4 月 18 日 预苦期圣周 受难日 星期五

(陈喜瑞传道 谢恩堂)

经文-以赛亚书 49：1-7

49 “众海岛啊，当听我言！远方的众民哪，留心而听！自我出胎，耶和华就选召我；自出母腹，他就提我的名。 2 他使我的口如快刀，将我藏在他手荫之下；又使我成为磨亮的箭，将我藏在他箭袋之中。 3 对我说：‘你是我的仆人以色列，我必因你得荣耀。’ 4 我却说：‘我劳碌是徒然，我尽力是虚无虚空，然而我当得的理必在耶和华那里，我的赏赐必在我神那里。’

5 “耶和华从我出胎造就我做他的仆人，要使雅各归向他，使以色列到他那里聚集。原来耶和华看我为尊贵，我的神也成为我的力量。 6 现在他说：‘你做我的仆人，使雅各众支派复兴，使以色列中得保全的归回，尚为小事，我还要使你做外邦人的光，叫你施行我的救恩，直到地极。’” 7 救赎主以色列的圣者耶和华，对那被人所藐视、本国所憎恶、官长所虐待的如此说：“君王要看见就站起，首领也要下拜，都因信实的耶和华，就是拣选你以色列的圣者。”

经文反思

有一些解经家把《以赛亚书》的六十六章对比圣经《新旧约》的六十六卷，惊讶发现《以赛亚书》前面的三十九章就好像是对应旧约的三十九卷，主要都是讲论耶和华神对以色列人的警告和惩戒，到了第四十章开始，耶和华神就开始启示以赛亚讲论安慰耶路撒冷的话。到了四十一章和这里的四十九章，更是出现了两首“仆人之歌”，预言我们的救主耶稣基督将来的救赎。真是不可思议！

祷告

主耶稣基督，我们称颂您的奇妙救赎计划。您可以藉着以赛亚先知预言您的救赎，让我们看到您在以色列民族历史里从未停止的启示，最后您实现预言，救赎了我们。我们祈求您继续向我们说 话，让我们可以更好为您传福音！

实践

《以赛亚书》里面有“仆人之歌”，旧约的其他书卷也有很多关于主耶稣基督救赎的预言，我们整理这些预言，细细研读，我们对主耶稣基督的救赎就可以有着更加坚固的信心基础，我们的属灵生命也会得到更好的成长。

18 April Good Friday

(Ps Cyril Chen Camberwell Methodist Church)

Scripture - Isaiah 49:1–7

1Listen to me, O coastlands,

and give attention, you peoples from afar. The LORD called me from the womb,

from the body of my mother he named my name.

2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me;

he made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away.

3 And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”[a]

4 But I said, “I have labored in vain;

I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the LORD,

and my recompense with my God.”

5 And now the LORD says,

he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him;

and that Israel might be gathered to him— for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, and my God has become my strength—

6 he says:

“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob

and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations,

that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

7 Thus says the LORD,

the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,

to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation, the servant of rulers:

“Kings shall see and arise;

princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the LORD, who is faithful,

the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

Reflections on the Scripture

Some biblical scholars compare Isaiah 66 with the 66 books of the Bible and are amazed to find that the first 39 chapters of Isaiah seem to correspond to the 39 books of the Old Testament, which mainly focus on God’s warnings and judgment upon Israel. Beginning in chapter 40, God begins to reveal to Isaiah words of comfort for Jerusalem. In chapters 41 and 49, we even encounter two "Servant Songs," prophecies of the coming redemption through our Savior, Jesus Christ. It’s truly incredible!

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, we praise You for Your wonderful plan of redemption. You used the prophet Isaiah to prophesy about Your salvation, showing us that Your revelation to the nation of Israel has never ceased, and ultimately, You fulfilled these prophecies by redeeming us. We pray that You continue to speak to us, so that we may better share the gospel for Your glory!

Applications

The "Servant Songs" in Isaiah, along with many other prophecies about Jesus Christ’s redemption found in other Old Testament books, offer us a deep foundation of faith. By studying and meditating on these prophecies, we can strengthen our faith in Christ's redemption and see greater growth in our spiritual lives.