Manna issue 76 - The Blessing and Curse of Servitude 服事的祝福和詛咒
How God honors His faithful servants. 祂如何榮耀祂忠心的僕人
Adapted from a sermon by H.H. Ko—Heidelberg, Germany 德國海德堡 柯恆雄 傳道講道
God is waiting for us to be ready and willing to show our love
and devotion to Him; He will not compel us.
神在等待我們準備好，願意來顯示我們對祂的愛，並且奉獻服事祂；祂不會強迫我們。
During the Old Testament era, God
established the priesthood so that
there would be dedicated people to
minister in His tabernacle during the
wilderness years and in the temple
during the settlement period. Their
role was to fulfill the ceremonial
duties relating to worship, offering
sacrifices and making atonement
for the chosen people, and acting as
a mediator between God and man.
This was an honorable vocation, and
one not to be taken lightly. In return
for faithful service, God offered
the priests a special blessing, with
the right to enter into a covenant
conferring life and peace:
在舊約聖經時代的期間，神建立了祭司的體系，
這麼一來，才會有專職的人員，在曠野的日子裡，來服事祂的會幕，
並且在建殿之後，在聖殿裡服事祂。
他們的角色就是要完成關於敬拜神，進行儀式的責任，
獻上祭物，為選民贖罪，在神與人之間，扮演一個溝通的媒介。
這是一個光榮的職業，他們不會隨意的看待這件事。
為了忠心服事來回報神，神給祭司一個特別的祝福，
他們有權利來傳達和連結與神生命和平安的聖約：
“My covenant was with him, one of
life and peace,
And I gave them to him that he
might fear Me;
So he feared Me
And was reverent before My name.”
(Mal 2:5)
5我曾與他立生命和平安的約。我將這兩樣賜給他，使他存敬畏的心，他就敬畏我，懼怕我的名。
(瑪 2：5)
However, if the priests failed to
uphold their part of the covenant,
they would reap a curse:
然而，若是祭司沒有辨法去維持身為聖約中，所擔負的責任，
他們會招致詛咒：
“And now, O priests, this
commandment is for you.
If you will not hear,
And if you will not take it to heart,
To give glory to My name,”
Says the LORD of hosts,
“I will send a curse upon you,
And I will curse your blessings.
Yes, I have cursed them already,
Because you do not take it to heart.
Behold, I will rebuke your
descendants
And spread refuse on your faces,
The refuse of your solemn feasts;
And one will take you away with
it.”
(Mal 2:1–3)
1眾祭司啊，這誡命是傳給你們的。
2萬軍之耶和華說：你們若不聽從，也不放在心上，將榮耀歸與我的名，
我就使咒詛臨到你們，使你們的福分變為咒詛；因你們不把誡命放在心上，我已經咒詛你們了。
3我必斥責你們的種子，又把你們犧牲的糞抹你們的臉上；你們要與糞一同除掉。
(瑪 2：1-3)
God illustrated the dire nature of
the curse: He would take dung from
the sacrificial animals at the holy
feasts and smear it on the faces of
the priests; and He would then have
them removed from His presence.
神用可怕詛咒作為例子來加以說明：
祂將會把宗教節期祭品的糞便拿來，塗在這些祭司的臉上；
然後祂會把他們這些祭司，從祂的聖所及祂的面前，把他們趕走。
In this New Testament era, there
is no longer a need for physical
priesthood. What we have today
is a spiritual priesthood comprising
believers cleansed by the blood
of Jesus and given the privilege of
serving God directly (1 Pet 2:5, 9;
Rev 1:6; 5; 20:6). Nevertheless, the
standards of our eternal God do not
change; the principles of servitude
still apply as they did in times past.
在新約的時代，不再需要有人再從事祭司獻祭的工作。
今日我們所有的，是屬靈的祭司，這由耶穌寶血潔淨之後的眾信徒所組成，並且負予直接服事神的特權。
(從前 2：5，9；啟 1：6；5；20：6)
不只如此，我們永生神的要求，並不會改變；服事神的準則是仍然今日適用的，就如同過去的日子一樣。
BLESSINGS FOR THOSE WHO FOLLOW JESUS 跟隨耶穌的福氣
“If anyone serves Me, let him follow
Me; and where I am, there My
servant will be also. If anyone serves
Me, him My Father will honor.”
(Jn 12:26)
26若有人服事我，就當跟從我；我在那裡，服事我的人也要在那裡；若有人服事我，我父必尊重他。
(約 12：26)
Jesus promised a blessing for
those serving God. However, from
His words, “If anyone serves Me,”
we understand that it is conditional
upon a spirit of willingness. In truth,
our service to God should not be
rendered under compulsion.
耶穌應許要祝福那些服事神的人。
然而，從祂所說的話裡面，"若任何人服事我"，
我們了解，這是有條件的，就是一個人要在屬靈上真的願意來服事神。
從真理上來看，我們服事神，不應該是因為受到別人的強迫而去作。
The Song of Solomon records
three occasions when God says, “Do
not stir up or awaken love, until it
pleases” (Song 2:7; 3:5; 8:4). These
words tell us that God is waiting
for us, as believers, to be ready
and willing to show our love and
devotion to Him; He will not compel
us. Indeed, if we feel pressured or
obliged to undertake a task for God,
such that we grudgingly do it, our
service will not be pleasing to Him.
雅歌記載了三種情況，神是這麼說的，" 不要驚動、不要叫醒我所親愛的，等他自己情願"。(歌 2：7；3：5；8：4)
這些話告訴我們，神會等我們準備好，身為信徒，要能夠隨時準備好，並且願意把我們的愛和忠心獻給祂；祂並不會強迫我們。
是的，若我們感到有壓力，或是被別人要求去接受神的工作，例如我們作的心不甘情不願，我們的服事工作就不會讓神高興。
It is with good reason, then, that
Jesus says if we are to serve Him, we
must first follow Him. This entails
self-denial and submission to His
will. Whether we find this easy or
difficult to do depends on our level
of spiritual cultivation and our selfregard,
in terms of how confident
we are in our own gifts and abilities.
Generally speaking, the knowledge,
experiences and accomplishments
we acquire over the years will make
it harder for us to practice self-denial.
When we were young, we could
perhaps accept criticism and were
able to forgive and forget; but do
we maintain the same humility with
the advancing years? Self-denial
for a worker of God can be a real
challenge—one that lasts a lifetime
because our Christian journey entails
following and serving Christ for life.
會這樣是有原因的，因為耶穌說，若我們要服事祂，就要先跟隨祂。
這句話，就包含把自我拿掉，要順服祂的旨意。
不論我們認為要這麼作是很容易或是很困難，這都看我們自已的靈修以及自已怎麼看自已有關，
也就是說，我們對自已所擁有的恩賜和才能，到底是有多少信心。
一般而言，我們經年累月所得到的知識，經驗和成就，會讓我們很難去放棄自我。
當我們年輕的時候，我們或許可以接受別人的批評，並且很容易就饒恕別人，忘記別人是怎麼得罪我們的；
但是當我們年紀逐漸增長的時候，我們是不是還可以維持同樣謙卑的心態呢？
身為神的工作，要能作到放棄自我，可能真的不容易 -
是一件我們終身都要面對的課題，因為我們身為基督徒，走在自已信仰的旅程上，就會包含為了永生來跟隨主，服事基督。
There is a saying: “A person might
work so hard that his face is covered
in sweat, while other people’s lips will
be full of criticism.” We may have
experienced or witnessed the truth
of this saying ourselves, where we
have worked very diligently to take
care of church affairs, but others
have not appreciated the effort. In
fact, there are members who simply
do not know how to be appreciative.
Instead, they come to church as
auditors, constantly finding fault.
These are likely to be the ones who
like to critique the sermon speakers
or to complain that the church has
no love. It really is not easy to serve
God. But still, there are members
in our midst who continue to serve
Him steadfastly, with a heart of selfdenial
and submission. These are the
workers whom God will surely honor.
有一句格言這麼說："一個人努力工作到汗流滿面，但是別人的嘴唇，只會說出充滿批評的話語。"
我們也會親自有同樣的經歷，或者見識到這句格言真實發生的情況，
那個時候我們很努力的工作，正好好的處理教會的事工，但是別人卻不欣賞我們付出的努力。
事實上，有許多信徒總是不知道要如何心存感激。
反過來，他們一來到教會就像是監察官一樣，不斷找別人的缺點。
這些人，就很喜歡去批評講道的人，或是抱怨他在教會裡，感受不到愛。
所以要服事神，真的很不容易。
但是同樣的，在我們中間也有許多信徒，用一顆謙卑和順服的心，一直不斷的在服事神。
這些工人，就是以後神一定會加以獎賞的人。
If we are faithful, God will bless us with life and peace. More
wonderfully, He will speak to us face to face and be attentive to
our intercessions and feelings. We will experience His presence
in our lives and feel the light of His countenance shining on all
we do.
若是我們對神很忠心，神會用生命和平安來祝福我們。
更奇妙的是，祂會和我們面對面說說，並且會很關心我們的代禱和感覺。
我們就會體會到祂存在我們的生活中，在我們所行的事上，感受到祂的臉面發光照耀我們。
HONORED BY GOD 被神稱讚
Jesus says, “If anyone serves Me,
him My Father will honor.” Normally,
it is man’s duty to honor God, but
here we are told that God will show
respect to the one who serves Him.
How will He do this?
耶穌說，"若是任何人服事我，我在天上的上就會獎賞他。"
正常來說，人的本份就是要榮耀神，但是這裡告訴我們，
神會尊重那些服事祂的人。
祂會怎麼作呢？
Numbers 6:22–27 records the
blessing of the high priest for the
people of Israel. It is a complete and
perfect blessing containing three
strands:
民數記六章22節到27節記載了，大祭司為以色列百姓祝福。
這個完全又完美的祝福包含了三個部份：
“The LORD bless you and keep
you.”
(Num 6:24)
24願耶和華賜福給你，保護你。(民 6：25)
These words confer a blessing from
God, the heavenly Father on high, to
His chosen people below.
這些話傳達了從神而來的祝福，在高天的天父，祝福在地上祂的選民。
“The LORD make His face shine
upon you, and be gracious to you.”
(Num 6:25)
25願耶和華使他的臉光照你，賜恩給你。(民 6：25)
These words bring to mind the
relationship between God and Moses.
Moses had the privilege of speaking
with God face to face as a friend (Ex
33:11). After conversing together on
Mount Sinai for forty days and nights,
Moses’ face reflected and radiated
God’s divine light. Today, we know
that we, too, can commune with
God through prayer and experience
His face shining on us.
這些話，也讓我們知道了神和摩西之間的關係。
摩西有親自面對面和神說話的特權，就好像朋友一樣。(出 33：11)
在西奈山上一起討論的四十畫夜之後，摩西的臉不但會反光，更會散發出神的聖光。
今日，我們知道，我們也可以和神溝通，透過禱告，也能體會到祂的臉光照在我們身上。
“The LORD lift up His countenance
upon you, and give you peace.”
(Num 6:26)
26願耶和華向你仰臉，賜你平安。(民 6：26)
In the Bible there are many verses
that speak of believers lifting up their
faces to God. But in this blessing,
God is the One who will lift up His
countenance upon us. When we
serve Him, He will honor us, placing
us on high to be with Him, and grant
us peace.
在聖經裡面，有許多經節都說到，信徒會抬起他們的臉來仰望神。
但是在這裡的祝福，卻是神把自已的臉抬起看我們照耀我們。
當我們服事祂的時候，祂會給我們榮耀，把我們放在高處和祂在一起，並且賜給我們平安。
MOSES GAINED GOD’s HONOR 摩西得到神的榮耀
Exodus 32 records an incident where
the Israelites made a golden calf,
while Moses was on the mountain
receiving the commandments and
ordinances from God.
出埃及記 32 章記載了一個事件，就是以色列人造了一座小金牛，
而這個時候，摩西正在山上，從神領受誡命和律例。
And the LORD said to Moses, “Go,
get down! For your people whom
you brought out of the land of Egypt
have corrupted themselves.”
(Ex 32:7)
7耶和華吩咐摩西說：下去罷，因為你的百姓，就是你從埃及地領出來的，已經敗壞了。
(出 32：7)
These were harsh words God
directed at Moses, the man He
honored. God referred to the Israelites
as “[Moses’] people, whom [he]
brought out of the land of Egypt.” It
seemed God was distancing Himself
from the chosen people; previously,
He had addressed the people, saying,
“I am the LORD your God, who
brought you out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of bondage” (Ex
20:2).
這些就是神直接向摩西說出來，非常嚴厲的話，而摩西卻是神所稱讚的人。
神認為以色列人都是摩西的子民，是他把他們帶出埃及地的。
這樣看起來，神就好像要遠離祂自已的選民；
而在這之前，祂曾經這樣形容這些人，說，
"2我是耶和華─你的神，曾將你從埃及地為奴之家領出來。" (出 20：2)
How did Moses respond?
Then Moses pleaded with the LORD
his God, and said: “LORD, why does
Your wrath burn hot against Your
people whom You have brought
out of the land of Egypt with great
power and with a mighty hand?”
(Ex 32:11)
摩西是怎麼回答的呢？
11摩西便懇求耶和華─他的神說：耶和華阿，你為甚麼向你的百姓發烈怒呢？這百姓是你用大力和大能的手從埃及地領出來的。
(出 32：11)
Here, Moses reminded God that
the people belonged to Him and He
was the One responsible for their
deliverance.
這裡，摩西提醒神，這些人都是屬於祂，祂才要為這些人拯救的事，負責任的神。
And the LORD said to Moses, “I have
seen this people, and indeed it is a
stiff-necked people! Now therefore,
let Me alone, that My wrath may
burn hot against them and I may
consume them. And I will make of
you a great nation.”
(Ex 32:9–10)
9耶和華對摩西說：我看這百姓真是硬著頸項的百姓。
10你且由著我，我要向他們發烈怒，將他們滅絕，使你的後裔成為大國。
(出 32：9-10)
God wanted to destroy the
Israelites, yet, He was mindful of
Moses’ feelings. If Moses had not
tried to intervene, God would have
destroyed the sinful people there and
then.
神想要毀滅以色列人，然而，祂也非常在意摩西的感受。
若是沒有摩西從中來介入這件事，或許神在那個時就，就會把這些犯罪的人都加以毀滅。
ELI LOST GOD’S HONOR 以利失去神的榮耀
Eli was a loyal priest. Despite his
advanced years, he always remained
on duty, sitting by the doorpost of
God’s tabernacle. And each night, he
would retire to the priests’ quarters
(1 Sam 1:9; 3:2). At the time, priests
started their ministry at the age of
thirty and retired at fifty. But even at
retirement, the priests would continue
going to the temple, although their
work would be lighter. It would be
left to the younger, stronger, priests
to undertake the laborious tasks—
for example, to skin and butcher the
oxen and carry the carcasses to be
sacrificed at the altar.
過去以利是忠心的祭司。
雖然他年紀老邁，他總是堅守在他的崗位上，坐在神會幕的門柱邊。
每天晚上，他才會回到祭司的住處。(撒上 1：9；3：2)
在那時候，祭司從30歲就開始服事神，然後50歲才退休。
但是即是退休了，許多祭司都還是繼續會到聖殿去，或者他們可以幫忙一些比較算單輕省的工作。
讓那些比較年輕強壯的祭司來作那些比較費力的工作，例如，
去屠宰那些獻祭的公牛，並且把皮剝下來，接下來，就把準備好的動物的祭品，搬到壇上去獻祭。
Now when he came, there was Eli,
sitting on a seat by the wayside
watching, for his heart trembled
for the ark of God. And when the
man came into the city and told
it, all the city cried out...Then it
happened, when he made mention
of the ark of God, that Eli fell off
the seat backward by the side of
the gate; and his neck was broken
and he died, for the man was old
and heavy. And he had judged Israel
forty years.
(1 Sam 4:13, 18)
當他到了那裡，以利正坐在通道旁邊的椅子上，因為他的內心為了神的約櫃很擔心。
當這個走進了城裡，並且把消息向大家說，整個城市都很傷心的大聲哭泣..
而接下來事情就這樣發生了，當他說到有關神約櫃的情況時，以利在大門旁邊從椅子向後倒下去；
他的脖子就因為折斷，並且死去，他們他已經很老了，而且身體很沉重的關係。
他總共在以色列擔任審判官的工作四十年。
Eli was watching and waiting for
news of the ark of God. When he
learned of its fate, he immediately
fell backwards and broke his neck.
His death marked the end of a
generation. All that he left behind was
a grandson by the name of Ichabod,
meaning “inglorious,” for the glory
had departed from Israel. What had
brought about such a tragic ending?
以利一直在查詢，並且等待神約櫃的消息。
當他知道約櫃那時所遇到的情況時，他立刻就往後倒，摔斷了他的脖子。
他的死去，也代表了一個世代的結束。
他所留下死後的一切，只有一個孫子，他的名字是以迦博，意思是說"失去了榮耀"，
因為神的榮耀已經離開了以色列民。
到底是為什麼，會導致如此悲劇情況的結局呢？
The Bible says that Eli’s two sons
had been wicked and corrupt and did
not know the Lord (1 Sam 2:12). This
is curious as they had been trained
up from a young age for service in
the tabernacle located in Shiloh. They
should have been familiar with the
laws and statutes of God. But God
had to send a messenger to point out
their sins to Eli.
聖經說，以利的二個兒子非常邪惡和敗壞，並且心中沒有神。(撒上 2：12)
這就是一件非常奇怪的事情了，因為他們從小就好教導要怎麼去服事神，而且正是在神會幕所在的地方-示羅。
他們應該對神的律法和律例非常熟悉才是。
但是，神還是要派一個使者去向以利，指出他兒子罪惡的情況才可以。
Then a man of God came to Eli and
said to him, “Thus says the LORD:
‘Did I not clearly reveal Myself to
the house of your father when they
were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house?...
Why do you kick at My sacrifice
and My offering which I have
commanded in My dwelling place,
and honor your sons more than Me,
to make yourselves fat with the
best of all the offerings of Israel My
people?’ ”
(1 Sam 2:27, 29)
27有神人來見以利，對他說：耶和華如此說：你祖父在埃及法老家作奴僕的時候，我不是向他們顯現麼？
29我所吩咐獻在我居所的祭物，你們為何踐踏？尊重你的兒子過於尊重我，將我民以色列所獻美好的祭物肥己呢？
(撒上 2：27，29)
Even though Eli was loyal in many
respects, he lacked true knowledge.
He did not honor God or His sacrifices;
he allowed his sons to show disregard
for the sacrifices and to commit
adultery with the women at the door
of the tabernacle. Eli could have dealt
with his sinful offspring, but he chose
not to. For this reason, God issued a
warning through a messenger:
即使以利在很多方面都很忠心，但他沒有真知識。
他並不尊重神，也沒有尊重百姓要獻給神的祭物；
他容忍自已的小孩作一些對祭物不尊重的行為，並且他們還跟駐守在會幕門前的婦女發生淫亂。
以利可以處理他自已這些罪的祭，不得罪神，但是他卻是選擇不去處理。
因為這個原因，神透過一位使者來發出警告：
Therefore the LORD God of Israel
says: “I said indeed that your house
and the house of your father would
walk before Me forever.” But now
the LORD says: “Far be it from Me;
for those who honor Me I will
honor, and those who despise Me
shall be lightly esteemed. Behold,
the days are coming that I will cut
off your arm and the arm of your
father’s house, so that there will
not be an old man in your house…
Now this shall be a sign to you that
will come upon your two sons, on
Hophni and Phinehas: in one day
they shall die, both of them.”
(1 Sam 2:30–31, 34)
30因此，耶和華─以色列的神說：我曾說，你和你父家必永遠行在我面前；現在我卻說，決不容你們這樣行。
因為尊重我的，我必重看他；藐視我的，他必被輕視。
31日子必到，我要折斷你的膀臂和你父家的膀臂，使你家中沒有一個老年人。
34你的兩個兒子何弗尼、非尼哈所遭遇的事可作你的證據：他們二人必一日同死。
(撒上 2：30-31；34)
It was unfortunate that Eli did not
heed this message. God tried again,
this time, sending a little child to
speak to him. This child was Samuel.
很不幸的是，以利對這訊息並不留意。
神又試了一次，這次他派一個小孩向他說話。
這個小孩就是撒母耳。
Then the LORD said to Samuel:
“Behold, I will do something
in Israel at which both ears of
everyone who hears it will tingle. In
that day I will perform against Eli all
that I have spoken concerning his
house, from beginning to end. For
I have told him that I will judge his
house forever for the iniquity which
he knows, because his sons made
themselves vile, and he did not
restrain them.”
(1 Sam 3:11–13)
11耶和華對撒母耳說：我在以色列中必行一件事，叫聽見的人都必耳鳴。
12我指著以利家所說的話，到了時候，我必始終應驗在以利身上。
13我曾告訴他必永遠降罰與他的家，因他知道兒子作孽，自招咒詛，卻不禁止他們。
(撒上 3：11-13)
Again, Eli failed to act, thus
bringing a curse upon himself and his
two sons. On the same day, all three
were cut off from God.
再一次，以利沒有作為，因此為他自已和他的兒子招來神的詛咒。
在同一天，他們三個人都被神的家中剪除。
CONCLUSION 結論
From the contrasting examples of
Moses and Eli, we can see how
our service to God can either
bring abundant blessings, or dire
consequences. If we are faithful,
God will bless us with life and peace.
More wonderfully, He will speak to us
face to face and be attentive to our
intercessions and feelings. We will
experience His presence in our lives
and feel the light of His countenance
shining on all we do.
從摩西和以利這二個人的例子中鮮明的對比，我們就可以知道，
到底我們服事神，可以帶來豐富的祝福，或是悲慘的後果。
若是我們有信心，神就會祝福我們有生命和平安。
更奇妙的是，祂會和我們面對面說說，垂聽我們的代禱，關心我們的心情。
我們可以在生活中感受到祂的存在，感受到祂臉光照我們一切的作為。
However, if we are complacent in
our servitude, we will be shamed by
God. Our works will be unfruitful and
bring no pleasure to Him. He may
punish or warn us through various
means, but if we persist, we will be
removed from serving before Him—
the gift of service will be taken from
us, and God will no longer abide with
us.
然而，若是我們在服事上，變的自得意滿，神就會讓我們受到修辱。
我們的工作就不會有果效，並且也不會讓祂喜悅。
祂或者會用各種不同的方式來處罰我們，或是給我們警告，
但是若是我們繼續一直這樣下去，就會從在祂面前服事祂的事上，被神移除 -
服事的恩賜也會被神所剝奪，神也不會再和我們同在。
Therefore, whether we receive
a blessing or a curse is up to us—it
depends on the faithfulness of our
servitude, whether we undertake it
with submission and self-denial. Since
priesthood is an honor and a gift
(Num 18:7), which brings blessings
that the Lord God does not have to
render, let us be thankful and carry
out the work with a willing heart.
所以，我們要得到祝福，或是要招致詛咒 -
一切都只關乎是否我們在服事神的事上對神有忠心，
我們是不是有用順服和謙卑自已來作神的工。
因為祭司的職份，不但是一份榮耀，也是一份恩賜，(民 18：7)
而且不是神就一定要把這個恩典賜給你，
讓我們有一顆感謝神的心，並且用願作的心來進行服事神的工作。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
Manna 嗎哪 56 (1)