街上撿來的動物乾燥廢棄物。這確實是乾旱的日子。但是當他們在日後寫下他們對上帝在這種貧困日子裏所賜下的恩典的見證時,他們將他們的書稱為《乾旱時期的綠葉》(Green Leaf in
Drought Time)。他們發現,那些喜愛上帝的話的人,不會枯萎,反而會結出聖靈的果子。
Many years
ago a couple who had gone to China as missionaries used this image to describe
their life there after the Communists had taken over China at the end of the
Second World War. Their name was Matthews, and they were the last missionaries
of the China Inland Mission to escape. They were under Communism for two years,
during which time they lived with their young daughter Lilah in a small room.
Their only furniture was a stool. They could not contact their Christian
friends for fear of getting them into trouble. Their funds were cut off by the
government except for the smallest trickle. Their only heat came from a small
stove which they lit once a day to boil rice for dinner. The only fuel they had
was dried animal refuse which Art Matthews collected from the streets. These
were indeed dry times. But when they wrote their testimony to God's grace in
the midst of such privations afterwards, they called their book Green Leaf in
Drought Time. They found that those who delight in the Word do not wither but
instead produce the Holy Spirit's fruit.
詩人使用的第二個例子是糠粃,他將惡人比做糠粃。這裏的圖像是在收穫穀物時的打穀場。巴勒斯坦的打穀場位於山坡上,那裏可以得到最佳的微風吹拂。穀物被載到山坡上,動物將它們碾碎,或者是用一些碎穀機將它們碾碎,然後將穀物拋到空中,讓和風把較輕的糠粃吹掉。比較重的穀子就落在打穀場上,然後被收集起來。糠粃要麼被吹散,要麼被燒掉。這就是詩人所說,那些隨從惡人的計謀的人的結局。
The
second illustration the psalmist uses is chaff, to which he compares the
wicked. The picture here is of a threshing floor at the time of the grain
harvest. The threshing floors of Palestine are on hills where they can catch
the best breezes. Grain is brought to them, crushed by animals or threshing
instruments which are be drawn over it, then pitched high into the air where
the wind blows the light chaff away. The heavier grain falls back to the
threshing floor and is collected. The chaff is either scattered or burned. This
is what the psalmist says those who walk in the counsel of the wicked are like.
在兩種意義上,他們會像糠粃一樣。糠粃是毫無價值的,會被燒掉。這是瀆神之人虛妄、空洞、毫無價值的人生的寫照,也是他們躲避不掉的審判的寫照。但願那些逃離上帝的人可以明白這幅景象!但是他們不會明白,因為他們不會聽上帝的話,而這個世界喊叫的,恰恰與聖經的教導相反。這個世界說,對上帝敬虔是愚蠢的。惡人說,基督徒是一群無趣的人,或是毫無成就的人。如果你想有所成就,並且在其中享受,就必須開上犯罪的快速道路,想要什麼就伸手去拿。開心就好。這就是這個世界所教導的。但這是徹底的謊言,也就是保羅在羅馬書第一章裏所說的。他分析了這個快速沉淪的螺旋,稱之為虛謊(25節)。在伊甸園裏,魔鬼告訴夏娃,如果她吃了那禁果,不順服上帝,她的眼睛就會「被打開」,而她也會「如神,知道善惡」。但是她卻沒有變得像上帝一樣,因為她本來就是像上帝一樣的(創一26、27)。她反倒變得如撒但一樣。她的眼目並沒有被打開,因為它們本來就是開的。如今她和她丈夫對屬靈的真相反倒變得盲目。不要相信魔鬼的謊言。當世界想要藉著虛假的應許,吸引你離開公義的道路時,不要跟從它。
They
are like chaff in two senses. Chaff is worthless and is burned. This pictures
the futile, empty, worthless life of the godless, as well as their inevitable
judgment. If only those who are running away from God could see this! But they
cannot, because they will not listen to God and the world is shouting the exact
opposite of the Bible's teaching. The world says that to be religious is
foolishness. Religious people never have any fun or accomplish anything, the
wicked say. If you want to amount to something and enjoy yourself doing it, get
on the fact track of sin, reach out for whatever you want and take it. Be
happy. That is what the world teaches. But it is all a lie, which is exactly
what Paul calls it in Romans 1 where he analyzes this fast downward spiral (v.
25). In Eden, the devil told Eve that if she disobeyed God by eating of the
forbidden tree, her eyes would be "opened" and she would be
"like God, knowing good and evil" (Gen. 3:5). But she did not become
like God, for she already was like God (Gen. 1:26, 27). She became like Satan.
And her eyes were not opened; they had been open. Now she and her husband
became blind to spiritual realities. Do not believe the devil's lie. Do not
follow the world when it tries to draw you from righteous living by false
promises.
研讀問題:
1. 詩人使用哪兩幅圖案來說明這兩條道路的結果?這兩幅圖案如何作為有效的教學設備?
2. 夏娃在追求犯罪的過程中發生了什麼變化?當我們一心想要犯罪的時候,是否會發生同樣的變化?
Study
Questions:
1.
What two images does the psalmist use to show the results of the two ways? How does each one serve as an effective
teaching device?
2 How
was Eve changed by her pursuit of sin? How is that also true for us when we
pursue sin?
反思:當你跟從義人的道路時,上帝如何使你像一棵結實纍纍的果樹?
Reflection:
How has the Lord caused you to look like a fruitful tree when you followed in
the way of righteousness?
註:
1
Peter C. Craigie, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 19, Psalms 1-50 (Waco, TX:
Word, 1983), p. 6l.
捷徑或正路(5)
The Fast Lane or the Right
Path
主題:兩種結局Theme: The Two Final Ends
在這週的研讀中,我們會學到聖經如何描述「兩條路」的教導,以及只有主耶穌基督完全地符合了詩篇第一篇對「義人」的描述。
In
this week’s studies we learn how the doctrine of the two ways is described, and
that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who perfectly fits the description
of the righteous man of Psalm 1.
經文:詩篇一1~6Scripture: Psalm 1:1-6
第6節很適合作為這首詩篇的結尾,也是進入整本詩篇集的一個適當的主題聲明。它區分了義人和惡人最後的結局,說到:「因為耶和華知道義人的道路;惡人的道路卻必滅亡。」這節經文描述了這兩群人的命運。所羅門王寫到:「有一條路,人以為正,至終成為死亡之路。」這正是惡人的道路。
Verse
6 is a fitting end to the psalm and a proper thematic statement from which to
proceed into the Psalter. It distinguishes between the final end of the righteous
and the final end of the wicked saying, “For the Lord watches over the way of
the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. The verse describes the
destiny of these two groups of people. King Solomon wrote, “There is a way that
seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Prov. 14:12). That is
the way of the wicked.
義人的道路是主耶穌基督的道路,祂說自己是「道路」(約十四6),並且應許會永遠看顧那些跟從祂的人(太廿八20)。我不想將太多先知的話讀入這些詩篇裏,儘管詩篇的確有一些先知的預言,我也不想暗示這首詩篇的作者,是在期盼主耶穌基督的到來(當他寫這首詩的時候,無論他看見的是誰)。我不認為他是。然而,很難不注意到,正如 Arno C.Gaebelein,一位非常優秀的詩篇靈修作者,說到的:「這首詩篇開頭所描繪的那個完美的人......是主耶穌。」(註1)
The
way of the righteous is the way of the Lord Jesus Christ, who described himself
as "the way" (John 14:6) and promised always to watch over those who
follow him (Matt. 28:20). I do not want to read too much prophecy into these
psalms, though there is some, and I do not want to suggest that the author of
this psalm, whoever he may have been, was looking forward to the coming of the
Lord Jesus Christ when he wrote it. I do not believe he was. Nevertheless, it
is hard not to notice, as Arno C. Gaebelein, an excellent devotional writer on
the psalms, said, that "the perfect man portrayed in the opening
verses...is...the Lord Jesus."1
讓我總結這個故事。Harry Ironside, 一位聖經教師,提到有一位名叫Joseph Flack的人在幾年前曾經到巴勒斯坦旅遊。他有機會對一群猶太人和阿拉伯人講話,並且以詩篇第一篇作為他演講的主題。他讀完詩篇第一篇,然後問了這個問題:「這首詩篇所說的那位有福的人是誰呢?」這個人不曾跟從惡人的計謀、站在罪人的道路、坐在褻慢人的座位。他是一位絕對無罪的人。沒有人說話。因此Flack更明確地問道:「他是我們偉大的先祖亞伯拉罕嗎?」
Let
me close with this story. Harry Ironside, the Bible teacher, told of a visit to
Palestine years ago by a man named Joseph Flacks. He had an opportunity to
address a gathering of Jews and Arabs and took for the subject of his address
the first psalm. He read it and then asked the question: "Who is this
blessed man of whom the psalmist speaks? This man never walked in the counsel
of the wicked or stood in the way of sinners or sat in the seat of mockers. He
was an absolutely sinless man. Nobody Spoke. So Flack got explicit: "Was
he our great father Abraham?"
一位老者說:「不,這不可能是亞伯拉罕。他否認他的妻子,並且說了關於她的謊言。」
「那麼,是律法的頒布者摩西嗎?」
「不,」有人回答說。「這不可能是摩西。他殺了人,並且在米利巴的水旁,發了脾氣。」
One
old man said, "No, it cannot be Abraham. He denied his wife and told a lie
about her."
"Well,
how about the law giver Moses?"
"No,"
someone said. "It cannot be Moses. He killed a man, and he lost his temper
by the waters of Meribah."
Flack
暗示這是大衛。聽眾沉寂了好一陣子。然後有一位年老的猶太人站起來說道,「我的兄弟們,我這裏有一本小書。這本書的書名是新約聖經。我正在讀它。而假若我能相信這本書,若我可以確定這本書所說的是真的,我會說,詩篇第一篇所說的人,就是拿撒勒人耶穌。」(註2)
Flack
suggested David. It was not David. There was silence for a long while. Then an
elderly Jew arose and said, "My brothers, I have a little book here; it is
called the New Testament. I have been reading it; and if I could believe this
book, if I could be sure that it is true, I would say that the man of the first
Psalm was Jesus of Nazareth."2
當然,耶穌就是那有福的人。祂是曾經活過的人當中唯一完美的人,而且祂是那唯一的救主。祂是那位站在這本書的入口的人,要向我們顯明生命之道,並且幫助我們走在其中。
Jesus
is that man, of course. He is the only perfect man who ever lived, and he is the
Savior. It is he who stands at the portal of this book to show us the way to
live and help us do it.
研讀問題:
1. 聖經裏還有哪些地方教導義人和惡人的兩種最後的命運?
2. 請從福音書裏舉一些具體的例子,說明主耶穌如何完美地證明了詩篇第一篇的教導。
Study
Questions:
1.
Where else in Scripture do you find this teaching about the two final destinies
of both the righteous and the wicked?
2.
Give specific examples from the Gospels of how Jesus perfectly demonstrated the
teaching of Psalm 1.
應用:在哪些方式上,你有時候會表現得更像糠粃,而不是那棵結實纍纍的果樹?你該停止作什麼事,以及該開始做什麼事,好叫你能更好地將這首詩篇應用在你的生活中?
Application:
In what ways might you at times appear more like chaff than the fruitful
tree? What do you need to stop doing,
and what do need to begin doing, in order to better apply this psalm to your
life?
註:
1
Arno C. Gaebelein, The Book of Psalms: A Devotional and Prophetic Commentary
(Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux, 1965), p. 18.
2 H.
A. Ironside, Studies on Book One of the Psalms (New York: Loizeaux, 1952), pp.
9-10.