11. Manna issue 59 - Digging Wells: The Place of God in an Age of Job Insecurity 挖井：在工作不穩定的時代神的地位
Isaac is an example for us to follow. 以撒是我們學習的典範
David Liu—Queens, New York, USA 美國紐約皇后
David Liu—Pacifica, California, USA 美國加州太平洋
Working life in the late-twentieth century and beyond
could well be summarized as an age of job insecurity.
二十世紀末及其後的職涯，
可以被合適總結為一個工作不穩定的時代。
Books have been published addressing this new face of working life,
many giving advice on how to deal with changes.
The bestseller Who Moved My Cheese? offers this key teaching on how to deal with changes at work:
“They keep moving the cheese…be ready to change quickly and enjoy it again and again.1
很多已出版的書籍都在探討這種新的職涯面向，
許多人會建議要如何應對各種變化。
暢銷書《誰搬走了我的乳酪?》提供了重要的教導關於如何應對職場的變化：
“他們不斷搬走乳酪...準備好快速更換並一次又一次的享受這種情況。」1
While self-help books as such have their nuggets of applicability at times,
life’s problems are not as easy as simply following a few formulaic steps.
Human strategies alone won’t provide the complete answer,
especially if God is not in the equation.
雖然這類自助的書籍有時也有其適用之處，
生活的問題並不像單純遵循幾個公式化的步驟那麼簡單。
人類的策略本身並不能提供完整的答案，
尤其是如果神不在方程式之中。
As Christians, we need to cope with job insecurity and the even more menacing insecurity in our hearts
as we face the ever-changing world by reaffirming our relationship with God.
The insecurity we feel may very well be a symptom of an underlying issue of misplaced priorities.
身為基督徒，我們需要應對工作不穩定，以及內心更可怕的不安全感，
就像我們面對這種一直變化的世界，要堅定自已與神的關係。
我們所感受到的不安全感，很可能就是一種潛在錯置優先順序問題的徵兆。
EXPERIENCING JOB INSECURITY 經歷了工作不穩定
I remember the first time I encountered a layoff.
Our company had made a decision without announcing that they were downsizing.
Throughout the day, human resources had gone from cubicle to cubicle with boxes and security escorting people out.
To me, it felt like any other normal day since I was oblivious to what had been going on.
我記得自已第一次遇到裁員的情況。
我們公司在沒有宣布時就做決定要縮減人力。
從早到晚，人力資源部人員從隔間到隔間，帶著箱子與保全人員護送他們出去。
對我來說，這就像任何其他平常的日子一樣，因為我沒有查覺所發生的事情。
By the end of the day, a third of the company was gone.
Lower-level managers were not even sure who still worked for them.
Upper management sent out a clear message to us:
we needed to be more productive and more profitable.
More work, less people.
Or else more layoffs were coming.
到當天結束的時候，公司有三分之一的員工已經走了。
基層主管甚至不確定還有誰仍為他們工作。
高階主管發出了一個明確的訊息給我們：
我們需要提高生產力和增加利潤。
工作更多，人手更少。
否則將會有更多的裁員。
The reality of corporate life sank in.
Companies were no longer loyal to employees
—they resorted to threatening them instead.
I tried to look at the bright side, thankful that I had survived a massive layoff.
逐漸體會到職場的現實。
公司不再忠於員工，
—他們反而訴諸威脅的方式。
我試著抱持樂觀的態度，慶幸自己撐過了大幅裁員。
But I would not be so lucky when the second round of layoffs came.
All non-managerial positions were eliminated
because they were being outsourced to India.
And to add insult to injury,
we would spend our last few months training our replacements.
但是第二輪裁員來到時，我就沒那麼幸運了。
所有非管理職位均被移除，
因為他們的業務被外包給去印度。
雪上加霜的是，
我們將用最後幾個月的時間來培訓自已的接班人。
In these trying economic times, we face much uncertainty in our lives.
Jobs are no longer as secure as they once were.
Companies no longer provide employee loyalty
because they can no longer afford it,
and they often resort to downsizing and even outsourcing to cut costs.
在這艱難的經濟時期，我們的生活面臨許多的不確定性。
工作已不再像以前那麼有保障了。
公司不再維持員工的忠誠度，
因為他們再也無力承擔，
他們經常進行縮小規模，甚至外包來削減成本。
Employees are at the mercy of the market,
and many of us wake up wondering whether this is the day we will lose our jobs.
Those who own homes find themselves in foreclosure due to economic downturns.
員工只能任由市場支配，
我們許多人會醒來就懷疑，今天是否就是自已失去工作的日子。
由於經濟衰退，那些擁有房屋的人就會發現自己抵押的房子被法拍。
The challenge is particularly noticeable
for those who are graduating and those who are starting out in their careers with little or no experience.
The current market has been far more unkind towards them.
對於那些即將畢業及那些經驗很少或沒有經驗且剛開始職業生涯的學生，
這種困難特別明顯。
對他們而言，目前市場一直都更加不友善。
Even those who are offered positions with a company
may not be surprised to find their offer rescinded.
Others find themselves moving to new places to pursue jobs
because they are no longer in the position to be selective about which job to accept.
即使那些有一間公司錄用職位的人，
或許不會感到驚訝發現自己的錄取通知被撤銷了。
其他人則發現自已要前往新地方去尋找工作，
因為他們不再有立場能夠選擇要去接受哪一份工作。
DIGGING HIS WAY TO UNDERSTANDING 挖掘自已的理解之路
In Old Testament times, many saints led nomadic lives in search of a decent livelihood.
Digging up wells represented a source of living and a way to sustain their household
—it was staking a claim of ownership to the land.
It’s like buying a home, settling down, and claiming a piece of land to be yours.
在舊約時代，許多聖徒都過著遊牧生活去尋求基本的經濟保障。
挖井代表的是一種謀生方式，也是養家糊口的方式
—這是立下對這片土地所有權的宣示。
這就像購買一棟房子，安頓下來，並聲稱你有這一塊土地。
The Bible records that Isaac was very prosperous
and had great possessions of flocks, herds, and a great number of servants.
Hence, he needed to dig a well as a source of water to provide for his charges.
But for Isaac, digging a well would not be as simple as it seemed.
聖經記載以撒非常的富裕，
他擁有大量財富的羊群，牛群，還有許多僕人。
因此，他需要挖一口井作為水源，來供養他的家眷。
但對以撒來說，挖一口井並不像看起來的那麼簡單。
Issues started off with Abraham when he first moved to the land of Gerar,
which the Bible described as an arid place, and they continued to follow Isaac.
We see that for both father and son,
the Philistines created trouble for them while they dwelt in Gerar.
There wasn’t much of a sense of security for Abraham and Isaac in those days.
當亞伯拉罕剛搬到基拉耳地的時候，他就開始遇到一些問題。
那裡聖經描述是一個乾旱之地，這些問題仍然困擾著以撒。
我們看到，對父親和兒子來說，
當他們住在基拉耳的時候，非利士人給他們制造麻煩。
在那時候，亞伯拉罕和以撒並沒有太多的安全感。
Trouble started for Abraham when the Philistines seized the wells that he had dug
(Gen 21:25).
Abraham reacted by rebuking Abimelech,
but they later formed a covenant in the land of Beersheba
(Gen 21:25-32).
However, after Abraham died, the Philistines filled his wells up with earth
(Gen 26:18).
當非利士人佔住亞伯拉罕所挖的水井時，麻煩就開始了
（創 21：25）。
亞伯拉罕斥責亞比米勒，
但他們後來在別是巴地締結了盟約
（創 21：25-32）。
然而，亞伯拉罕死後，非利士人用土填滿了他的井
（創 26：18）。
The Philistines grew envious of Isaac.
As precious as a well was during those trying times,
the Philistines were willing to fill up the wells and lose the sources of water
in order for Isaac to lose his claim of ownership to the land.
Abimelech even had this piece of advice for Isaac:
“Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we”
(Gen 26:16).
非利士人漸漸嫉妒以撒。
在那些艱難時期，珍貴之物如同一口井，
就是非利士人都願意把這些水井填滿，並失去水源，
從而使以撒失去這片土地所有權的主張。
亞比米勒甚至給以撒提出這樣的建議：
“16你離開我們去罷。因為你比我們強盛得多。”
（創 26：16）
Despite these setbacks, Isaac did not leave the land.
He did not go down to Egypt,
where food was probably abundant,
because he remembered God’s words to him
(Gen 26:2-4).
Instead, he dwelt by the valley and dug more wells.
儘管遭遇這些挫折，以撒仍然沒有離開這片土地。
他不沒有下到埃及，
那裡的食物可能很豐富，
因為他記得神對他說的話
（創 26：2-4）。
相反的，他依山谷而居並挖了更多的水井。
From this, Isaac was to learn more about well-digging and the place of God.
The first two wells that he and his servants dug out, Esek and Sitnah,
were met with conflict by the Philistines.
The names carry the history of the wells,
“Quarrel” and “Enmity.”
由此，以撒必須了解更多有關挖井和神之地的事。
他與自已的僕人最初所挖的兩口井，就是埃色井和西提拿井，
因為這些非利士人發而遭遇衝突。
這些名字承載著這些水井的歷史，
“相爭”與“為敵”之意。
In each case, we see that Isaac simply gave up and departed from the land
rather than fight to retain his claim to the land.
To the Philistines, it might have seemed like a cowardly reaction
not to stand up for what was rightfully his.
But in Jesus’ teaching,
we see that the meek shall inherit the earth;
of course, in God’s time.
在每一事件時，我們看到以撒只能放棄，離開了那地，
而不是去對抗而保留自已土地的所有權。
對非利士人來說，這可能就似乎是一種懦弱的反應，
不去捍衛他應有的事物。
但在耶穌的教導中，
我們看到溫柔的人必承受地土；
當然，是在神的時間安排中。
Finally, Isaac dug another well that the Philistines did not contend with him for.
He named it Rehoboth (or “Spaciousness”) saying,
“For now the Lord has made room for us,
and we shall be fruitful in the land”
(Gen 26:22).
最後，以撒又挖了另一口井，非利士人並不再與他爭搶。
他將其命名為利河伯（或是“寬闊”之意），並說：
“22耶和華現在給我們寬闊之地，
我們必在這地昌盛。”
（創 26：22）。
In Isaac’s previous attempts at digging a well,
he retreated each time he met with opposition.
He refused to stay in a land filled with opposition and hostility.
His strategy seemed simple
—as long as he found a well that had a source of water and no one to contend with him for it,
he was inclined to stay in the land.
以撒以前想要挖一口井，
每次遇到反抗時，他就會徹退。
他拒絕留在一片充滿反對和敵意的土地上。
他的策略看似很簡單，
—只要他找到一口有水源的井，而且沒有人與他相爭，
他傾向於留在這片土地上。
We see that after much searching and digging,
Isaac finally found what he was looking for.
Rehoboth seemed to be the ideal place for Isaac to settle down and to start his life.
He found peace there, the space he needed,
and the land where he believed that he would be fruitful.
我們看到，經過多次的搜索和挖掘，
以撒終於找到了他所尋找的東西。
利河伯似乎是以撒定居和開始新生活的理想之地。
他在那裡找到了平安，找到了他需要的空間，
以及他相信自己將可繁衍生息的土地。
Isaac’s decision of where he should stay
was based upon finding abundant water and the absence of hostilities.
Having dug a well that was uncontested,
we would have expected Isaac to dwell there.
Instead, we are told that he moved on to Beersheba,
right after finding what he once set out to find.
以撒決定應該留在哪裡，
是基於可找到充足的水源及沒有衝突。
可以挖出一口無人相爭的水井，
我們原本期待以撒會住在那裡。
相反的，我們得知他去了別是巴，
就在他找到了自已曾經出去想要尋找的東西之後。
GETTING OUR PRIORITIES RIGHT 分清輕重緩急
Up until this point,
Isaac’s sojourn had been a reaction to his circumstances and environment.
But there was now a deeper change in him that gave new direction in his life.
He did not realize that finding opposition at all the previous wells and retreating each time
would draw him closer to the place where God wanted him to be.
到目前為止，
以撒旅程都是他所遇到情勢及環境的一種反應。
但現在他出現了更深的變化，以致於給他的生活有新的方向。
他並沒有意識到，之前所有水井遇到反對，而且每次撤退，
會讓他更加靠近神所希望他去的地方。
To Isaac, Beersheba was a great reminder of his father’s faith and God’s promises to him.
Beersheba was the first place he and his father came to after they had descended from Mount Moriah,
where Abraham passed the test God set for him.
It was where Isaac saw his father walk with God, and, on a deeper level,
where he felt was the place God wanted him to be as well.
對以撒來說，別是巴讓他想起父親信心以及神給他應許的重要提醒。
別是巴是他與父親從摩利亞山下來後到達的第一個地方，
那裡是亞伯拉罕通過了神為他所設立的考驗。
正是在這裡，以撒看到了自已的父親與神同行，而且，在更深的層次上，
那裡也是他覺得神希望他前往之地。
Previously, Isaac moved around to different places because of opposition.
He tested the lands by building a well and seeing what the circumstances were.
But now, Isaac was willing to be led by the voice of God.
此前，以撒遇到反對而四處遷徙。
他透過開鑿水井來勘察土地，並觀察當地環境的情況。
但現在，以撒樂意聽從神聲音的帶領。
We see that Isaac’s faith was confirmed when God spoke to him that very night,
reassuring him of the covenant He had made with his father:
我們看到，那晚當神對以撒說話時，他的信心就得到了堅固。
神向他保證祂與其父親所立的約：
And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said,
“I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you.
I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.”
So he built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD,
and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.
(Gen 26:24, 25)
24當夜耶和華向他顯現，說：
我是你父親亞伯拉罕的神，不要懼怕！因為我與你同在，
要賜福給你，並要為我僕人亞伯拉罕的緣故，使你的後裔繁多。
25以撒就在那裡築了一座壇，求告耶和華的名，
並且支搭帳棚；他的僕人便在那裡挖了一口井。
（創 26：24，25）
Having met with quarrel and enmity at his earlier wells,
Isaac’s approach changed in the land of Beersheba.
First, he built an altar; then he pitched his tent;
and, lastly, he dug a well.
The order of each activity was crucial.
Having met God and heard His voice,
the priorities in his life shifted,
and he finally found home.
在他之前幾口井時，就曾遭遇過爭競與敵視，
以撒在別是巴地時就改變了做法。
首先，他建造了一座祭壇；然後他搭起自已的帳篷；
最後，他挖了一口井。
每項活動的順序都很重要。
遇到神，聆聽祂的聲音，
他生命的重要目標改變了，
他終於找到了家。
In the face of much insecurity in his nomadic life,
Isaac finally found the true and only stabilizer: God.
Today, we face similar instabilities that Isaac experienced,
and, with the incessant flux in so many aspects of modern life,
this should serve as a good guide to prioritizing things in our life.
他面對流浪生活中強烈的不安，
以撒終於找到了真正，唯一的支柱：神。
今日，我們會面臨以撒所經歷同樣的不安，
同時隨著現代生活很多各各層面中有無盡的變動，
這應該可以作為我們生活中安排事情優先順序的好指引。
Home is the place of God’s presence, and there we should dwell.
Only there may we be assured of God’s provision for all of our needs.
Spiritual needs take the highest priority, and material needs last.
家是神所存在之地，我們才應該住在那裡。
只有在那裡，我們才能確信神會預備我們一切的需要。
屬靈需求才是最優先重要的，物質需求才最後滿足。
1. Johnson, Spencer (1998). Who Moved My Cheese?
An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and Life.
Putnam Adult.
1. Johnson, Spencer (1998)。誰搬走了我的乳酪?
應對工作與生活變化的絕妙方法。
出版機構 Putnam Adult.
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
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