How shall we then live A God used

前車可鑑 How shall we then live?

A. 上帝用生命的際遇來訓練亞伯拉罕 作賜福的器皿 God used life experiences to prepare Abraham to become a minister of His grace 三人就從那裡起身，向著所多瑪觀望。 亞伯拉罕與他們同行，要送他們一程。 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way.

耶和華說：“我要作的事，豈可瞞著 亞伯拉罕呢？亞伯拉罕必要成為強大 興盛的國，地上的萬國，都必因他得 福。我揀選了他，是要他吩咐子孫， 和他的家屬， Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household

遵守我耶和華的道，秉公行義，好叫 我耶和華應許亞伯拉罕的話都可實現。 ” after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him. " (18: 16 -19) 藉著禱告神訓練祂的 人 God train His servants through their prayers

1) 神有記錄人所犯的罪惡 God has a record of our sins 我們知道被造的萬物直到現在都一同 在痛苦呻吟。不但這樣，連我們這些 有聖靈作為初熟果子的人， We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit,

自己也在內心歎息，熱切期待成為嗣 子，就是我們的身體得贖。 groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (羅 Rom 8: 22 -23) 到了第四代，他們必回到這裡，因為 亞摩利人的罪孽還沒有滿盈。 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure. (15: 16)

你妹妹所多瑪的罪孽是這樣：她和她 的女兒們都驕傲自大，糧食豐足，生 活安逸，卻沒有幫助困苦和貧窮的人。 她們自高自傲，在我面前行了可憎的 事；我看見了，就把她們除掉。 Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen. (結 Ezek 16: 49 -50)

• 所多瑪人縱慾橫行 People of Sodom indulged in sins • 亞伯拉罕善待過客 Abraham treated visitors with hospitality 2) 把義人從惡人中分出來 Separate righteous from the wicked

• 義人在惡人中殉道 righteous died among sinners as martyr • 義人從惡人中攞走 righteous was taken away from sinners • 義人叫惡人得救贖 righteous brought redemption to sinners

耶穌對他們另外講了一個比喻，說： “天國好像人把好的種子撒在田裡。 人們睡了的時候，他的仇敵來把稗子 撒在麥子中間，就走了。到了發苗吐 穗的時候，稗子也顯出來… Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared…

僕人問他：‘你要我們去拔掉它嗎？ ’ 他說：‘不用，因為拔稗子的時候， 恐怕也把麥子連根拔出來。收割之前， 讓它們一同生長。到了收割的時候， "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up? ' " 'No, ' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time

我會吩咐收割的 人先拔掉稗子，捆 起來，留著焚燒，卻要把麥子收進我 的倉裡。’” I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn. ' " (太 Matt 13: 24 -30) 3) 求上帝免去罪人的惡果 Seek God not to condemn sinners to death

亞伯拉罕上前說：“你真的要把義人 和惡人一同除滅嗎？假如城中有五十 個義人，你還真的要除滅那地方，不 為城裡的五十個義人而赦免那地方嗎 ？ Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?

你絕不會作這樣的事：把義人與惡人 一同殺死，把義人和惡人一樣看待， 你絕不會這樣！審判全地的主，豈可 不行公義嗎？” Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right? " (18: 23 -25)

• 罪人也許是受害者 sinners may be victims of sins • 乞求上帝施恩憐憫 bag for God’s mercy for sinners 他的門徒雅各、約翰看見了，就說： “主啊，你要我們吩咐火從天降下來， When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them? "

燒滅他們嗎？”耶穌就轉過身來，責 備他們，然後他們就往別的村莊去了。 But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went to another village. (路 Luke 9: 54 -56) B. 上帝用亞伯拉罕和羅得間的分別給 我們留下警告 God used the differences between the life of Abraham and Lot as a warning for us

羅得因服侍兩個主來的後果 the consequence of serving two masters …所多瑪的男人，無論是年輕的或是 年老的，都從各處來圍住羅得的房子。 他們呼喚羅得，對他說： Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom – both young and old – surrounded the house. They called to Lot,

今晚到你這裡來的人在哪裡？把他們 帶出來，我們要與他們同房。”羅得 出來，隨手把門關上，到門口眾人那 裡，說：“我的弟兄們，請不要作惡。 看哪，我有兩個女兒， Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them. ” Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man.

是還沒有和男人同房的，讓我把她們 帶出來，你們高興怎樣待她們，就怎 樣行吧…”眾人卻說：“滾開！”又 說：“一個來這裡寄居的人，竟作起 審判官來；現在我們要害你，比害他 們還要厲害。” (19: 4 -9) Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them…” “Get out of our way, ” they replied. And they said, “This fellow came here as alien, and now he wants to play the judge! We’ll treat you worse than them. ”

一個人不能服事兩個主人；他若不是 恨這個愛那個，就是忠於這個輕視那 個。你們不能服事 神，又服事金錢。 No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. (太 Matt 6: 24)

羅得被逼要在兩者中作抉擇 Lot was forced to make a choice 羅得在危机中仍然三心兩意 Lot was confused in crisis 天快亮的時候，兩位天使催促羅得說： “起來，帶你的妻子， With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife

和你這裡的兩個女兒出去，免得你因 這城的罪孽被除滅。”羅得還在猶豫 不決的時候，二人因為耶和華寬容羅 得，就拉著羅得的手，和他妻子的手， 以及他兩個女兒的手，把他們帶出來， 安置在城外… and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished. ” When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city…

其中一位說：“逃命吧，不要回頭看， 也不可留在這片平原上，要逃到山上 去，免得你被除滅。”羅得對他們說： “我主啊！請不要這樣。看哪，你僕 人既然在你眼前蒙恩， one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!" But Lot said to them, "No, my lords, please! Your servant has found favor in your eyes,

你又向我大施慈愛，救活我的性命； 可是我還逃不到山上，恐怕這災禍就 追上了我，我就死了。看哪，這座城 很近，可以逃到那裡，那只是一座小 城，請讓我逃到那裡去。 and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can't flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I'll die. Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—

那不是一座小城嗎？這樣我就可以活 命了。” it is very small, isn't it? Then my life will be spared. " (19: 15 -20) 羅得的妥恊把自己陷在罪中 Lot’s compromise caused him to sins

大女兒對小女兒說：“我們的爸爸已 經老了，這地又沒有男人可以按著世 上的常規進來與我們親近。來吧，我 們可以叫父親喝酒，然後與他同睡， 這樣我們可以藉著父親保全後裔。” One day the older daughter said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is no man around here to lie with us, as is the custom all over the earth. Let's get our father to drink wine and then lie with him and preserve our family line through our father. "

當夜，她們叫父親喝酒，大女兒就進 去與父親同睡，她甚麼時候躺下，甚 麼時候起來，她父親都不知道。第二 天，大女兒對小女兒說：“昨夜我與 父親同睡了，今夜我們再叫父親喝酒， That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and lay with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up. The next day the older daughter said to the younger, "Last night I lay with my father. Let's get him to drink wine

你可以進去與他同睡，這樣我們可以 藉著父親保全後裔。”當夜，她們又 叫父親喝酒，小女兒就起來，與父親 同睡…這樣，羅得的兩個女兒，都從 她們的父親懷了孕。 again tonight, and you go in and lie with him so we can preserve our family line through our father. " So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went and lay with him… So both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father.

大女兒生了一個兒子，給他起名叫摩 押，就是現在摩押人的始祖。小女兒 也生了一個兒子，給他起名叫便．亞 米，就是現在亞捫人的始祖。 The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab ; he is the father of the Moabites of today. The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites of today. (19: 31 -38)

亞伯拉罕和羅得成強烈對比 a big contrast between Abraham and Lot 亞伯拉罕清早起來，到他從前站在耶 和華面前的地方，向所多瑪和蛾摩拉， 以及平原全地觀望… Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD. He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain…

羅得因為怕住在瑣珥，就與他的兩個 女兒，一同離開瑣珥上了山，住在那 裡；他和兩個女兒住在一個洞裡。 Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. (19: 27 -28, 30)