8. Manna issue 86 - Burning Coal That Sustains Spiritual Life 重新挑旺靈命
Aun Quek Chin—Singapore 新加坡 Aun Quek Chin
Before natural gas and other energy sources were discovered, coal was central to man’s life.
Coal was used to produce fire for cooking, and to keep home fires burning during cold winters.
The Bible also cites three instances where coal,
or what it represents, is central to our life of faith.
Let us study these examples to see how we can sustain the flame of our spiritual life.
在發現天然氣和其他能源之前，煤炭是人類生活的重心。
煤炭被用來生火做飯，並在寒冷的冬天維持家中爐火燃燒。
聖經也用炭火列舉三個事件，
或它所代表的意義，是我們信仰生活的核心。
讓我們研究這些例子，看看如何維持我們靈命的火焰。
BURNING COALS ON THE HEAD 在頭上堆炭火
If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
For so you will heap coals of fire on his head,
And the LORD will reward you.
(Prov 25:21–22)
21你的仇敵若餓了，就給他飯吃；若渴了，就給他水喝；
22因為，你這樣行就是把炭火堆在他的頭上；耶和華也必賞賜你。
(箴 25：21-22)
Some believe that this refers to an Egyptian practice of bearing burning coal on one’s head to redeem sins or mistakes.
The agony of performing this ritual would represent the bearer’s guilt.
Some also believe that Native Americans used burning coals to represent forgiveness
—they would reduce the coal to ash
and spread it on the head of the one who offended them,
demonstrating that their hatred had dissipated like ash.
有人認為，這是埃及人的做法，將煤燃堆在頭上燒，用以贖罪或過失。
進行這種儀式的痛苦，將代表執行者的罪惡感。
有些人還認為，美洲原住民，用燃燒的煤炭，來表示寬恕
-他們將煤漸燒成灰
並把煤灰撒到冒犯他們的人的頭上，
表明他們的仇恨，像灰燼一樣消散了。
This attitude reflects how we ought to respond to evil with good.
David is an example of this.
Even though he was being hunted by Saul,
David did not harm him when he had the opportunity to do so.
While hiding in a cave, David could have killed Saul,
but instead, he spared Saul’s life.
This act moved Saul to weep bitterly.
He told David:
這種態度，反映了我們應該如何以善待惡。
大衛就是這樣的例子。
即使他被掃羅獵殺，
大衛雖有機會傷害掃羅，但卻沒有傷害他。
當他們都躲在山洞裡，大衛本來可以殺死掃羅，
但相反的，他放過了掃羅的性命。
這一舉動，感動了掃羅大大地痛哭。
他告訴大衛：
“You are more righteous than I;
for you have rewarded me with good,
whereas I have rewarded you with evil.
And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me;
for when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me.
For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely?”
(1 Sam 24:17–19a)
17你比我公義；因為你以善待我，我卻以惡待你。
18你今日顯明是以善待我；因為耶和華將我交在你手裡，你卻沒有殺我。
19人若遇見仇敵，豈肯放他平安無事地去呢？
(撒上 24：17-19a)
David feared God.
He did not treat evil with evil,
but repaid evil with good.
In doing so, he poured coals on Saul’s head and caused him much shame.
大衛敬畏神。
他沒有以惡報惡，
卻以善報待惡。
為此，他在掃羅的頭堆了煤火，並給他帶來羞愧。
When someone treats us unfairly, our natural reaction may be anger.
We question why we are being badly treated,
and the more we dwell on this, the angrier we become.
But Proverbs teaches us an important truth:
“The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger,
and his glory is to overlook a transgression”
(Prov 19:11).
當有人不公平地對待我們時，我們的自然反應可能就是生氣。
我們質疑，為什麼會受到惡劣的對待，
而且我們對此有更多的關注，就會變得更憤怒。
但是箴言告訴我們一個重要的真理：
“11人有見識就不輕易發怒；寬恕人的過失便是自己的榮耀。”
（箴 19:11）。
A wise man does not become angry when wronged;
he knows that God is watching and will righteously judge.
So he yields to God and does not retaliate.
He relies on God to remove the anger in his heart, and seeks peace from God.
When he overlooks such wrongs, this will be his glory,
testifying that he is becoming more Christ-like.
智者受委屈而不會生氣;
他知道神會注視著，並且會公正地審判。
因此他交託給神，不去報復。
他依靠神，消除內心的憤怒，並尋求從神而來的平靜。
當他無視這些委屈時，這個動作將成為他的榮耀，
證明他是越來越像基督。
Paul says,
“ ‘Be angry, and do not sin’:
do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil”
(Eph 4:26–27).
The ability to overlook a transgression stems from
the ability to overcome the evil intent within us.
If we cultivate goodness within,
we can rely on God to overcome evil thoughts of revenge.
Tell yourself this:
“I will not allow myself to be overcome by evil;
instead, I will overcome evil with good.”
And when you have achieved this, you will feel immense joy.
The greatest achievement is not only in winning over others,
but in winning over yourself.
保羅說：
“‘26生氣卻不要犯罪；不可含怒到日落，
27也不可給魔鬼留地步。。”
（弗4：26–27）。
會忽視犯罪的能力，源自於
我們勝過內心的惡念的能力。
如果我們在內心培養善良
就可以依靠神克服報仇的惡念。
告訴自己：
“我不會讓自己被惡念戰勝；
相反，我會以善勝惡。”
當您實現這一目標時，您將感到無比的快樂。
最大的成就，不僅在於贏過別人，
而且也要勝得自己。
Let us reflect:
Are our hearts inclined towards good or evil?
Do we choose to forgive or avenge?
Do we allow our hearts to be darkened with anger,
or do we rely on the Holy Spirit to brighten our hearts with the peace of God?
Let us learn to heap burning coals on—to do good to—those who wrong us.
讓我們來反思一下：
我們的心傾向於善，或惡事呢？
我們選擇寬恕別人，還是去報仇？
我們是否會容忍自已的內心，因為憤怒而轉成黑暗呢，
還是我們依靠聖靈，以神的平安照亮我們的心靈？
讓我們學會，在那些錯待我們的人身上，堆滿燃燒的炭火，用好事來回報他們。
BURNING COALS ON THE LIPS 嘴唇上燃燒炭火
Then one of the seraphim flew to me,
having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar.
And he touched my mouth with it, and said:
然後其中一位天使飛向我，
他手裡拿著燒紅的炭，是從壇上用鉗子拿來的。
他用火炭觸碰我的嘴，說：
“Behold, this has touched your lips;
Your iniquity is taken away,
And your sin purged.” (Isa 6:6–7)
7看哪，這炭沾了你的嘴，你的罪孽便除掉，你的罪惡就赦免了。
(賽 6：6-7)
The prophet Isaiah thought he was a holy man,
but once he saw the glory of God,
he immediately felt he was a man of unclean lips.
Then, one of the seraphim used a burning coal to cleanse his lips.
先知以賽亞認為，自已是聖潔的，
但是當他看到了神的榮耀，
他立即覺得，自己是個嘴唇不潔的人。
然後，其中的一位天使，用燃燒的煤炭，潔淨他的嘴唇。
It is common to have unclean lips and speak sinful words.
We may not think that sinning with our lips could cost us our life.
So why did the prophet say,
“Woe is me, for I am undone” (Isa 6:5)?
The sin of the lips can ultimately lead us to death
—if we do not cleanse our lips,
we will eventually be thrown into the lake of fire.
In Revelation 21,
liars are included among murderers, sorcerers and idol worshippers;
this group will be thrown into the lake of fire.
All of us have lied at some point in our lives.
But we must stop lying, especially when those lies cause others to fall.
嘴唇常是不潔，而且講髒話是很常見的。
我們可能不會認為，自己的嘴唇犯罪，會導致我們的生命喪失。
那麼，為什麼先知說：
“5禍哉！我滅亡了！”（賽6：5）？
嘴唇的罪過，最後會導致我們滅亡，
若我們不清潔嘴唇的話，
最終將被丟進火湖裡。
在啟示錄21章裡，
說謊的人，被歸類在謀殺者，巫師和偶像崇拜之人的分類中；
這群人將被扔進火湖中。
我們大家，在生活中某些時候，會撒謊。
但是我們必須停止撒謊，尤其是當謊言會導致其他人跌倒的時候。
This is why Elder James teaches:
“If anyone among you thinks he is religious,
and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart,
this one’s religion is useless”
(Jas 1:26).
How do we gauge if someone is religious?
We may assess this based on how frequently they attend church services,
how often they pray and read the Bible,
and how much they offer.
But James bases his assessment on how a person speaks:
這就是雅各長老這樣教導的原因：
“26若有人自以為虔誠，卻不勒住他的舌頭，反欺哄自己的心，這人的虔誠是虛的。”
(雅 1:26）
我們如何衡量，某人是不是很虔誠呢？
我們可能會根據他們來參加聚會的頻率，而進行評估，
他們多久祈禱和閱讀聖經，
以及他們奉獻了多少錢。
但是雅各卻基於一個人的說話方式，對人進行衡量：
“With [the tongue] we bless our God and Father,
and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.
Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.
My brethren, these things ought not to be so.” (Jas 3:9–10)
9我們用舌頭頌讚那為主、為父的，又用舌頭咒詛那照著神形像被造的人。
10頌讚和咒詛從一個口裡出來！我的弟兄們，這是不應當的！
(雅 3:9-10）
We may deem a man who reads the Bible, prays and sings hymns to be a religious person.
But if we see this same man curse others and utter vulgarities,
we will conclude that his religion is wasted on him.
A religious man is someone who fears and praises God,
while bridling his tongue.
Therefore, we should avoid speaking lewd words that defile.
The things we say originate from within our heart (Prov 4:23).
If our hearts are truly holy, we will not speak unclean words.
我們或許認為，一個人會讀聖經，祈禱和唱讚美詩，就是很虔誠。
但是，如果我們看到這人詛咒別人，並說粗話，
我們將下定論，他身上的宗教白費了。
虔誠的人，會敬畏和讚美神，
控制著自已的舌頭。
因此，我們應該避免講猥褻的話來沾污。
我們所說的話，是發自內心的（箴 4:23）。
如果我們的心真正聖潔，就不會說髒話。
We would not utter vulgarities during a church service,
because we are hearing the word of God and worshipping Him.
God is holy, so He wants us to worship in holiness.
But once we step out of the church compound,
do we speak vulgar words with our friends,
forgetting that our holy God is listening?
我們不會在教會禮拜中，說出粗話，
因為我們正在聽神的話，並且敬拜祂。
上帝是聖潔的，所以祂希望我們以聖潔來敬拜。
但是一旦我們走出教會的外牆，
我們與朋友說粗話嗎？
忘記了我們的聖神，仍聽著嗎？
Additionally, we have the responsibility to help others control their tongues.
If we overhear our brothers or sisters speak crude words,
or words that go against the truth,
then the burning coal should be used to cleanse their lips.
This is one task we have to do,
and we have to do it with care,
for it will likely cause pain and anger.
Very often, we dare not use this burning coal,
so we use honey instead.
Everyone prefers to hear sweet and gentle words,
but honey is unable to remove this sin.
Ultimately, we have to brace ourselves and let the hot coal do its cleansing job.
此外，我們有責任，幫助他人控制自己的言語。
如果我們不小心聽偌，弟兄姐妹講粗話的時候，
或說的事情，與事實背道而馳，
然後就應使用燃燒的煤，來清潔他們的嘴唇。
這是我們要做的任務，
我們必須謹慎作好這件事，
因為它可能會引起痛苦和憤怒。
常常，我們不敢用這燒著的炭火，
所以我們改用甜言蜜語。
每個人都喜歡聽到甜美而溫柔的話語，
但是甜言蜜語，卻無法消除這樣的罪過。
最終，我們必須做好準備，讓燒紅的煤炭，盡其清潔的工作。
Let us ask God to use a live coal to cleanse our own lips,
and to grant us the wisdom to take a burning coal to cleanse the lips of others.
讓我們求神用燃燒的炭火，清潔我們自己的嘴唇，
並賦予我們智慧，以燃燒的炭火來清潔別人的嘴唇。
BURNING COALS OF GRACE 燃燒炭火的恩典
John 21 relates how, after the Lord Jesus was crucified,
the disciples lost hope and returned to fishing.
They were no longer concerned with preaching the kingdom of God.
On this occasion, they had worked through the night and were tired, cold and hungry,
but had failed to catch anything;
this would impact their livelihoods.
They had labored in vain.
But in the morning,
Jesus appeared and directed them,
resulting in a bursting net full of large fish—153 in total.
約翰福音21章講述了，主耶穌被釘十字架之後，
門徒是如何失去了希望，並回去補魚。
他們不再關心，宣揚神國。
有一次，他們整夜工作，又累又冷又餓，
但是沒有補住任何東西；
這會影響他們的生計。
他們只是白白作工。
但是早上的時候，
耶穌出現，並給他們指示，
導致裝滿大魚的網破了，抓了總共153條魚。
Later, when the disciples returned to shore,
they saw a fire of coals and fish.
Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.”
If you had been one of the disciples,
there and then, how would you have felt?
They had let Jesus down and had chosen to disbelieve Him.
But when He appeared before them, He did not rebuke them.
He instructed them to go and catch fish, and they caught so many.
What was even more touching was that Jesus had prepared breakfast.
There was a coal fire, from which the disciples could draw warmth,
and there was fish to satisfy their hunger.
後來，當門徒回到岸上時，
他們看到了火堆和魚。
耶穌對他們說：“來吃早餐。”
如果你曾是門徒之一 ，
在當時當地，你會有什麼感覺？
他們讓耶穌失望了，選擇了不信耶穌。
但是當祂出現在他們面前時，他並沒有斥責他們。
他指示他們去補魚，他們就抓了很多魚。
更令人感動的是，耶穌已準備了早餐。
那裡有營火，門徒可以從中取暖，
有烤魚可填滿他們的飢餓。
When the Lord Jesus restored them,
the disciples must have been so moved that they resolved never to let the Lord down again.
From then on, they would remain faithful to the Lord.
From then on, they would live for the Lord.
They understood just how much the Lord loved them.
When Jesus asked Peter,
“Do you love me more than these?” (Jn 21:15),
He was referring to the net of 153 fish,
and the miracle behind the catch.
These were large fish, enough to earn a good wage.
In other words, Jesus was asking Peter if he only wanted the miracle, the fish, and the livelihood.
Peter understood.
Jesus asked the question three times,
and each time Peter replied,
“You know that I love You.”
當主耶穌使他們恢復精神時，
門徒一定超感動，所以他們決心不再讓主失望。
從那時起，他們將堅定忠於主。
從那時起，他們將為主而活。
他們了解主愛他們有多深。
耶穌問彼得時，
“你愛我比這些更深麼？” （約 21:15），
他指的是網裡的 153 條魚，
和發生在大漁獲背後的神蹟。
這些是大魚，足以換取大量金錢。
換句話說，耶穌在問彼得，是否只想有神蹟，抓大魚和過好生活。
彼得明白了。
耶穌問了這個問題三次，
彼得每次都回答時
“你知道，我愛你。”
Today, Jesus is also asking us,
“Do you love Me more than these?”
While we enjoy God’s grace,
we should ask the Holy Spirit to move us,
to constantly remember to repay His grace.
We can never fully repay God’s grace,
but if we are willing to offer Him our best
—like the widow who offered two mites
—then the Lord will be pleased with us.
今天，耶穌也在問我們
“你愛我比這些更深麼？”
當我們享受神的恩典時，
就要讓聖靈來感動我們，
要不斷記得回報神的恩典。
我們永遠無法完全回報神的恩典，
但是如果我們願意為他獻上自已最好的一切，
就像寡婦拿出了兩個小餅
-那麼主耶和華必喜悅我們。
Often, we do not think twice about spending our time, money and effort on the things of the world.
People queue for hours to buy something special for themselves or their loved ones.
If we are willing to brave the elements for hours to wait for something,
but say to God, “Please forgive me, I do not have time to worship You,”
then we are deceiving ourselves.
God knows where, how and to whom we are willing to dedicate our time, money and effort
—be careful not to waste these on things we will regret.
通常，我們不會在利用時間，花費金錢和努力世界事務的事上，三思而後行。
人們願排隊數小時，只為自己或親愛的人，採購一些特別的東西。
如果我們願意冒著風雨，花幾個小時排隊守候一些事物，
但是卻對神說：“請原諒我，我沒有時間來敬拜你，”
那麼就是在欺騙自己。
神知道，我們願意奉獻自已的時間，金錢和精力在那些地方，是怎麼利用的，及接受的目標對象是誰，
—請注意不要將這些事，浪費在我們會後悔的事情上。
Let us treasure our time and take every opportunity to love, worship and serve the Lord.
He first sacrificed Himself for us, and His love compels us to respond to His calling.
The most moving act in John 21
was Jesus preparing breakfast for His disciples who were weak in faith
and about to depart from Him.
He was concerned that they were cold and hungry.
He fulfilled their needs and restored them before seeking their devotion.
Truly the love of the Lord is limitless.
讓我們珍惜自已的時間，並抓住一切機會去愛神，敬拜神和服事主。
他首先為我們犧牲自己，祂的愛迫使我們回應他的呼召。
約翰福音21章，最令人感動的行為，
就是耶穌為信心軟弱的門徒，準備早餐
並且他們即將離開祂了。
他擔心，他們會又冷又餓。
他滿足了他們的需要，並要他們獻出自已之前，恢復了他們的精神。
確實，主的愛是無限的。
Perhaps, in the past, we loved the world more than we did God.
As we understand more about His love,
we ought to carefully examine ourselves and seek to love Him more.
也許在過去，我們愛世界勝過愛神。
當我們更深入了解祂慈愛的時候，
就應該更仔細地省查自己，並且尋求可以更加愛祂。
We may wonder: Since the Lord is in heaven,
how do I love Him?
The Lord lacks nothing, what can I offer Him?
We can offer our best to the church.
The church of the Lord is here in the world.
While some may claim that the church is merely a group of human beings,
we know that the church is the body of Christ purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28).
We should repay God’s love by putting in our best efforts to help, love and support the church.
When Christ comes again, this church will be lifted up.
Are we part of the church?
Is what we say or do helping or harming the church?
These are fundamental questions,
because they concern the salvation of our soul.
我們可能會想：既然主在天上，
我要怎麼愛他呢？
主什麼都不缺，我能給他獻上什麼呢？
我們可以向教會提供最好的服務。
主的教會是存在世界上。
儘管有些人可能認為，教堂只是一群人，
我們知道教會是基督的身體，用他自己的寶血所買來的（徒 20：28）。
我們應該盡最大的努力來幫助，關愛和幫助教會，以償還神的愛。
當基督再來時，這教會將被高舉。
我們是教會的一份子嗎？
我們所說所做的事，是在幫助教會，還是在傷害教會呢？
這些都是很基本問題，
因為他們會關係到我們靈魂是否得救。
CONCLUSION 結論
Each of these three coal-related scenarios
is necessary in sustaining our spiritual lives.
The coal fire prepared by the Lord Jesus fulfills our needs, satisfies our soul,
and inspires us to serve Him to the end.
The burning coal that touches our mouth cleanses our tongue
so that our speech may be pure and glorifying to the Lord,
and that our hearts may remain undefiled.
The burning coal heaped on the head reminds us to respond to evil with good,
illuminating our hearts with the peace and joy of the Lord.
May these three types of coal burn brightly in our lives,
to sustain and empower us for our journey to the heavenly kingdom.
Amen.
這三種與炭火有關的情境中，所發生的每一種情況，
是支撐我們的屬靈生活，所必備的。
主耶穌所預備的煤火，供給了我們的需要，安慰了我們的靈魂，
並激勵我們，可以事奉祂直到最後。
燒紅的炭火觸碰了我們的嘴巴，清潔了我們的舌頭
這樣我們的言語才能保持純潔，得以歸榮耀給神，
使我們的內心得保守，不受沾污。
堆在頭上的炭火，提醒我們要以善勝惡，
以主的平安與喜樂，來照亮我們的內心。
願這三種的炭火，可以在我們的生活中，大大的燃燒發光，
幫助我們，並使我們有力量在天國的旅程上繼續前進。
阿們
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
歡迎主內同靈來信加入翻譯
Manna 嗎哪 56 (1)