Ezra 以斯拉 9-10

Ezra 9:⁸ But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery.

以斯拉 9:⁸ 現在耶和華—我們的　神暫且向我們施恩，為我們留下一些殘存之民，使我們如釘子釘在他的聖所，讓我們的　神光照我們的眼目，使我們在受轄制之中稍微復興。

The Israelites were taken captive by Babylon because they didn’t obey the commandments of the Lord. Yet after the exiles were allowed to return to their homeland to rebuild the temple and the wall, they still fell into the trap of sin by intermarrying among the Gentiles. Revival occurs when God enlightens us so that our eyes are opened to see our nakedness (we recognize our sin against God) and when we have wept over our sins (10:1). (Without weeping there is no true repentance), and finally when we take action to turn  from our wrong ways.  The Israelites were to “[separate] themselves from the people of the land with their abominations”. Unfortunately Christians today are too afraid to be different from the people of the land! We want to be like the world so the world will like us. May God “brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery”!

以色列人被擄到巴比倫，因為他們不遵守耶和華的誡命。 然而，在放逐者被允許返回家園重建神殿和城牆之後，他們仍然因與外邦人通婚而陷入了罪惡的陷阱。 復興是 – 當上帝光照我們的眼目使我們看我們的裸露（我們認識到我們的罪）以及為自己的罪而哭泣，（10：1）。 （沒有哭泣就沒有真正的悔改），至終採取行動扭轉錯誤的方向。 上帝要以色列人“棄絕列邦民族所行可憎的事”(9:2)。 不幸的是，今天的基督徒太害怕與當地人民不同！ 我們希望像世界一樣，所以世界會喜歡我們。 願上帝“神光照我們的眼目，使我們在受轄制之中稍微復興”！