5. Manna issue 66 - Sabbath Rest 安息日歇息
Based on a sermon from Singapore 節錄自新加坡講道
The Sabbath commandment is one of the foundational tenets of our church.
Today, our churches all over the world
have a spectrum of activities from Friday evening to Saturday evening in observance of the Sabbath.
But what is the Sabbath really about?
安息日誡命，是我們教會的基本信條之一。
今日，我們的教會分佈在世界各地，
從周五晚上到週六晚上，會進行一系列的活動來遵守安息日。
但安息日的真正意義是什麼呢？
Over time, we may have forgotten the meaning of Sabbath rest,
so it is good to realign our thinking regarding the Sabbath day.
隨著時間的推移，我們可能已經忘記了安息日歇息的意義，
因此，重新調整我們對安息日的想法是件好事。
SABBATH AND BLESSING 安息日與祝福
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth….
Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.
And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done,
and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it,
because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
(Gen 1:1, 2:1–3)
1起初神創造天地...
1天地萬物都造齊了。
2到第七日，神造物的工已經完畢，就在第七日歇了他一切的工，安息了。
3神賜福給第七日，定為聖日；因為在這日，神歇了他一切創造的工，就安息了。
（創 1：1，2：1-3）
God Himself instituted Sabbath when He rested on the seventh day, blessed it and sanctified it.
This three-fold act reveals the very significance of the Sabbath day.
在第七天休息的時候，神親自設立了安息日，祝福它並使之成聖。
這三方面的行為代表了安息日的重要性。
The word “rest” here
does not mean recovering after exerting yourself, as if after a marathon.
God does not need to rest
—He has never stopped working.
Isaiah tells us that He neither faints nor is weary
(Isa 40:28).
Jesus Himself said that His Father has always been working
(Jn 5:17).
Thus God never stopped working even on the first Sabbath.
這裡所說的“休息”，
並不是說像跑完馬拉松那樣，跑過之後再恢復。
神並不需要休息
—他從沒有停止工作。
以賽亞先知告訴我們，祂既不會虛弱，也不會疲倦
（賽 40：28）。
耶穌自己說，祂父親一直都在工作
（約 5：17）。
因此，即使是第一個安息日，神也從沒有停止工作。
What does it mean then that God rested?
Genesis 2:2 says that He ended His work, which He had done.
In short, God rested when He stopped the work
that He had been doing during the previous six days.
那麼神安息了，到底是什麼意思呢？
創世記二章 2 節說，祂結束了自已所做的工作。
簡而言之，當神停止工作時，祂就休息了，
自已在前六天，一直在做的事情。
After resting, God blessed the Sabbath day.
Since that time, the Sabbath has been a day blessed by God.
What does it mean when God blesses time?
His primary objective was not to bless time itself,
but to bless human beings through time.
For this reason He chose to make the Sabbath for men.
休息之後，神祝福了安息日。
從那時開始，安息日就成了神賜福的日子。
那神祝福時間，到底是什麼意思呢？
神的首要目標，不是祝福時間本身，
而是穿越時空，祝福人類。
因為這個原因，祂選擇為人設立安息日。
But how do we receive this blessing?
This relates to the final part of God’s three-fold act:
He sanctified the Sabbath day.
To “sanctify” means to set apart for a holy purpose
just like the holy vessels in the temple were set apart for God’s use.
For six days in a week, we can do whatever we wish
but the Sabbath should be set aside for God.
但是我們要怎樣，才能得到這份祝福呢？
這與神三件作為的最後部分有關：
神將安息日定為聖日。
“成聖”的意思是，為了達成一個神聖的目的而分別出來，
就像聖殿中的聖器一樣，被分別開來，專為神使用。
一周有六天，我們可以隨心所欲，
但安息日應該留給神。
When we rest from our work and set aside this day for God, we will be blessed.
當我們離開工作好好休息，並為神保留這一天的時候，就會受到祝福。
SABBATH AND SALVATION 安息日與救贖
Sometimes the question arises:
Sabbath has to do with blessing,
but what does it have to do with salvation?
Why is it included in our five basic doctrines?
Baptism washes away our sins.
Footwashing ensures we have a part with Jesus.
Holy Communion gives us life.
The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our heavenly inheritance.
Yet what is the role of the Sabbath in our salvation?
有時會出現這樣的問題：
安息日與祝福有關，
但安息日與救恩又有什麼關係呢？
為什麼安息日會包含在我們的五大基本教義中呢？
洗禮洗去我們的罪孽。
洗腳禮確保了我們與耶穌有份。
聖餐禮給了我們生命。
聖靈是我們天上基業的憑據。
然而在我們的得救中，安息日又有什麼作用呢？
In order to understand, we must realize that blessings are not just good wishes.
The Sabbath blessing is directly related to abundant life.
為了可以理解，我們必須認識到，祝福不僅僅是美好的願望。
安息日的祝福與豐盛的生命直接有關。
If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a delight,
The holy day of the Lord honorable,
And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words,
Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;
And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,
And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
The mouth of the Lord has spoken.
(Isa 58:13-14)
13你若在安息日掉轉（或譯：謹慎）你的腳步，
在我聖日不以操作為喜樂，
稱安息日為可喜樂的，
稱耶和華的聖日為可尊重的；
而且尊敬這日，不辦自己的私事，
不隨自己的私意，不說自己的私話，
14你就以耶和華為樂。
耶和華要使你乘駕地的高處，
又以你祖雅各的產業養育你。
這是耶和華親口說的。
(賽 58：13-14)
Sometimes we have many work-related and personal commitments on the Sabbath day.
We think that this is acceptable as long as we keep the spirit of the Sabbath,
but in reality it is just an excuse to do whatever we wish.
有時候，我們在安息日，有許多與工作有關和個人的承諾。
我們認為，只要自已遵守安息日的精神，這是可以接受的，
但實際上，這只是我們為所欲為的藉口。
The prophet Isaiah, however, tells us about the true spirit of the Sabbath
—if we truly keep the Sabbath,
we do not do what we wish,
but rather what God wants us to do.
If we take God at His word, we will not only receive an abundant life;
we will be fed with the heritage of Jacob.
Hebrews 11:8–16 tells us that the inheritance of the patriarchs was actually the heavenly kingdom.
The blessing of the Sabbath does pertain to eternal life.
If we honor the Sabbath, the blessing of eternal life will follow.
然而，以賽亞先知告訴我們，什麼才是安息日的真正精神，
—如果我們真的想要遵守安息日，
就是不做自已想要做的事，
而是行神要我們做的事。
如果我們相信神的話，我們不僅會得著豐盛的生命；
我們將會得到雅各遺產的餵養。
希伯來書 11 章 8-16 節告訴我們，先祖的產業實際上是天國。
安息日的祝福與永生有關。
如果我們遵守安息日，永生的祝福就會隨之而來。
HOW SHALL WE KEEP THE SABBATH? 我們要如何遵守安息日？
Our Sabbath observance is influenced by our perspective of the Sabbath for New Testament believers.
Our understanding is often self-centered because the focus is on us
—Sabbath is for me to rest.
In fact, the focal point of the Sabbath should be God, not us.
我們遵守安息日，是受到我們對新約信徒守安息日看法的影響。
我們的理解往往以自我為中心的，因為焦點只會集中在我們身上，
—安息日是要讓我休息的。
事實上，安息日的焦點應該是神，而不是我們。
We may quote Jesus and say that the Sabbath was made for man,
and not man for the Sabbath
(Mk 2:27),
hence we can do what we like.
The Sabbath was made for man, not to do what he likes,
but for him to be blessed through following God’s example of rest.
我們可以引用耶穌的話，說安息日是為人設立的，
而不是人為安息日設立的
（可 2：27），
因此我們可以做自已喜歡做的事。
安息日是為人設立的，不是為了做他喜歡做的事，
而是讓他通過效法神安息的榜樣，而得到祝福。
For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them,
and rested the seventh day.
Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
(Ex 20:11)
11因為六日之內，耶和華造天、地、海，和其中的萬物，
第七日便安息，
所以耶和華賜福與安息日，定為聖日。
(出 20：11)
This commandment tells us that we should do all our work for six days in a week,
but the seventh day is for God
(v9–10).
Quite often we may feel that we never seem to have enough time to do all our work.
No matter how much effort we make,
there always seems to be more things to do on the weekends.
這條誡命告訴我們，我們應該每週六天完成自已一切的工作，
但第七日是留給神的
(9-10節)。
很多時候，我們可能會覺得，自已似乎從來沒有足夠的時間，來完成我們所有的工作。
無論我們付出多少努力，
週末似乎總是有更多的事情要做。
In fact, we just have to do all we can in six days,
and stop on the seventh to come before God to worship Him,
as if all work had been completed.
We must cease from the thought of work itself.
Amos 8:5 criticizes the failure of the Israelites
who kept the Sabbath with their bodies but not with their mind.
They eagerly awaited the end of the Sabbath,
so that they could restart their work to cheat more people
—a double sin indeed.
To set apart the day for the Lord,
we must cease from doing and thinking about work,
for God demands our body and our mind.
事實上，我們只需要在六天內盡自已所能即可，
並在第七日停下來，並來到神面前敬拜祂，
就好像是所有的工作都已經完成了。
我們必須停止對工作本身的思考。
阿摩司書 8 章 5 節，批評以色列人的失敗，
他們只用身體遵守安息日，而不是用內心。
他們急切地等待安息日的結束，
這樣他們才可以重新開始工作，以欺騙更多的人，
—真是變成雙重犯罪。
為了可以為主耶和華，獨立紀念這日，
我們必須停止進行和思考工作的事，
因為神會要求我們的身體和內心。
Very often, Sabbath seems to come earlier than we expect.
Sometimes we feel disappointed for not being able to finish what we started.
Yet God wants us to stop for three reasons.
很多時候，安息日似乎比我們預期的來得早。
有時我們會感到失望，因為無法完成自已開始的事情。
然而，出於三個原因，神要我們停下來。
Firstly, it is a forceful reminder of our limitations.
Secondly, ceasing from all our work and entering His Sabbath rest gives our week a sense of completion.
If we never stop to work, life would seem very meaningless and exhausting
because we would be chasing deadlines after deadlines.
By stopping every week, there is a sense of completion.
Thirdly, stopping work as if everything were done shows our trust in God’s grace and providence
—that His grace will be sufficient for us.
首先，它是種有力的提醒，我們有局限性。
其次，停止自已一切的工作，並進入神的安息日歇息，讓我們本周有一種完成的感覺。
如果我們從不停止工作，生活就會顯得非常無聊，並讓人疲憊，
因為我們會不停的追逐著一個又一個的截止期限。
藉著每週停下來，就有一種完成感。
第三，停止工作，就像一切的事情都完成了，表示我們相信神的恩典和預備
—祂的恩典夠我們用。
Therefore when the sun sets on Friday,
we should try our best not to think about work anymore.
因此，每當週五太陽下山之時，
我們應該盡量不再去思考工作的事務。
BUT WHAT IS WORK? 但何謂工作？
This begs the question: what is the definition of work?
Is it the physics’ definition of work?
Is work how the Jews classify it to be?
Or is work referring to just what we do to sustain our livelihood?
If we take a look at the divine example set by God,
He was not doing what He needed to sustain His livelihood.
However, creation was what He was doing in relation to the world.
這就引出了一個問題：工作的定義是什麼呢？
這難道是物理學對工作的定義嗎？
還是，工作就是猶太人所作的分類嗎？
或者，工作是指我們為維持生計所做的事情呢？
如果我們看看，神所樹立天國的榜樣，
他並沒有做自已需要做的事，來維持他的生計。
然而，創造是他過去，對關於世界所做的事情。
Hence, we could say that whatever we do in relation to the world constitutes work.
If we are working adults, we work six days, and rest one day.
If we are students, we study six days, and rest one day.
The Sabbath is set apart for God, not for our personal use
(Deut 5:13–15).
Consequently, we should not be anxious about anything
if we stop our secular “work” on the Sabbath, for God will take care of everything.
因此我們可以說，無論我們在世界所做的任何事情是什麼，就是工作。
如果我們是有工作的成年人，我們會工作六天，休息一天。
如果我們是學生，我們會學習六天，而休息一天。
安息日是為神而設立的，不是為了我們個人設立來使用
（申 5：13-15）。
因此，我們不應該煩惱任何事情，
如果我們在安息日停止世俗的“工作”，因為神會照顧一切。
WHY ONCE A WEEK? 為何一周一次
Human beings are by their very nature forgetful.
Thus the Sabbath serves as a weekly reminder of our relationship with God.
Any relationship, in order to be sustained, has to be consistently nurtured.
Otherwise, it will gradually die.
人類天生就是容易健忘的。
因此，安息日就是每週提醒我們，自已與神的關係。
任何的關係，為了可以維持下去，都必須不斷進行培養。
否則，它會逐漸死亡。
The Sabbath is our weekly encounter with God.
It is set apart
– one entire day
– for us to establish our relationship with our Heavenly Father.
It is also our weekly realignment of our allegiance,
whether it is to the world or to God.
Matthew 6:24 says that no one can serve two masters.
You can only love one and hate the other.
You cannot serve both God and mammon.
安息日是我們每週與神重逢。
它是獨立分開的
一整整一天
—讓我們建立自已與天父的關係。
這也是我們每週重新調整自已的忠誠度，
無論是面向世界，還是趨向神。
馬太福音 6 章 24 節說，沒有人可以事奉兩個主人。
你只能單愛一個，且恨惡另一個。
你不能既事奉神，又事奉瑪門。
We are only part-time employees in this world,
but we are full-time Christians.
However, as we live in this world and mix with people of the world,
we spend most of our time thinking about
how we should discharge our secular duties.
As a result, there are times we forget that we are not of the world.
我們只是這個世上的兼職員工，
但我們卻是全職的基督徒。
然而，當我們活在這個世界上，並與世人混雜交往的時候，
我們大部分時間都會思考，
我們應該如何履行自已世俗的職責。
結果有好幾次，我們會忘記了，自已並不屬於這個世界。
Therefore, staying focused is very important for us Christians.
Matthew 6:22–23 states that the lamp of the body is the eye.
Depending on whether our eye is good or bad, the light in our body will be bright or dark.
If our eye is focused on God, our entire life will be illuminated.
If we lose our focus on God,
we will inevitably look on the things of the world
and gradually sink into darkness, drifting further away from eternal life.
因此，保持專注對我們基督徒來說，是非常重要的。
馬太福音 6 章 22-23 節說，身體的明燈就是眼睛。
根據我們的眼睛的好壞，我們身體的亮光就會是明亮的，還是黑暗的。
如果我們的眼睛聚焦於神，自已整個生命就會被照亮。
如果我們失去關注神，
我們將不可避免看著世界上的事物，
逐漸沉入黑暗中，漂離永生越來越遠。
The weekly Sabbath is an important regulator of our lives,
timed perfectly for us to be realigned with God.
每週的安息日，是我們生活的重要調節裝置，
讓我們於完美的時機，能與神重新連結對齊。
HIGH UP ON THE HILLS 在高山上
Among the blessings of the Sabbath stands God’s promise
to “cause us to ride upon the high hills of the earth”
(Isa 58:14)
if we keep the Sabbath holy.
If we set apart our Sabbath for the Lord, we shall soar.
If we are just at the foot of the hill,
we cannot see very far.
However, the higher we go, the further we can see.
Before Moses rested from his earthly labors,
God asked him to go up to Mount Nebo where he viewed the entire plains of Canaan.
This is symbolic for us
—if we truly keep the Sabbath, God will raise our spirituality,
which peaks as we enter everlasting rest, with our eyes fixed on our heavenly home.
安息日的祝福，包括了神的應許
“耶和華要使你乘駕地的高處”
（賽 58：14）
如果我們守安息日為聖。
如果我們為主分別了安息日，就會翱翔高昇。
如果我們只是站在山腳下，
就不會看的很遠。
然而，我們走得越高，就能看的越遠。
摩西從地上息了他的勞苦之前，
神要他走上尼波山，從那裡他可以看到整個迦南平原。
這對我們來說，是很有像徵性的，
—如果我們真的遵守安息日，神會提升我們靈性的高度，
達到頂峰，就好像我們進入永恆的安息，而我們的眼睛專注看著自已的天家。
There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.
For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
(Heb 4:9–10)
9這樣看來，必另有一安息日的安息為神的子民存留。
10因為那進入安息的，乃是歇了自己的工，正如神歇了他的工一樣。
(來 4：9-10)
Each and every week the Sabbath reminds us of our eternal rest.
Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest by keeping the Sabbath according to God’s will.
Let us set that day apart for God to nurture our relationship with Him
and to refocus on the significance of the Sabbath rest.
每一個安息日，每週的安息日，都會提醒我們有永恆的安息。
因此，讓我們按照神的旨意遵守安息日，努力進入安息。
讓我們為神，將這一天分別獨立，來好好培養自已與祂的關係，
並重新關注安息日歇息的重要性。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
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Manna 嗎哪 56 (1)