[今日經文 Today’s Reading: 何西阿書 Hosea 11-14]
智慧人必明白這些事，聰明人必知道這一切。耶和華的道是正直的，義人行在其中，罪人卻在其上跌倒。
何西阿書 Hosea 14:9
Who is wise? Let them realize these things. Who is discerning? Let them understand. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.
在何西阿書的最後，神為我們指明了義人當走的路。 耶和華的道不是每個人都遵循的，只有智慧人和聰明人才能遵循。 醉酒的司機往往會走錯路並發生事故，而清醒的司機會沿著正確的道路行駛並安全地到達他想要的目的地。 耶和華的道是正直的，是義人所走的。 人的道路不是主的道路，因此不是正確的，相反的是，按照每個人的想法應該如何。 這好像駕駛者自己制定交通規則，導致交通堵塞，甚至發生碰撞。
神學家兼作家約翰斯托特說，基督徒有兩個委身：1）對聖經作為「神的話」的委身；2）對上帝所交給我們的世界的委身。 我們基督徒的呼召是「按照神的話在世上生活」。 我們必須按照聖經生活，也就是持有聖經的世界觀。 神的話不只是供我們學習，更重要的是指引我們生活 – 是在混亂的世界中為我們指引方向的GPS。
讓我們成為有智慧、有洞察力的人，好讓我們走在耶和華的道上，不致跌倒！
禱告：親愛的天父，請幫助我們不僅了解祢的話語，而且按照祢的話在世上生活，因為祢的道路是正直的，祢的道路是美好的。 奉耶穌的名，阿們！
At the very end of the book of Hosea, God shows us the path upon which the upright should walk. The path of the Lord is not followed by everyone, only by the wise and discerning. A drunk driver will tend to go off on the wrong roads and get into accidents while a sober driver will follow the correct roads and arrive safely at his desired destination. The way of the Lord is right and is for the upright to walk on. The way of Man is not the way of the Lord and therefore is not right, but is, to the contrary, according to how each one thinks it should be. This is similar to drivers making their own traffic rules, resulting in traffic gridlock and even collisions.
Theologian and author John Stott said there are two commitments for Christians: 1) a commitment to the Bible as “God’s written Word” and 2) a commitment to the world in which God has placed us. Our Christian calling is to “live under the Word in the world.” We must live according to the Bible, i.e., holding a biblical worldview. God’s Word is not just for us to study but more importantly it is for us to live by. It is the GPS which guides us in a confused world.
Let us be among those who are wise and discerning so that we can walk in the way of the LORD and not stumble!
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, help us not just to know Your Word but also to live in a way that is consistent with Your Word, because Your ways are right and Your ways are good. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
