Manna issue 83 - The Only Potentate 唯一的君王
Despite the failures of man, God’s will
never fails.
人會失足，但神永不失敗。
KC Tsai—Toronto, Canada
(譯者: Joshua Bloomwitz)
"My grace is sufficient for you,
for My strength is made perfect in
weakness."(2 Cor 12:9b)
「我的能力是在人的軟弱上顯得完全」(歌林多後書12章9節)
GRACE WITHIN THE THORN 在「刺」上看見神的恩典
The apostle Paul, a loyal servant of
the Lord, was troubled by a thorn in
the flesh. He called it a “messenger
of Satan.” It is possible that this was
a health condition (2 Cor 12:9), or a
metaphor for “deceitful workers,”
who disguised themselves as apostles
of Christ to attack and confuse the
gospel that Paul preached (2 Cor
11:3–15). Paul pleaded with God
three times to remove the thorn,
but the Lord answered, “My grace
is sufficient for you, for My strength
is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor
12:9b). Paul then realized that the
thorn was actually God’s grace, to
prevent him, as one who had received
many spiritual revelations from God,
from becoming proud. Although
Satan had an evil purpose to disrupt
the gospel through this affliction,
God masterfully turned this deceitful
scheme to benefit His servant.
Through the thorn, Paul was guarded
against pride.
神忠誠的使徒保羅常受肉身之刺的苦，
他叫這根刺「撒旦的使者」這根刺指的可能是他的健康狀況
(歌林多後書12章9節)
或是暗喻攻擊真理並混淆信徒的「假使徒」
(歌林多後書11章3-5節)
保羅三次求告神，請祂除去自己身上的刺，
但神回道「我的恩典夠你用，因為我的能力是在人的軟弱上顯得完全」
(歌林多後書12章9節下半)，
保羅這才明白，這根刺是神的恩典，
為要避免從神領受許多啟示的他心生驕傲。
雖然撒旦的陰謀是讓福音在這樣的痛苦下中斷，
但大能的神將撒旦的詭計撥正成為保羅的助力，
保羅正是因為有這根刺才免除心中的驕傲，
In fact, God does not need Satan’s
help to cultivate those whom He
loves. With or without Satan’s attack
on Paul’s ministry, God reigns over all
things. God is the only Potentate (1
Tim 6:15). He is the Source of all things,
the Manager of all proceedings, and
the Master of all endings. “[T]here is
no creature hidden from His sight, but
all things are naked and open to the
eyes of Him to whom we must give
account” (Heb 4:13).
其實神並不需要藉著撒旦來培育他所愛的人，
不論撒旦有沒有攻擊為神傳福音的保羅，神掌管一切，
神是唯一的君王(提摩太前書6章15節)，
神是起初的是末後的，他掌管一切 (啟示錄1章8節 17節下半)
「被造的沒有一樣在祂面前不顯然的，
原來萬物在那與我們有關係的主眼前，
都是赤露敞開的。」(希伯來書4章13節)
Therefore, it is necessary to pray for
the mercy of God when we suffer and
are in need. Through our sufferings,
we learn to search for God’s good
purpose, and introspectively seek
for improvement. When we are
faced with brethren whose actions
do not align with the teachings of
the Bible, we ought to correct them
with sincerity. Beyond that, we need
not strive with them or be overly
worried on behalf of God. God is the
Potentate who needs no assistance
or consolation. We can entrust the
outcome into His almighty hands.
因此我們要在患難和軟弱中祈求神的憐憫。
我們在苦難中尋求神的美意，反省並進步，
當我們看見弟兄做出違背聖經道裡的事情時，
必須以愛心指教他們，
除此之外我們不需要和他們起衝突，或過度擔心神的處置，
神是獨一的君王，不需要策士或人的協助，
我們可以把一切交託在神大能的手中，
From the many events recorded
in the Bible, we see that, through
man’s mistakes and failures, God can
manifest His wonderful will.
從許多聖經記載中，
我們都能看見神美好的旨意與大能在人的軟弱和失足上顯明。
GRACE IN SLAVERY 奴隸生涯中的恩典
Joseph was an innocent young man
sold into slavery in Egypt. On one
hand, his fate was the result of his
brothers’ wrongdoing, but on the
other, it was God’s arrangement to
enable Joseph to become a ruler in
a foreign land, where he could save
his family and all of Egypt (Gen 45:8).
God’s purpose did not stop there. He
nurtured the spirituality of Joseph
to such a point that the material
splendors of Egypt meant little to
him. On his deathbed, Joseph sought
assurance that his bones would depart
with the children of Israel to the land
that God had promised to his fathers
(Gen 50:22–25). In the beginning,
Joseph’s brothers had meant to harm
him, but God’s will prevailed and
could not be hindered by man’s sin.
創世紀中記載年輕善良的約瑟被哥哥們賣到埃及當奴隸，
原本哥哥們所行的惡事在神卻成了美好的安排，
為要使約瑟成為埃及的統治者，
在未來拯救埃及與他的家人們。(創世記45章8節)，
神的美意不僅於此。
他造就約瑟的靈性，使他不以埃及的榮華富貴為樂，
約瑟臨死前特別交代，他的遺骨要與以色列的後代一起搬進應許之地(迦南地)
(創世記50章22-25節)
即使一開始約瑟的哥哥們定意要害他，
神的旨意必要彰顯，不受惡念阻撓，
God also does not need the sin
of man for His will to be executed.
In fact, He is on top of all things,
irrespective of how obedient man
is. All things work together to fulfill
His purpose. For instance, through
His unfathomable love, God allowed
the children of Israel to be enslaved
and to suffer in Egypt. But at the
appointed time, after 430 years, the
armies of the Lord departed from the
land (Ex 12:41). God had foretold
of this event, confiding in Abraham
long before it transpired (Gen
15:13–14). God knew that Pharaoh
would enslave His people, but He
would dramatically deliver them from
Pharaoh’s dominion.
神當然也不需要藉由哥哥們的惡念來成就他的旨意，
神的旨意超越一切，無關人自身的意念，
萬事互相效力為要成就神的旨意，
在約瑟身上，我們看見神高深莫測的愛是約瑟奴隸生涯中的恩典。
約瑟死後，在神命定的430年後神的軍隊從埃及地出來了
(出埃及記12章41節)
其實神早已經這件事告訴亞伯拉罕了
(創世記15章13-14節)，
神早就知道將來的法老會奴役以色列人，
但他會施行奇妙的拯救領以色列人出法老的轄治，
IN YOU ALL NATIONS SHALL BE
BLESSED
萬族都要因你得福
The promise God gave to Abraham
when He called him out of his home
country could be summed up in one
sentence: “[I]n you all the families
of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen
12:3b). The message is clear: the
blessing of God will extend to all
nations. Although this message
was repeated in the Old Testament
prophecies, the chosen people, the
physical descendants of Abraham,
failed to understand it. Before the
downpour of the Holy Spirit at
Pentecost, all non-Jews were called the
“uncircumcision” and were regarded
as outsiders of the commonwealth of
Israel—strangers to the covenant of
promise.
神要亞伯拉罕離開本族本地，並應許他「萬族都要因你得福」
(創世記12章3節下半)，
這個信息清楚的傳達神的祝福將遍滿全地。
然而即使舊約的預言中這個信息已被重述有餘，
肉身被神揀選的族類-猶太人，並不理解。
在「五旬節」聖靈降臨前，
未受割禮的非猶太人被視為神應許的局外人，
After Cornelius’ household had
accepted the gospel and received
the promised Holy Spirit, the apostle
Peter returned to Jerusalem to report
that God’s salvation grace had
reached the Gentiles. The reaction of
the Jewish believers was harsh: "You
went in to uncircumcised men and ate
with them!" (Acts 11:3). According
to the understanding of the chosen
people in the Old Testament, God’s
love was exclusively reserved for
them. Throughout history, there was
an irreconcilable barrier between the
Jews and others. How could God’s
promise of extending His saving grace
to all nations be fulfilled? Before the
promised Holy Spirit descended to
dwell with His church, this mystery
of Christ was hidden in God Himself
(Eph 3:5–10).
直到哥尼流一家接受福音，受洗且受聖靈後，
使徒彼得才帶著見證回到耶路撒冷並傳講神的恩典以經臨到了外邦人。
然而當時猶太信徒的反應非常強硬，
「你進入未受割禮之人的家和他們一同吃飯了。」
(使徒行傳11章3節)，
根據舊約聖經，神的愛僅限於以色列人，
在歷史上猶太人一直和外族有著不可調和的屏障，
神的救恩要如何向應許的一樣臨到全地?
在神的聖靈降臨與教會同在以前，這應許的奧秘只有神知道
(以弗所書3章5-10節)
WITNESS OF GOD AGAINST HIS
PEOPLE
見證神向選民發怒
Shortly before Moses died, God
instructed him to write a song and
to teach it to the children of Israel
(see Deut 32:1–43). It would serve
as God’s witness against His people,
of how they would turn away from
Him after entering the promised land.
Prior to this, God had warned of the
consequences of disobedience. The
people would be “tossed to and fro
among the kingdoms of the earth”
(Deut 28:25, ASV), be uprooted and
exiled (Deut 29:28).
在摩西死前，神指示摩西作歌以教育以色列人的子孫
(參見申命記32章1-43節)，
這首歌可以作為神的見證，
見證以色列人如何在進入應許之地後背棄神，
在以色列人背棄神以前，神早就提醒他們不順服的結果，
這些人將「在天下萬國中被拋來拋去。」
(申命記28章25節下半)
「被扔在別的地上」(申命記29章28節)
But who could have imagined that
Israel’s breaking of the covenant
would lead to the fulfillment of God’s
promise to Abraham, that in him all
nations would be blessed? When the
Lord Jesus came to establish the new
covenant through His blood, the song
composed by Moses long ago had all
along witnessed that it would be the
chosen people who would break the
old covenant. And God had foretold
of their failure.
但誰能知道竟是因為以色列人背棄神，
萬邦各族的人才能一同領受他的救恩呢?
新約時代基督耶穌以寶血立新約(十架救恩)，
舊約摩西的歌早已見證猶太人會背棄神的盟約(將基督釘死十架)，
顯然神早已預見他們將來的敗壞。
EXILE TO FOREIGN LANDS 流放到異地
In 722 b.c., the northern kingdom of
Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians.
Many were captured and taken to
Assyria, where they were placed
in Halah, by the Habor, the River
of Gozan, and in the cities of the
Medes. This was the consequence of
the Israelites worshipping the golden
calves in Bethel and Dan, and serving
other Canaanite idols.
在公元前722年北朝以色列被亞述人消滅，
許多人被「擄到亞述，安置在哈臘與歌散的哈博河邊，並瑪代人的城邑。」
(列王紀下17章6節)，
這是因為以色列人在伯特利(原名路斯)
和但支派中鑄造並拜金牛犢和迦南地的偶像
(士師記17章)
In 586 b.c., the southern kingdom
of Judah was destroyed by the
Babylonians, who burned the temple
of God and the houses in Jerusalem.
They also destroyed the city walls, and
captured and exiled the inhabitants of
the city.
在公元前586年南朝猶大國為巴比倫所滅，
(巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒的臣僕護衛長尼布撒拉旦)
用火焚燒耶路撒冷的聖殿和皇宮並各大戶的房屋
(列王紀下25章8-10節)，
「跟從護衛長迦勒底的全軍就拆毀耶路撒冷四圍的城牆。
...且將城裡所剩下的百姓並已經投降巴比倫王的人以及大眾所剩下的人都擄去了。」
(列王紀下25章11節)
By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down, yea, we wept
When we remembered Zion.
We hung our harps
Upon the willows in the midst of it.
For there those who carried us away
captive asked of us a song,
And those who plundered us
requested mirth,
Saying, “Sing us one of the songs of
Zion!”
How shall we sing the Lord’s song
In a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
Let my right hand forget its skill!
If I do not remember you,
Let my tongue cling to the roof of
my mouth—
If I do not exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy. (Ps 137:1–6)
「我們曾在巴比倫的河邊坐下，一想到錫安就哭了。
我們把琴掛在那裡的柳樹上；因為在那裡，
擄掠我們的要我們唱歌，搶奪我們的要我們作樂，
說：給我們唱一首錫安歌吧！我們怎能在外邦唱耶和華的歌呢？
耶路撒冷啊，我若忘記你，情願我的右手忘記技巧！
我若不記念你，若不看耶路撒冷過於我所最喜樂的，
情願我的舌頭貼於上膛！」(詩篇137篇1-6節)
Only when they became captives
did the Israelites realize how precious
the status of being God’s people was.
They remembered God’s temple in
Jerusalem, the place where God chose
to dwell (2 Chr 6:4–6). Now they
desired to serve Him. However, the
Pentateuch dictated that they could
only worship God and offer burnt
offerings at the place where God
chose to put His name (Deut 12:5,
13–14). How could they do these
things in a foreign land? In their state
of physical and spiritual exile, the
people of God had turned into the
dry bones depicted in Ezekiel’s vision
(Ezek 37:1–10).
以色列人成為俘虜後才知道身為神選民的寶貴。
他們想起耶路撒冷神同在的聖殿
(歷代志下6章4-6節)，
現在他們渴望服侍神。
「摩西五經」中說以色列人可以敬拜神並獻燔祭，
「惟獨耶和華從你那一支派中所選擇的地方，你就要在那裡獻燔祭」
(申命記12章5節 13-14節)。
以色列人如何在外邦人的地獻燔祭和敬拜神呢?
在身心皆被神放逐的情況下，
神的選民成了「枯乾的骸骨」
(以西結書37章1-10節)
WORSHIP IN FOREIGN LANDS:
THE SYNAGOGUE
在外邦之地敬拜神: 猶太教堂
“When they sin against You (for
there is no one who does not sin),
and You become angry with them
and deliver them to the enemy, and
they take them captive to a land
far or near; yet when they come to
themselves in the land where they
were carried captive, and repent,
and make supplication to You in the
land of their captivity, saying, ‘We
have sinned, we have done wrong,
and have committed wickedness’;
and when they return to You with
all their heart and with all their soul
in the land of their captivity, where
they have been carried captive, and
pray toward their land which You
gave to their fathers, the city which
You have chosen, and toward the
temple which I have built for Your
name: then hear from heaven Your
dwelling place their prayer and their
supplications, and maintain their
cause, and forgive Your people who
have sinned against You.”
(2 Chr 6:36–39)
「你的民若得罪你（世上沒有不犯罪的人），
你向他們發怒，將他們交給仇敵擄到或遠或近之地；
他們若在擄到之地想起罪來，回心轉意，懇求你說：
我們有罪了，我們悖逆了，我們作惡了；
他們若在擄到之地盡心盡性歸服你，又
向自己的地，就是你賜給他們列祖之地和你所選擇的城，
並我為你名所建造的殿禱告，
求你從天上你的居所垂聽你民的禱告祈求，
為他們伸冤，赦免他們的過犯。」
(歷代志下6章36-39節)
It is intriguing that King Solomon
included the above supplication in
a prayer offered at a time when
his kingdom enjoyed peace and
prosperity. He asked that, in the
event of the people sinning and being
exiled, God be gracious to forgive
them when they turned their hearts
back to Him and prayed toward
Jerusalem. God accepted Solomon’s
prayer (2 Chr 7:14–16). Later, when
the people were indeed exiled, they
remembered to worship God in the
foreign lands. In 2 b.c., the Jews built
the first synagogues where they could
listen to the Scriptures and sing praises
to God. It was in these synagogues
that the apostles, such as Barnabas
and Paul, would later evangelize and
debate with the worshippers.
奇妙的是，所羅門王在以色列富庶平和時將上述祈禱內容放進禱告文裡
「你的民以色列若得罪你，敗在仇敵面前，
又回心轉意承認你的名，在這殿裡向你祈求禱告，
求你從天上垂聽，赦免你民以色列的罪，
使他們歸回你賜給他們和他們列祖之地。」
(歷代志下6章24-25節)
神垂聽了所羅門的禱告(歷代志下7章14-16節)，
後來當以色列人真的被擄到異地，
他們在外邦之地想起要敬拜神。
在公元前2年，第一個猶太會堂興建了，
猶太人在那裏讀「摩西五經」並唱詩讚美神，
後來的使徒們例如巴拿八和保羅，
就是在這樣的猶太會堂裡和信徒傳講辯和論神的道理。
A COMMON LANGUAGE
共通的語言
Alexander the Great rose to power in
336 b.c. By 323 b.c., he had conquered
a vast area, including southern Europe,
northern Africa and western Asia.
He launched his famous strategy of
Hellenization—imposing the adoption
of Greek culture and language in
the lands he had conquered. When
Barnabas and Paul preached, they
did so using the Greek language, and
were able to reach out to people of
different ethnic backgrounds.
亞歷山大大帝在公元前336年崛起。
在公元前323年時，他已經征服了橫跨南歐西亞和北非的土地，
他加諸希臘語言和文化在所征服的領土上，發起「希臘化運動」。
因此巴拿八和保羅講道時，
便使用希臘話將福音傳給不同種族的人。
The Jewish exiles realized the impact
that ignorance of God’s word was
having on the younger generations,
who, over time, had lost their mother
tongue. Therefore, the rabbis decided
to translate the Pentateuch into the
Greek language so that the children
of Israel could learn the teaching of
the Scriptures. The Greek Bible, the
Septuagint, was completed in 132 b.c.
Subsequently, Gentile believers were
able to listen to God’s words in Greek,
in the synagogues on Sabbaths (Acts
15:19–21). Paul wrote his epistles in
Greek and cited the Greek Bible to
encourage the members and reveal
the mystery of the truth to the church.
猶太人被擄到外邦造成猶太母語漸漸式微，
年輕幾代的猶太人越發不理解神話語的真義，
因此「拉比」(猶太律法書教師)們決定將「摩西五經」翻譯成希臘文，
方便年輕一代學習「律法書」，
希臘文聖經「七十士譯本」因此譯成於公元前132年。
此後，外邦信徒便能在安息日的猶太會堂中藉由希臘話學習聖經的道理，
保羅以希臘文完成他的書信，
並在信中引用希臘文聖經，
使用通用語言來鼓勵信徒，
並將真理的奧秘傳給教會。
SOVEREIGNTY OVER ALL 至高無上的神
Before Paul was sent out to preach
the gospel of Christ, God had silently
prepared everything Paul would need
to accomplish his mission. The scale of
the preparation was immeasurable—
encompassing the exile of God’s
people, the establishment of
synagogues, the emergence of a
Macedonian king, and the translation
of the Scriptures into the Greek
language. All these had come about
because of the failures of the chosen
people. But man’s failure cannot
hinder God’s will. All these had
happened to fulfill the promise God
gave to Abraham, that all nations
would be blessed through him.
在保羅外出傳揚福音前，
神早已悄悄為他預備好達成任務所需的一切。
神準備工作的規模是無法衡量的，
包含以色列人被擄、猶太會堂興建、
亞歷山大帝國的出現(*亞歷山大是馬其頓國王)
和希臘文聖經「七十士譯本」的譯成。
這些準備計畫的源頭可追溯至猶太人的悖逆，
但人的失敗不能阻擋神的旨意。
這一切的一切都是為了成就神給亞伯拉罕的應許
「萬族都要因你得福」(創世記12章3節下半)
The Lord our God is the only
Potentate. His strength is made
perfect in man’s weakness. He can
make use of human history to execute
His will and perform wonders.
Nothing is surprising or impossible for
Him (Jer 32:17). When it comes to
accomplishing God’s plan, all we need
to do is put our complete trust in Him,
and He will guide and lead the way.
我們的神是獨一的君王。
神對保羅說「我的能力是在人的軟弱上顯得完全」
(歌林多後書12章9節)，
人類的歷史都在神救恩的奇妙計畫中。
在神沒有出乎意料的事，也沒有不可能的事。
(耶利米書32章17節)，
說到成就神的計畫，我們只要全然信靠祂，
祂會帶領我們的路，祂的旨意必定成全。
嗎哪雜誌第83期- 唯一的君王 (譯者: Joshua Bloomwitz)
唯一的君王
人會失足，但神永不失敗。
by KC Tsai
唯一的君王
KC Tsai—Toronto, Canada
「我的能力是在人的軟弱上顯得完全」(歌林多後書12章9節)
在「刺」上看見神的恩典
神忠誠的使徒保羅常受肉身之刺的苦，他叫這根刺「撒旦的使者」這根刺指的可能是他的健康狀況(歌林多後書12章9節) 或是暗喻攻擊真理並混淆信徒的「假使徒」(歌林多後書11章3-5節)
保羅三次求告神，請祂除去自己身上的刺，但神回道「我的恩典夠你用，因為我的能力是在人的軟弱上顯得完全」(歌林多後書12章9節下半)，保羅這才明白，這根刺是神的恩典，為要避免從神領受許多啟示的他心生驕傲。雖然撒旦的陰謀是讓福音在這樣的痛苦下中斷，但大能的神將撒旦的詭計撥正成為保羅的助力，保羅正是因為有這根刺才免除心中的驕傲，其實神並不需要藉著撒旦來培育他所愛的人，不論撒旦有沒有攻擊為神傳福音的保羅，神掌管一切， 神是唯一的君王(提摩太前書6章15節)，神是起初的是末後的，他掌管一切 (啟示錄1章8節 17節下半)「被造的沒有一樣在祂面前不顯然的，原來萬物在那與我們有關係的主眼前，都是赤露敞開的。」(希伯來書4章13節)
因此我們要在患難和軟弱中祈求神的憐憫。 我們在苦難中尋求神的美意，反省並進步， 當我們看見弟兄做出違背聖經道裡的事情時，必須以愛心指教他們， 除此之外我們不需要和他們起衝突，或過度擔心神的處置，神是獨一的君王，不需要策士或人的協助， 我們可以把一切交託在神大能的手中，從許多聖經記載中，我們都能看見神美好的旨意與大能在人的軟弱和失足上顯明。
奴隸生涯中的恩典
創世紀中記載年輕善良的約瑟被哥哥們賣到埃及當奴隸，原本哥哥們所行的惡事在神卻成了美好的安排，為要使約瑟成為埃及的統治者，在未來拯救埃及與他的家人們。(創世記45章8節)，神的美意不僅於此。他造就約瑟的靈性，使他不以埃及的榮華富貴為樂，約瑟臨死前特別交代，他的遺骨要與以色列的後代一起搬進應許之地(迦南地) (創世記50章22-25節)
即使一開始約瑟的哥哥們定意要害他，神的旨意必要彰顯，不受惡念阻撓，神當然也不需要藉由哥哥們的惡念來成就他的旨意，神的旨意超越一切，無關人自身的意念， 萬事互相效力為要成就神的旨意， 在約瑟身上，我們看見神高深莫測的愛是約瑟奴隸生涯中的恩典。
約瑟死後，在神命定的430年後神的軍隊從埃及地出來了(出埃及記12章41節) 其實神早已經這件事告訴亞伯拉罕了(創世記15章13-14節)，神早就知道將來的法老會奴役以色列人，但他會施行奇妙的拯救領以色列人出法老的轄治，萬族都要因你得福(創世記12章3節下半)，神要亞伯拉罕離開本族本地，並應許他「萬族都要因你得福」(創世記12章3節下半)，這個信息清楚的傳達神的祝福將遍滿全地。
然而即使舊約的預言中這個信息已被重述有餘，肉身被神揀選的族類-猶太人，並不理解。 在「五旬節」聖靈降臨前，未受割禮的非猶太人被視為神應許的局外人，直到哥尼流一家接受福音，受洗且受聖靈後，使徒彼得才帶著見證回到耶路撒冷並傳講神的恩典以經臨到了外邦人。 然而當時猶太信徒的反應非常強硬，「你進入未受割禮之人的家和他們一同吃飯了。」(使徒行傳11章3節)，根據舊約聖經，神的愛僅限於以色列人，在歷史上猶太人一直和外族有著不可調和的屏障，神的救恩要如何向應許的一樣臨到全地? 在神的聖靈降臨與教會同在以前，這應許的奧秘只有神知道(以弗所書3章5-10節)
見證神向選民發怒
在摩西死前，神指示摩西作歌以教育以色列人的子孫(參見申命記32章1-43節)，這首歌可以作為神的見證，見證以色列人如何在進入應許之地後背棄神，在以色列人背棄神以前，神早就提醒他們不順服的結果，這些人將「在天下萬國中被拋來拋去。」(申命記28章25節下半) 「被扔在別的地上」(申命記29章28節)
但誰能知道竟是因為以色列人背棄神，萬邦各族的人才能一同領受他的救恩呢? 新約時代基督耶穌以寶血立新約(十架救恩)，舊約摩西的歌早已見證猶太人會背棄神的盟約(將基督釘死十架)，顯然神早已預見他們將來的敗壞。
流放到異地
在公元前722年北朝以色列被亞述人消滅，許多人被「擄到亞述，安置在哈臘與歌散的哈博河邊，並瑪代人的城邑。」(列王紀下17章6節)，這是因為以色列人在伯特利(原名路斯)和但支派中鑄造並拜金牛犢和迦南地的偶像(士師記17章)
在公元前586年南朝猶大國為巴比倫所滅，(巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒的臣僕護衛長尼布撒拉旦) 用火焚燒耶路撒冷的聖殿和皇宮並各大戶的房屋(列王紀下25章8-10節)，「跟從護衛長迦勒底的全軍就拆毀耶路撒冷四圍的城牆。...且將城裡所剩下的百姓並已經投降巴比倫王的人以及大眾所剩下的人都擄去了。」(列王紀下25章11節)
「我們曾在巴比倫的河邊坐下，一想到錫安就哭了。我們把琴掛在那裡的柳樹上；因為在那裡，擄掠我們的要我們唱歌，搶奪我們的要我們作樂，說：給我們唱一首錫安歌吧！我們怎能在外邦唱耶和華的歌呢？耶路撒冷啊，我若忘記你，情願我的右手忘記技巧！我若不記念你，若不看耶路撒冷過於我所最喜樂的，情願我的舌頭貼於上膛！」(詩篇137篇1-6節)
以色列人成為俘虜後才知道身為神選民的寶貴。他們想起耶路撒冷神同在的聖殿(歷代志下6章4-6節)，現在他們渴望服侍神。「摩西五經」中說以色列人可以敬拜神並獻燔祭，「惟獨耶和華從你那一支派中所選擇的地方，你就要在那裡獻燔祭」(申命記12章5節 13-14節)。以色列人如何在外邦人的地獻燔祭和敬拜神呢? 在身心皆被神放逐的情況下，神的選民成了「枯乾的骸骨」(以西結書37章1-10節)
在外邦之地敬拜神: 猶太教堂
「你的民若得罪你（世上沒有不犯罪的人），你向他們發怒，將他們交給仇敵擄到或遠或近之地；他們若在擄到之地想起罪來，回心轉意，懇求你說：我們有罪了，我們悖逆了，我們作惡了；他們若在擄到之地盡心盡性歸服你，又向自己的地，就是你賜給他們列祖之地和你所選擇的城，並我為你名所建造的殿禱告，求你從天上你的居所垂聽你民的禱告祈求，為他們伸冤，赦免他們的過犯。」(歷代志下6章36-39節)
奇妙的是，所羅門王在以色列富庶平和時將上述祈禱內容放進禱告文裡「你的民以色列若得罪你，敗在仇敵面前，又回心轉意承認你的名，在這殿裡向你祈求禱告，求你從天上垂聽，赦免你民以色列的罪，使他們歸回你賜給他們和他們列祖之地。」(歷代志下6章24-25節)
神垂聽了所羅門的禱告(歷代志下7章14-16節)，後來當以色列人真的被擄到異地，他們在外邦之地想起要敬拜神。在公元前2年，第一個猶太會堂興建了，猶太人在那裏讀「摩西五經」並唱詩讚美神， 後來的使徒們例如巴拿八和保羅，就是在這樣的猶太會堂裡和信徒傳講辯和論神的道理。
共通的語言
亞歷山大大帝在公元前336年崛起。在公元前323年時，他已經征服了橫跨南歐西亞和北非的土地，他加諸希臘語言和文化在所征服的領土上，發起「希臘化運動」。 因此巴拿八和保羅講道時，便使用希臘話將福音傳給不同種族的人。
猶太人被擄到外邦造成猶太母語漸漸式微，年輕幾代的猶太人越發不理解神話語的真義， 因此「拉比」(猶太律法書教師)們決定將「摩西五經」翻譯成希臘文，方便年輕一代學習「律法書」， 希臘文聖經「七十士譯本」因此譯成於公元前132年。
此後，外邦信徒便能在安息日的猶太會堂中藉由希臘話學習聖經的道理，
保羅以希臘文完成他的書信，並在信中引用希臘文聖經，使用通用語言來鼓勵信徒，並將真理的奧秘傳給教會。
至高無上的神
在保羅外出傳揚福音前，神早已悄悄為他預備好達成任務所需的一切。
神準備工作的規模是無法衡量的，包含以色列人被擄、猶太會堂興建、亞歷山大帝國的出現(*亞歷山大是馬其頓國王)和希臘文聖經「七十士譯本」的譯成。
這些準備計畫的源頭可追溯至猶太人的悖逆，但人的失敗不能阻擋神的旨意。 這一切的一切都是為了成就神給亞伯拉罕的應許「萬族都要因你得福」(創世記12章3節下半)
我們的神是獨一的君王。神對保羅說「我的能力是在人的軟弱上顯得完全」(歌林多後書12章9節)，人類的歷史都在神救恩的奇妙計畫中。在神沒有出乎意料的事，也沒有不可能的事。(耶利米書32章17節)，說到成就神的計畫，我們只要全然信靠祂，祂會帶領我們的路，祂的旨意必定成全。
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