Ministry in Word

 

The Kings Heart

王的心

 

The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases. All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.
王的心在耶和华手中，好像陇沟的水随意流转。人所行的，在自己眼中都看为正；惟有耶和华衡量人心。
Proverbs 21:1-2
箴言21:1-2

A king has power over others. His will and command prevail, or at least it seems so to the kings of this world. The rich and famous flaunting their power of influence, though not the power of authority, also declare by their lifestyle that they are in control of their destiny. Then there are the self-righteous who think by their own power they can be good enough to make them feel good about themselves. They are regulating their behaviors according to their own standards of good deeds and good people. This describes practically all of us, yes, that is you and me, even though we dislike being labeled “self-righteous.” We all strive to be good and to do good deeds. But according to whom? “All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart” (Pro 21:2). According to man himself his ways just “seem” to be right, not necessarily truly
right, but in man’s arrogance he considers them right without having them weighed by the LORD.
一个国王有权力操纵其他人。 他的旨意和命令将必成就，或者至少这个世界的国
王看来是如此。 富有和著名的人标榜他们的影响力，虽则不是真权力，也藉着他
们的生活方式来宣称他们在控制自己的命运。 然后有自以为义的人，他们认为可
以凭他们自己的力量变得够好，因而使他们对自己感到满意。 他们根据自己的好
行为和好人的标准来调控他们的行为。 这实际上描述我们大家，是的，就是您和
我，即使我们厌恶被标记“自以为义”。 我们大家努力去做好人和做好事。 但是
根据谁的标准呢？「人所行的，在自己眼中都看为正；惟有耶和华衡量人心。」
〔箴言21: 2〕根据人自己他所行的在自己眼中只是「看」为正，不一定是真的
正，但在人的骄傲中，虽然它们未被耶和华衡量过，也就认为它们是正的。

While we think that we are kings sitting in our own castles, directing the affairs of our own dominions, God actually has our hearts in His hand and he directs them like watercourses wherever He pleases (Pro 21:1). He causes all things to work together for the benefit of those who love Him (Ro 8:28). He can direct our heart to do good therefore bringing benefit to those who love Him. Or he can leave our hearts alone to do selfish things which God ultimately causes to bring good to those who love Him. It is comforting to know that whether someone plans to do good or evil and whether someone actually does good or evil, God always works out His good purpose. But woe to him who intends or does evil for God’s wrath will be upon him!
当我们认为我们是坐在自己的城堡的国王，指挥我们自己疆土的事件，实际上神
放我们的心在他的手上，并且他随意指挥它们，如指挥河道一般〔箴21:1〕。他
使万事互相效力，为要使爱他的人得好处〔罗8:28〕。他可以指挥我们的心来做
好事因此带来好处给爱他的人。或者他可以不理会我们的心让我们做自私的事，
但最终仍使它们给那些爱他的人带来好处。我们得到安慰来知道不论某人是否计
划做好或恶事，并且不论某人是否实际上做好或恶事，神总会带出他的好用意。
但是意图罪恶或行罪恶的人有祸了，因为神的愤怒将临到他！

In biblical history the Moabite king Balak asked prophet Balaam to curse the Israelites. God caused Balaam to speak blessing to the Israelites every time he opened his mouth to speak curse on them (Nu 22-24). God’s ultimate purpose was to protect the Israelites. This is an example of someone intended evil but God directly intervened in its execution.
在圣经的历史中摩押王巴勒要求先知巴兰诅咒以色列人。神使巴兰在他每次张嘴
诅咒以色列人时他都说出祝福的话〔民 22-24〕。神的最终目的就是保护以色列
人。这是有人意图罪恶，但是神在它的施行上直接地干预的一个例子。

An example of someone intended evil and God allowed it to play out for the  ultimate good is the story of Joseph and his 10 brothers. His brothers did evil to him by selling him into slavery in the land of Egypt. After Joseph reunited and reconciled with his brothers in Egypt during the great famine, he told them that they intended to harm him, but God intended it for good to accomplish what was being done, the saving of the many lives of their families (Ge 50:20).
有人意图罪恶，并且神为了最后的善而允许它的例子是约瑟和他的十个兄弟的故
事。他的兄弟对他行罪恶，卖他到埃及地当奴隶去。在大饥荒期间，在约瑟与他
的兄弟在埃及团聚及和解之后，他告诉他们从前他们的意思是要害他，但神的意
思原是好的，要保全他们家庭许多人的性命，成就当日的光景。〔创 50:20〕。

In the story of Rahab the Jericho prostitute who intended to do good to the two Israelite spies by hiding them in her home, she carried her good intention into action (Jos 2). This is an example of someone who intended good and followed through with a good deed. Through this God carried out His ultimate purpose of encouraging and preparing the Israelites for their first battle upon entering the Promised Land. God honored Rahab for her good intention and good deed. He chose her, a gentile prostitute, to be one of the ancestors of our Lord Jesus (Mt 1:5).
在耶利哥妓女喇合的故事中，她打算善待二位以色列的探子，在她家掩藏他们，
她把她的好意带进行动中〔书2〕。 这是有人有善意和以好行跟进的例子。 通过
这事神带出他的最终目的，就是鼓励以色列人和为他们在进入应许之地的第一次
争战做准备。神尊敬喇合的好意和好行为。 他选择她，一位外邦妓女，来作我们
主耶稣的其中一个祖先〔太1：5〕。

God also directs the affair of man in the situation of someone who intends good but fails to realize it. A biblical example of this is Samson, an Israelite judge who was “set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines” (Jdg 13:5). Certainly Samson knew his responsibility as the judge of Israel, but he let his flesh govern his actions. This led to his downfall and capture by the Philistines. Even though he ended his twenty years of leadership of Israel in his death and the death of many Philistines (Jdg 16:25-31), God’s purpose of delivering Israel from Philistine oppression was fulfilled.
如果有人有好意但却不能在行为上实现它，神仍在支配人的事。一个圣经这样的
例子是参孙，一位以色列士师，他「一出胎就归神作拿细耳人。他必起首拯救以
色列人脱离非利士人的手。」〔士13:5〕参孙一定知道他作为以色列士师的责
任，但是他让他的情欲影响他的行动。这导致了他的失败和被非利士人捕获。即
使他的死亡和许多非利士人的死亡结束了他的二十年以色列的领导生涯〔士16:25
– 31〕，神要从非利士人的压迫中拯救以色列的目的达到了。

Although God is sovereign in His providence and all things ultimately work to benefit those who love God, we must be conscious of the part God intends for us to play in His grand scheme of things. We must heed God’s will in performing our duties for the part, not overstepping our boundaries or shrinking back, or taking credit for our accomplishment instead of acknowledging God’s grace, lest we suffer God’s wrath as the
consequence. In the final chapter of Judah’s history, Assyria was used by God to
discipline Judah as “the rod” of His anger and “the club” of His wrath against Judah “the godless nation,” but the Assyria’s purpose was “to destroy”, going beyond God’s intention for Judah (Is 10:5-7), so Assyria was later destroyed.
虽然神在他的旨意上是有主杈，并且万事最终互相效力要使爱神的人得好处，我
们仍须知道神要我们在他的盛大计划中要扮演的角色。我们必须在尽我们的职责
时要跟从神的旨意，不超出我们的界限但又不畏缩，或者以为我们的成就是因为
自己的功劳而不承认是神的恩惠，不然我们要遭受神的愤怒作为后果。在犹大历
史的最后一章， 神用亚述国作为他怒气的「棍」和恼恨的「杖」来处分犹大，攻
击犹大「亵渎的国民」，但是亚述的目的是「毁灭」，在神对犹大的旨意之外
〔赛10:5-7〕，因此亚述以后被毁灭了。

Let us welcome God’s direction of our heart, and submit to Jesus’ reign of our life. Let us be like Rahab, start with a godly intention in all that we do and carry it out well, and then leave the outcome to our sovereign God.
让我们喜悦神带领我们的心，并且服从耶稣在我们的生命中掌权。 让我们模仿喇
合，在我们所做的一切事上以敬虔的意图作开始，并且好好地实行它，然后把结
果交托我们掌握主权的神。

Tom and Tehwan Tso
仲谋与德菀

“The outcome of your faith is the salvation of your souls.” 1Peter 1:9
“信心的果效， 就是灵魂的救恩” 彼得前书1：9