Daily Devotion - Mar 12 - ¯îºz¥Ì¬u Streams in the Desert

荒漠甘泉 Streams in the Desert

暴風的拯救

經文: 「摩西就向埃及地伸杖，那一晝一夜、耶和華使東風颳在埃及地上，到了早晨，東風把蝗蟲颳了來。於是法老急忙召了摩西亞倫來…耶和華轉了極大的西風，把蝗蟲颳起，吹入紅海，在埃及的四境連一個也沒有留下。」（出十13，16，19）

我們看上帝怎樣利用暴風來拯救以色列人脫離殘酷的法老；還有上帝在彰顯祂最大的神權時──上帝最後一次對付埃及的軍隊──也利用大東風（出十四21）。當時以色列人都以為他們的處境太奇怪、太殘酷了──前面是紅海，後面是追兵，兩旁都是高聳的山巖，斷絕了一切逃生的希望。以色列人在這時候只能夠仰望耶和華的拯救了。可是祂的拯救是大東風，這眞出他們意外。可怕的風加增他們的驚慌，四周的寒冷凍得他們戰慄。他們怨上帝的拯救無非催他逼他們死得快一點。恐怕那時他們全營的呼聲是：「我們死啦！埃及人追上我們了。」

正在絕望的時候，榮耀的勝利來了。吼聲可怕的東風把浪擊退，把海吹乾，以色列人向前走去，進入上帝的保護和慈愛中。兩旁是水晶的牆，前面是耶和華的榮光。終夜都是這樣；到了天一亮，最後一個以色列人也上了岸，大東風的使命便完成了。

於是以色列人向耶和華唱歌說：「成就祂命的狂風…都當讚美耶和華。」（詩一四八8，12）

「仇敵說我要追趕，我要追上，我要分擄物…您叫風一吹，海就把他們淹沒，他們如鉛沉在大水之中。」（出十五9~10）

當他們歡唱讚美的時候，纔明瞭大東風的拯救。

今天上帝給我們的拯救，恐怕我們也看作以色列人的東風。我們只看東風可怕的一面，不看上帝的信實。我們是誰，能測度上帝的奧秘呢？可是等到事情過去了，我們就會看見上帝的能力和恩典。到有一天，我們要站在玻璃海上，拿著上帝的琴；與眾聖徒一同唱上帝僕人摩西的歌和羔羊的歌，說：「眾聖之王阿，您的方法義哉，誠哉。」（啟十五3，直譯）

如今你只覺得大風暴不可思異；將來你必看見威脅你的敵人，在戰慄恐怖的夜�，消滅淨盡。

如今你只注意到損失；將來你必見到祂爲何打擊那已經開始桎梏你的罪惡。　　

如今你因風嘯雷鳴而畏縮；將來你必知道祂如何擊退那滅絕生命的洪水，爲你們開闢道路，通往那應許的福地. ──披爾斯（Mark Guy Pearse）


Deliverance in the Stormy Winds

Scripture: "The Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the cast wind brought the locusts....Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste....And the Lord turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt" (Exod. 10:13, 19).

See how in the olden times, when the Lord fought for Israel against the cruel Pharaoh, the stormy winds wrought out their deliverance; and yet again, in that grandest display of power--the last blow that God struck at the proud defiance of Egypt. A strange, almost cruel thing it must have seemed to Israel to he hemmed in by such a host of dangers--in front the wild sea defying them, on either hand the rocky heights cutting off all hope of escape, the night of hurricane gathering over them. It was as if that first deliverance had come only to hand them over to more certain death. Completing the terror there rang out the cry: "The Egyptians are upon us!"
When it seemed they were trapped for the foe, then came the glorious triumph. Forth swept the stormy wind and beat back the waves, and the hosts of Israel marched forward, down into the path of the great deep--a way arched over with God's protecting love.
On either hand were the crystal walls glowing in the light of the glory of the Lord; and high above them swept the thunder of the storm. So on through all that night; and when, at dawn of the next day, the last of Israel's host set foot upon the other shore, the work of the stormy wind was done.
Then sang Israel unto the Lord the song of the "stormy wind fulfilling his word."
"The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil...Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters."
One day, by God's great mercy, we, too, shall stand upon the sea of glass, having the harps of God. Then we shall sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: "Just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints." We shall know then how the stormy winds have wrought out our deliverance.
Now you see only the mystery of this great sorrow; then you shall see how the threatening enemy was swept away in the wild night of fear and grief.
Now you look only at the loss; then you shall see how it struck at the evil that had begun to rivet its fetters upon you.
Now you shrink from the howling winds and muttering thunders; then you shall see how they beat back the waters of destruction, and opened up your way to the goodly land of promise. --Mark Guy Pearse


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