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Manna issue 72 - El Elohe IsraelEl Elohe Israel 神，是以色列的神

I, too, want God to be my God. 我也要神成為我的神

K.C. Tsai—Toronto, Canada 加拿大多倫多 蔡恆忠 執事

When Lazarus was ill, his sisters sent
for the Lord Jesus, saying, “He whom
You love is sick.” This simple message
did not mention Lazarus’ name or ask
for healing. Why? Because Lazarus’
sisters were certain that the Lord
Jesus would know those whom He
loved (Jn 11:5) and that He would
show His love to them.

當拉撒路生病了，他的姐姐派人去找主耶穌說，"你所愛的人生病了。"
這個短短的訊息並沒有提到拉撒路的名字，請求耶穌來醫治。為什麼呢？
因為拉撒路的姐妹很確定，主耶穌會了解誰是他愛的人(約 11：5)，並且祂會向祂愛的人施慈愛。

Likewise, when we come before
the Lord, it is as simple as this: let the
word of God work in us and shape
us to become a person loved by Him.
As long as we are His beloved, we
can entrust ourselves to Him and
allow Him to love us according to His
will. It is through the ordinary events
in our lives that we behold God’s
countenance (Ps 42:5) and feel His
love for us. It is in this way that we
learn how to love Him and be His
beloved people.

同樣的道理，當我們來到主面前，就像這樣這麼的簡單：
讓神的話在我們心中工作，雕塑我們，讓我們成為一個祂所喜愛的人。
只要我們是祂所喜愛的人，就可以把我們自已交託給祂，根據他的旨意，允許祂施慈愛給我們。

In Malachi 1:2–3, God said, “Was
not Esau Jacob’s brother? … Yet
Jacob I have loved; but Esau I have
hated.” God loved Jacob! His words
were sure and right! What Jacob
had wanted were the blessings that
came with the birthright. However,
besides these blessings, he received
God’s love: Jacob’s simple resolution
to supplant the firstborn won him
God’s favor, which would change his
life forever.

瑪拉基書一章2-3節，神說，"以掃不是雅各的哥哥麼？ 我卻愛雅各，惡以掃。"
神愛雅各！祂的話是確實而正確的！
而雅各所想要的，就是隨著長子名份所帶來的祝福。
然而，除了這些祝福之外，他也領受了神的愛：雅各單純的決心，取代了長子的名份，贏得神的喜愛，這就讓他永遠改變了一生。

When Esau and Jacob were
born, Abraham was 160 years old.
Abraham lived to the age of 175 and
died when his two grandsons were
fifteen years old. Fifteen years would
have sufficed for Esau and Jacob to
know the covenant and relationship
between God and their grandfather.
Fifteen years was also long enough
for them to understand why their
grandfather had sent his eldest son,
Ishmael, away (Gen 21:14) and
dispatched his six other sons to the
country of the east, away from Isaac
(Gen 25:6). Abraham had done all
this for the sake of preserving God’s
covenant and blessings for his “only
son” Isaac (Gen 22:2) and to prevent
any dispute over the division of the
inheritance. This inheritance was
extremely precious because God
had promised Abraham and his
descendants everlasting possession
of the land and that He would be
their God (Gen 17:8).

當以掃和雅各出生之後，亞伯拉罕已經160歲了。
亞伯拉罕活到175歲，年紀老邁而死，而他的兩個孫子才15歲。
已經到了15歲，已經讓他們兩個足以認識與神所立的約，並且知道他們祖父與神之間的關係。
15歲也已經長得夠大了，他們也該了解，為什麼他們的祖父會把他的大兒子，以實瑪利，送走(創 21：14)，
並且分派其他六個兒子往東邊的國家去，讓他們能夠離開以撒 。(創 25：6)
亞伯拉罕作了這一切所有的事情，是為了遵守與神的約定，也為了讓他"唯一的兒子"以撒能夠蒙福，並且防止分財產而產生任何紛爭。
這財產是極度珍貴的，因為神已經應許亞伯拉罕和他的子孫，要永遠承受一份土地，成為他們的財產，而且祂會永遠作他們的神。(創 17：8)

Since Jacob was born after Esau,
Jacob knew there was a possibility
that he might be sent away and be
separated from God’s covenant and
promise, like his uncles. Although
unsure of the consequences of
being a second child, he yearned to
become the firstborn. He knew that
his father and grandfather believed in
the one and only God in an otherwise
polytheistic world. They had had
numerous encounters with this God
and were greatly blessed. He wanted
to have a part of this blessing and to
be connected with this God. It was
this dream that changed his life.

因為雅各在以掃之後才生下來，雅各知道，很有可能他會被送走，並且和神的約和應許永遠分開，就像他其他的叔叔們。
雖然不太確定成為第二個兒所帶來的結果會是什麼，他卻渴望成為長子。
他知道，父親和祖父在這個多神的社會裡，只相信唯一的真神。
他們和這一位神，有好幾次的相遇，並且大大的受到祝福。
他也想要與這個祝福有份，與這一位神有關係。
就是因為有這個夢，因而改變了他的一生。

After Isaac had blessed Jacob,
Esau returned from hunting 
approached Isaac with the savory
food that he had prepared in order
to receive his father’s blessings.
When Isaac realized that the person
whom he had blessed earlier was
not Esau, he trembled at his grave
mistake. However, when Esau wept
bitterly and revealed to Isaac that
his birthright had been lost through
a deal made with his brother (Gen
27:36), Isaac knew he had made no
mistake. His older son had not valued
the honor of being the firstborn.
Hence, when he blessed Jacob for
the second time, before Jacob’s
departure for Haran, he willingly
gave him “the blessing of Abraham”
and “the land ... which God gave to
Abraham” (Gen 28:4). Thus, Isaac
recognized Jacob as his firstborn.

以撒祝福雅各之後，以掃打獵完才回家，他帶著準備好的美味食物，走近以撒，打算要領受他父親的祝福。
當以撒知道，他先前所祝福的人，並不是以掃，他就因為覺得犯了很大的錯誤，而感到驚恐。
然而，當以掃淒慘的大哭時，告訴了以撒，他長子的名份，已經因為和他的兄弟交易，而失去了(創 27：36)，以撒這才知道，他沒有作錯事。
他的長子不配得到身為長子所該有的榮耀。
因為，當雅各要離開往哈蘭去之前，以撒第二次祝福雅各的時候，他就很樂意的把"亞伯拉罕的祝福"和"神所祝福要給亞伯拉罕的土地"，都祝福給雅各。(創 28：4)
至此，以撒正式承認雅各才是他的長子。

After Jacob had departed from
his father’s house, God appeared to
him in a dream saying, “I am the
God of Abraham, and the God of
Isaac,” referring to Himself as the
God whom Abraham and Isaac had
known, experienced, and served
diligently with faith in various places
and under various circumstances.
There is a hint of yearning in God’s
declaration: although He did not
expressly say it, God also wanted
to be the God of Jacob. He wanted
to be Jacob’s. God promised to be
with him wherever he went, just as
He had been with Jacob’s father and
grandfather. God would be Jacob’s
inheritance and wished for Jacob to
be His special possession (Deut 32:9).
Similarly, God was the inheritance of
the Levites who were set apart for
Him. The Bible describes that the
Levites had no material inheritance,
unlike their brothers of the other
tribes. Instead, they had God—the
ultimate inheritance (Num 18:20;
Deut 18:1–2). Today, true believers
are likened to the Levites, set apart
for God. The Lord wants us to look
forward to no other goodness, apart
from Him (Ps 16:2). The Lord is our
inheritance, just as He would be
Jacob’s.

雅各離開他父親的家之後，神在夢中向他顯現說，"我是亞伯拉罕的神，以撒的神"，指著祂自已說，亞伯拉罕和以撒都認識祂，體驗過祂，
並且在任何地方，在不同的環境之下，都有信心殷勤的服事祂。
在神的宣告當中，隱含有一絲絲的期待：雖然祂並沒有明明白白的說出來，神仍然想要成為雅各的神。
祂也想要雅各來事奉祂。
神應許無論雅各往那裡去，都要和他同在，就像是過去祂和雅各的父親和祖父同在一樣。
神將成為雅各的產業，神也希望雅各成為神祂自已特殊的產業。(申 32：9)
同樣的情況，神也是利未人的產業，祂特地分別為聖歸屬於祂自已。
聖經這樣描寫，利未人沒有物質上的財產，不像他們其他支派的兄弟們一樣。
相反地，他們有神 - 最終的產業 (民 18：20；申 18：1-2)。
今日，真信徒就像是利未人一樣，與世分別為聖歸屬神。
神要我們不要在看其他的好處，只專心期待祂(詩 16：2)。
主是我們的產業，就好像是，祂也是雅各的產業一樣。

Awakened from his dream, Jacob
made a vow to God: “If God will be
with me, and keep me in this way
that I am going, and give me bread
to eat and clothing to put on, so that
I come back to my father’s house in
peace, then the LORD shall be my
God” (Gen 28:20–21). Jacob’s last
phrase “then the LORD shall be my
God,” reveals that he had yet to treat
God as his own God. He thought he
could negotiate with God.

從夢中醒來，雅各向神許願：
"20雅各許願說：神若與我同在，在我所行的路上保佑我，又給我食物吃，衣服穿，
21使我平平安安地回到我父親的家，我就必以耶和華為我的神。" 
(創 28：20-21)
雅各最後的說法是，"我就必以耶和華為我的神"，顯明了，他仍然還沒有把神當作是自已的神。
他認為可以和神討價還價。

Twenty years later, Jacob fled
from his uncle’s place with all his
possessions (Gen 31:20). He crossed
the river, and headed toward the
mountains of Gilead en route to his
father’s home. When Laban overtook
him in the mountains of Gilead after
a seven day pursuit, Jacob told his
uncle:

二十年之後，雅各帶著他全部的家當，從他舅舅那裡逃了出來。(創 31：20)
越過了河流，往基列山地走去，往回到他父親家的途中而去。
當拉班花了七天來追他，在基列山地趕上他的時候，雅個告訴他的舅舅：

Unless the God of my father, the
God of Abraham and the Fear of
Isaac, had been with me, surely
now you would have sent me away
empty-handed. God has seen my
affliction and the labor of my hands,
and rebuked you last night. (Gen
31:42)

42若不是我父親以撒所敬畏的神，就是亞伯拉罕的神與我同在，你如今必定打發我空手而去。神看見我的苦情和我的勞碌，就在昨夜責備你。
(創 31：42)

Throughout the twenty years that
Jacob stayed with Laban at Padan
Aram, God was always with him
(Gen 31:5). Even Laban could attest
to this (Gen 30:27). However, from
his conversation with Laban, we can
see that, in his heart, God was still
the God whom his father feared, the
God of Abraham (Gen 31:42). Even
though God had always been by his
side during those twenty years away
from home, he still saw God as the
God of his father and grandfather
but not his own.

雅各和拉班一起住在巴旦亞蘭，經過了二十年，神無時無刻都和他同在。(創 31：5)
即使是拉班，也能証實這件事。(創 30：27)
然而，從他和拉班的對話中，我們可以發現，在他內心裡，神仍然是他父親敬畏的神，是亞伯拉罕的神。(創 31：42)
即使是神在他這二十年離家的日子裡，無時無刻都在他的身邊，他仍然認為，神是他父親和他祖父的神，而不是他自已的神。

It was only when Jacob arrived at
the ford of Jabbok (Gen 32:22) and
wrestled with God that he truly met
God face to face. When the Lord
saw that He did not prevail against
Jacob, He touched and disjointed
the socket of his hip. God said to
him, “Your name shall no longer be
called Jacob (supplanter), but Israel
(Prince of God, or “one who wrestles
with God”), for you have struggled
with God and with men, and have
prevailed.”

只有當雅各來到雅博渡口的時候(創 32：22)，與神摔跤，他才真的面對面，見到神。
當主看到，祂沒有勝過雅各的時候，祂摸雅各屁股一下，並且讓他的大腿關節脫臼。
神告訴他，"你的名字不再叫做雅各(取代者)，而是以色列(神的王子，或是"與神摔跤的人")，
因為你無論和神或是和人摔跤，都能得勝。"

How did Jacob prevail over God?
Did Jacob not suffer a hip injury that
left him crippled? Wouldn’t that be
considered a defeat? No, Jacob did
not prevail over God. Or did Jacob
prevail over Esau? Did he not flee to
Padan Aram, haunted by fear that
Esau wanted to kill him? No, Jacob
did not prevail over Esau. In a physical
sense, he did not prevail at all.

雅各是怎麼勝過神的呢？
難道雅各不是受到屁股的傷害，而讓他變成跛腳嗎三
難道變成這個樣子，不算是被打算了嗎？
沒有，雅各並沒有勝過神。
或是雅各有勝過以掃嗎？
難道雅各不是逃跑到巴旦亞蘭，被恐懼攏罩，因為害怕以掃會殺了他，不是嗎？
沒有，雅各也沒有勝過以掃。
在物質的角度來看，他一點都沒有獲勝。

But if we go beyond the ordinary
to look at Jacob’s life journey, he did
prevail. He prevailed over his mother’s
heart, for she willingly helped him
receive the blessing of the firstborn.
He prevailed over his father’s heart,
for Isaac willingly blessed him with
the blessing of Abraham from God
(Gen 28:3–4). He had also won over
God’s heart, for God gave him all that
He had promised Abraham and Isaac
(Gen 35:11–12).

但是，若我們從超越平凡的角度，來審視雅各一生的旅程，他真的獲勝了。
他贏得了他媽媽內心的喜愛，因為祂也很樂意來幫他奪取長子的祝福。
他贏得了他爸爸內心的喜愛，因為以撒也很樂意，用從神而來，亞伯拉罕的福氣，來祝福雅各。(創 28：3-4)
他甚至也贏得了神內心的喜愛，因為神給了雅各，祂曾經應許亞伯拉罕和以撒所有一切的祝福。(創 35：11-12)

Yes, Jacob received all these
because he had resolved not to give
up on himself. He was born a second
child, taking hold of his brother’s heel.
As a second child, he was unsure
if he would end up like his uncles,
excluded from the blessing Abraham
had received from God and from
inheriting the land God had promised.
However, being a second child was
not his own choice. He struggled and
grasped any opportunity to prevent
the blessing of Abraham from passing
him by. Eventually, God granted him
the birthright (Ex 4:22). This was
what his name Jacob meant: heel
catcher, or supplanter. He grabbed
the birthright and supplanted the
firstborn.

是的，雅各領受了所有的一切，因為他決心對他自已永不放棄。
他身為次子，抓著他兄長的腳跟出生。
身為次子，他不確定，是否他最後也會像他的叔叔一樣，從神給亞伯拉罕的祝福中，被排除在外，並且不能繼承神所應許之地。
然而，身為次子，並不是他自已可作的選擇。
他努力奮鬥，想要抓住任何機會，想要阻止任何可能的機會，防止亞伯拉罕的祝福，從他身旁流失。
最後，神同意了他身為子民的名份。(出 4：22)
這也是他名字，雅各所代表的意思：腳跟，接到的人，或是取代者。
他抓到了名份，也取代了長子。

As the sun rose and Jacob limped
across Penuel—“the face of God”—
he saw why he could safely pass
through his tumultuous life: it was
not his own strong will to supplant or
grab, but it was the mercy of the Lord
who had been silently accompanying
him. Now, he was to meet his brother
who had been a primary threat to his
life. At this crucial moment, when the
strength of his legs was most needed,
he limped. Nevertheless, now being
Israel, the prince of God, he knew he
had nothing to fear and none other
than his God to lean on. Jacob had
finally learned to let go and to look no
further. God purposely took away the
strength in his legs. Now, God would
carry him wherever He wanted.

當日出之時，雅各跛行走過毘努伊勒-"神的面" -他終於知道，為什麼他能夠安全通過他一生多災多難的生活：
並不是因為他有堅強的意志，來取代別人或是努力爭取，而完全是因為神的慈愛，祂在一路上默默地伴隨著他。
如今，他將要與他的哥哥再見，在以前的時候，曾經是主要威脅他生命的人。
在這危急的時刻，在他最需要有一雙強壯的大腿時，他卻跛腳了。
雖然如此，如今已經叫做以色列，神的王子，他知道，他是沒有什麼可以害怕的，只要他專心依靠神，他不需要害怕。
最後雅各終於學會放手，不再努力追尋。
神故意取走他大腳上的力氣。
今日，無論他想要往那裡去，神都會帶著他。

When he returned to Canaan,
Jacob erected an altar and called it
“El Elohe Israel,” which means “God,
the God of Israel” (Gen 33:20). God
had become his own God! The Lord
was no longer his grandfather’s or
father’s God, but his. He is the God
who led Jacob to personally discover,
encounter, and acknowledge Him in
his life.

當他回到迦南地，雅各築起一座祭壇，叫做"神，是以色列的神"，
代表了，神，如今也成為以色列的神了"。(創 33：20)
神成為他自已的神！
主不再只是他祖父和父親的神而已，而如今成為他的神。
就因為神是代領雅各親自發現，相遇，並且在他的一生中，都承認祂是自已的神。

I too want God to be mine. I too
want to be one whom He loves.

我也希望神是我的神。
我也希望成為一個祂所愛的人。

小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com

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