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约伯记生命读经 · 第4篇

约伯咒诅他的生日

Job’s Cursing of his Birthday
1读经：约伯记三章。在第三章约伯咒诅他的生日。他是一个好人，想要持守他的完全、正直和纯正，但因著苦恼，他不能控制自己，也不知道该怎么办。毫无疑问，他盼望有机会对付神，但他不敢发起这事。他不愿失去他的完全，就藉著咒诅自己发泄他的苦恼。
1Scripture Reading: Job 3 In chapter three Job cursed the day of his birth. He was a good man and he was trying to keep his perfection, uprightness, and integrity, but due to his vexation he could not contain himself, and he did not know what to do. No doubt, he expected to have a time to deal with God, but this was not something that he dared to initiate. Not wanting to lose his perfection, he released his vexation by cursing his birthday
壹 约伯打破沉默，开始辩论，
I. JOB BREAKING THE SILENCE AND INITIATING THE DEBATE
2约伯打破七天七夜的沉默，开始辩论，咒诅他的生日，因他受了极大的痛苦。（二１３，三１～３。）
2Job broke the silence of seven days and seven nights and initiated the debate by cursing the day of his birth because of his suffering of the very great pain (2:13; 3:1-3
一 因著他的灾祸受搅扰、困惑、迷惑
A. Being Disturbed, Perplexed, and Entangled by His Suffering
3约伯受搅扰、困惑、迷惑到了极点，因为他虽然完全、正直和纯正，却遭受临到他家产和儿女的灾祸，以及他身上的灾病。约伯咒诅他的生日时，必然不是完全、正直的，也没有持守他的纯正；反而因著咒诅他的生日，就在他的纯正上破产了。约伯咒诅自己的生日，就是咒诅自己的母亲。
3Job was disturbed, perplexed, and entangled to the uttermost by his suffering of the disasters that befell his possessions and his children and the plague on his body, in spite of his perfection, uprightness, and integrity. When Job cursed his birthday, he surely was not perfect and upright. In doing this he did not hold his integrity. Rather, by cursing the day of his birth, he became bankrupt in integrity. For Job to curse his birthday meant that he cursed his mother
二 宁愿要黑暗，憎恶光
B. Preferring Darkness and Abhorring Light
4约伯宁愿要黑暗，憎恶光。（４～１０。）关于他的生日，他说，『愿那日变为黑暗；愿神不从上面寻找牠，愿光不照于其上。』（４。）我觉得很难相信，约伯真的宁愿要黑暗，憎恶光。
4Job preferred darkness and abhorred light (vv. 4-10). Concerning the day of his birth, he said, "Let that day be darkness;/Let God not seek it from above,/Nor let light shine upon it." I find it hard to believe that Job really preferred darkness and abhorred light
三 宁愿死，不愿生
C. Preferring Death Instead of Life
5约伯表示，他宁愿死，不愿生。（１１～２３。）我们很难相信约伯真的宁愿死，不愿生。如果他宁愿死，为甚么不结束自己的性命以解决问题？约伯没有这样作，可能是因著要持守他的纯正。
5Job indicated that he preferred death instead of life (vv. 11-23). It is difficult to believe that Job actually preferred death instead of life. If death had been his preference, why did he not put an end to himself and thereby solve his problem? Perhaps Job did not do this because he wanted to keep his integrity
四 他的叹息如同他的食物
D. His Sighing Coming as His Food
6约伯说，他的叹息如同他的食物，他的唉哼涌出如水。（２４。）他所恐惧的临到他身；（２５；）他不得安逸，不得平静，也不得安息，却有患难来到。（２６。）贰在旧约里约伯经历神的销毁和剥夺，远不如在新约里保
6Job said that his sighing came as his food and that his groaning poured out like water in his suffering (v. 24). What he dreaded came upon him (v. 25), and he had no ease, no quiet, and no rest, yet trouble came (v. 26). II. JOB'S EXPERIENCE OF GOD'S CONSUMING AND STRIPPING IN THE OLD TESTAMENT BEING FAR
罗所经历的
BEHIND THAT OF PAUL IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
7在旧约里约伯经历神的销毁和剥夺，远不如在新约里保罗所经历的。神的销毁是要消耗我们；神的剥夺是要从我们身上取去财富。神首先剥夺约伯的家产，然后销毁他这个人。约伯身上所受的灾病是一种销毁。分分秒秒，日日夜夜，约伯一直被销毁。在新约中，神的销毁和剥夺成为可喜悦的事。自保罗信主的那天起，他就是一个在神的销毁和神的剥夺之下的人。
7Job's experience of God's consuming and stripping in the Old Testament was far behind that of Paul in the New Testament. God's consuming is to exhaust us, and God's stripping is to take away our riches from us. First, God stripped Job of his possessions, and then God consumed him. Job's suffering of the plague on his body was a consuming. Day by day and hour by hour, Job was being consumed. In the New Testament God's consuming and stripping become pleasant things. Since the day he was converted, Paul was a person under God's consuming and God's stripping (2 Cor. 4:16
一 保罗生来命定要被钉十字架，他重生以被钉十字架
A. Paul Being Born Destined to Be Crucified and Being Reborn Crucified
8保罗生来命定要被钉十字架，他重生以被钉十字架，使他活著不再是他，乃是基督在他里面活著。（加二２０上。）我们重生时，就像保罗一样，是重生而被钉十字架，目的是从那时起，不再是我们活著，乃是基督在我们里面活著。
8Paul was born destined to be crucified, and he was reborn crucified that it would be no longer he who lived but Christ who lived in him (Gal. 2:20a). When we were regenerated, we, like Paul, were reborn crucified for the purpose that from that time it would be no longer we who live but Christ who lives in us
二 保罗四面受压，却不被困住
B. Paul Not Being Constricted under the Pressures on Every Side
9保罗在经历神的销毁和剥夺时，四面受压，却不被困住；打倒了，却不至灭亡。（林后四８～９。）每一面都有压力，保罗却不被困住；每一天都被打倒，他却不至灭亡。保罗没有咒诅他的生日，也没有说宁愿死，不愿生；他反而说，他宁愿活著，不愿离世，因为在他，活著就是基督。（腓一２１～２５。）保罗的活基督乃是为著显大基督。他盼望无论是生是死，都显大基督。（２０。）他不在乎生或死；他只在乎显大基督。
9In his experience of God's consuming and stripping, Paul was not constricted under the pressures on every side and did not perish despite his being cast down (2 Cor. 4:8-9). There were pressures on every side, yet Paul was not constricted. Every day he was cast down, but he did not perish. Paul did not curse the day of his birth, and he did not say that he preferred to die rather than to live. On the contrary, after much consideration Paul said that he still preferred to live, not to die, because to him to live was Christ (Phil. 1:21-25). Paul's living Christ was for him to magnify Christ. His desire was to magnify Christ whether through life or through death (v. 20). He did not care for life or death; he cared only for magnifying Christ
三 保罗为基督的缘故，就以困苦为可喜悦的
C. Paul Being Well Pleased in Distresses for the Sake of Christ
10当保罗为基督的缘故受困苦时，（林后十二１０，）他是喜悦快乐的，甚至为著他的经历而在主里喜乐。（西一２４。）保罗对受苦的反应与约伯不同。约伯没有喜乐，乃是一直苦恼。四保罗追求在基督受苦的交通中，
10When Paul was suffering distresses for the sake of Christ (2 Cor. 12:10), he was well pleased, he was happy, and he was even rejoicing in the Lord for his experiences (Col. 1:24). Paul's reaction to his sufferings was very different from Job's. Job did not rejoice but was all the time vexed. D. Paul Pursuing to Be Conformed to Christ's Death
模成祂的死
in the Fellowship of His Sufferings
11保罗追求在基督受苦的交通中，模成祂的死。（腓三１０。）他以基督的死作他生活的模子。对保罗而言，模成基督的死是极大的喜乐。
11Paul pursued to be conformed to Christ's death in the fellowship of His sufferings (Phil. 3:10). He took Christ's death as a mold for his life. To Paul it was a great pleasure to be molded in the death of Christ
五 身上常带著耶稣的治死
E. Always Bearing About in the Body the Putting to Death of Jesus
12保罗说，他身上常带著耶稣的治死，常为耶稣的缘故被交于死，使耶稣的生命，在他那必死的肉身上显明出来。（林后四１０～１１。）保罗在他每日的基督徒生活中被治死。他惟一显明基督生命的路，乃是经历基督的死。
12Paul said that he was always bearing about in the body the putting to death of Jesus and was always being delivered unto death for Jesus' sake that the life of Jesus might be manifested in his mortal flesh (2 Cor. 4:10-11). Every day in his Christian life Paul was put to death. The only way for him to manifest Christ's life was to experience Christ's death
六 保罗外面的人虽然在毁坏，里面的人却日日得更新
F. Paul'sO ut er Man Being Consumed, yet His Inner Man Being Renewed Day by Day
13保罗经历神的销毁和剥夺时，并不丧胆。他外面的人虽然在毁坏，里面的人却日日在更新。他说他那短暂轻微的苦楚，为他成就了永远重大的荣耀。（林后四１６～１７。）保罗是一个盼望天天被销毁的人。他是这样的一个人，因为他要得更新。你若没有被销毁，就不能得更新。这种藉著销毁而有的更新，加增你在要来的时代中所分得的永远荣耀。我们都要分享主的荣耀，但荣耀的程度在信徒之间会有所不同。藉著神的销毁，我们所要分得的荣耀要成为永远重大的荣耀。
13In his experience of God's consuming and stripping, Paul did not lose heart. Though his outer man was being consumed, yet his inner man was being renewed day by day. He said that his momentary lightness of affliction worked out for him an eternal weight of glory (2 Cor. 4:16-17). Paul was one who expected to be consumed every day. He was such a man because he wanted to be renewed. Renewing can be consummated only by consuming. If you are not consumed, you cannot be renewed. This kind of renewing by consuming adds to the weight of glory that you will share in the coming ages. We will all share the Lord's glory, but the weight of glory will differ among the believers. Through God's consuming, the glory that we will share will become an eternal weight
14约伯认为他所受的苦楚非常重大，但保罗认为他的苦楚是短暂轻微的。我们不需要注意我们的苦楚，倒要注意重大荣耀的加增。我们会有多少重大的荣耀，在于我们为主的缘故，在今时遭受多少的苦楚。保罗不在乎他受多少苦楚。他知道他越受苦，他所分享的永远荣耀就越重大。
14Job considered his suffering of affliction something very heavy, but Paul considered his affliction momentary and light. Instead of caring about our affliction, we need to care for the increase of the weight of glory. How much weight of glory we will have depends on how much we suffer in our present affliction for the Lord'ss ake. Paul did not care how much he suffered. He knew that the more he suffered, the more weight of glory he would share in eternity.
七 保罗藉著活基督而显大基督
G. Paul Magnifying Christ by Living Him
15保罗凭著耶稣基督之灵全备的供应，无论是生是死，都藉著活基督而显大基督。（腓一１９～２１上。）这就是基督徒的生活。当神造人时，祂要人过的就是这种生活。
15Paul magnified Christ by living Him, whether through life or through death, by the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:19-21a). This is the Christian life. When God created man, this is the kind of life He wanted man to live
参 神在约伯身上的目的
III. GOD'SIN TENT I ON WITH JOB
一 要销毁『完全、正直的』约伯，并剥夺他在最高道德的标准上，所达到的完全和正直
A. To Consume the "Perfect and Upright" Job and to Strip His Attainments in the Highest Standard of Ethics in Perfection and Uprightness
16神在约伯身上的目的，是要销毁这个『完全、正直的』约伯，剥夺他在最高道德的标准上，所达到并成就的完全和正直。（伯一１。）
16God'sin tent i on with Job was to consume this "perfect and upright" person and to strip his attainments, his achievements, in the highest standard of ethics in perfection and uprightness (Job 1:1
二 拆毁那在自己的完全和正直里天然的约伯
B. To Tear Down the Natural Job in His Perfection and Uprightness
17神的目的也是要拆毁那在自己的完全和正直里天然的约伯，使神能建立一个有神的性情和属性，得更新的约伯。
17God'sin tent i on was also to tear down the natural Job in his perfection and uprightness that He might build up a renewed Job in God's nature and attributes
三 要一个在生命树线上的约伯
C. To Have a Job in the Line of the Tree of Life
18神的目的不是要一个在善恶知识树线上的约伯，乃是要一个在生命树线上的约伯。（创二９。）
18God'sin tent i on was not to have a Job in the line of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but a Job in the line of the tree of life (Gen. 2:9
四 使约伯成为属神的人
D. To Make Job a Man of God
19至终，神的目的是要使约伯成为属神的人，（提前六１１，提后三１７，）充满了基督，就是神的具体化身，成为神的丰满，好在基督里彰显神，而不是一个高道德标准的人，有天然的完全、天然的正直、和天然的纯正，那是约伯想要维持并持守的。（伯二３，９上。）这样一个按著神圣经纶而由神构成的人，绝不会受任何难处和问题所困惑，以致咒诅自己的生日，宁愿死不愿活。神造亚当后，把人放在两棵树跟前，一棵是生命树，一棵是善恶知识树。神吩咐亚当不可吃善恶知识树，因为他吃的日子必定死。（创二９，１６～１７。）神要亚当吃生命树。亚当若吃了生命树，这棵树就要进到他里面，然后长在他里面。然而，亚当却吃了善恶知识树。这棵树因而种到亚当里面，长在他里面，也长在亚当一切的后裔里面。在约伯的时代，善恶知识树只有两千年，但今天已经有六千年之久。今天整个人类都是由善恶知识树所构成。在每个人类社会中，不论道德如何，善恶知识树总是一直在生长。只要这棵树在人类中生长，就没有和平。
19Eventually, God'sin tent i on was to make Job a man of God (1 Tim. 6:11; 2 Tim. 3:17), filled with Christ, the embodiment of God, to be the fullness of God for the expression of God in Christ, not a man of the high standard of ethics in Job's natural perfection, natural uprightness, and natural integrity, which Job attempted to maintain and hold (Job 2:3, 9a). Such a person, constituted with God according to His economy, would never be entangled by any troubles and problems so that he would curse his birth and prefer to die rather than to live. After God created Adam, He placed him in front of two trees—the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God then charged Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for if he ate of that tree, he would die (Gen. 2:9, 16-17). God wanted Adam to eat of the tree of life. If Adam had eaten of the tree of life, this tree would have entered into him and then would have grown within him. However, Adam ate instead of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This tree was thus sown into Adam and grew within him, and it has been growing in all of Adam's descendants. At Job'st i me the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was only two thousand years old, but now it is six thousand years old. Today the entire human race is a race constituted according to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In every human society, regardless of the kind of ethics it has, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is growing. As long as this tree is growing among the human race, there will be no peace.
20我们重生之前，都是在善恶知识树的线上。当我们重生时，基督就将祂自己这生命树种到我们里面。然而，在我们实际的日常生活中，我们是在善恶知识树的线上，还是在生命树的线上？譬如说，在我们的婚姻生活中，我们可能在知识树的线上；我们和配偶说话的方式，叫我们不但长这棵树，更对牠浇灌、施肥。那么，我们该怎么办？我们需要记住保罗在加拉太二章二十节的话—『现在活著的，不再是我，乃是基督在我里面活著』，而从知识树转向生命树。我们若如此行，就会活基督而长基督这生命树。
20Before we were regenerated, we were in the line of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When we were regenerated, Christ planted Himself into us as the tree of life. However, in our practical, daily living, are we in the line of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or in the line of the tree of life? In our married life, for example, we may be in the line of the tree of knowledge, and by the way we talk with our spouse we may not only grow this tree but also water it and fertilize it. What, then, should we do? We need to remember Paul'sword in Galatians 2:20—"It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me"— and turn from the tree of knowledge to the tree of life. If we do this, we will live Christ and grow Christ as the tree of life