Manna issue 77 She Went After Many, But Me She Forgot 隨從她所愛的，卻忘記我
God is our ultimate blessing. 神是我們終極的福氣
Colin Shek—Sunderland, U.K. 英國山打崙 石柏曦
I recently read about a piece of flat-pack
furniture from a well-known
retailer that has been dubbed “the
Divorce Maker.”1 A leading couples’
counselor in America has claimed
that assembling this do-it-yourself
shelving unit with your spouse is the
ultimate test of your relationship. As
part of couples’ therapy sessions, this
counselor asks her clients to construct
the flat-pack furniture together,
to see how they work as a team.
During this exercise, the couples
would often argue, and some even
contemplate divorce. The idea is that
if your marriage survives the test of
assembling the shelving unit, with its
thirty-two pages of instructions, it can
survive anything.
最近我從一家知名零售店那裡得知一件自行組裝式家俱，它作授予封號"離婚製造者"。
美國一家先進的婚姻顧問宣稱，和你的另一半，組裝這個自已組合的置物架是一個你們之間關係的終極測試。
因為是婚姻治療課程的一環，這個顧問會要求她的客戶來一起組裝這個自行組合的家俱，來看看他們成為一個團隊時，是怎麼工作的。
在這個課程練習中，夫妻常常會爭吵，並且有一些人甚至會想要離婚。
這個想法是這樣的，若是你的婚姻可以撐過，並通過這個組裝置物架的測試，其中有32頁的說明書，你的婚姻將可以勝過任何困難。
Of course, it is not just furniture
assembly that defines a healthy
husband-and-wife relationship. There
are greater hurdles when it comes
to maintaining a good marriage.
When we think about our spiritual
relationship with God, which the Bible
refers to as that of a husband and wife
(Hos 2:16–20), this is even more so!
想當然的，並不是只有家俱組合這個工作，是用來決定一個好的夫妻關係。
當我們談到要維持一個好的婚姻時，有更多大的障礙。
當我們想到有關我們與神的屬靈關係時，在這點上，聖經的形容就像是夫妻關係，與神的關係更是如此！
The prophet Hosea ministered
during the reign of King Jeroboam II in
the northern kingdom of Israel. In this
period, the relationship between God
and His people became strained—
so much so that God threatened to
divorce His wife (Hos 2:2) and to
separate Himself from His people (Hos
1:8). Why would God want to do this?
What caused the breakdown in this
special relationship? As we study and
ponder upon these questions, we can
learn how to preserve and maintain a
close relationship with God today.
何西亞先知作工的時候，是在北國以色列王耶羅波安二世在位的時候。
在這個時期，神和祂百姓的關係變得非常緊張 - 因為是非常聚張的狀態，
所以神威脅要和祂的妻子離婚(何 2：2)，並要祂要離開自已的百姓(何 1：8)。
為什麼神想要這麼作呢？
到底是什麼東西，讓這個特別的關係變得崩潰呢？
當我們來研究，並且思考這些問題的時候，今日我們就能學會如何維持與神親密的關係。
GOD HAS GIVEN US A SPECIAL IDENTITY AND STATUS 神已經賜給我們一個新的身份和地位
At this point in Israel’s history—
following Solomon’s prosperous reign
(Hos 1:1) and before the fall of the
northern kingdom (Hos 10:5, 6)—
the Israelites were living in relative
comfort and thriving economically
(Hos 2:5; 4:7). Amidst all the
prosperity, it seems that the people
of Israel forgot their God. One key
concern that God had was that His
people had forgotten their special
status as His chosen people:
在以色列的歷史中，有關這個觀點 - 隨著所羅門的盛世(何 1：1)，以及北國在殞落之前(何 10：5，6) -
以色列百姓是活在相對舒適和經濟繁榮的時代(何 2：5；4：7)。
在一切的繁榮之中，看起來以色列百姓似乎已經忘記他們的神。
神最重視的是，祂的百姓已經忘了他們特別的身份，就是祂的選民：
“Bring charges against your mother,
bring charges;
For she is not My wife, nor am I her
Husband!
Let her put away her harlotries from
her sight,
And her adulteries from between her
breasts;
Lest I strip her naked
And expose her, as in the day she
was born,
And make her like a wilderness,
And set her like a dry land,
And slay her with thirst.”
(Hos 2:2–3)
2你們要與你們的母親大大爭辯；因為她不是我的妻子，我也不是她的丈夫。叫她除掉臉上的淫像和胸間的淫態，
3免得我剝她的衣服，使她赤體，與才生的時候一樣，使她如曠野，如乾旱之地，因渴而死。
(何 2：2-3)
God declared that He was no longer
husband to Israel and that His people
were no longer His wife. Israel had
played the harlot with other gods and
forgot her status as God’s holy nation.
God was angry that His chosen
people had forgotten their special
relationship and instead were running
after the deities of the land.
神宣佈說，祂不再是以色列的丈夫，祂的百姓也不再是祂的妻子。
以色列已經成為其他神明的娼妓，並且忘記祂的身份是神聖潔的國度。
神很生氣，因為祂的選民已經忘記祂們之間特別的關係，並且反過來，他們一直追隨在這土地上的許多假神。
In the world around us, there
are many ways our identity can be
shaped, and many facets we can
adopt. People like to be seen as good
students or good parents, or experts
in their profession. Additionally, many
strive to achieve certain standards
of beauty, fitness and social status.
We often dedicate much time and
many resources to developing these
identities. Students spend hours
revising for exams. Some professionals
hoard those dreaded textbooks as they
spend their evenings preparing for
certifications or pursuing professional
development. Parents work hard to
provide for their children, yet feel
guilty about not spending enough
quality time with them. And the selfemployed
struggle to separate work
from their personal time. Juggling
competing priorities and time
constraints seemingly never stops and
is a typical part of our lives today.
在我們四周的世界中，有許多方式可以塑造出我們的身份，有許多面向我們可以選擇。
人們喜愛被認為是好學生，或是稱職的父母，或是在他們的專業裡是專家。
不只如此，許多人努力要達到某種程度的美貌，體態合宜，或是得到社會地位。
我們通常投入很多時間和許多資源，要發展這些身份認同。
學生會花費數小時為了考試來復習課程。
某些專業囤積很多教科書知識，當他們用許多夜晚來準備証照，或追求專業發展的時候。
父母會努力工作供應兒女的需求，而且若是沒有足夠的時間來好好陪伴小孩的時候，會有罪惡感。
而從事自已工作的人，會努力分開自已工作的時間，和自已自由的時間。
就像變戲法一樣，各種事情的優先順序需要有所取決，以及個人時間上限制，
看起來永遠不會停止，而且是今日我們生活中，非常典型的一部份。
When it comes to our Christian
identity, we may make the mistake
of treating it like our other identities.
Some may think that it is too much
hard work to maintain. In fact, our
status in Christ does not depend on
our works or deeds. Rather, God
has graciously given us this new
identity (Rom 3:23–26). Jesus died
on the cross, took away our identity
as a sinner, and gave us the glorious
identity that He Himself has. What we
must do now is to live by the Spirit,
upholding our holy status (Rom 8:13).
當我們討論到有關我們自已基督徒身份的時候，我們可能會錯誤地把它當成很普通，就像我們其他的身份一樣。
有些人或許會認為，要維持基督徒的認同是很難的。
事實上，我們在基督裡的身份，並不是由自已的工作和行為來決定。
反而是，因為神的恩典，賜給我們這個新的身份(羅 3：23-26)。
耶穌死在十字架上，取去我們罪人的身份，給我們祂所擁有，一個榮耀的身份。
我們現在一定要作的是，靠著聖靈活下去，維持自已聖潔的身份(羅 8：13)。
We must cherish our identity as the
children of God, which prominence
we have reached through none of our
own effort. While we are undeserving
recipients, God saved us by His grace
and mercy.
我們一定要珍自已身為神兒女的身份，我們所擁有這種特別的身份，並不是由於我們自已的努力。
當我們還不配得到的時候，神就因為祂的恩典和慈愛，拯救了我們。
By submitting our lives to the Spirit,
our identity in Christ supersedes
our other worldly identities. We
are beloved children of God first
and foremost. Everything else—our
education, career, wealth and social
standing—is secondary. This is what
the Israelites forgot. They focused
instead on the other gods of the land
and forsook their relationship with
God.
我們在生活上順服聖靈，我們在基督裡的身份就會取代我們在世界上其他的身份。
我們是神一開始，且最重要，蒙神所愛的兒女。
其他的任何事 - 我們的教育程度，職業，財務和社會地位 - 都是其次。
這就是以色列人所忘記的東西。
他們反而集中在當地其他的假神，拋棄了他們與神的關係。
So what kind of attitude would we
have if we cherish our status as the
beloved children of God? How will we
think and behave? One of the things
that the Book of Hosea speaks about
is our attitude towards the blessings
in our lives.
那麼，若是我們要珍惜自已身為神所蒙愛子女的地位，我們要有那一種態度呢？
我們會怎麼來思考，怎麼來處世為人呢？
何西阿書說了許多事情，其中的一件事，就是有關我們自已對生活中祝福的態度。
GOD IS THE SOURCE OF ALL BLESSINGS IN LIFE 神是一切生命中祝福的源頭
The people of Israel mistakenly
attributed the source of their blessings
to the gods of the land:
以色列百姓錯認他們許多祝福的源頭，把一切祝福歸功到當地許多的假神：
“I will not have mercy on her
children,
For they are the children of harlotry.
For their mother has played the
harlot;
She who conceived them has
behaved shamefully.
For she said, ‘I will go after my
lovers,
Who give me my bread and my
water,
My wool and my linen,
My oil and my drink.’ ” (Hos 2:4–5)
4我必不憐憫她的兒女，因為他們是從淫亂而生的。
5他們的母親行了淫亂，懷他們的母做了可羞恥的事，因為她說：我要隨從所愛的；我的餅、水、羊毛、麻、油、酒都是他們給的。
(何 2：4-5)
Israel thought that the gods of the
land provided her with the necessities
and blessings in life. In other words,
they thought all of life’s blessings came
from Baal. They failed to see God as
the true source of their blessings.
以色列人認為，當地的許多假神，賜給她在生活中許多的必需品和祝福。
換句話說，他們認為，所有生活上的祝福，來自假神巴力。
他們不能看清神，才是他們祝福真正的源頭。
Today, it is easy to fall into the same
trap of attributing our success or
blessings to sources other than God.
For example, we may think:
今日，我們很容易就落入同樣的陷阱之中，把自已成功，或祝福，歸功於除了神以外的其他源頭。
例如說，我們可能會這麼想：
1. My business is only successful
because of its prime location.
我的生意會成功，只是因為它位在主要的位置。
2. My career continues to be
successful because I have a manager
who has the heart to develop my skills
through further training.
我的工作可以一直很成功，是因為我有一個經理人，他很有心透過更進一步的訓練，來發展技能。
3. Our only hope in life is in
politics and government intervention,
where new policies will protect social
welfare and services, support the selfemployed,
and preserve the education
of our children and well-being of our
citizens.
我們生活中唯一的指望，就只有依靠政治和政府的介入，
只有新的政策才可以保障社會福利，各種的服務，補助，幫補自已工作的人，
保障我們子女的教育，和我們市民的福利。
4. My success is down to my own
hard work and ambition—I only got
to where I am today through my own
tenacity.
我的成功是因為自已努力工作和企圖心 -
我會得到今日的地位是因為自已的不屈不撓。
As Christians, we must realize that
success and wealth come from God. It
is God who provides the opportunities
and gives us the means to receive
such blessings. Any departure from
acknowledging that God is the giver,
will lead to us believing in our own
capabilities and in the opportunities
provided by society. This feeds into an
idolatrous mindset. If we attributed
our success to things other than God,
we would elevate such things to be
our god and source of blessings. That
was Israel’s downfall, as they forgot
about their true God (Hos 2:13). They
were living as though God did not
exist. Their focus on Baal instead of
God fed into their idolatrous lives.
身為基督徒，我們一定要了解，成功和財富來自於神。
就是神，祂給我們這些機會，賜給我們有辨法來得到這些祝福。
任何否認神就是賞賜源頭的想法，就會導致我們相信自已的能力和社會所產生的機會。
這就落入一種偶像崇拜的心態。
若我們歸功自已的成功到除了神以外的其他因素，我們就會把這個東西，提昇為自已的神，以及是祝福的來源。
這就成為以色列人衰敗的原因，因為他們忘記自已的真神(何 2：13)。
他們過去一直過著，就好像是神不存在的日子。
他們把注意力放在巴力的身上，而不是真神，讓他們落入自已崇拜偶像的生活。
If we want to maintain a strong
relationship with God, a healthy
attitude to have is to see God as the
sovereign ruler and sole provider in
our lives:
若我們想要維持與神緊密的關係，有一種最好的態度，
就是把神當成至高無上的主宰，以及是我們生活中主要的供給者：
1. When our business is healthy
and profitable, we recognize that God
has given us the power to earn (Deut
8:18).
1. 當我們的生意健全並且可以獲利的時候，我們要知道，神給我們這個能力來賺錢(申 8：18)。
2. When we receive good exam
results, then we know that it is God
who blesses us with the knowledge
and ability to learn (Dan 1:17).
2. 當我們得到好的考試成績，那麼我們知道，是神祝福我們有知識和能力來學習(申 1：17)。
3. When we look at our comfortable
lifestyles, we know that God has
blessed us with the opportunity and
conditions to build a life—the right
schools and the right government for
the time.
3. 當我們看看自已舒適的生活習慣時，我們知道，神已經祝福我們有機會和條件來營造自已的生活 -
目前有合適合的學校，有不錯的政府。
By acknowledging God as the source
of our blessings, we will be spurred on
to worship Him and offer our praises
with a heart full of thanksgiving.
藉由認知神就是我們祝福的源頭，鼓勵我們來敬拜祂，用一個充滿感謝的心，來獻上我們的讚美。
GOD IS OUR ULTIMATE BLESSING 神是我們終極的祝福
God was clear in His warnings
against such idolatrous behavior
from His chosen nation. He would
return to take away His blessings and
providence (Hos 2:9), uncover her
lewd ways (v.10), cause all her feasts
to stop (v.11), destroy her vines (v.12),
and punish her for her adultery with
Baal (v.13). Such severe judgment
was required because the LORD said,
“She decked herself with her earrings
and jewelry, and went after her lovers;
but Me she forgot” (Hos 2:13).
神對祂選民的國度中，這樣的偶像崇拜行為，很清楚的表示在祂的警告。
祂將會回轉心意，拿走祂的祝福和供給(何 2：9)，揭發她淫的行為(10節)，讓她停止所有的宴席(11節)，
摧毀她的葡萄園(12節)，因為她與巴力的淫行處罰她(13節)。
需要這樣嚴厲的審判，因為主說，"那時她佩帶耳環和別樣妝飾，隨從她所愛的，卻忘記我。"(何 2：13)
The reality was that Israel was
not truly interested in God. She was
interested in food and wealth. If Baal
could provide these, she would go
after Baal. But if she thought that the
LORD could give them more physical
blessings, she would go after the
LORD: “Then she will say, ‘I will go
and return to my first husband, for
then it was better for me than now’
” (Hos 2:7b). She did not seek God
Himself, just His blessings.
現實就是，以色列人並不是真的對神有興趣。
她只對食物和財富有興趣而已。
若是巴力可以供給這些，她將會追隨巴力。
但若是她認為，主可以給他們更多物質上的祝福，她將會追隨主：
"便說：我要歸回前夫，因我那時的光景比如今還好"(何 2：7b)。
她並沒有尋求神本身，只是想要祂的祝福而已。
God wants us to look beyond His
blessings. Anything that is more
important to us in our life is simply
an idol. Those believers who maintain
a healthy relationship with God are
those who continue to worship Him
whether times are good or bad. Just
like a marriage, there is a vow to
cherish each other in good times and
in bad, no matter how materially
blessed we are.
神要我們有超越祂祝福的眼光。
在我們生活中，對我們來說是更加重要的任何事，只不過是偶像。
那些可以與神維持健全關係的信徒，就是那些不論時局好與壤，者繼續敬拜祂的人。
就好像是結婚，會宣誓不論環境好與壞，都會互相珍惜，不管我們是受到多少物質上的祝福。
The important thing is that God is
our ultimate blessing. He wants us
to pursue Him, and not His blessings
only.
最重要的是，神是我們終極的祝福。
祂要我們追尋祂，而不只是祂的祝福而已。
CONCLUSION 結論
Hosea’s message still applies to us
today. In a competitive world, where
so much of our focus is on carving out
our own place in society, we should
consider whether we have forgotten
about our God-given status. We were
bought and glorified by the blood of
Christ. We must put our focus on how
God’s salvation was graciously given
to us. This is one thing in life that we
can never achieve by our own effort.
This is why we must cherish our
precious status in Christ and pursue a
stronger relationship with God.
何西亞的訊息，對今日的我們來說，仍然適用。
身處在一個競爭性的世界裡，我們用很多注意力在社會上開創自已的地位，
我們應該考慮是不是我們已經忘記了神給我們自已的地位了。
我因為基督的寶血，被拯救出來，得著榮耀。
我們一定要把自已的注意力放在，神的救贖是如何仁慈地賜給我們。
這是我們在生命中，自已不能依靠自已努力所成就的一件事。
這就是為什麼我們一定要珍惜自已在基督裡珍貴的身份，並且追求與神更深的關係。
We must recognize that as God’s
special people, we are lavished with
His blessings. Let us acknowledge and
praise God as the source of all our
blessings and successes. And may we
strive to look beyond these blessings
and focus our pursuit on God Himself,
who is the ultimate blessing, in good
times and in bad. With this mindset,
our husband-wife relationship with
God will remain strong no matter
what may come our way.
我們一定要認識，身為神特別的子民，我們就是被神很慷慨的給予祂的祝福。
讓我們認識並且讚美神，因為祂是一切我們祝福和成功的源頭。
願我們努力超越這些祝福來看事情，並且集中我們的追求在神本身，
祂才是終極的祝福，不論時機好與壞。
有這種心態，我們和神的夫妻關係，才會一直連結很深，不論我們之後會遇到什麼事。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
Manna 嗎哪 56 (1)