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约伯记［第33-34章］|Book of Job 33-34

【人的有限和神的权能】

主讲: 林国菁传道

01/02/2024


引言：人就好像井底的青蛙一样，知道的非常有限，但同时也带出神的权能！

一、人的有限（伯33）

1.人乃土造（V1-7)

以利户承认自己「也是用土造成」（V6）的有限的人，而且是神用灵造人并用祂的气使人有生命。今天，我们的存在也只是一口气。如果，我们这口气没有了，不论我们的身份如何，我们都终将归回尘土中。

2．神比人大(V8-18)

a.人无所知(V8-11)

约伯虽然不明白也不知道为何他会经历苦难，但他的内心始终坚信自己是无辜的，并一心只是想求神确认。当我们经历苦难时，我们很常不明白为什么我们会遭遇这些事，也不知道要多久才可以走出来。但往往就是在苦难中，我们才会转向神，寻求祂的面。

b.神在行事（V12-18)

以利户指出约伯评论神的话很无理，因神是造物主，是比人大的。我们怎能对神妄下判语呢？我们又有什么资格要求神，凡事都要向人解释呢？

因此，我们不要对我们现在所经历，所看到的事，妄下判断，乃是带到神面前寻求并等候神，因相信神在行事。

3.人需救赎（V19-30）

a.人遇苦难(V19-22)

以利户指出，神会借着人患病的痛苦经历，提醒人死亡的可怕。他在这里也陈明神常常用苦难、病痛来向人说话。其目的是要引导约伯思考他的苦难背后神的作为。

b.神行救赎(V23-30)

以利户指出，人并不能倚靠自己的行为或辩白来争取义，救赎乃是神看他为义。他其实要让约伯明白，约伯固然完全正直，敬畏神，远离恶事，但这种「义」却经不起时间的考验，最重要的乃是神看他为义。

二、神的权能（伯34）

1.神断不行恶（V10-15)

以利户带出，神若‘专心为己’，就不必在堕落的人身上浪费时间，只需要‘将灵和气收归自己’，世界上所有拒绝神的人就立刻消灭。然而神没有如此做，祂不会因为人的不义而行恶。

2.神不徇情面（V16-20)

以利户带出神是一位公平的神。以利户认为不公平的原因可能是因为偏心。但神看一切「都是祂手所造」（V19），祂对受造之物的管理都是公平的，并不会因为人的地位、财富和权力而有所偏心。

3.神注目观看（V21-30)

以利户提到，神绝对不会不公平对待人，是因为祂是「无所不知」的神。神完全认识我们， 因此，「神审判人，不必使人到祂面前再三鉴察」（V23）; 而且，受苦的人必得着安慰，因为所有的苦情神都晓得！因此，当我们面对苦难和考验的时候，我们要知道神的眼目从没有离开我们。

4.神照明指教（V31-37)

以利户认为，面对苦难的正确态度，是对神说：「我所看不明的，求祢指教我；我若作了孽，必不再作」（V32）以利户并没有认定约伯是因为犯罪而受苦，而是认为约伯因为受苦而犯罪。神用以利户发表的这些话，是要唤醒约伯，把他从自怜、自恋和自义中带出来。

总结：

人对神的认识总是受到自己的局限，无论是以利户或约伯或他的三个朋友，都不能看透神的作为与心意。今天，我们要看到自己的有限，也要相信神的公义和美善。即使我们在经历苦难和考验，我们也不明白背后的原因，然而我们要相信，神仍然在我们所处在的环境当中掌权！


Job 33-34 Man's limitations and God's power
GK611 Morning Devotion
01 Feb 2024
The Morning Devotion Speaker: Ps Stella Ling

Introduction:

Man has little knowledge and no vision like a frog under the well, knowing very little, but at the same time bringing out the power of God!

1. Man's Limitations (Job 33)

(1) Man is formed out of clay (V1-7)

Elihu recognised that he was "also formed out of clay" (v6), and that it was God who created man by His Spirit and brought him to life by His breath. Today, our existence is also just a breath. If our breath is gone, we will eventually return to the dust, regardless of who we are.

2. God is greater than man (V8-18)

a. Man knows nothing (V8-11)

Although Job did not understand or know why he was going through the suffering, he was always convinced in his heart of his innocence and was bent on just asking God for confirmation. When we go through suffering we very often don't understand why it is happening to us or how long it will take to come out of it. But it is often in the midst of suffering that we turn to God and seek His face.

b. God is working (V12-18)

Elihu pointed out that Job's comment on God's Word was unwarranted because God is the Creator and is greater than man. How can we pass judgment on God? And who are we to ask God to explain everything to man?

Therefore, let us not judge what we are experiencing and seeing, but rather bring ourselves to God to seek and wait on Him, believing that He is doing it.

3. Man's need of salvation (V19-30)

a. Man in distress (V19-22)

Elihu points out that God will remind man of the horror of death through the painful experience of sickness. He also stating here that God often uses suffering and sickness to speak to people. The purpose was to lead Job to think about what God was doing behind his suffering.

b. God performs salvation (V23-30)

Elihu pointed out that man does not earn righteousness by his own works or pleading, but salvation is what God sees as righteousness. He was actually trying to get Job to understand that while Job was perfectly righteous, feared God, and stayed away from evil, this "righteousness" could not stand the test of time, and what mattered most was that God saw him as righteous.

2. The Power of God (Ber 34)

(1) God definitely not doing evil (V10-15)

Elihu brings out that if God were 'devoted to Himself', He would not have to waste His time on fallen man, but would simply 'take to Himself the spirit and the breath', and all the rejecters of God in the world would be destroyed at once. Yet God does not do so; He does not do evil because of man's unrighteousness.

(2) God does not show favoritism (V16-20)

Elihu brings out that God is a fair God. The reason Elihu saw unfairness could be because of favoritism. But God sees everything as "they are all the work of His hands." (v19), and His stewardship of creation is fair, and does not show favoritism because of a person's status, wealth, or power.

(3) God watches and sees (V21-30)

Elihu mentions that the reason God will never treat people unfairly is because He is an "omniscient" God. God knows us perfectly, and therefore, "For He need not further consider a man, that he should go before God in judgment." (v23); moreover, those who suffer will be comforted because God knows all their sufferings! Therefore, when we face afflictions and trials, we need to know that God's eyes never leave us.

(4) God's enlightening instruction (V31-37)

According to Elihu, the proper attitude in the face of suffering is to say to God, "Teach me what I do not see; if I have done iniquity, I will do no more’?" (v32) Elihu did not assume that Job suffered because he sinned, but rather that Job sinned because he suffered. God used these words delivered by Elihu to awaken Job and bring him out of his self-pity, self-love and self-righteousness.

Conclusion:

Man's knowledge of God is always limited by his own limitations. Neither Elihu nor Job or his three friends could see through God's works and intentions. Today, we need to see our own limitations as well as trust in God's righteousness and goodness. Even when we are going through sufferings and trials and we do not understand the reasons behind them, yet we need to believe that God is still reigning in the midst of our circumstances!

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