[今日經文 Today’s Reading: 創世記 Genesis 8-11]
8:20 挪亞為耶和華築了一座壇，拿各種潔淨的牲畜和各種潔淨的飛鳥，獻在壇上為燔祭。… 11:4 他們說：「來，讓我們建造一座城和一座塔，塔頂通天。我們要為自己立名，免得我們分散在全地面上。」
創世記 genesis 8:20;11:4
8:20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. … 11:4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”
挪亞一家出方舟後，挪亞為耶和華築了一座壇，尊榮敬拜祂。 但多年後，人們聚集在一起，建了一座塔來紀念自己。 耶和華從挪亞的祭壇“聞到馨香之氣”，祝福了挪亞和他的家人。 但是，當人們為自己的榮耀建造一座塔時，上帝發怒並驅散了他們。
布魯斯·H·威爾金森 (Bruce H. Wilkinson) 在他的靈修著作《YourDailyWalk》中寫道：“沒有新的罪——我們只是不斷重複舊的罪。” 聖奧古斯丁談到了建立在人類自豪感之上的人類之城，為了榮耀人類，但注定要滅亡。 相反的，有一個上帝之城建立在對上帝的愛，為了榮耀上帝，是永恆的。 （聖奧古斯丁的上帝之城）。 的確，人們仍然自豪地在世界各地的人類之城中建造巴別塔，以吹捧自己所謂的偉大。 美國城市的選舉地圖也生動地顯示了人類鄙視上帝的據點所在。 然而，通過COVID-19，上帝將人們分散到城市之外，使他們謙卑。
讓我們把目光從人類之城上移開，轉而仰望上帝之城，我們永恆的家。 讓我們問問自己，我們是在建造一座祭壇來敬拜上帝，還是在建造一座塔來敬拜自己。 願我們的生命成為神所喜悅的香氣！
禱告：親愛的天父，願祢幫助我們謙卑，好讓我們知道祢是神，我們受造是為了敬拜你。 願我們用我們的生命為你建造一座祭壇，而不是為我們自己建造一座塔！ 奉耶穌的名，阿們。
After Noah and his family went out from the ark, Noah built an altar to the Lord to honor and worship Him. But years later, people gathered together to build a tower to honor themselves. The Lord “smelled the pleasing aroma” of Noah’s altar and blessed Noah and his family. But when people built a tower for their own glory, God was angry and dispersed them.
In his devotional book YourDailyWalk, Bruce H. Wilkinson wrote: “There are no new sins – we just keep rerunning the old ones.” St. Augustine talked about a City of Man, built upon the pride of man, to glorify man but which is doomed to perish. In contrast, there is a City of God which is built upon the love of God, to glorify God and which is for eternity. Indeed, people are pridefully still building “towers of Babel” in the Cities of Man all around the world to tout their supposed greatness. Election maps which show the cities in America also vividly display where strongholds of human contempt of God are located. Nevertheless, as we have seen, through COVID-19 God has dispersed people out of cities to humble them.
Let us turn our eyes away from the City of Man and instead look towards the City of God, our everlasting home. Let us ask ourselves if we are building an altar to worship God or a tower to worship ourselves. May our lives be a pleasing aroma to God!
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, may You help us to be humble so that we will know You are God and that we were created to worship You. May we use our lives to build an altar for You, not a tower for ourselves! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
