8. Manna issue 94 - Reflecting on God’s Will through Viral Choreography Becoming Job and His Friends 透過網路爆紅舞蹈反省神的旨意 約伯與他的朋友
Meditating in the Field—Singapore 新加坡 - 田野上的沉思
He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
(Ps 91:4–7)
4他必用自己的翎毛遮蔽你；
你要投靠在他的翅膀底下；
他的誠實是大小的盾牌。
5你必不怕黑夜的驚駭，
或是白日飛的箭，
6也不怕黑夜行的瘟疫，
或是午間滅人的毒病。
7雖有千人仆倒在你旁邊，
萬人仆倒在你右邊，
這災卻不得臨近你。
（詩 91：4-7）
As I reflected on these verses,
I was into my fourth day of self-isolation.
That day, I also became part of national statistics of confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Sore throat, fatigue, headache, and body ache.
“Get some food at the supermarket and go home to rest.
Drink more water ah, ah-girl,” the doctor instructed.
In my drowsiness, I nodded obediently, saluted him,
and wondered how the old man before me could withstand the virulence of COVID-19
when seeing so many patients in a day.
At home, drifting in and out of consciousness between bouts of coughing and throat pain-induced silence,
I endured on.
In the liminal space between life and death, my mind began to wander.
Has God’s arm been shortened?
Have I become one of the thousands and ten thousands that fell beside me?
In theory, we should not fear,
but in practice, we all do.
Can the discrepancy between the Scripture and the number
that reflects the reality of sickness and death be reconciled?
Especially when the number also includes many who have been faithful to the Lord. [1] [2]
My fragmented thoughts were intermittently interrupted
by the screaming of ambulance sirens in the distance.
當我反思這些經節的時候，
我已經自我隔離第四天了。
那天，我也成為了國家新冠病毒確診病例統計數據的一部份。
喉嚨痛、疲勞、頭痛和全身酸痛。
“去超市買些食物，就回家休息了。
要多喝點水啊，啊姑娘。”醫生囑咐道。
昏昏沉沉中，我乖乖點點頭，向他行禮，
並且猜想我面前的老人，是怎麼能夠抵禦新冠病毒的毒力，
一天內要看這麼多位病人。
在家裡，在陣陣咳嗽和喉嚨疼痛引起的沉默中，意識恍恍惚惚，
我就一直忍著。
在生與死的邊緣，我的思緒開始徘徊。
神的手臂難道縮短了嗎？
難道我成了倒在自已身邊千萬人中的其中一個人嗎？
理論來說，我們不應該害怕，
但實際上，大家都很害怕。
難道聖經與反應生老病死現實數字之間的差異，
最後是可以相互接近嗎？
尤其是，這個數字還包括許多虔誠事奉主之人的時候。 [1] [2]
我支離破碎的思緒，被斷斷續續的打斷，
聽到了遠處傳來救護車的警報聲。
Since the pandemic outbreak at the end of 2019,
the world has danced with the virus as it moves and mutates.
People, capitals, and commodities that once circulated en mass around the globe came to a standstill.
In April 2020, the densely populated city-state of Singapore
implemented its first circuit-breaker (or lockdown) in an effort to curb the viral infection.
Changi Airport, which once thronged with travelers, became eerily empty.
Responding to the choreography of the virus,
people put on masks, rubbed hands with sanitizers,
washed hands, maintained safe distancing,
and scanned their phones upon entering public spaces.
Passersby walked briskly through the Central Business District along Orchard Road,
gazing downward with anxiety perched on their brows.
As the choreography of the virus evolved,
people configured and reconfigured their gatherings of duets, trios, fives, eights,
and finally, tens.
At work and school, people coordinated in shifts of staggered arrangement.
自 2019 年底新冠疫情爆發以來，
隨著病毒的移動和變異，世界一直都在與病毒共舞。
曾經全球大量流通的人員、資本和商品陷入了停滯。
2020 年4月，人口稠密的城邦新加坡，
實施了第一次斷電器（或是封城），以抑制病毒的感染。
曾經擠滿旅客的樟宜機場現，變得氣氛怪異冷冷清清。
隨著病毒的翩翩起舞，
大家戴上口罩，用消毒液磨擦雙手，
洗手、保持社交安全距離，
並且進入公共場所時，要掃描手機。
路人沿著烏節路輕快的穿過中央商業區，
他們視線低垂，眉宇間充滿焦慮。
隨著病毒的舞步編排進化，
人們開始組合，又再組合他們的二重奏、三重奏、五重奏、八重奏，
最後是十重奏的聚會。
在職場和學校中，大家交錯組合，輪流協調合作。
COVID-19 is more than a pandemic of viral infection.
It leads to other forms of physical, mental, sociocultural, and financial pandemics.
From Delta to Omicron and its subvariants,
I seek to reflect on God’s will through viral choreography.
By allowing His people to dance with the virus, I ask,
what does God want me to become?
In what ways
has God challenged my ingrained assumptions about Him and my relationship with Him?
How has my understanding of Him evolved as a result?
新冠疫情不僅僅是一次病毒感染的大流行。
它導致其他形式身體的、精神的、社會文化的和財務的流行病。
從病毒 Delta 到 Omicron 及病毒其子變種，
通過病毒式到處飛舞，我試著反省神的旨意。
因為允許祂的子民與病毒共舞，我詢問，
神要我成為什麼？
在那些方面，
神要挑戰我對祂，及我對我們之間關係根深蒂固的假設呢？
到最後，我對祂的了解是如何演變的呢？
UNDERSTANDING SUFFERING BEYOND THE DUALISM OF GOOD AND EVIL 明白超越善惡二元論的受苦
Job emerges as one of the most studied biblical characters since the pandemic erupted. [3]
Our understanding of him, a human being made to undergo profound suffering,
grows in complexity and nuance with increasing prevalence of Covid infection and reinfection.
In the eyes of his friends, Job’s suffering is commensurate with his wrongdoing.
Their reasoning is straightforward.
Good deeds yield good;
evil deeds yield evil.
This principle has been taught to generations through the Mosaic Law,
reinforced in King Solomon’s wisdom books,
and reiterated in the prophets’ warning messages throughout the Old Testament.
Even Jesus’ disciples reason in the same way.
When meeting a man born blind, they ask Jesus
if it is because of his sin or the sins of his parents
(Jn 9:3).
Judging by Job’s immense suffering,
his friends conclude with certainty he must have erred in the eyes of God
while still insisting himself to be righteous
(Job 31).
自從疫情爆發以來，約伯成為研究最多的聖經人物之一。 [3]
我們對他的理解，是一個遭受重大痛苦的人，
隨著新冠病毒的感染和再感染逐漸流行，其複雜性和細微差別隨之增加。
在他的朋友看來，約伯所受的苦難與他的壞事是相配的。
他們的推理很直接。
行善得善果；
行惡收惡果。
這個原則已經由摩西律法傳授給好幾代人了，
是所羅門王智慧書一再強調的，
於整個舊約先知警告的信息中，一再重申。
甚至耶穌的門徒也以同樣的方式推斷。
當遇見一個生來瞎眼之人的時候，他們問耶穌，
這是不是因為他的罪，或他父母的罪呢
（約 9：3）。
從約伯承受的巨大苦難來判斷，
他的朋友確信斷言，他在神眼中一定有錯，
雖然他仍然堅持自己是公義的
（伯 31）。
Pre-pandemic, it was easy to fall into the thinking mode of Job’s friends.
At the onset of the pandemic, stigmatization often followed those infected.
We wondered to ourselves that perhaps their suffering was divine punishment for something they had done.
However, as the virus continues to mutate,
we take turns walking in the shoes of Job and his friends.
In Singapore, at the time of writing, at least sixty percent of the population has been infected.
People take turns to play the roles of the sick and the caregiver,
the weak and the strong, the consoler and the consoled.
Through this constant role-switching process,
we gradually see Job with greater empathy.
The figure of Job is no longer the distant Other.
We are concurrently Job and his friends.
We begin to understand that many reasons contribute to human suffering.
The cause of suffering is far more complex
than the simplistic dualism of good-yields-good versus evil-yields-evil formula.
Suffering could result from multiple factors
and agents from the material and spiritual worlds coming into interaction.
Only God sees the entire picture and into the future.
疫情爆發之前，人很容易陷入約伯朋友的思維模式。
疫情爆發之時，感染者往往遭受羞辱。
我們心想，也許他們的痛苦是他們以前行為神的懲罰。
然而，隨著病毒不斷變異，
我們輪流處於約伯和他朋友的立場上。
截至撰寫本文之時，新加坡至少有 60% 的人口受到感染。
大家流扮演病人和照護人員的角色，
是弱者又是強者，是安慰者又是得到安慰的人。
經由不斷的角色轉變過程中，
我們漸漸對約伯有了更多的同理心。
約伯的形像不再是遠方他人。
我們同時是約伯和他的朋友。
我們開始明白，有很多造成人類痛苦的原因。
痛苦的原因非常的複雜，
超過了簡單的二元論，而不“善有善報”與“惡有惡報”的公式。
痛苦可能是多種因素造成的，
經由物質和精神世界的媒介相互作用。
只有神能看到整體的情況和未來。
SUFFERING IS EXTRA-ORDINARY 受苦是超凡的
Suffering is an extra-ordinary experience.
Though suffering is not uncommon,
it is immensely significant to the sufferer.
It disrupts the ordinariness of everyday life by throwing us off our usual rhythms and routines.
Suffering disappoints, saddens, and deprives us.
In life, we have expectations.
For instance, we may envision the kind of school we want to study at,
the kind of career path we want to take, the kind of family we want to build,
and the kind of retirement we eventually want to enjoy.
We may also expect to stay healthy and that our children will exceed our own accomplishments.
When we go through an experience in life that confirms our expectations,
it, in turn, reinforces the worldview that we hold.
Yet when we undergo an experience that disconfirms our expectations,
we go through stressful phases of denial and adjustment
in which we alter our expectations and worldview.
This psychological transition could last for years, decades,
or even a lifetime and is well documented and studied in trauma research. [4]
苦難是一種超凡的體驗。
雖然苦難並不少見，
這對受苦的人來說很重要。
它拋離我們平常的節奏和日常習慣，打斷了日常生活的平凡。
苦難使我們失望、悲傷，並且剝奪我們的權利。
生活中，我們都有期待。
例如，我們可能會預想自已想要就讀的學校類型，
自已想要走向怎樣的職涯道路，自已想要建立什麼樣子的家庭，
以及我們最後想要享受什麼樣的退休生活。
我們也或許期望可以保持健康，並且自已子女將會超越我們自已的成就。
當我們經歷過符合自已期望的生活體驗時，
反過來，它又強化了我們持有的世界觀。
然而，當我們經歷與自已期望不同的體驗時，
我們經歷了別人不認同和調整的壓力階段，
那時我們改變自已的期望和世界觀。
這種心理傾向的轉變可能會持續數年，數十年，
甚至持續了一生，並且是創傷研究會得到充分的記錄和研究。 [4]
Remember Job’s torrent of complaints?
Yes, he is thinking aloud to figure out what went wrong.
He is also readjusting his expectations in life and his relationship with God.
In short, Job’s ordinary life is disrupted when suddenly deprived of wealth, family, and health.
He is grappling with an extra-ordinary experience so much greater than him
that he cannot comprehend, explain, or completely accept.
It is difficult, if not impossible, to remain silent
when much pain, bitterness, and disillusionment are pent up inside.
你還記得約伯滔滔不絕的抱怨嗎？
是的，他正用力思考，想找出問題所在。
他也在重新調整自已生命的期望，以及自已與神的關係。
簡而言之，遇到財富、家庭和健康突然被奪取之時，約伯的平凡生活就受到破壞。
他正極盡全力應對比他偉大的超凡體驗，
他無法理解，解釋，或是完全接受。
當遇到極大的疼痛、苦楚和期待破滅被壓抑於內心的時候，
保持沉默很難，即使是不可能的。
REMAINING SILENT AND PRAYERFUL IN SUFFERING 受苦時保持沉默常常禱告
Yet silence is golden when in suffering.
When eventually confronted by God, Job replies:
然而，苦難中，沉默是金。
而最終面對神的時候，約伯回答說：
“Behold, I am vile;
What shall I answer You?
I lay my hand over my mouth.
Once I have spoken, but I will not answer;
Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”
(Job 40:4–5)
“4我是卑賤的！
我用甚麼回答你呢？
只好用手摀口。
5我說了一次，再不回答；
說了兩次，就不再說。”
（伯 40：4-5）
Similarly, in Jeremiah’s lamentation over Israel’s plight, he concludes:
同樣，對於以色列的困境，耶利米哀歌得出結論：
“It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the LORD. …
Let him sit alone and keep silent,
Because God has laid it on him.”
(Lam 3:26, 28)
“26人仰望耶和華，
靜默等候他的救恩，這原是好的。
28他當獨坐無言，
因為這是耶和華加在他身上的。”
（哀 3：26，28）
When Paul suffers criticism from the church, he responds:
當保羅受到教會的批評時，他回答：
But with me it is a very small thing
that I should be judged by you or by a human court.
In fact, I do not even judge myself.
...Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes,
who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts.
(1 Cor 4:3, 5a)
3我被你們論斷，或被別人論斷，
我都以為極小的事；
連我自己也不論斷自己。
5所以，時候未到，甚麼都不要論斷，只等主來，
祂要照出暗中的隱情，顯明人心的意念。
(林前 4：3，5a)
As human beings, we like the reassurance of clear and quick answers.
They settle us with a sense of security.
They guarantee that no further intellectual hard work or soul-searching is required on our part.
In contrast, silence denotes indeterminacy and inconclusiveness.
There is a lack of closure.
Yet remaining silent is a powerful assertion of God’s absolute sovereignty.
It is also the sufferer’s resolution to honor that sovereignty.
身為人類，我們喜歡清晰和快速答案的保證。
他們會帶給我們安全感。
它們保證，我們不需要進一步的學術努力用功，或是自我反省。
相反的，沉默代表了不確定性和沒有下結論。
缺乏結局。
然而，保持沉默是一種神有絕對主權的強力主張。
這也是受苦者決心去尊重神的主權。
What does God want us to do when in silence?
In the depth of a pit, Jeremiah calls on the name of the Lord
(Lam 3:55).
He knows God does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men
(Lam 3:33).
When Jonah is trapped in the belly of a giant fish, he prays:
神希望我們安靜的時候做什麼ocf ？
在深牢中，耶利米呼求耶和華的名
（哀歌 3：55）。
他知道，神不甘心使人子受苦或憂愁
（哀歌 3：33）。
當約拿困在一條大魚的肚子裡時，他祈禱：
Yet You have brought up my life from the pit. …
When my soul fainted within me,
I remembered the LORD;
And my prayer went up to You,
Into Your holy temple.
(Jon 2:6b–7)
6你卻將我的性命從坑中救出來。...
7我心在我裡面發昏的時候，
我就想念耶和華。
我的禱告進入你的聖殿，
達到你的面前。
（拿 2：6b-7）
After communing with God, Jonah returns to his mission.
Similarly, Job’s conversation with God is a series of prayers that allows him to process his suffering.
In the end, Job recalibrates his understanding of God and his own positioning.
He professes,
“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You”
(Job 42:5).
Through trauma, denial, and finally re-comprehending his relationship with God,
Job is released from his suffering.
與神交談後，約拿返回自已的使命。
同樣的，約伯與神談話是一系列的祈禱，讓他能夠處理自己的痛苦。
最終，約伯重新調整自已對神的認知與自己的定位。
他聲稱，
“5我從前風聞有你，現在親眼看見你。”
（伯 42：5）。
經過創傷、否定，並且最後重新了解自已與神的關係，
約伯從痛苦中釋放出來。
WE ARE JOB AND HIS FRIENDS 我們就是約伯和他的朋友
If remaining silent and prayerful is God’s will for those in suffering,
what then is God’s desire for those who keep their company?
Job’s three friends are certainly on the right track at the start.
They come together by agreement and visit Job with the intention of comforting him.
In deep grief, they sit with him seven days and nights.
No one says a word upon witnessing Job’s immense suffering.
However, after hearing Job’s complaints, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar become judgmental.
They take turns to expound on God’s justice.
Their knowledge of God is unimpeachable.
But none of them can identify the cause of Job’s suffering.
Elihu, a young man who waits for his turn to speak,
eventually becomes frustrated by all three of them
because they condemn Job before they can even convince him
(Job 32:3).
如果保持沉默和常常禱告，是神給那些受苦之人的旨意，
那麼，什麼是神給那些陪伴之人的期望呢？
開頭的時候，約伯的三個朋友一定是走在正確的軌路上。
他們約好一起聚集去拜訪約伯，想要安慰他。
懷著深沉的哀痛，與他坐在一起七天七夜。
目睹了約伯巨大的痛苦，卻沒有人說一句話。
然而，聽到約伯的抱怨之後，以利法、比勒達和瑣法開始帶有主觀判斷。
他們輪流闡述神的公義。
他們對神的認識是無懈可擊的。
但是他們都無法找出約伯受苦的原因。
以利戶，是一位等待發言的年輕人，
最終對他們三個人都感到很沮喪，
因為他們在說服約伯之前，就譴責了他
（伯 32：3）。
Through the viral choreography of COVID-19,
God has shown us we can be Job or his friends at any point in time.
With the help of historical hindsight recorded in the Bible
and through the study of psychology,
we could argue that Job is going through a transition process after a major trauma.
If it is God’s will for an individual to go through a period of readjustment,
those surrounding him or her are in no place to come to their own conclusions.
At this juncture, Job needs his friends’ presence, prayers, food supplies,
and access to daily necessities.
Their company and prayers are to spiritually uplift Job
in overcoming the extra-ordinary experience he is going through.
The friends provide food and daily necessities
to maintain the ordinary routine of Job’s everyday life,
which would make him feel grounded.
If we refer to Brennan’s socio-cognitive model of transition in Appendix 1,
where would you place yourself in the diagram as a friend?
If you were Job, where would you like to place your friend?
Take out a pen and draw yourself into the diagram.
通過新冠疫情病毒的飛舞，
神已經向我們顯明，在任何時間，我們都可能成為約伯，或是他的朋友。
借助聖經記載歷史的後見之明，
並且通過心理學的研究，
我們可以議論說，約伯正經歷一次重大創傷後的轉變過程。
如果這是神的旨意，要讓一個人經歷一段調整的時期，
那些圍繞在他或她身邊的人，是沒有資格做出他們自己結論的。
此時此刻，約伯需要他很多朋友的陪伴，代禱，供給食物，
以及獲得日常用品。
他們的陪伴和祈禱，是可以在屬靈上提升約伯，
去克服他正在經歷的超凡體驗。
很多朋友提供食物和日常用品，
可以保持約伯日常生活的正常規律，
這會讓他覺得比較踏實。
如果我們參考附錄 1 ，布倫南的社會認知轉型模型，
作為朋友，你會把自己定位在圖表中的那個位置？
如果你是約伯，你會想要把自已的朋友安置在那裡呢？
拿出一支筆，把自己畫到圖中。
By dancing with the virus for the last three years,
we come to understand that we can be Job
or his friends at any given point in time.
When we are Job, remaining silent and prayerful is golden in times of trials and tribulations.
When we are his friends, God requires us to bring comfort
—through our presence, prayers, non-judgment,
and provision of food and daily supplies.
過去三年與病毒共舞共存，
我們才開始明白，自已在任何的特定時點，
可以成為約伯，或是他的朋友。
當我們是約伯的時候，在考驗和磨難時，保持沉默和常常祈禱就很重要。
當我們是他朋友的時候，神要求我們帶來安慰，
—經由我們的同在、祈禱、保持客觀，
並且供給食物和日常所需。
Appendix 1: 附錄1
Figure 1: Adapted from Social-Cognitive Transition Model of Adjustment (Brennan 2001)
圖 1：改編自社會認知轉變調整模型（Brennan 2001）
[1] Jia Li Liao,
“Please Give Me Understanding” [Mandarin], YouTube, sermon, October 29, 2022,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNsk-cPpgoI.
Jia Li Liao,
“Heart of a Servant, Hope of a Child” [Mandarin], YouTube, sermon, October 29, 2022,
https://www.youtube.com/live/SmeYxt2AMr8?feature=share.
The speaker delivered these sermons after his wife’s sudden passing due to COVID-19.
[1] 廖家立，
“求?賜我悟性”[普通話]，YouTube，講道，2022 年 10 月 29 日，
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNsk-cPpgoI。
廖家立，
“僕心兒女情” [普通話]，YouTube，佈道，2022 年 10 月 29 日，
https://www.youtube.com/live/SmeYxt2AMr8?feature=share。
講道者在他的妻子因新冠疫情突然去世後，進行了這些講道。
[2] Wen Ji Wang, Su Hui Liao, and Ming Wei Yang,
“Missionary Films Himself Counting Fire Trucks” [Traditional Chinese], Yahoo! News, July 1, 2021,
https://tw.news.yahoo.com/傳教士直播數消防車-以為自己能獲救-201000987.html.
[2] 王文吉，廖素慧，楊明暐，
《傳教士直播數消防車，以為自己能獲救》[繁體中文]，雅虎！ 新聞，2021 年 7 月 1 日，
https://tw.news.yahoo.com/傳教士直播數字消防車-以為自己能獲救-201000987.html。
[3] Timothy Yeung, “A Failing Comforter,” YouTube, sermon, November 22, 2022,
https://youtu.be/8rrctxOsiRg.
[3] 楊志豪，“失敗的安慰者”，YouTube，講道，2022 年 11 月 22 日，
https://youtu.be/8rrctxOsiRg。
[4] J Brennan, “Adjustment to cancer – coping or personal transition?,”
Psycho-oncology 10, no. 1 (January/February 2001): 1–18.
James Brennan offers us an insight into the different stages of suffering from a psychological perspective.
See Appendix 1 for visual reference.
[4] J Brennan，“癌症調整——調適，還是個人轉變？”
心理腫瘤學 10，No. 1（2001 年 1 月/ 2 月）：1-18。
詹姆斯·布倫南（James Brennan）從心理學的角度，讓我們對於痛苦的不同階段有深入的認知。
請參閱附錄 1 ，圖像參考。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
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