7. Manna issue 82 - Hard Hearts 硬心
How to avoid hardening your
heart against God.
如何避免自已硬心，違背神
Based on a sermon by Jachin—Singapore
節錄自新加坡雅斤的講道
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the
rebellion,
In the day of trial in the wilderness,
Where your fathers tested Me, tried
Me,
And saw My works forty years.
Therefore I was angry with that
generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in
their heart,
And they have not known My ways.’
So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”
(Heb 3:7–11)
7聖靈有話說：你們今日若聽他的話，
8就不可硬著心，像在曠野惹他發怒、試探他的時候一樣。
9在那裡，你們的祖宗試我探我，並且觀看我的作為有四十年之久。
10所以，我厭煩那世代的人，說：他們心裡常常迷糊，竟不曉得我的作為！
11我就在怒中起誓說；他們斷不可進入我的安息。
(來 3：7-11)
The early Jewish Christians would
have found this passage, borrowed
from the Psalms by the author of
Hebrews, very familliar. Faced with
the wave of anti-Christian persecution
that swept the Roman Empire, these
Jewish converts might have yearned
for the comfort and stability their old
religion, Judaism, had afforded them.
Their decision to remain faithful to
Jesus required a lot of spiritual grit.
早期的猶太基督徒，會發現這個經節很熟悉，00
因為這節是由希伯來書的作者，從詩篇借用而來。
面對了一波波反基督徒迫害的聲浪，橫掃了整個羅馬帝國，
這些猶太改信基督的人，
或許會渴望以前猶太教裡面給予他們的舒適和安穩。
然而他們仍能作決定要效忠基督，
需要在屬靈上有極大的勇氣。
It is against this backdrop of
persecution and pressure to forget
Jesus that the author of Hebrews
penned his epistle. Instead of relaying
cliched consolations, he chose to
remind the early Christians of the
ancient Israelites who were once
like them—persecuted, confused,
and never lacking in enemies. And
just as He was with the Israelites,
the almighty one true God was on
their side. Yet these Israelites mostly
perished in the wilderness. The author
warned his audience not to be like
them. In fact, the Israelites were a
privileged group: they heard the very
voice of God, and saw His mighty
works. They were also taught the
laws of God. But sadly, they rebelled
against Him. The author of Hebrews
diagnosed the primary cause of their
downfall: hardened hearts. When
one’s heart is hardened, one is not
able to respond appropriately to what
God has done.
希伯來書的作者，在對抗著受迫害的背景，
及面對忘記耶穌的壓力之下，寫下了這卷書信。
沒有去用老套的安慰方式，
他選擇去提醒這些早期的基督徒，
以前古以色列人也曾經像他們一樣，
受逼迫，感到很混亂，從來不缺乏敵人出現在身邊。
就如同過去神和以色列人同在，
全能獨一的真神也和他們基督徒同在。
雖說這些以前的以色列人，大部份都在曠野裡面死亡了。
希伯來書的作著警告讀者，不要像他們當初一樣。
事實上，以色列人是有特權的一群人；
他們真真實實聽到了神的聲音，看過祂手上大能的工作。
他們也被授予神的律法。
但是很可惜的是，這些以色列人都背棄了祂。
希伯來書的作者，推論出他們墮落的主要原因：硬心。
當一個人的心變硬了，人們就不能對神的作為有合宜的反應。
Hence, the hardening of one’s
heart is a pitfall that every Christian
must guard against. It happened to
journey. It happened to the Jewish
Christians at the time of the writing
of the Book of Hebrews. It could also
happen to us today.
因此，人的硬心，就是一種陷井，
是每個基督徒都要小面謹慎面對的。
這種情形發生在曠野之旅。
這種情形發生在當時希伯來書寫作的猶太基督徒身上。
也會發生在今日的我們身上。
MURMURING MEN 愛抱怨的人
How can we identify a hardened
heart? A striking symptom of this
spiritual disease is the vile practice
of complaining—the favorite habit
of a group of people Jude would
later call “grumblers.” The Israelites
were a querulous people. Beginning
with their first complaint, recorded
in Numbers 11, it is clear that the
Israelites expressed little else during
their wanderings apart from their
dissatisfaction about how God was
leading them.
我們要怎麼認出人的硬心呢？
這種屬靈疾病的顯著特徵，
就是發出抱怨的這種惡劣行為 -
這就是猶大書裡面所提到的，
有一群人最人作這種事，也變成他們最愛的習慣，
後來猶大書叫這些人，"是愛抱怨的人"。
以色列人是一群愛發牢騷的人。
在民數記11章裡記載了，他們開始了第一次的發怨言，
很明顯的，以色列人除了對神怎麼帶領他們厭，有些許不滿意之外，
還表現出其他一些人不同的東西。
We do not know the reasons for
the Israelites’ first complaint (Num
11:1–3). They were probably tired
and frustrated with their journey in
the wilderness, as well as the harsh
living conditions. Moses, when
recalling those forty long years as a
nomad, remarked poignantly that the
wilderness was a “great and terrible
place” (Deut 8:15). Their trek, which
lasted almost half a century, was
no fun, to say the least; travelling
defenseless (or so they thought)
amidst foreign and hostile kingdoms
did not make things easier. They
would endure all this to fight, quite
possibly to the death, for a strange
land to call their own. The odds were
stacked against these former slaves,
led by a shepherd wielding a wooden
rod. Why did they complain? Well,
it seems like they had every right to.
Why, then, was God so displeased
with them?
我們不知道，這些以色列人第一次發怨言的原因。
(民 11：1-30)
或許他們在曠野的旅程中，
感到很疲倦，感到很灰心。
此外，還有很嚴刻的生活環境。
當摩西回想起，這像遊牧民族的40年生活之時，
很恰當的這麼說，曠野真是一個
"大而可怕的地方"
(申 8：15)
他們艱苦的旅程，持續了將近半個世紀，
至少可以說是一點很不有趣；
一點都沒有防禦在四處旅行(至少他們是這樣想著)，
身處在有敵意的外國之間，所有的事情處理起來一點都不簡單。
他們要承受上面一切的情況，出去戰鬥，
而且有很大的可能會戰死，
為的是取得這一片他們自已所擁有的奇怪之地。
形勢對之前這些為奴的人是非常的不利，
他們由一位牧羊人，揮舞著一隻木杖帶領他們。
為什麼他們會發怨言呢？
看起來他們就有權這麼作，
那麼為何，神對他們的表現是這麼不高興呢？
Apostle Paul tells us that we
should not harden our hearts “as in
the rebellion” (Heb 3:8). If we are
always complaining about our life,
we are complaining against God and
what He has given us. This was the
reason why God was displeased with
the Israelites (Num 11). When they
complained, they were not making
harmless complaints about the
scorching sun. They complained that
God had allowed them to suffer in
the wilderness. This was the first sign
of a heart hardening against God’s
love. Their complaints angered God,
and He sent fire to burn them; hence,
they named the place Taberah (which
means “burning.”) They complained
and they were burned.
使徒保羅告訴我們，
我們不該硬心，就如
"試探他的時候一樣。"
(來 3：8)
若我們總是抱怨自已的生活，
我們就是對神和神給我們的一切，發怨言。
這就是為什麼神不高興以色列人的原因。
(民 11)
當他們開怨言，不是對烈日發發無害的怨言而已。
他們發怨的事是，神讓他們在曠野中受苦。
這就是硬心，違背神的愛，會有的第一種徵兆。
他們發怨言，就讓神生氣了，
神就降下火來要燒光他們；
因為那地之名為他備拉，(意思為焚燒)。
他們因為發怨言，所以就被燒光了。
A lesson for us Christians is that we
have so much more at stake than the
non-believer when we complain. The
non-believer trusts only in himself and
his ability to shape his own path, and
therefore all his complaints amount to
nothing more than emotional venting
or self-critique. We Christians, on
the other hand, trust that God has
a plan for us and that His love and
grace are constantly guiding us. This
guidance helps us to become stronger
and better, despite, and sometimes
because of, what we have to fight
our way through. When the Christian
complains, he does not just deny the
grace given him, he could be denying
God!
對我們基督徒而言，所能得到的教訓是，
當我們發怨言之時，就比未信主之人，承擔了更大的風險。
未信主之人只相信自已，
他的能力會形塑他所走出來的道路，
所以他一切的怨言都沒有什麼，
只不過是一種情緒發洩的出口，一種自我批判。
另一方面，我們基督徒相信，神在我們身上有祂的計劃，
也相信祂的慈愛和恩典會一直帶領著我們。
這樣的帶領，會幫助我們變得更堅強，變得更美好，
雖然有時候，因為，我們要經由一翻努力才能找到出路。
當基督徒發怨言之時，
他不只否認了自身得到的恩典，
他也可能正否認了神的一切！
CONTAGION 傳染
There are countless instances of the
Israelites complaining. The second
example of their rancorous nature,
recorded straight after the first,
shows us the grave infectiousness of
complaining (Num 11:4–6).
以色列人有許多發怨言的例子。
他們怨恨本性的第二個例子，就記載在，
第一個事件之後，立刻出現，
向我們展現了，發怨言所帶來的重大傳染性。
Not long after the embers from
God’s punishing fire had died, the non-
Israelites who were with the group—
the “mixed multitudes”—began to
yearn for the luxuries of Egypt. They
had no complaint about the sweltering
heat or the dry and inhospitable land.
But these Gentiles bemoaned the lack
of variety in the food that was being
sent to them directly from heaven.
The Israelites, hearing the rising
voices of dissatisfaction from within
their ranks, also joined in the outrage
over the manna that had for so long
satisfied them. In melodramatic
fashion, the children of Israel wept
bitterly, beating their breasts as they
once again insulted their God and the
boundless grace that had bought them
their liberty and lives—for the sake of
fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onion
and garlic (Num 11:5). The entire
nation of Israel was affected by the
complaints started by a small group of
people.
才在神處罰的列火結束的火描熄滅之後，
那些加人以色列群體的非以色列八-
"混在一起的眾人" - 開始渴望著以前埃及的富饒。
他們對此地的悶熱，乾燥，和荒涼，沒有怨言。
但是這些外邦人，雖然有食物從天上直接送給他們，
卻為了食材太過於單調，而頻頻抱怨。
雖說一直以來，以色列人都能接受嗎哪，
但在聽到了他們行列之中，出現的不滿之聲，
以色列人也參與了這股對食物不滿的暴動。
用著戲劇化的表現方式，
以色列子民都在痛苦的哭泣，捶著胸，
就再一次罵著神，及祂帶來自由及生命的廣大恩典 -
因為想要吃魚，黃瓜，西瓜，韭菜，洋蔥，和大蒜。
(民 11：5)
而整個以色列國，被這由一小群人，
所發起的怨言所影響。
With God guiding them on their
wilderness journey, the Israelites
had much to rejoice about and
little to whine over. Admittedly, the
wilderness was great and terrible; the
desert can be scorching in the day,
and freezing at night. However, God
specially cared for them. He provided
them with a pillar of cloud by day, to
shield them from the full heat of the
sun. At night, He provided them with
the pillar of fire, to provide warmth.
Ironically, they could see the pillar of
cloud and fire every day. But they did
not see the grace of God which was
right before their eyes.
他們在曠野的旅程中，有神的帶領，
以色列人有很多可以高興的地方，
很少有機會可以抱怨。
無可否認的，曠野是大而可畏之地；
沙漠在白天的時候，非常的炎熱，
晚上卻是非常的寒冷。
但是神特別照顧他們。
他在白天的時候，為他們預備了雲柱，
為他們阻擋了太陽在熱力照射。
晚上的時候，祂準備了火柱，讓他們有溫暖。
諷刺的是，他們每天都可以看到雲柱和火柱。
但他們卻沒有看到神的恩典，
而這些恩典正是發生在他們的眼前。
If we examine our own lives
honestly, we know in our heart of
hearts that we, too, have much to
rejoice about and little to whine over.
The trouble is that we are envious
creatures, obsessed with comparing
ourselves to others. To make things
worse, many of us enjoy sharing
our troubles with others—not as
part of an effort to solve them or to
find consolation, but to have others
affirm our grievances and support
their legitimacy with choruses of
approval. This is an unhealthy habit
that, while superficially harmless, can
slowly make us forget God’s grace in
our lives. A single grumble can drown
out praises of thanksgiving; a small
shadow of negativity can blind us to
the light of grace that always shines
our way. It is for this reason that Paul
instructs:
若我們誠誠實實的檢討自已的生，
我們知道在自已的內心深處，
我們也有很多的事情可以高興，
很少有事情可以讓我們來抱怨。
問題是，我們是一種很會忌妒的動物，
很喜歡拿自已去和別人比較，不能自拔。
讓事情更糟的是，
我們許多人都很喜歡和別人分享自已的困難 -
這並不是作為解決自已問題，而付出努力，或是得到安慰，
而是為了得到別人對自已抱怨的認可，
並且因為別人異口同聲，可以合理化這樣的怨言。
這是一種不太健康的習慣，
雖然表面上看起來沒有損傷，，
但卻會讓我們在生活中，慢慢忘記了神的恩典。
一個怨言淹沒感謝的讚美之聲；
一小片負面的陰影，就能遮蔽那照亮在我們路上的恩典之光。
就是這個原故，保羅才指教我們：
Finally, brethren, whatever things
are true, whatever things are noble,
whatever things are just, whatever
things are pure, whatever things are
lovely, whatever things are of good
report, if there is any virtue and if
there is anything praiseworthy—
meditate on these things. (Phil 4:8)
8弟兄們，我還有未盡的話：
凡是真實的、可敬的、公義的、清潔的、可愛的、有美名的，
若有甚麼德行，若有甚麼稱讚，這些事你們都要思念。
(腓 4：8)
A LITTLE THING 最小的一件事
But how exactly are we to follow
Paul’s exhortation? Keeping our
heads and hearts sanctified seems
to be a tall order for the modern
Christian, so plugged into the world
and all that it has to offer, both good
and bad. If complaining is a bad
habit, then we would need to adopt
good habits to overcome its insidious
nature. One effective habit would be
to take a short moment every day, in
the calm of the morning or the lull of
the evening, to remember one good
thing that has happened recently or
a blessing in your life that has gone
unappreciated for a while. This habit
is as timeless as the instructive hymn
Count Your Blessings because it is an
exceedingly simple thing to do, yet so
powerful and life-altering. The goal of
a grateful faith, and the antidote to
complaining, is not to invent great and
fantastical events to be attributed to
Providence, but to find the miraculous
in the mundane, and to be thankful
for it.
但是我們究竟是怎樣在遵行保羅的勸告呢？
要保持身心聖潔，對現代的基督徒而言，
所以深入世界，及深入世界所呈現的一切事物，
無論好壞，似乎都是無理的要求。
若怨言是一種壞習慣，
那麼我們就要用好習慣，來克服其暗中危害我們的特性。
每天用一小段時間來作，就是一個很有效的習慣，
在早晨安靜的時刻，或是在晚上暫歇片刻，
在此時，若能記得最近發生的一件好事，
或是生活中有一段時間沒有受到注意的祝福。
這個習慣就像讚美詩，數算恩典一樣，不但很有建設性，又值得永久保持。
因為這是一個極其簡單可實行的事，
但是卻是那麼的有能力，又能改變人的一生。
有感謝之心的信仰目標，及解決一發怨言的方法，
不是去發明出偉大又空想的事情，把這些事歸功予神，
而是平凡的生活中，發現這作行神蹟的神，
並且因而獻上自已的感謝。
WANDERING HEARTS 飄浮的心
We have seen the way a hard heart
murmurs, and we have seen how
quickly and mercilessly complaints can
spread. As we follow the Israelites’
journey to Canaan, we see the
consequences of a hard heart.
我們已經一路看下來，看到一個個硬心的人發怨言，
我們也看到怨言是多麼的快速又無情地散佈出去。
我們隨著以色列人到迦南地的一路旅程中，
看到了硬心的後果。
Hard hearts are lost hearts. This is
the terse and tragic lesson that the
Israelite story teaches. Hard hearts
belong to people who no longer truly
believe in God’s grace and will for
their lives, simply because they do not
wish to believe.
硬心其實就是迷失自已。
這就是以色列人的故事，
所要教導我們又簡單又悲劇的一課。
硬心就是屬於那些人，他們不再真的相信，
在生活中，有神恩典和旨意在其中，
原因只不過是他們不希望去信。
What could have persuaded the
ancient Hebrews that God was truly
on their side? That the Red Sea was
parted by a prayer was not enough.
That pillars of cloud and fire guarded
their sleep and steered their steps was
not enough. That manna from the
heavens delivered itself at their feet
was not enough. Miracle after miracle,
grace upon grace—yet nothing could
quell the rebellion that insisted on
remaining in their hearts. Maybe
miracles are too fleeting. Perhaps that
is the funny thing about great and
powerful interventions from God:
they make for edifying testimonies
and awe-inspiring anecdotes, but
in the hustle-and-bustle of our daily
struggles, they are easily put aside
and forgotten.
到底有什麼事件，可以勸勉以前的希伯來人，
讓他們了解神是真的站在他們那一邊呢？
紅海因著祈禱而分開是還不足夠的。
雲柱火柱保護著半群，帶領著他們的腳步，是不夠的。
天上降下嗎哪在他們的腳前，是不夠的。
一個接著一個的神蹟，一個接著一個的恩典 -
然而卻沒有任何事，可以平息那堅持存留在他們心中的背逆。
或許神蹟來的快去的也很。
或許，從神而來，偉大又強而有力的介入，是太過於好笑了：
他們被當作造就人的見証，及令人敬畏的奇事，
但在我們每日努力的忙碌之中，
這些事都很容易被放在一邊，被遺忘了。
Even so, God had also demonstrated
His unfailing love for them in the
small things. From chapters 1 to 10
of Numbers, we read of the Creator
preparing everything for the Israelites,
including the most specific minutiae
regarding their assembly, their
leadership and their rituals. Everything
was planned for them, down to the
last detail.
即使這樣，神也依然在小事上，
給他們展現出不變的愛。
從民數記第一章到第十章，
我們看到造物主為以色列人準備了一切，
包括有關他們會眾聚會，領導傳承，各種儀式，
種種最特別最微小的事情。
一切都為他們準備，甚至到非常詳盡的細節。
Still, God’s actions could not move
the Israelites to true thanksgiving.
Instead, they yielded to their “intense
craving” (Num 11:4) and protested
God’s directions. They rejected God’s
rule because, from their perspective,
all that there was in the wilderness was
suffering. But, in fact, God’s intention
was to humble and test them, to do
them good in the end (Deut 8:16).
盡管如此，神的行為仍然不能打動以色列人，發出感謝的心。
相反地，他們大起"貪慾"
(民 11：4)
抗拒神的指示。
他們拒絕神的標準，因為從他們的角度來看，
在曠野裡所有的一切事，就只有受苦。
但事實上，神的意思，就要讓他們謙卑，測試他們，
讓他們在最後可以得到好處。
(申 8：16)
A THAW WE MUST WORK FOR 我們一定要努力融化硬心
How are we to thaw a heart long
hardened? Or, for that matter, how
are we to guard against hardening in
the first place? What is most obvious
in the Israelites’ gradual decline is
that they developed a habit of giving
in to their temptations. Their sin was
never that they longed for better
things; it is only natural for man to
feel discontent from time to time.
What began as mere longing quickly
became resentment and, finally,
remonstrations of anger as they
directed blame at their Redeemer—a
deterioration made possible only
because they loved their temptations
more than they loved God.
我們要怎麼去融化一顆長久以來就很硬的心呢？
或是，就這方面而言，我們要怎麼在一開始的時候，
就保守住內心，不會變硬心呢？
對於以色列人逐漸變軟弱，最明顯的事情，
就是他們有了一種習慣，在試探之中投降了。
他們的罪，從來不是因為他們想要更好的事物；
對人而言，有時候會感到不滿足，只是一件很自然的事。
但從只是很想到，到馬上很快變成怨恨，
到最後，當他們真接責怪自已的救主，變為憤怒抗議的行動-
這樣一種墮落成為一種事實，
只因為他們喜愛自已所遇到的試探，
大於他們喜愛神的事。
Christianity does not call for a
radically ascetic or monastic way of
life. Yet, to be able to stand righteous
and pure before God we have to
struggle with the temptations we
will invariably meet, and the best
way to kill temptation is to starve it.
Practically speaking, this means that
every time we find ourselves in a
compromising situation that threatens
our spiritual integrity, which will
burden our conscience and distress
the Holy Spirit within us, we have to
emphatically start with defiance. To
defy temptation, and not enter into
it, is the first critical step. We must
pray for the strength to resist (Mt
6:13; 26:41). Secondly, it is important
that we run away from our lusts, and
avoid any situation where we could be
tempted (2 Tim 2:22)—for example,
choosing not to attend a party where
we know drinking, dancing, and sinful
activities will take place.
基督教的呼召，並不是在生活中，
進行著極端僧侶式的苦行。
然而，為了能在神的前，保持公義和純潔，
我們就要與各種所遇見的試探爭鬥，
要能殺滅試探的最好方法，就是讓它餓死。
實際來說，就是意謂著，每次當我們自已陷在一種妥協的情況時，
會威脅到我們的靈性品德之時，
這種情況會讓我們的良心背負重擔，
讓住在內心的聖靈感到擔憂，
我們就要斷然地開始反抗。
要對抗試探，而不是走入其中，就是第一個重要的步驟。
我們要禱告祈求神加添力量來抵擋。
(太 6：13；26：41)
第二，遠離情慾是很重要的，
要避免任何會讓我們遇到試探的情況 -
(提後 2：22)
例如，選擇不要參加那些我們知道有喝酒，跳舞，
會發生各種罪惡活動的聚會。
Once we have taken these steps,
it is easier to make a stand for God
and finally relegate past temptations
to a distant memory, replaced by
a disciplined commitment to our
Christian values.
一旦我們踏出這些腳步，
就容易為主站穩立場，
最後可以減少各種試探，
讓他們成為一種記憶，
用這些自律的義務取代試探，
而成為基督徒的好品行。
CONCLUSION 結論
“What do I really need?”"我們到底需要什麼？"
There are no easy answers. At the
peak of our success, we may jubilantly
give thanks for all of God’s blessings,
feeling so fulfilled that we cannot
conceive of ever having been in want
or in need of anything. Yet these are
fleeting moments that never quite
last long enough for us to understand
what true contentment is. In a world
of unending hyper-consumerism
that rewards the greedy so richly,
it is difficult for a Christian to grasp
what Jesus meant when He said: “But
seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things
shall be added to you” (Mt 6:33).
The corporation, the student, and the
banker know only the contentment
that the world teaches them; they
learn that to be content is to have
all their needs and desires satiated.
The Christian must learn differently:
being content is ultimately not
about satisfying ourselves, it is about
satisfying God. This is a demanding
call. It is also a most necessary one.
For the only honest reply the assured
Christian can give to the question
above— “What do I really need?”—
is “God.”
其實沒有簡單的答案。
在我們站在成功的巔峰之時，
我們會高高興興的感謝所有神一切的祝福，
在感到很滿足的時候，
甚至我們會忘了自已曾經東缺西缺，生活匱乏。
然而我們體驗這些一瞬間快樂之時，
他們並沒有維持很久，久到讓我們可以明白什麼才是真正的滿足。
身處於一個無止無盡過度消費的世界之中，
大大的滋養著每個人心裡頭貪心的慾望，
對基督徒而言，
要明白當時耶穌所說下面這一句話的意思，是有點困難的。
33你們要先求他的國和他的義，這些東西都要加給你們了。
(太 6：33)
公司，學生及銀行家，只知道世界所教導他們的一種滿足；
他們只學會，要能夠滿足，
就去擁有一切所需的東西，滿足一切的慾望。
而基督徒卻要用不同的方式學習：
要得到滿足，並不是要一直滿足自已，
而是要讓神得到滿足。
這是一種強制的要求。
而它也是一種最需要達成的一種要求。
對基督徒而言，有信心基督徒唯一可以給予的答案，
唯一誠實的答案，可以對應上面的問題 -
"我們到底需要什麼？"
答案其實就是 "我們需要神"。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
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