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耶利米哀歌［第4章］
Book of Lamentations 4

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耶利米哀歌［第4章|Book of Lamentations 4

【苦难后神仍要施恩】

主讲: 区箴唤实习传道+陈炎明牧师

28/12/2021

引言:

在前面几章经文的里面，我们读到耶路撒冷遭难后是多么地悲哀。耶路撒冷在哀叹中，仿佛再也没有了别的出路，只能够向神祷告。自上一章开始，我们从经文的描述中，开始看到了一丝的盼望。而来到今天的经文，虽然耶路撒冷遭难的描述仍然占据了很大的篇幅，尤其今天这章经文讲到当时耶路撒冷被围困然后最终陷落，但是来到这一章的最后，我们还是可以看到苦难后神仍要施恩。

一、百姓所受的苦 (V 1-10)

耶路撒冷的荣耀已经褪去。所罗门所建筑起的圣殿被毁，圣殿的石头也被倒在耶路撒冷各个的地方。本来住在锡安的众子是尊贵的，可是如今他们只能卑贱到像瓦瓶一样，一碰就碎了。

这是一般百姓的状态，让我们特别地看两个群体：

1.锡安城的孩子。经文表达，就是野狗也懂得要用奶来哺乳孩子，但是如今锡安城因为缺水缺粮，许多母亲就只能忍着心先顾自己了，她们也没有能力供给她们的幼童奶水了。就是大一点的孩童因为饥饿想要吃饼，也是没有人可以满足到他们。

2.锡安城的富户。这些富户素来都是吃美好食物的，但如今因为饥荒的临到，他们只能在街上等死。过去他们躺卧在高贵的朱红褥子里，如今他们只能躺卧在灰尘堆中。

追究其原因，就是因为犹大众百姓的罪。从前这些贵胄都是脸色红润的，但如今因为饥荒，他们都瘦得像枯干的木头一样。这种饥饿致死的悲剧，甚至还不如被刀剑所杀的悲剧，因为这让人活在了一种渐渐死去的痛苦当中。本来出于母性就会在本能上爱孩子的妇人，如今在饥荒的状态中，为了能填填肚子，也残忍地煮起了自己的孩子。

罪是有苦果的。例子：马来西亚的水灾与人恶待环境的关系。我们基督徒尤其要比不信主的人更要看清这一点，而且我们还要把能够从根源上去解决罪的福音传给周围的人。如果我们不去影响身边的人，不做福音的使者，罪在社会中蔓延所带来的问题最终也会影响到我们。例子：欧洲国家偏离神的真理所带来经济问题，公共卫生问题还有国家安全问题等等。

二、领袖所犯的罪 (V 11-20)

1. 先知祭司的过犯 (V 11-16)

神对着耶路撒冷居民的罪发出祂的烈怒，让耶路撒冷完全地被玷污和倾覆，让世上的君王和百姓都惊叹到一个地步就是：对于耶路撒冷这样一个拥有易守难攻地势的地方，巴比伦人怎么会有能力去攻陷这个地方呢？而耶利米表达其实如果要再追究，都是因为神子民犹大国的领袖们所犯的罪。

先知是虚假的，不按神的心意发预言；祭司也不按神的心意去服事和引导百姓，只顺从百姓的私欲。当有义人起来说实话的时候，他们就把义人杀害。他们作为领袖，实质上却是属灵的瞎子，因为他们流无辜人血的罪，他们就成为不洁了，所以人都不可以靠近他们。而当耶路撒冷被攻陷，这些先知祭司都逃走漂流的时候，外邦人也唾弃他们，不让他们停留。本来他们作为国家的首领是受人尊崇的，但如今神将他们分散在不同的地方，不再眷顾他们，人也不再尊重他们了。

这里经文提醒我们，领袖的责任和影响力。今天我们作为一位领袖，我们都需要按着神的心意去引导我们的下属，以至于他们都能够走在神公义诚实的正路中。否则的话，我们有时候以为我们用讨好人，体贴人肉体的方式去带领，就像经文提到当时的先知祭司那样，放纵百姓们活在敬拜偶像的罪中，最后不单导致百姓们的灵性光景低下，还导致了亡国，自己和百姓们都被掳，最终自己也被人唾弃（例子：历史上好的领袖跟坏的领袖对国家带来影响力的巨大差别）。

2. 受膏君王的过犯 (V 17-20)

由于在历史上北国以色列也好，南国犹大也好，每次当他们遇到敌人的袭击，他们的君王很常都会透过结交的盟国来帮忙解围。所以百姓们在耶路撒冷被围攻的日子，也盼望着过去结交的盟国会来帮助，尤其在这一次，犹大特别盼望着埃及来救援，但是最终都没有实现。本来百姓盼望着犹大王能做他们的遮盖，让他们在列国中得蒙国家元首的保护，但是最终也事与愿违，他们所面对到的是巴比伦人对着他们的凶残的追逼。

这里除了再次提醒我们领袖的重要性，其实也提醒我们唯独倚靠耶稣我们才能永不动摇。所以今天我们基督徒不应该是遇到问题，已经像当时的犹大人一样，靠援军不行了，靠耶路撒冷的防御力量不行了，才来到神的面前。我们需要在我们的日常生活中就常常来倚靠神，寻求神，活出神的心意！

三、锡安终受安慰 (V 21-22)

对着锡安居民落井下石的以东居民，他们只管享受暂时的快乐吧，因为公义的神也必会来讨他们的罪，他们必要喝神烈怒的杯。而反过来，在灾难中愿意反思己过，并重新归向神的锡安居民，神的管教终究会停住。最终他们必不会再被掳去，他们必能够回到神所赐给他们的应许之地去生活。今天无论我们在信仰上曾经有过多大的软弱，只要我们懂得回转归向神，我们都必能够再次地经历神的恩典。

而对于一些恶待我们，却不愿接受福音的人，我们要相信公义的神必有祂公义的处理（例子：信仰被逼迫的国度）！我们要学习不为自己伸冤，我们更是求神给我们一颗更宽大的心去为这些人代求，让他们有朝一日也能来回转归向神！

总结：除罪迎回神恩

罪带来苦果，所以我们要做神圣洁的子民，更要传除罪的福音！罪的问题需要领袖起来处理，领袖起来要带领下属活在神的心意里，不要放纵下属活在罪中！在我们人生所面对的大小事情上，我们也要学习单单靠神，而不是靠人的能力与聪明。当我们如此来除罪，并虚心地归向神，神必会对着我们再施恩典！

Lamentations 4: God Will Still Be Gracious After Suffering
GK611 Morning Devotion
28/12/2021
Speaker: IP Moses + Rev Tan

Introduction:

In the preceding chapters we read of the lamentation of Jerusalem after the suffering. Jerusalem was lamenting as if there was no other way out but to pray to God. Since the previous chapter, we have begun to see a glimmer of hope in the descriptions of the scriptures. And although the description of the suffering of Jerusalem still occupies a great deal of space in today's passage, especially today's chapter about the siege and then eventual fall of Jerusalem at that time, we can still see at the end of the chapter that God still wants to be gracious after the suffering. 1. The Sufferings of the People (V1-10) The glory of Jerusalem had faded. The temple that Solomon had built was destroyed, and the stones of the temple were poured out in various places in Jerusalem. The sons who lived in Zion were noble, but now they are as lowly as a tile vase, which breaks at the touch. This is the state of the people in general. Let us look at two groups in particular. (1) The children of the city of Zion. The scriptures express that even wild dogs know how to nurse their children with milk, but nowadays, because of the lack of water and food in the city of Zion, many mothers had to take care of themselves first, and they were not able to provide milk for their young ones. Even if the older children wanted to eat bread because of hunger, there was no one to satisfy them. (2) The rich families of Zion. These rich families had always eaten good food, but now, because of the famine, they had to wait for death in the streets.They used to lie down in scarlet, but now they were lying in the dust. The reason for this was traced to the sin of the people of Judah. Once upon a time these noblemen were rosy-cheeked, but now because of the famine they were all as thin as dry wood. This tragedy of death by starvation was even worse than the tragedy of being killed by the sword, for it made people live in a kind of pain of gradual death. Women who would have instinctively loved their children out of motherhood, now in a state of famine, cruelly cooked their own children in order to fill their stomachs. Sin has bitter consequences. Example: The floods in Malaysia and the relationship between people treating their environment badly. We Christians in particular need to see this more clearly than unbelievers, and we need to preach the gospel to those around us that can address the root causes of sin. If we do not influence those around us and be messengers of the gospel, the problems caused by the spread of sin in society will eventually affect us as well. Examples: The economic problems, public health problems, and national security problems caused by the European countries' deviation from God's truth.

2. The Sins Committed by the Leaders (V11-20)

(1) The Transgressions of the Prophets and Priests (v11-16)

God sent His wrath against the sin of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, leaving Jerusalem completely defiled and overturned, so that the kings and people of the world marveled to the point that for a place like Jerusalem, with its easily defended terrain, how could the Babylonians have the ability to take the place? And Jeremiah expressed that in fact, if we were to pursue this further, it was because of the sins committed by the leaders of God's people, the nation of Judah.

The prophets were false, and did not prophesy according to the mind of God; nor did the priests serve and guide the people according to the mind of God, but obeyed their selfish desires. They killed the righteous when they arose to speak the truth. They were leaders, but in essence they were spiritually blind, and because of their sin of shedding innocent blood, they became unclean, so that no man should come near them. And when Jerusalem was sacked, and all these prophets and priests fled and drifted away, the Gentiles also spurned them and would not let them stay. They had been honored as heads of nations, but now God had scattered them in different places, and no longer favored them, nor did men respect them any more.

Here the scriptures remind us of the responsibility and influence of leaders. As a leader today, we all need to guide our subordinates according to God's heart, so that they can all walk in the righteous and honest ways of God. Otherwise, we sometimes think we are leading in a way that is pleasing to people and carnal, just like the prophet and priest of the time mentioned in the scriptures, who indulged the people in the sin of idolatry, which eventually led not only to the spiritual downfall of the people, but also to the downfall of the nation and the captivity of both himself and the people, and ultimately to his own rejection (example: the difference between good leaders and bad leaders in history in terms of their influence on the nation is huge).

(2) The Transgressions of the Anointed Kings (V17-20)

As in the history of both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, whenever they were attacked by their enemies, their kings often came to their aid through their allies. So when Jerusalem was under siege, the people looked forward to the help of their allies from the past, especially in this case, Judah looked forward to the rescue of Egypt, but in the end, it did not happen. The people had hoped that the king of Judah would be their covering, so that they would be protected by the head of state among the nations, but in the end it was not to be, and they were faced with a fierce pursuit by the Babylonians.

In addition to reminding us once again of the importance of leadership, we are actually reminded that we can never be shaken only when relying on Jesus. Therefore, today we Christians should not come to God only when we encounter problems, just like the Judeans at that time, when we cannot rely on reinforcements and the defensive power of Jerusalem. We need to rely on God in our daily lives, to seek God, and to live as God desires!

3. Zion is finally comforted (V21-22)

The inhabitants of Edom, who had been smitten with the inhabitants of Zion, were happy for a while, for the righteous God would come to condemn them, and they would drink the cup of God's wrath. On the other hand, the inhabitants of Zion, who were willing to reflect on their faults in the midst of the disaster, and to turn to God again, will eventually cease to be disciplined by God. In the end they will not be taken into captivity again, and they will be able to return to the land of promise that God has given them to live in. No matter how weak we have been in our faith today, if we know how to turn back to God, we will be able to experience God's grace again.

And for those who treat us badly but do not want to accept the gospel, we need to trust that the righteous God will have His righteous dealings (example: faith in the persecuted kingdom)! We need to learn not to seek justice for ourselves, but we need to ask God to give us a more generous heart to intercede for these people, so that they too can one day turn back to Him!

Conclusion: Removing Sins and Welcoming Back God's Grace

Sin brings bitter fruit, so we need to be God's holy people and preach the gospel of the removal of sin! The problem of sin needs to be dealt with by leaders who rise up to lead their subordinates to live in the mind of God and not to indulge them in sin!

In the big and small things we face in life, we also need to learn to rely on God alone, and not on human ability and wisdom. When we do this to get rid of our sins and turn to God with an open heart, God will be gracious to us again!