14. Manna issue 64 - Within the Ark 方舟裡
Sharon Chang—Brisbane, Australia 澳洲布里斯本 Sharon Chang
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life,
in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month,
on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up,
and the windows of heaven were opened.
And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.
(Gen 7:11–12)
11當挪亞六百歲，
二月十七日那一天，
大淵的泉源都裂開了，
天上的窗戶也敞開了。
12四十晝夜降大雨在地上。
（創 7：11-12）
The ark rocked furiously at every sweep of the gigantic waves.
The deafening roar of thunder accompanying the fearsome storm.
Incessant rain pelting the roofs and the windows echoing through the gopherwood vessel.
Huge boulders swept by the raging currents.
Uprooted trees, perhaps even mighty oaks, crashing against each other …
yet not quite drowning out the terrified screams of drowning humanity….
方舟隨著巨浪每一次打擊，而劇烈的搖晃。
震耳欲聾的雷聲，伴隨著可怕的風暴。
持續不斷的雨水敲打著屋頂和窗戶，在歌斐木的方舟中迴盪著聲響。
巨大的石頭被洶湧的大浪掃過。
連根拔起的樹木，甚至可能是巨大的橡樹，相互碰撞...
但還是無法完全淹蓋住人類沉溺中的恐懼尖叫聲...
Have you ever wondered what was going through Noah’s mind?
你有沒有想過，挪亞頭腦中到底在想什麼呢？
IMAGINE NOAH’S JOY… 想像挪亞的喜悅
Perhaps his mind was not even on the external tumult because inside the ark,
there was another symphony of nature resounding ...
the sounds of
“seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female;
two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female;
also seven each of birds of the air, male and female”
(Gen 7:2–3).
或許他的心思根本沒有放在外在的騷動上，因為在方舟內，
又響起了大自然的交響樂……
的聲音
“2凡潔淨的畜類，你要帶七公七母；
不潔淨的畜類，你要帶一公一母；
3空中的飛鳥也要帶七公七母，”
（創 7：2-3）。
But amidst the turbulence, I reckon Noah would have been at peace.
Despite the cacophony, Noah would have felt so very blessed …
但在波濤凶湧之中，我認為挪亞應該是平靜的。
儘管聲音嘈雜，挪亞還是會感到很幸運……
‧ … because his beloved wife was with him within the ark.
There were probably times when Noah got restless from being cooped up for so long
or became frustrated with managing all those animals.
But the one closest to him would understand;
she would help him manage the family.
Importantly, because they both worshipped the same God,
she would comfort and remind him
that their heavenly Father was in charge and knew what He was doing.
She would tell him that they were so blessed to be safe.
And his faith would be restored.
(cf. Eccl 4:9, 10)
‧...因為他心愛的妻子一起在方舟裡。
因為關了這麼久，挪亞大概也有焦躁不安的時候，
或是因為管理這一切動物感到沮喪。
但他身邊親近的家人就會明白；
她會幫助他整理家庭。
重要的是，因為他們都敬拜相同的神，
她會安慰提醒他，
他們天父掌管一切，並且知道自已的作為。
她會告訴他，他們很幸運能得到平安。
他的信心會重新恢復。
（參見，傳 4：9，10）
‧ … because his sons were within the ark.
Noah would have been devastated if he himself were in the ark
but knew that the three young men in their prime,
whom he and Mrs. Noah had spent so much effort to bring up,
were out there in that catastrophic flood.
Though he was snug and safe,
his mind would have been in turmoil
imagining his sons struggling, gasping for breath, and dying, dying … slowly, agonizingly….
But now, he could see them walking round,
helping to feed the animals,
doing minor repairs and keeping the ark clean.
He would be proud, thinking,
“Good, they are doing their part to thank the Lord God who saved us.”
(cf. Jer 35:18, 19)
‧...因為他的兒子都在方舟裡。
如果挪亞本人在方舟裡，他會很傷心，
卻知道三個正值壯年的青年，
他和挪亞妻子費盡心思撫養長大的孩子，
在那場災難性的洪水中。
儘管他舒適而安全，
他的頭腦會很混亂，
想像他的兒子正在掙扎，喘著呼吸，然後死去，慢慢地...，痛苦地...死去。
但現在，他可以看到他們走來走去，
幫忙餵養動物，
進行輕微的維修，及保持方舟清潔。
他會很自豪，心想，
“很好，他們儘自己的力量，感謝拯救我們的主耶和華。”
（參見，耶 35：18，19）
‧ … because his daughters-in-law were within the ark.
Had his daughters-in-law refused to go in, his sons would have been so torn
—to stay with their faithless wives or to follow their godly parents into the ark?
Then, after the flood, with the entire human race destroyed,
what would his sons do to establish their families?
From where would come godly offspring
to revere and honor the Creator who had delivered them?
No, Noah had no worries on that score.
Undoubtedly, Noah’s daughters-in-law would also have had their own tough decisions to make.
Their own families must have been among the unbelieving multitude
who mocked Noah as they built their huge ark amidst dry, good weather.
But like Ruth, who came generations after them,
these women made the right choice to enter the ark.
(cf. Ruth 1:16, 14–22)
‧...因為他的兒媳婦都在方舟裡。
要是媳婦都不進去，他兒子早就感到左右為難，
—到底是要留在他們沒信主的妻子身邊，還是跟隨他們虔誠的父母進入方舟呢？
然後，洪水過後，整個人類都被消滅了，
他的兒子會怎麼做，來建立他們的家庭呢？
到那裡去找敬虔的後代，
來尊敬榮耀拯救他們的造物主呢？
不，挪亞一點不擔心這種事。
毫無疑問，挪亞的兒媳也會有自己艱難的決定。
他們自己的家人一定曾在不信的人群中，
當挪亞在乾燥、良好的天氣中建造了巨大的方舟時，而嘲笑他們。
但是就像路得一樣，是他們後代，
這些婦女做出正確選擇，進入了方舟。
（參見，得 1：16，14-22）
‧ … because they could gather everyday
to thank God for calling them, preserving them, and continuing to sustain them.
Even living so close to all sorts of animals,
with no ‘fresh air’ since the Lord God “shut him in”
(Gen 7:16),
they were in good spirits and health.
In fact, since they were all in the ark,
any time, anyone of them felt that they had a good testimony to share,
they could just gather together to remember the Almighty God’s grace.
And such frequent gathering together would be a great opportunity for Noah
to really pass on his solid faith to his ‘boys’.
He would tell them again the story they all loved from young
—about their great grandfather Enoch who never died
but was just taken up to heaven suddenly.
(cf. Heb 10:25)
‧...因為他們每天都能聚在一起，
感謝神聚集他們，保守他們，並且繼續支持他們。
即使與各種各樣的動物住得很近，
因為主耶和華“把他關在裡面”，而沒有“新鮮空氣”，
（創 7：16），
他們精神和健康都很良好。
事實上，因為他們都在方舟裡，
任何時候，他們的任何人都會覺得，自己有很好的見證可以分享，
他們可以聚在一起，紀念大能神的恩典。
而這種頻繁的聚會，對挪亞來說，是一個很好的機會，
真正將自已堅定的信仰，傳遞給他的“孩子”。
他會再次告訴他們，他們從小就喜歡的故事，
—關於他們從未死去的曾祖父以挪
而突然被帶去天國。
（參見，來 10：25）
‧ … because they could serve the Lord together.
Noah loved serving his God but it was hard work,
first building the ark, and now, running a ‘floating zoo’.
But when the people you love and who love you work alongside you,
somehow the hours fly by.
‧...因為他們可以一起事奉主。
挪亞喜歡事奉他的神，但這是一項艱苦的工作，
一開始要建造方舟，而現在要管理一座“漂浮的動物園”。
但是當你愛的人和愛你的人，與你一起工作的時候，
不知何故時間快速飛逝。
Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark,
and cover it inside and outside with pitch.
And this is how you shall make it:
The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits,
its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.
(Gen 6:14–15)
14你要用歌斐木造一隻方舟，分一間一間地造，
裡外抹上松香。
15方舟的造法乃是這樣：
要長三百肘，
寬五十肘，高三十肘。
（創 6：14-15）
God’s instructions were specific and plans good
—but still it would take energy, time and dedication to make it a reality.
It was a good thing that Noah had his family to help him.
In turn, Noah would have also derived joy
seeing each son (or daughter-in-law) put his (and her) individual talent to good use.
Perhaps one started off not being very good at his or her allocated task;
but as the days went by, with Noah’s encouragement, he or she improved.
With familial love as their guiding principle,
they could expect fewer quarrels about who should do more,
or who was shirking or who should be made ‘Captain of the Ark’ and so on.
All did their best because they were going to be on the same boat!
(cf. Mt 18:19–20)
神的指示是具體的，計劃是好的，
—但要現實它，仍然需要精力、時間和投入精神。
挪亞有家人來幫助，是一件好事。
反過來，挪亞也會獲得快樂，
看到每個兒子（或兒媳婦），充分利用他（與她）個人的才能。
也許有人一開始並不是很擅長所分配給自已的任務；
但隨著時間的推移，有挪亞的鼓勵之下，他們就進步了。
有親情為指導原則，
他們可以減少爭吵，討論關於誰該做更多的事，
或者有誰在偷懶，或者誰該成為“方舟的船長”等等。
大家都盡力而為，因為他們都會在同一條船上！
（參見，太 18：19-20）
‧ … because they could quickly resolve differences.
Just as we sometimes accidentally bite our tongue or lips,
even the closest of siblings
or the mildest or most loving parents and children have conflicts.
Often these blow over.
But occasionally, some get blown out of proportion.
Hurtful words are said.
Cold wars begin.
Noah’s family was not perfect.
Little squabbles would have arisen from time to time;
perhaps even a serious bust-up or two.
But the reality was that no-one could throw a huge tantrum
and threaten to move out after these quarrels.
Running from the storm within would literally land one up in the storm outside!
As wise patriarch, Noah would then have got the different parties to calmly sit down,
work things out AND forgive each other.
“Look,” he’d say, “we have all types of ANIMALS peacefully coexisting.
It’d be embarrassing if we HUMANS couldn’t.”
And they would reconcile.
Had they not, the atmosphere in the ark would have been terrible
and no-one knew when they would be getting out.
After all, God just told them the rains would last forty days and nights.
He did not tell them how long it would take the water to subside.
The wonderful thing about being of the same faith was
that they could kneel down together,
raise their faces towards that solitary window
and ask the heavenly Father to take away the cold hard knot of anger
and reignite the spark of family love.
(cf. Col 3:12–21)
‧...因為他們可以很快化解分歧。
就好像我們有時不小心會咬到舌頭或嘴唇一樣，
即使是最親密的手足，
或是最溫和，或大部份慈愛的父母和孩子，都有衝突。
通常這些都會結束。
但偶爾，有些事都被放大了。
說話傷人。
冷戰開始。
挪亞的家庭並不完美。
不時會發生小爭吵；
甚至可能有一兩次嚴重的爭執。
但現實是，沒有人能大發脾氣，
並且爭吵之後，威脅要搬走。
脫離內部的風暴，實際會讓人處於外部的風暴！
作為明智的族長，挪亞會讓各方冷靜地坐下來，
解決問題，並且讓彼此互相原諒。
“看哪，”他可說，“我們有各種動物和平共處。
如果我們人做不到，那就太可笑了。”
他們就會和好。
若他們那麼作，方舟裡的氣氛就會很糟，
沒有人知道他們什麼時候出去。
畢竟，神只是告訴他們，降雨會持續四十晝夜。
祂沒有告訴他們，水要多久時間才能消退。
擁有相同信仰的美妙之處在於，
他們可以一起跪下，
抬頭望著那單獨的天窗，
祈求天父帶走冰冷的怒火死結
並重新點燃親情的火花。
（參見，西 3：12-21）
‧ … because they could ALL look forward to a new world.
It had been almost a year from the day that God had shut them in
(Gen 7:11)
to when they finally emerged
(Gen 8:13).
In that time, there would definitely have been days
when things just became really difficult
—uncooperative animals, unhappy family members and a particularly rocky boat.
Perhaps, like children, Ham, Shem or Japheth had fretted,
“How much longer?
When will we get there, Dad?”
Perhaps one of the spouses murmured in private,
“Is your father really sure that there will be a better tomorrow for us?”
During such moments of doubt,
mutual encouragement to focus on the Lord’s providence would have been critical.
Being of one faith, the stronger would remind the weaker
to focus on how every word of God had been fulfilled thus far.
Those who had mocked and jeered them as they built the ark were no more.
Those who had caroused and sinned while the Noah family practiced self-control had been swept away.
Brought up to worship one Lord,
they would remind each other of the stories of the beautiful garden of Eden.
God had created vastness from emptiness once.
He was going to do it again.
And they
—blessed above all families
—had been chosen to be the first family in this new world.
‧...因為他們都會期待一個新世界。
從神將他們關在裡面的那一天起，已經快一年了
（創 7：11）
到他們終於出現的時候
（創 8：13）。
那個時候，肯定有幾天，
當事情變得非常困難的時候
—不合作的動物、不開心的家人，和特別顛簸的船。
也許，像孩子一樣，含、閃或雅弗曾煩惱過，
“還要多久呢？
父親，我們什麼時候才會到那裡呢？”
也許其中一位配偶私下抱怨，
“你父親真的確定，我們會有更好的明天嗎？”
在這種疑惑的時刻，
可以相互鼓勵，專注於主的旨意，才是至關重要的。
大家同一個信仰，堅強的人可以提醒軟弱的人，
專注於神的每一句話，是如何實現的。
在他們建造方舟時，那些嘲笑他們的人，已經不復存在。
在挪亞家族實行節制時，那些狂歡和犯罪的人，都被大水掃走了。
從小長大敬拜獨一主耶和華，
他們會互相提醒，那美麗伊甸園的故事。
神曾經從虛空中創造出浩瀚偉大。
祂打算再做一次。
而他們
—福氣超過所有家庭，
—被選為這個新世界的第一個家庭。
Then it happened!
The ark finally docked at Mount Ararat.
But patience was still needed.
It would be another forty days before the waters sufficiently subsided.
然後事情發生了！
方舟終於停靠在亞拉臘山。
但仍然需要耐心。
將會是另一次四十天，洪水才充分消退。
“Not long now, not long now…”
you can almost hear Noah reassuring them as he released his weekly bird,
“God has already brought us so far.
Trust Him.
It’ll be worth it.”
(cf. Heb 11; 12:1–3, 12–14)
“已經不久，不久...”
每週一次挪亞釋放飛鳥出去時，你幾乎可以聽到挪亞安慰他們，
“神已經把我們帶到了如今的現在。
信靠祂。
一切都將值得。”
（參見，來 11；12：1-3，12-14）
And finally the day came
—the long-awaited sound of His voice and the words:
最後這一天於來了，
—期待已久祂的聲音和話語：
Then God spoke to Noah, saying,
“Go out of the ark, you and your wife,
and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.”
So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him.
Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth,
according to their families, went out of the ark.
(Gen 8:15–16, 18-19)
15神對挪亞說：
16你和你的妻子、
兒子、兒婦都可以出方舟。
18於是挪亞和他的妻子、兒子、兒婦都出來了。
19一切走獸、昆蟲、飛鳥，和地上所有的動物，
各從其類，也都出了方舟。
（創 8：15-16、18-19）
The Noah family must have oohed and aahed as they emerged
—How bright!
How fresh the air!
How beautiful the new world!
挪亞家族出現時，一定是驚嘆不已的，
—一切多麼明亮！
空氣多麼清新！
新世界多麼美麗！
And when God painted the first rainbow …
they would have been stunned into silence,
clutching each other in excitement.
The pleasure of a beautiful sunset or a special event
would be much reduced if there were no-one to share it with.
For the Noah family, the pleasure was 7-fold!
當神畫出第一道彩虹時...
他們會因為震驚而沉默，
興奮互相擁抱。
如果沒有人可以與之分享，
一場美麗的日落，或是特殊活動的樂趣，就會大大的減少。
對挪亞一家來說，是七倍的快樂！
LESSONS FROM WITHIN THE ARK 方舟裡的課程
There are many lessons to be drawn from the flood at Noah’s time.
But a critical one is
the great comfort and joy that can be derived from sharing with one’s family
one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one Spirit and one hope.
A loving earthly family provides irreplaceable warmth and emotional fulfillment.
But a loving earthly family in the Lord can additionally supply spiritual ballast
—intercession in times of difficulty, mutual encouragement and motivation
to reach the eternal heavenly home.
從挪亞時代的洪水中，我們可以汲取許多的教訓。
但是最重要的是，
可以與一家人分享，最大的安慰和喜悅是，
一主、一信、一洗、一靈、一個盼望。
世上充滿慈愛的家庭，提供了無可替代的溫暖和感情的滿足。
但是，一個主裡充滿愛心的俗世家庭，可以提供增加屬靈的穩定
—困難時的代禱，相互鼓勵和激勵，
直到永生天國的家鄉。
At this point, some of us do not yet have our entire family within the ark.
Some of our families may still vehemently oppose our faith;
some others are tolerant but do not want us to evangelize to them.
It is natural to be discouraged if we are rejected (or even persecuted)
whenever we try to share the gospel.
But we cannot afford to give up.
We must remind ourselves that those not in the ark have zero chance of survival!
Puny humans were no match for the gigantic waves in Noah’s time;
they are no match for the tsunami of sin and wickedness in our world today.
So we have to tirelessly try to bring them in.
Cling on to the biblical promise that our loving Father does not want anyone to perish,
and continually intercede for them.
Abraham had no qualms respectfully bargaining with God
because Lot and his family meant so much to him.
Surely, our families mean just as much, if not more!
在這一點上，我們中有一些人，還沒有把自已的整個家庭都放進方舟裡。
我們有一些家人，可能仍然強烈反對我們的信仰；
其他有些人很寬容，但不希望我們向他們傳福音。
如果我們嘗試分享福音時，
無論何時受到拒絕（甚至遇到迫害），灰心是很自然的。
但我們不能放棄。
我們必須提醒自己，那些不在方舟裡的人，活下來的機會是零！
渺小的人類無法勝過挪亞時代的巨浪；
在我們今日的世界，他們無法抗衡罪過邪惡的海嘯。
所以我們要不停歇的嘗試帶他們進來。
要堅持聖經的應許，因為我們慈愛的天父不願意有任何人滅亡，
繼續為他們代禱。
亞伯拉罕毫不猶豫恭敬的與神討價還價，
因為羅得和他的家人，對他來說意義重大。
當然，我們的家庭同樣很重要，甚至影響更多！
While continuing our efforts, let us not focus on immediate results.
The Lord Jesus Himself had to overcome his siblings’ disbelief slowly
through His unceasing love and ultimate sacrifice.
So He knows exactly what we have to go through and,
if we cast our burden of bringing our unbelieving families onto Him,
He can do marvelous things for us.
在繼續努力的同時，請我們不要只注重眼前的結果。
主耶穌自己都要慢慢適應自已兄弟的不信，
通過祂不止息的愛心，以及最後的犧牲。
所以祂確切地知道，我們必須經歷什麼情況，並且，
如果我們把帶領未信的家人的重擔，轉卸給祂，
祂就能為我們產生神蹟。
However, we should also imitate Him
by being a shining example of Christian virtues within our families.
Human beings are wont to compare.
It will be much more difficult to convince our family of God’s love
if our atheist or Buddhist relative behaves so much better than us
—be it in word or deed.
It may be stressful feeling that we cannot even relax
and ‘be ourselves’ at home
but, if we submit to Him,
the Holy Spirit can truly transform us into the flavorful salt of the earth.
然而，我們也應該效法祂，
在我們家庭中，成為基督徒美德，光榮的榜樣。
人類很習慣比較。
如果我們無神論或佛教徒的親戚，行為比我們更好的話，
要說服我們家人相信神的慈愛，就會更加困難。
—無論是言語，還是行為。
或許還會很有壓力，因為我們甚至無法放鬆，
在家裡“做回我們自己”，
但是，如果我們順從神，
聖靈就真的能轉變我們，成為世上有滋味的鹽。
This is also where church members
—the larger family in Christ
—can play a part.
When our brethren bring their non-believing family members to church,
we should go out of our way to make them feel at home.
They may not be very friendly towards us
given their preconceived notions of Christians and the True Jesus Church.
Again, the Lord Jesus understands.
When He first approached the Samaritan woman,
her response was somewhat sarcastic.
But He persisted in drawing her out of her shell.
So when we too persevere in this work of supporting our sole-believer brethren,
the Lord will help us in this task.
這也是教會信徒，
—基督的大家庭，
—可以發揮作用的地方。
當我們的弟兄姐妹，帶著他們未信主的家人來教會時，
我們應該盡全力，讓他們有賓至如歸的感覺。
他們可能對我們不是很友好，
由於他們之前對基督徒和真耶穌教會，有先入為主的觀念。
再者，主耶穌都明白。
當祂第一次接近撒瑪利亞的婦人時，
她的回答有些諷刺。
但是祂堅持，要使她不在自我隔絕。
因此，當我們也堅持幫助我們單一信主的弟兄的聖工時，
主會幫助我們進行這項任務。
For those who do have their families in the ark
—never, never take such grace for granted.
Ancient sages believed that family wealth would not last beyond three generations
—the first generation earns the wealth, the second grows it, the third spends it all!
It may not literally be three generations
but the implicit warning is that affluence may breed complacency,
and if not managed, deteriorates into wastefulness.
The same holds true for the precious asset of our faith.
We may be the fourth or fifth generation of True Jesus Church believers in our families
but we shall be the last generation
if we do not make sure that our children believe that being in the ark is better than being outside.
對於那些方舟裡有家人的人，
—永遠，永遠不要把這樣的恩典視為理所當然。
古聖人認為，家族財富不會超過三代，
—第一代賺取財富，第二代增長財富，第三代花光一切！
它可能不是字面上完整的三代，
但隱含的警告是，富裕可能會滋生自滿，
如果不好好管理，就會惡化為浪費。
我們寶貴的信仰資產，同樣適用。
我們可能是自已家庭中，第四或第五代的真耶穌教會信徒，
但如果我們不能確保，自已的孩子會相信待在方舟裡會比待在外面好，
我們將會是最後一代。
Some members are puzzled
why their teenage children are disengaging from church
although they have gone through the full Religious Education system.
There are many factors leading to this outcome.
But the most common one is the parents’ own manifestation of faith at home.
What is our behavior signaling to our children?
Do we tell them it is fine to skip Sabbath service to study during examination periods?
Have we been too busy to keep an eye on the company they keep,
the websites they visit and even the language they use?
Remember the warnings from the stories of Eli’s and Aaron’s sons.
有些信徒產生疑惑，
為什麼他們青少年子女遠離教會，
雖然他們經歷了完整的宗教教育系統。
導致這個結果的因素有很多。
但最常見的是，父母自己在家中的信仰表現。
我們的行為向自已的孩子，發出了什麼信號？
我們是否告訴他們，考試期間跳過安息日聚會去學習是可以的？
我們是不是太忙了，沒時間留意他們的同伴，
他們瀏覽的網站，甚至是他們使用的語言是什麼呢？
記住以利和亞倫兒子故事的警告。
If our whole family enjoys the Lord’s grace,
thank God constantly for preserving our faith so far.
But labor diligently so that our faith and the faith of our fathers
will truly become the faith of our children and their children.
It is not just the duty of the religious education teachers
to grow our children’s faith.
Like Noah, we all have to make the effort to keep everyone within the ark.
如果我們全家都享受主的恩典，
不斷感謝神至今仍保全了我們的信仰。
但要努力付出，使我們的信仰和自已父輩的信仰，
會真正成為我們子孫後代的信仰。
這不僅僅是宗教教育教師的職責，
來培養我們孩子的信心。
要像挪亞一樣，我們大家都要努力，保守每個人待在方舟裡。
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,
let your requests be made known to God.
(Phil 4:6)
6應當一無罣慮，只要凡事藉著禱告、祈求，和感謝，
將你們所要的告訴神。
（腓 4：6）
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
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Manna 嗎哪 56 (1)