以馬內利Immanuel
作者：Gerald Bilkes 誠之譯自：
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/immanuel
https://yimawusi.net/2023/03/10/immanuel-gerald-bilkes/
 
“以馬內利”是基督最寶貴的名字之一。它是兩個希伯來語單詞的組合，意思是“上帝與我們同在”。馬太福音解釋說，基督得到這個名字是為了應驗《舊約》先知的話。
Immanuel is one of Christ’s most precious names. It is a combination of two Hebrew words that together mean “God with us.” The gospel of Matthew explains that Christ received this name in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
 
對許多人來說，以馬內利這個名字聽起來很順耳，像是一道光環，暗示著在患難中的安慰跟盼望。然而，這個名字還有更多的實質和意義。基督徒可以從這個名字中得到的鼓勵並不只是模糊的印象或短暫的情感而已。這個名字所傳達的真理，既有榮耀的美，又有廣泛的祝福附加在上面。
For many people, the name Immanuel has a nice ring to it that suggests comfort and hope in times of trouble. Yet there is a lot more substance and significance to this name. The encouragement Christians can take from this name is no mere vague impression or passing emotion. The truth conveyed by this name has both a glorious beauty and a wide range of blessings attached to it.
 
以馬內利之美
The Beauty of Immanuel
 
《聖經》裏使用“以馬內利”這個名字主要是與基督的道成肉身有關。我們第一次聽見這個名字是在先知以賽亞預言基督由童貞女所生的時候：“必有童女懷孕生子，給他起名叫以馬內利（就是神與我們同在的意思）。”（賽7:14）。
The Bible uses the name Immanuel mostly in connection with the incarnation of Christ. The first time we hear this name is when Isaiah prophesied the virgin birth of Christ: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14).
 
以賽亞對正遭受周圍列國威脅的猶大王亞哈斯說了這些話。當你閱讀上下文時，你會發現，可悲的是，亞哈斯對上帝與他同在毫無興趣。儘管如此，以賽亞還是告訴他一個名為“上帝與我們同在”的人將會到來。在時候滿足時，基督要道成肉身，把上帝的同在帶給我們。祂將由童貞女所生，從而擺脫了大衛家族的敗壞，同時仍然是大衛的子孫。
Isaiah spoke these words to Ahaz, king of Judah, who was being threatened by surrounding nations. When you read the context you find that, sadly, Ahaz had no interest in God being with him. Despite that, Isaiah told him a person named “God with us” would come. In the fullness of time, Christ would become incarnate in order to bring God’s presence to us. He would be born of a virgin, thus escaping the corruption of David’s line while remaining David’s son.
 
基督是道成肉身的救主。這就是以馬內利的魅力所在。祂不是以天使或某種精靈不時地顯現出來。祂親自取了我們骨中的骨、肉中的肉。沒有其他宗教能給予這樣的安慰與盼望。
Christ is an incarnate Savior. That’s the beauty of Immanuel. He didn’t come as an angel or some spirit manifesting itself from time to time. He took to Himself bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. No other religion can give such comfort and hope.
 
以馬內利的祝福
The Blessings of Immanuel
 
上帝的兒子取了我們的本性，因此祂的名字以馬內利代表了無數的祝福：
Because the Son of God took to Himself our nature, there are a myriad of blessings represented in His name Immanuel:
 
1. 祂是上帝與我們同在，使罪人與上帝和好。人生來就與神隔絕，因著罪，上帝不能與人相交。但以馬內利來，是要把祂的子民從罪惡中拯救出來（太1:21）。祂捨命作贖罪祭，使罪人可以重新與神相交（約壹1:3）。在十字架上，祂可以應許悔改的強盜，祂將與他同在樂園裏（路23:43），也就是說，與上帝相交。
1. He is God-with-us to reconcile sinners to God. Man is born alienated from God, and God can have no fellowship with Him because of sin. But Immanuel came to save His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21). He gave His life as an offering for sin so that sinners can be brought back into fellowship with God (1 John 1:3). On the cross He could promise the repentant thief that he would be with Him in paradise (Luke 23:43), that is to say, in fellowship with God.
 
2. 祂是與我們同在的上帝，引導、授權並擴展祂的教會。基督升天後，現在不再與地上的信徒同在。然而，正如《海德堡要理問答》如此優美地表達的那樣，“就神性、尊嚴、恩典、祂的靈而言，祂無時無刻不在我們中間”（問答47）。在《馬太福音》的結尾，以馬內利應許祂的教會：“看哪，我就常與你們同在”（太28:20）。
2. He is God-with-us to guide, empower, and expand His church. Having ascended into heaven, Christ is now no longer with believers physically here on earth. Yet as the Heidelberg Catechism expresses so beautifully, “with respect to His Godhead, majesty, grace and Spirit, He is at no time absent from us” (Q&A 47). At the close of the gospel of Matthew, Immanuel promised His church, “Behold, I am with you always” (Matt. 28:20).
 
3. 祂是與我們同在的上帝，安慰祂的子民。想想詩篇四十六篇，它如此優美地描述了上帝在非常混亂的環境中鼓舞人心的同在。祂是“在困難中隨時的幫助”（第1節）。即使是在地動山搖跟外邦喧嚷的時候，基督徒也不必害怕。上帝與祂的子民同在是永恆的：“萬軍之耶和華與我們同在”（第7、11節）。信徒啊，上帝就在你身邊，幫助與保護你。
3. He is God-with-us to comfort His people. Think of Psalm 46, which so beautifully describes the encouraging presence of God in the midst of very chaotic circumstances. He is “a very present help in trouble” (v. 1). Christians need not fear, even when the earth shakes and kingdoms rage. God's presence with His people is constant: “The Lord of hosts is with us” (vv. 7, 11). Believer, God is near you, to help and protect you.
 
4. 祂是與我們同在的上帝，要把祂的子民帶進榮耀裏。我們在《啟示錄》21章3節中讀到了新天新地，在那裏，“上帝要親自與他們同在”。在榮耀裏，上帝與祂子民的同在將是完美的、永不間斷的。《啟示錄》22章4節告訴我們，他們甚至要見祂的面。
4. He is God-with-us to bring His people to glory. We read in Revelation 21:3 of the new heavens and the new earth, where “God himself shall be with them.” In glory, the presence of God with His people will be perfect and uninterrupted. Revelation 22:4 tells us that they shall even see His face.
 
你相信上帝給以馬內利的這個記錄嗎？你是否看到基督為了成為與罪人同在的上帝，是何等屈尊降卑嗎？你經歷過上帝與我們同在的祝福嗎？這些都只能通過從上頭重生而屬於我們。祂的誕生呼召我們問這個問題：我重生了嗎？如果是，祂就是你的以馬內利。
Do you believe this record God has given of Immanuel? Do you see how low Christ stooped to be God-with-sinners? Do you experience the blessings of God-with-us? These can only be ours through a new birth from above. His birth calls us to ask: Have I been born again? If so, He is your Immanuel.
 

以馬內利
Immanuel
誠之譯自：https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/immanuel
https://yimawusi.net/2023/03/10/immanuel-gerald-bilkes/
 
經文：馬太福音1:22-25
 
自由派長期以來對馬太福音1章22-23節和它所引用的以賽亞書7章14節的經文進行仔細研究，導致他們否認童貞女出生。他們說，由於以賽亞使用了“almah”，一個希伯來語詞，直譯為“少女”，所以他並未肯定這是童貞女生子。這種說法毫無根據，因為almah幾乎總是指一個年輕女子，同時也是童貞女。另外，《舊約》的古希臘文譯本《七十士譯本》明白以賽亞是在說一個童貞女，因為它用parthenos來翻譯almah，這是希臘文中“童貞女”的正常意思。
Liberals have long scrutinized Matthew 1:22–23 and the passage it quotes, Isaiah 7:14, leading them to deny the virgin birth. They say that since Isaiah uses almah, a Hebrew term literally translated as “maiden,” he is not affirming the virgin birth. This argument has no merit, for almah almost always refers to a young woman who is also a virgin. Also, the Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, understands that Isaiah is talking about a virgin as it renders almah with parthenos, the normal Greek word for “virgin.”
 
根據今天的經文和路加福音1章26-38節，我們全心地肯定耶穌是童貞女所生的。但我們要注意，馬太可能並不像人們常說的那樣讀以賽亞書。當我們看到馬太福音1章22-23節中的 “成就”（fulfill）一詞時，我們傾向於認為以賽亞預見到未來，並做出了只能在馬利亞身上才能實現的預言。然而，如果是這樣，《以賽亞書》7章14節對其原始讀者，即生活在耶穌之前幾個世紀的以色列人來說，就沒有任何意義了。
We wholeheartedly affirm the virgin birth of Jesus based on today’s passage and Luke 1:26–38. But let us note that Matthew may not be reading Isaiah as has been often supposed. When we look at the word “fulfill” in Matthew 1:22–23, we tend to think Isaiah saw into the future and made a prediction that could only come true for Mary. However, Isaiah 7:14 would then have no meaning to its original readers, Israelites living centuries before Jesus.
 
以賽亞書7章14節的上下文解釋了馬太為什麼引用了這節經文。當亞哈斯在位時，敘利亞（亞蘭）和北國以色列威脅說，如果亞哈斯不和他們一起對抗亞述帝國，他們就要入侵南國猶大（第1節）。然而，這種威脅實際上誘使亞哈斯尋求亞述的援助，來對抗這些敵人。上帝應許他，如果他不與亞述聯合，就會得到保護，並告訴亞哈斯王去求一個兆頭來確認上帝的誓言（第2-11節）。但亞哈斯不信耶和華，不願意求兆頭（sign，或譯為記號）。上帝還是給了亞哈斯一個兆頭——一個詛咒的兆頭，而不是祝福的兆頭！一個孩子的出生將預示著上帝將利用亞述來審判背約的猶大（第12-25節）。
The context of Isaiah 7:14 explains why Matthew cites this verse. When Ahaz reigned in Judah, Syria and Israel threatened to invade Judah if he would not join them against the Assyrian empire (v. 1). Yet this threat actually tempted Ahaz to seek aid from Assyria against these foes. God promised him protection if he did not join with Assyria, telling the king to ask for a sign to confirm His pledge (vv. 2–11). But Ahaz did not trust the Lord and would not ask for a sign. God gave Ahaz a sign anyway — a sign of cursing, not blessing! A child’s birth would signify that God would use Assyria to judge faithless Judah (vv. 12–25).
 
通過自然的方式，以賽亞和他的妻子——之前是童貞女的少女——會誕下瑪黑珥沙拉勒哈施罷斯（Maher-shal-hash-baz，8:1-4），這是上帝對那些相信與亞述結盟的人的詛咒的兆頭（5-22節）。正如先知所警告的，亞哈斯在與亞述帝國的交易中會受到羞辱（代下28章）。
By natural means, Isaiah and his wife — formerly the virgin maiden — would produce Maher-shalal-hash-baz (8:1–4), a sign of God’s curse on those who trusted in an alliance with Assyria. (vv. 5–22). And as the prophet warned, Ahaz would be humiliated in his deal with the Assyrian Empire (2 Chron. 28).
 
如果以賽亞所預言的這一詛咒應驗了，那麼，如果我們不相信上帝，當兆頭是上帝的兒子，由童貞女所生時，我們怎麼能逃脫這個詛咒呢？正如以賽亞的兒子預示著對猶大不信的詛咒一樣，耶穌奇蹟般的誕生也預示著那些不順服上帝君尊之子的災難。
If this curse foretold by Isaiah came to pass, how can we escape the curse if we do not trust God when the sign is the very Son of God, born of a virgin? Just as Isaiah’s son signified a curse on Judah’s unbelief, so too does Jesus’ miraculous birth signify disaster for those who do not submit to God’s royal Son.
 
活在神面前（Coram Deo）
 
只有當我們首先明白先知的話對其原始聽眾的意義和應用時，才能明白先知的話在耶穌身上如何應驗。在這種情況下，耶穌應驗或“滿足”了以賽亞的話語，因為祂作為一個以特殊方式誕生的兒子，是一個更大的詛咒或祝福的記號，這取決於我們要如何回應福音。讓我們唯獨跟隨祂作為救主和主，好叫我們可以得到更大的祝福。
The fulfillment of prophecy in Jesus can only be understood if we first understand the meaning and application of the prophetic word for its original audience. In this case, Jesus fulfills or “fills up” the word of Isaiah because He, as a Son brought forth by extraordinary means, is the sign of a greater curse or blessing depending on how we respond to the Gospel. Let us follow Him alone as Savior and Lord so that we may receive the greater blessing.
 
深入研讀For Further Study
以賽亞書1:1-10
馬太福音17:1-5
路加福音2:22-24
約翰福音5:30-47