耶利米哀歌生命读经 · 第4篇

耶利米的失望和问题，以及神永远的所是和祂的宝座

Jeremiah’s Disappointment and Questions and God’s Eternal Being and His Throne

1读经：耶利米哀歌5:18-22。在耶利米哀歌生命读经这篇结束的信息中，我要进一步说到五章十八至二十二节。

1Scripture Reading: Lam. 5:18-22 In this concluding message to the life-study of Lamentations, I would like to give a further word on 5:18-22

一个比较

A COMPARISON

2在耶利米哀歌的末了，第五章末了的经文里，我们能看见一个比较。哀歌五章十八至十九节说，『因为锡安山荒凉，狐狸行在其上。耶和华阿，你存到永远，你的宝座，存到万代。』首先，耶利米说到狐狸行在锡安山上，然后他宣告耶和华和祂的宝座存到永远。这里的比较在于耶利米对狐狸行在锡安这事实的失望，以及他领悟耶和华和祂的宝座存到永远。

2At the end of Jeremiah’s lamentations, in the last verses of chapter five, we can see a comparison. Lamentations 5:18 and 19 say, “Because of Mount Zion, which is desolate— / Foxes rove in it. / You, O Jehovah, remain forever; / Your throne is from generation to generation.” First, Jeremiah speaks of the foxes roving in Mount Zion, and then he declares that Jehovah and His throne remain forever. The comparison here is between Jeremiah’s disappointment over the fact that foxes were roving in Zion and his realization that Jehovah and His throne remain forever

耶利米的失望－狐狸行在锡安山上

Jeremiah’s Disappointment— Foxes Roving in Mount Zion

3耶利米写这些经文时，他很作难且失望。因著他的背景，他知道摩西的著作，也知道神与亚伯罕及其后裔所立的约。然而，在他的五首哀歌里，他很少照著神的话来说话。相反的，他完全照著他个人、属人的感觉来说话。在他第四首哀歌的开始，他说到以色列是失光的黄金。『黄金何竟失光！至纯的金何竟变色！』（四。）然后在他末了一首哀歌将结束时，他说狐狸行在锡安山上。这表明耶利米的失望。锡安是圣地，对神而言是地上最神圣、圣别的地方。狐狸怎能进到这圣城，甚至行在建造圣殿的锡安山顶？这使耶利米哀哭。

3When Jeremiah wrote these verses, he was perplexed and disappointed. Because of his background, he knew the writings of Moses, and he knew the covenant which God had made with Abraham and his descendants. Nevertheless, in his five lamentations he did not speak much according to God’sword. Rather, he spoke altogether according to his personal, human feeling. At the beginning of his fourth lamentation, he referred to Israel as pure gold which had become dim. “How the gold has become dim! / How the most pure gold has changed!” (v. 1). Then near the end of 1 his last lamentation, he said that foxes were roving in Mount Zion. This shows Jeremiah’s disappointment. Zion was the holy land. To God it was the most holy, sanctified place on earth. How could foxes come into this holy city and even rove on the peak of Zion, where the temple was built? This caused Jeremiah to lament.

耶利米的领悟－耶和华和祂的宝座存到永远

Jeremiah’s Realization— Jehovah and His Throne Remaining Forever

4在五章十九节之前，耶利米是照著他个人、属人的感觉写作，但到了十九节，他从他属人的感觉跳出来，进到神里面。耶利米说到狐狸行在锡安山上以后，就忽然宣告说：『耶和华阿，你存到永远。』在宇宙中，狐狸不是惟一的东西。耶和华这位宇宙之主还在，祂仍然在施行祂的行政。耶路撒冷被倾覆了，圣殿被烧毁了，神的百姓被掳去了，但耶和华我们的神如何？耶和华还在，并且祂的宝座没有被倾覆，也绝不会被倾覆。

4Prior to 5:19, Jeremiah was writing according to his personal, human feeling, but in this verse he leaps out of his human feeling into God. After speaking of foxes roving in Mount Zion, he suddenly declares, “You, O Jehovah, remain forever.” Foxes are not the only thing in the universe. Jehovah, the Lord of the universe, remains to exercise His administration. Jerusalem was overthrown, the temple was burned down, God’s people were carried away, but what about our God, Jehovah? Jehovah remains, and His throne has not been overthrown and never will be overthrown.

5耶和华这神圣的名称，意思是『我是』。祂是那昔是、今是、以后永是的一位。（启四8下。）耶路撒冷完了，圣殿完了，以色列地也完了，但耶和华绝不会完。当耶利米的地位和角度从自己转换为耶和华时，他就领悟，虽然一切都可能失去，耶和华却存到永远。今天狐狸也许行在锡安，明天牠们也许就消逝，但耶和华绝不会消逝。凡物都不存留，一切都要了结，这事实显明耶和华存到永远的真理。一切都可能失去，但『耶和华阿，你存到永远，你的宝座，存到万代』，无始无终。天地会结束，但祂绝不会结束。祂是独一的源头，万代都出于祂。我珍赏这些经文里的对比，因牠给我们看见甚么存留，甚么不存留。今天某些事物也许『行』在天主教、更正教、犹太教、和世界上。我们不该相信其中任何事物会存留。至终，每个『教』都要来到尽头，但耶和华却要存到永远。在对付许多消极的事与邪恶的人时，神常常不需要行动。祂不作甚么，只作祂所教导我们的－祂等候。尤其祂等候邪恶的人死亡。所以，我们该领悟，死亡在神手中是非常有用的工具。历史上所有的恶人在那里？希特勒在那里？墨索里尼在那里？所有这样邪恶的人都一个一个的死了。在整个人类历史中，每个邪恶的人至终都被死亡所了结。那存到永远的神，只要等候死亡将他们全都除去。

5The divine title Jehovah means “I am.” He is the One who was, who is, and who will be forever (Rev. 4:8b). Jerusalem was finished, the temple was finished, and the land of Israel was finished, but Jehovah will never be finished. When Jeremiah’s position and angle were changed from himself to Jehovah, he realized that although everything may be lost, Jehovah remains forever. Today the foxes may rove in Zion, and tomorrow they may be gone, but Jehovah will never be gone. The fact that nothing remains and that everything is finished manifests the truth that Jehovah remains forever. Everything may be lost, but “You, O Jehovah, remain forever; / Your throne is from generation to generation,” with no beginning and no ending. Heaven and earth may end, but He will never end. He is the unique source, and all the generations come out of Him. I appreciate the contrast in these verses, for it shows us what remains and what does not remain. Today certain things may be “roving” in Catholicism, in Protestantism, in Judaism, and in the world. We should not believe that any of these roving things will remain. Eventually, every “ism” will come to an end, yet Jehovah will remain forever. In dealing with many negative things and evil persons, there is often no need for God to act. Instead of doing something, He does what He teaches us to do—He waits. In particular, He waits for the evil ones to die. We should realize, therefore, that death is a very useful tool in the hand of God. Where are all the evil ones in history? Where is Hitler? Where is Mussolini? One by one, all such evil ones have died. Throughout human history, every evil person eventually has been terminated by death. God, who remains forever, has simply waited for death to take them all away

耶利米的问题和挑战

JEREMIAH’S QUESTIONS AND CHALLENGES

与耶和华的静默

AND JEHOVAH’S SILENCE

6虽然耶利米领悟神是永远的，并且祂的宝座也存到永远，但他里面仍有个东西，使他用问题，甚至用挑战来结束他的哀歌。在五章二十至二十二节，他对耶和华说，『你为何永远忘记我们？为何许久离弃我们？耶和华阿，求你转向我们，我们便得回转；求你复新我们的日子，像古时一样。或是你全然弃绝了我们，向我们大发烈怒？』这里耶利米向耶和华说挑战的话，甚至吩咐并责备的话。然而，耶和华没有答覆他。耶和华没有答覆耶利米，或告诉他要安静，反而静默不语。在耶利米哀歌的末了，神答覆耶利米问题的时候还没有到。

6Although Jeremiah realized that God’s being is eternal and His throne remains forever, he still had something within him that caused him to end his lamentations with questions and even with challenges. In 5:20-22 he said to Jehovah, “Why do You forget us forever / And forsake us for so long a time? / Turn to us, O Jehovah, and we will be turned; / Renew our days as before. / Or have You utterly rejected us? / Are You exceedingly angry with us?” Here Jeremiah speaks to Jehovah a challenging word, even a commanding and rebuking word. However, Jehovah did not answer him. Instead of answering Jeremiah or telling him to be quiet, Jehovah remained silent. At the end of Lamentations, the time had not yet come for God to answer Jeremiah’s questions.

7耶利米一切的挑战和问题，都在圣经以下各卷得著答覆。这答覆的完成将是新耶路撒冷。在那里他要清楚的看见一切。那时以前，耶利米必须等候耶和华，正如他在三章二十五节所说，『那等候耶和华...的，耶和华必恩待他。』耶利米必须等候，直到新约时代，直到千年国时代，并且直到新耶路撒冷。那时他就要完全得著满足。

7All Jeremiah’s challenges and questions are answered in the following books of the Bible. The consummation of this answer will be the New Jerusalem. There he will see everything clearly. Until then, Jeremiah must wait on Jehovah, just as he said in 3:25: “Jehovah is good to those who wait on Him.” Jeremiah must wait until the New Testament age, until the age of the millennial kingdom, and until the New Jerusalem. Then he will be fully satisfied