各位弟兄姊妹平安。今天我們要一起閱讀申命記第九章的1至12節。
在這段經文中，我們可以看到上帝的主權和祂提醒以色列人的話語。上帝的選擇不是基於以色列人的義或優越性，而是出於祂的主權。讓我們一起探討這裡的幾個重要原則。
在申命記第七章，上帝告訴以色列人不要懼怕。然而，在第九章中，上帝提到迦南地的一些居民，他們是目前迦南地的居民，是高大勇猛的人。上帝要提醒以色列人，為他們爭戰的是上帝，他們不可驕傲。就如第八章裡所說的，你不可心高氣傲。第七章中的鼓勵是針對那些容易感到害怕的人。而這裡提到的強大國民則是提醒他們其中令一些人不要驕傲，這兩個角度的提醒適用於不同的人群。在信仰的旅程中，有些人更容易感到恐懼，而有些人可能更容易變得驕傲。當我們在分享話語時，要兼顧不同人有不同的需求。
驕傲，或者說，自以為義，實際上是一個很難改變的問題。自以為義的人常常拒絕認識到自身存在問題或需要改變。當一個人不認為自己需要做出修改時，就變得難以被提醒。自以為義的態度通常是對自身隱藏的，但是旁人卻很清楚地看見。就像一個人能看見別人的缺點，但卻無法意識到自己的問題，這是一個所有人都很常見的毛病。
所以上帝接下來提到的是，不要以為自己比別人更優越。因為在當時，迦南地的一些居民可能做了許多邪惡的事情，但上帝提醒以色列人，不應以為上帝把他們帶到這個地方取代這些人，是因為他們比這些人好到哪去。這是一個重要的提醒，自以為義是不智之舉。"
事實上，這也是我們作為基督徒容易陷入的陷阱之一。當我們經歷了救贖後，有時會傾向從基督徒的立場或自己的角度去評論自己評論別人，認為至少我比某人更好，至少在某些方面我不像那些人一樣需要警惕。然而，我們應該明白，我們的得救不取決於我們自己的行為或品行。耶穌在新約中講過一個比喻，比較了一個法利賽人和一個稅吏的禱告。法利賽人自誇自己的功勞，而稅吏卻謙卑地說：'主啊，憐憫我這個罪人。' 耶穌說，這個稅吏比那個法利賽人更為義。
從一開始，上帝教導我們，我們所擁有的一切和我們所得到的福份與我們自己的品德無關。因此，當我們看待他人時，我們不應該帶有批判的心態，而應該像上帝一樣滿懷憐憫。我們應該先自我檢視，看看自己是否有需要去除自己眼中的樑木，而不是總是認為別人眼中有刺。
這段文字強調了一個極為重要的警告，提醒我們不要陷入老是批評別人或自認為比他人優越的陷阱，因為這種態度往往是驕傲和失敗的開始。以色列人被上帝警告，要明白他們的義並不是出於自己的努力，這一點在多處都被強調。在第四節、第五節和第六節中，上帝三次強調了這一點：'不是你們的義，不是你們的義，不是你們的義。 重要的事情說三遍！
上帝也提到了他們在曠野犯下的重大錯誤。摩西剛剛上山與上帝交談，而山下的人民卻開始不耐煩，並策動亞倫製造了金牛犢。亞倫並未守住該守的原則，放任了人民的悖逆。這種情況讓上帝責備以色列人，指出他們也是硬著頸項的人，不僅僅是以色列人，所有人都可能陷入自誇和固執的陷阱。因此，這段經文提醒我們每天都要謙卑，回到上帝的話語中，不要自以為義。
明天我們繼續讀下半段，一段以色列人犯下的重大錯誤的歷史。感謝各位的收聽。
Peace be with you, brothers and sisters. Today, we will read together Deuteronomy chapter 9, verses 1 to 12.
In this passage, we can see the sovereignty of God and His reminder to the Israelites. God's choice is not based on the righteousness or superiority of the Israelites but is an expression of His sovereignty. Let us explore some important principles here.
In Deuteronomy chapter 7, God tells the Israelites not to be afraid. However, in chapter 9, God mentions some inhabitants of Canaan who are currently dwelling there, described as strong and courageous people. God wants to remind the Israelites that they should not be proud because it is God that’s fighting for them, and they should not become arrogant. Just as it was mentioned in chapter 8, "Do not exalt yourself." The encouragement in chapter 7 is for those who are prone to fear, while the mention of these formidable inhabitants is to remind others not to become proud. These reminders apply to different groups of people on their faith journey. Some are more prone to fear, while others may be more susceptible to arrogance. When we share the word, we need to consider the diverse needs of our audience.
Pride, or rather, self-righteousness, is indeed a challenging issue to address. Self-righteous individuals often refuse to acknowledge their own flaws or the need for change. When a person doesn't see the need for self-improvement, it becomes challenging to remind or change them. Self-righteousness is a disposition that is often hidden from oneself but apparent to others, much like how one can see the faults in others but remain unaware of their own issues. It is a common flaw that can affect anyone.
So, God goes on to say, "Do not think that you are better than others." Because at that time, some of the inhabitants of Canaan might have committed many evil deeds. But God reminds the Israelites not to assume that God brought them to this place because they are somehow better than those people. This is an important reminder that self-righteousness is unwise.
In fact, this is a trap that Christians can easily fall into. After experiencing redemption, we may tend to judge ourselves or others from a Christian perspective, thinking, "At least I'm better than someone in this regard, and I don't need to be as cautious as those people." However, we should understand that our salvation is not determined by our own actions or character. In the New Testament, Jesus told a parable comparing a Pharisee's self-praising prayer to a tax collector's humble plea: "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Jesus said that the tax collector was more righteous.
From the beginning, God teaches us that everything we have and the blessings we receive are not a result of our own efforts. Therefore, when we look at others, we should not approach them with a critical mindset but should show compassion, just as God does. We should examine ourselves first and remove the plank from our own eye before assuming there is a speck in someone else's.
This passage emphasizes a crucial warning: not to fall into the trap of constantly criticizing others or thinking we are superior to them, as such attitudes often mark the beginning of pride and potential failure. The Israelites are warned by God to understand that their righteousness is not due to their own efforts. God emphasizes this point three times in verses 4, 5, and 6, saying, "It is not your righteousness, it is not your righteousness, it is not your righteousness." Important messages are often repeated three times!
God also mentions a grave mistake they made in the wilderness. Moses had just gone up the mountain to converse with God, and the people below became restless and agitated, leading Aaron, their leader at the time, to fashion a golden calf. Aaron did not uphold the principles he should have and allowed them to proceed. Even though Aaron had witnessed God's miracles throughout their journey, he faltered in this moment and failed to obey God's will, succumbing to the people's rebellion. God reprimands the Israelites here, pointing out that they are also stiff-necked people. It is not just the Israelites; but all of us can potentially fall into the trap of self-righteousness and stubbornness. Therefore, in this passage, we are reminded to remain humble every day and return to God's word, being cautious not to become self-righteous.
Tomorrow, we will continue reading the second part, which details a significant mistake made by the Israelites. Thank you for listening.
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