1.26.21 徹底廢除 Utterly Overthrow

出埃及記 23:24 你不可跪拜事奉他們的神明，也不可隨從他們的習俗，卻要徹底廢除，完全打碎他們的柱像。 ²⁵ 你們要事奉耶和華—你們的　神，他必賜福給你的糧食和水，也必從你中間除去疾病。 

Exodus 23:24 you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces. ²⁵ You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you.

 上帝將法律授予以色列人的目的是讓他們“徹底廢除”外邦的神明，將他們驅逐出土地，以便以色列人事奉耶和華。 關鍵字是“徹底”，表示完全和絕對。 “部分廢除”是很危險。 基督徒可已經廢除了我們土地上的一些外邦的神明，但我們生活中仍有許多“神明”與我們舒適地同居。 這就是美國基督徒和教會的光景。 我們允許其他“神”住在我們的房屋和教堂中，至終它們已成為我們的網羅（出埃及記23：33）。我們的思想和生活是按著聖經的世界觀還是屬世的想法. 要解決美國的問題，上帝的子民必須先從我們的生活中“徹底廢除”外邦的神明”。 當鹽失去鹹味時，鹽就沒有用了。 今天，如果已知有人感染了COVID-19，其住所就需要“徹底消毒”。 而現在是基督徒和教會“徹底消毒”我們體內病毒的時候了。

The purpose of God in giving the law to the Israelities was for them to “utterly overthrow” the foreign gods, to push them out of the land so that the Israelites would serve the Lord only. The key word is “utterly”, meaning completely and absolutely. To “partially overthrow” is very dangerous. We have overthrown some of the foreign gods in our land, but there are still many “gods” in our lives with whom we cohabitate comfortably. This is the situation in America. We have allowed other “gods” to dwell in our homes and churches and they have become a snare to us (Ex. 23:33). To fix the problem of America, God’s people must “utterly overthrow” other “gods” from our lives. When salt loses its saltiness, there is no use for that salt. Today, for example, if it is known that a person with COVID-19 has been in a store, that store needs to be “utterly disinfected”. It is the time for Christians and for churches to “utterly disinfect” the virus in us.