Mourn for Jerusalem

Feb. 9. 2010

Jeremiah 4:19-31 (NIV)

¹⁹ Oh, my anguish, my anguish!
I writhe in pain.
Oh, the agony of my heart!
My heart pounds within me,
I cannot keep silent.
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;
I have heard the battle cry.

²⁰ Disaster follows disaster;
the whole land lies in ruins.
In an instant my tents are destroyed,
my shelter in a moment.

²¹ How long must I see the battle standard
and hear the sound of the trumpet?

²² "My people are fools;
they do not know me.
They are senseless children;
they have no understanding.
They are skilled in doing evil;
they know not how to do good."

²³ I looked at the earth,
and it was formless and empty;
and at the heavens,
and their light was gone.

²⁴ I looked at the mountains,
and they were quaking;
all the hills were swaying.

²⁵ I looked, and there were no people;
every bird in the sky had flown away.

²⁶ I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert;
all its towns lay in ruins
before the LORD, before his fierce anger.

²⁷ This is what the LORD says:
"The whole land will be ruined,
though I will not destroy it completely.

²⁸ Therefore the earth will mourn
and the heavens above grow dark,
because I have spoken and will not relent,
I have decided and will not turn back."

²⁹ At the sound of horsemen and archers
every town takes to flight.
Some go into the thickets;
some climb up among the rocks.
All the towns are deserted;
no one lives in them.

³⁰ What are you doing, O devastated one?
Why dress yourself in scarlet
and put on jewels of gold?
Why shade your eyes with paint?
You adorn yourself in vain.
Your lovers despise you;
they seek your life.

³¹ I hear a cry as of a woman in labor,
a groan as of one bearing her first child—
the cry of the Daughter of Zion gasping for breath,
stretching out her hands and saying,
"Alas! I am fainting;
my life is given over to murderers."

4:19 哎呀，我忍受不住絞痛！我心焦灼，坐立不安。我聽到軍號的響聲，戰爭的吶喊。4:20 災難接踵而來；全國荒廢。我的帳棚突然倒塌，帳棚的幔子破裂。4:21 我還得經歷多少烽火？還得聽多少軍號？4:22 上主說：我的子民愚蠢；他們不認識我。他們像低能的小孩子，一點兒智慧都沒有。他們只曉得做壞事，不曉得做好事。4:23 我俯視大地，一片荒涼；我仰望天空，黑暗無光。4:24 我眺望大山，觀看小山；大山震動，小山搖擺。4:25 我看不見人影；連鳥兒也都飛走。4:26 良田變成荒野；城市有如土堆，因為上主傾下他的烈怒。4:27 上主說過，全地要荒蕪，但他不徹底加以毀滅。4:28 大地要哀鳴，天空轉黑。上主說出的話絕不改變；他的決定絕不更改。4:29 城民一聽見騎兵和箭手的吶喊，個個都要拚命逃難；有的逃進森林，有的躲入岩穴。人去，城空！4:30 耶路撒冷啊，你完了！你何必穿昂貴的衣服？何必戴珠寶首飾？何必塗眼畫眉？你打扮有甚麼用？你的情郎遺棄了你，要殺害你。4:31 我聽見像產婦陣痛的叫喊；我聽見像女人生產頭胎的尖叫。那是耶路撒冷在劇喘；她伸開雙手，說：慘了，慘了！他們要來殺我了！

一、中心內容：

內容：
1>想到將來臨的審判，先知耶利米心中萬分焦急、悲痛。（v19-21）

The prophet Jeremiah was in great sorrow and pain, when he thought of the pending judgment. (V19-21)
2>想到將降下的審判，上帝心中萬般無奈與痛楚。（v22）God’s heart was hurting when He thought of the judgment he was about to bring on His people.(v22)
3>先知耶利米預見審判來臨時悲慘的景象。（v19b-20、v23-26）The prophet Jeremiah foresaw the misery on the judgment day. (v19b-20; 23-26)
4>先知耶利米表示：上帝的話必然實現，但不全然毀滅。（v27-29）Jeremiah said that God’s word would be fulfilled, yet it would not totally destroy. (v27-29)
5>先知耶利米形容：當審判來臨時，以色列百姓所面對的情境，有如「遭情郎拋棄的情婦一般的淒涼」以及「像婦女頭胎臨盆般的痛楚」。（v30-31）Jeremiah described when the Israelites faced with judgment, it would be as sorrowful as a woman abandoned by her lover and as painful as a woman giving birth for the first time. (v30-31)

主題：
1>為耶路撒冷舉哀。Mourn for Jerusalem
2>即將來臨大毀滅。The imminent destruction

二、上帝、耶穌基督、聖靈是誰？

1>大發烈怒的上帝。（v26）God was in great wrath. (v26)
2>毀滅全地的上帝。（v27）God destroyed the land. (v27)
3>存留餘民的上帝。（v27）God kept remnants. (v27)
4>言出必行的上帝。（v28）God carried out His word. (V28)

三、給我的教訓（命令、應允、榜樣、責備、警告）是什麼？

1>先知心中的焦灼（v19-21）The anguish of the prophet

哎呀，我忍受不住絞痛！我心焦灼，坐立不安。我聽到軍號的響聲，戰爭的吶喊。災難接踵而來；全國荒廢。我的帳棚突然倒塌，帳棚的幔子破裂。我還得經歷多少烽火？還得聽多少軍號？（v19-21）

¹⁹ Oh, my anguish, my anguish!
I writhe in pain.
Oh, the agony of my heart!
My heart pounds within me,
I cannot keep silent.
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;
I have heard the battle cry.

²⁰ Disaster follows disaster;
the whole land lies in ruins.
In an instant my tents are destroyed,
my shelter in a moment.

²¹ How long must I see the battle standard
and hear the sound of the trumpet?

面對這一場即將來臨的審判，身為先知的耶利米，本身並未置身事外，乃是為此事而極度焦慮與悲痛。因為他知道所宣講的信息，是從上帝來的，所以必然會實現。
然而，因為受審判的對象，不是外邦的敵對者，而是自己的骨肉同胞。為此，他感到十分悲痛，並且急切希望自己的同胞，能夠因為回轉而免於禍患，但是事實卻不是如此，因為同胞仍不肯悔改。為此，他的心極其焦急、難過。顯示：先知耶利米擁有一顆悲天憫人的心。
反省：面對骨肉同胞靈魂的沈淪，我的心焦急嗎？
Facing the coming judgment, Jeremiah did not seclude himself from it. Instead, he was in great agony and filled with great anxiety, because he knew that what he proclaimed was from God and it would be fulfilled. It wasn’t his enemies who were to be judged but his people, thus he was agonizing. He expected his people to turn around to elude the punishment. This expressed his compassion toward his people.

Reflection: Am I anxious for the unsaved souls?
2>上帝心中的痛楚（v22）God’s sorrow (v22)
上主說：我的子民愚蠢；他們不認識我。他們像低能的小孩子，一點兒智慧都沒有。他們只曉得做壞事，不曉得做好事。（v23）

²³ I looked at the earth,
and it was formless and empty;
and at the heavens,
and their light was gone.

宣佈信息的先知耶利米，心中已經感到十分焦急、悲痛，作為發出審判信息的源頭---上帝，心中必然更為難過。因為就耶利米來說，受罰的只是自己的同胞；但就上帝來說，受罰的卻是自己的兒女。因此，必然更為難過。尤其自己的兒女，竟然不認這位生（創造）他們、愛他們的父親，怎麼不難過呢？

Jeremiah, who was called to proclaim the Judgment, was in great agony. However, for God, it was worse. The people who were to receive the Judgment were only Jeremiah’s compatriots, but for God, He was to punish his own children. How can a Father not agonize over the fact that His own children do not acknowledge Him?

反省：我的所作所為，有哪些令上帝傷心、難過的事嗎？
Reflection: Is there anything I do that makes God anguish?
3>審判來臨的景象（v19b-20、v23-26）The image of the imminent judgment
我 聽到軍號的響聲，戰爭的吶喊。災難接踵而來；全國荒廢。我的帳棚突然倒塌，帳棚的幔子破裂。（v19b-20）我俯視大地，一片荒涼；我仰望天空，黑暗無 光。我眺望大山，觀看小山；大山震動，小山搖擺。我看不見人影；連鳥兒也都飛走。良田變成荒野；城市有如土堆，因為上主傾下他的烈怒。（v23-26）

¹⁹ My heart pounds within me,
I cannot keep silent.
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;
I have heard the battle cry.

²⁰ Disaster follows disaster;
the whole land lies in ruins.
In an instant my tents are destroyed,
my shelter in a moment.

²³ I looked at the earth,
and it was formless and empty;
and at the heavens,
and their light was gone.

²⁴ I looked at the mountains,
and they were quaking;
all the hills were swaying.

²⁵ I looked, and there were no people;
every bird in the sky had flown away.

²⁶ I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert;
all its towns lay in ruins
before the LORD, before his fierce anger.
這是一段抒情的詩，內容在描述當審判來臨時，大地所顯現一切景況。就是：軍號響起、戰爭吶喊、全國荒廢、帳棚倒塌、幔子破裂、大地荒涼、天空黑暗、大山震動、小山搖擺、不見人影、不見禽獸、良田荒蕪、城市夷平----等，這是極其荒蕪、悲慘、恐怖的景象。
反省：針對審判來臨時的景象，我是否信以為真，並且有所警惕？
This is a lyrical poem, descriptive of things which will happen when the judgment day comes. These are the blowing of army trumpets, the shouts of war, the ruins of the country, the destroyed tents, the torn of curtains, the barren lands, the darkness of the skies, the trembling of the mountains, the absence of humans and animals, the desolation of the lands, the destruction of the cities… etc. This is a scene of great desolation, misery, and horror.

Reflection: Do I believe that the description of the judgment is true and take heed of it?

4>預留殘餘的人民（v27）The remnant people
上主說過，全地要荒蕪，但他不徹底加以毀滅。（v27）

²⁷ This is what the LORD says:
"The whole land will be ruined,
though I will not destroy it completely.
當審判來臨時，雖然全地都將要荒蕪，但是上帝卻不徹底毀滅祂的子民。意思就是說：上帝依然留下部份殘餘的子民。這些子民都是忠於上帝，而且遵守祂誡命的人。上帝預留他們的目的，就是為了將來再度復興、重建以色列王國。
因此，讓我們在黑暗中看見曙光，在失望中看到一絲希望。
反省：不管社會如何變遷，不管人心怎樣墮落，在這個世代中，我是否成為上帝所餘留的子民？
Though the whole land would be in ruins when the judgment day comes, yet God would not completely destroy His people. It means that God would keep the remnants. These people were faithful and obedient to His commandments. It was for the future revival and restoration of Israel. Therefore, we can see light amidst darkness and a ray of hope amidst despair.

Reflection: No matter how the world has changed or fallen, am I one of God’s remnants in this world?

5>情郎拋棄的淒涼（v30）The despair of being abandoned by ones’ lover
耶路撒冷啊，你完了！你何必穿昂貴的衣服？何必戴珠寶首飾？何必塗眼畫眉？你打扮有甚麼用？你的情郎遺棄了你，要殺害你。（v30）

³⁰ What are you doing, O devastated one?
Why dress yourself in scarlet
and put on jewels of gold?
Why shade your eyes with paint?
You adorn yourself in vain.
Your lovers despise you;
they seek your life.
先知耶利米形容，當審判來臨時，耶路撒冷所面對的情境，如同淫盪的女人一般，打扮得花枝招展，為要贏得情郎（埃及等外邦人）的心。不料卻遭受情郎無情的遺棄，甚至遭情郎殺害，因為情郎是薄情寡義的，他的愛情是虛假的。
反省：在信仰路上，我是否對上帝全然忠誠？或偶而背離？甚至如同「會見情郎」一般？
Jeremiah described the situation that Israel would face when the judgment day came. It would be like that of an adulterous woman with beautiful adornment trying to win her lover’s heart. Unexpectedly, she was abandoned by a senseless lover and even might be killed by him in the end. His love for her was untruthful.

Reflection: Am I loyal to God in terms of faith? Do I sometimes go astray? Do I expect God like I’m expecting a lover?

6>頭胎臨盆的痛楚（v31）The pain of giving birth to the firstborn
我聽見像產婦陣痛的叫喊；我聽見像女人生產頭胎的尖叫。那是耶路撒冷在劇喘；她伸開雙手，說：慘了，慘了！他們要來殺我了！（v31）

³¹ I hear a cry as of a woman in labor,
a groan as of one bearing her first child—
the cry of the Daughter of Zion gasping for breath,
stretching out her hands and saying,
"Alas! I am fainting;
my life is given over to murderers."
先知耶利米以產婦生產的痛苦，來形容以色列百姓遭遇審判時的情境。這裏特別提到「頭胎」的生產，意思就是指那種痛苦，比已經擁有生產經驗的婦女還要嚴重。
反省：經過先知的預言與提示，我是否更加謹慎、及時悔悟，以閃避這可怕的審判？
Jeremiah used the pain of a woman in labor to describe Israel facing judgment. He emphasized that the pain of a woman in labor for the first time was more severe than that of giving birth for the second time.

Reflection: After reading this passage, will I be more scrupulous and repentant in order to elude the dreadful judgment?

四、我的禱告 / 實際應用

Translation by Doris