| Exodus 4:1–17 |
出埃及记4:1-17 |
| 1 Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you.’” 2 The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” 3 And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. 4 But the LORD said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— 5 “that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” 6 Again, the LORD said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. 7 Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 8 “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. 9 If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.” 10 But Moses said to the LORD, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” 13 But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” 14 Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. 16 He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. 17 And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.” |
1 摩西回答：“看哪，他们必不信我，也不听我的话；因为他们必说：‘耶和华并没有向你显现。’” 2 耶和华问摩西：“那在你手里的是甚么？” 他说：“是手杖。” 3 耶和华说：“把它丢在地上。” 摩西把它一丢在地上，它就变了蛇；摩西就逃跑，离开了牠。 4 耶和华对摩西说：“伸出你的手来，捉住蛇的尾巴。” 摩西就伸出手来，紧握着牠，牠在摩西的掌中又变回了手杖。 5 “这样就使他们相信耶和华他们祖宗的 神，就是亚伯拉罕的 神、以撒的 神、雅各的 神曾向你显现了。” 6 耶和华又再对摩西说：“现在把你的手放进怀里。” 摩西就把手放进怀里；等他把手抽出来的时候，手就长满了痲风，像雪那样白。 7 耶和华说：“把你的手再放进怀里。” 摩西就把手再放进怀里；等他把手从怀里抽出来的时候，手就恢复过来，像身上别处的肉一样。 8 耶和华又说：“如果他们不信你，也不听从头一个神蹟的话，他们必信随后来的神蹟。 9 如果连这两个神蹟他们也不信，也不听你的话，你就从河里取些水，倒在旱地上；你从河里取来的水就必在旱地上变成血。” 10 摩西对耶和华说：“主啊，我不是个会说话的人；以前不是，自从你对仆人说话以后也不是；因为我本是拙口笨舌的。” 11 耶和华对他说：“谁造人的口呢？ 谁使人口哑、耳聋、眼明、眼瞎呢？ 不是我耶和华吗？ 12 现在去吧，我必赐你口才，指教你当说的。” 13 摩西说：“主啊，请你差派你愿意差派的人。” 14 耶和华向摩西发怒，说：“不是有你的哥哥利未人亚伦吗？ 我知道他是有口才的；他现在出来要迎接你。他看见了你，心里就快乐。 15 你要对他说话，把你要说的话放在他的口里；我必与你的口同在，也与他的口同在；我必指教你们当行的事。 16 他要替你向人民说话，他要作你的口，你要作他的 神。 17 这手杖你要拿在手里，用来行神迹。” |
| Have you ever felt inadequate or ill-equipped for something God was calling you to do? I remember on my first Sunday “on the job” here at the North Campus, I closed out the service with a benediction, calling people forward for prayer. And not five seconds pass when I see out of the corner of my eye a dad sprinting towards me with his teenage daughter in tow, and by the time I look over she has been thrust into my arms and he’s yelling at me to pray for her because of demonic oppression. This was not what I was expecting. I was thinking maybe someone would welcome me back to Bethlehem. I was feeling a bit inadequate in that particular moment. |
上帝呼召你去做的事情中，你有没有觉得自己能力不够或装备不足？我还记得在北堂的第一个主日“服事”，我以祝福的方式结束敬拜，呼吁人们进行祷告。连五秒钟都没有，我从我的眼角看到一个爸爸和他十几岁的女儿一起冲向我，当我看到她时，她已被抛进我的怀抱，父亲大声让我为他被鬼附的女儿祷告。我没想到会这样。我想也许有人会欢迎我回到伯利恒。在那一刻，我有点感到自己的能力不足。 |
| Where have you felt inadequate for something God was calling you to do? |
你觉得上帝呼召你做的哪些事你不够格？ |
| •Perhaps God is nudging you to participate with the new church plant with Tom Boyer. |
•也许上帝正推动你和Tom Boyer一起参加植堂。 |
| •Perhaps God is nudging you towards ministry as a new graduate or as a second career. |
•也许上帝正推动你作为新毕业生或第二职业投入事工。 |
| •Perhaps God is calling you to befriend your coworkers to share the good news of Jesus. |
•也许上帝呼召你与你的同事交朋友，分享耶稣的好消息。 |
| •Perhaps God has given you a burden for your unbelieving family that desperately needs Jesus. |
•也许上帝给了你一个迫切需要耶稣的不信的家庭的负担。 |
| •Perhaps God is calling you to open your home to be a gospel outpost in your neighborhood. |
•也许上帝呼召你开放你的家，成为你邻居的福音前哨。 |
| •Perhaps God is calling you to step into leadership: serving as a small group leader, serving on a deacon team, or teaching our children in the fall. |
•也许上帝呼召你进入领导阶层：担任小组长，成为执事，或在秋季教导我们的孩子。 |
| •Perhaps God is calling you to begin or to go to a new level of sacrificial giving for the advance of the gospel. |
•也许上帝呼召你为了福音的推进而开始或进入新的牺牲奉献。 |
| •Perhaps God is burdening your heart for the unreached and unengaged, and you think he may be calling you to serve overseas. |
•也许上帝正让你为福音未及和未达之民心生负担，你认为祂可能会呼召你去海外宣教。 |
| But perhaps in the midst of God’s calling, his nudging, and the burdens you feel, you also are well acquainted with a feeling of inadequacy and weakness? Can God use me? Perhaps you feel disqualified. Maybe you think I have too much baggage in my past or in my family to be used by God. |
但也许在上帝的呼召、祂的轻推和你感受到的负担之中，你常常感受到一种能力不足和软弱？上帝可以使用我吗？也许你觉得自己不够格。也许你认为过去或家里有太多的包袱，所以无法被上帝使用。 |
| When God nudges, burdens, and calls us to fulfill his purposes, do we ignore him? Do we give excuses? Do we let our inadequacies and fears dictate how God can use us for his kingdom? |
当上帝轻推、赐下负担并呼召我们实现祂的目的时，我们是否会忽视祂？我们找借口吗？我们是否让我们的不足和恐惧决定上帝如何将我们用于祂的国度？ |
| Well in our passage those are the very questions Moses is wrestling with in Exodus 4:1–17. If you’ll recall, Moses, the son of a Levite, was miraculously saved from a basket in the Nile River, raised in Pharaoh’s house, and later discovers he is an Israelite. He kills a man, and then in fear of his life, flees Egypt at 40 years of age. He thought he had entered the Midian protection program. He spends another 40 years as a shepherd in a foreign land, and here God calls to him from the burning bush at 80 years old. |
这些正是摩西在出埃及记4：1-17中所挣扎的问题。如果你还记得的话，一个利未人的儿子摩西奇迹般地从尼罗河上的一个摇篮里被救上来，在法老的家中长大，后来发现他是一个以色列人。在40岁时他杀了一个埃及人，然后因为害怕自己丧命，出逃埃及。他以为他已进入米甸国庇护程序。他在异乡度过了40年的牧羊生活，在他80岁时，上帝在燃烧的荆棘丛中呼召他。 |
| In Exodus 3 Moses gave the first two excuses: (1) “Who am I?” (Exodus 3:11) and (2) “Who are you?” (Exodus 3:13). These first two objections are rather reasonable. But Moses gives three more objections, which is how we’ll walk through the text. |
在出埃及记3章，摩西给出了前两个借口：（1）“我是谁？”（出埃及记3:11）和（2）“你是谁？”（出埃及记3:13）。前两个反对意见有其合理性。但摩西又提出了三个反对意见，这就是我们今天要看的经文。 |
| The main point of our passage is we can obey God’s call on our lives, because he sends his power and presence to accomplish his purposes. God has a mission and a purpose, and he’s accomplishing it by giving his power and presence to his people to go. |
信息的要点是，我们能顺服上帝对我们生命的呼召，因为祂赐下祂的权能和同在来实现祂的目的。上帝有使命和目的，祂通过将自己的能力和同在带给祂的子民来实现它。 |
| Now we turn to the latter three objections: |
现在我们转向后三个异议： |
| •3rd Objection: The people won’t believe (4:1–9) |
•第三个异议：人们不会相信（4：1-9） |
| •4th Objection: I don’t have the skill (4:10–12) |
•第四个异议：我没有这项技能（4：10-12） |
| •5th Objection: Please send someone else (4:13–17) |
•第五个异议：请派其他人（4：13-17） |
| Moses’ Third Objection: The People Won’t Believe (Exodus 4:1–9) |
摩西的第三个反对意见：人们不会相信（出埃及记4：1-9） |
| Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’” |
摩西回答：“看哪，他们必不信我，也不听我的话；因为他们必说：‘耶和华并没有向你显现。’” |
| Moses third objection moves from reasonable to unbelief. Moses doubts whether the Israelites will believe or listen to him. God had just told Moses otherwise in 3:18, “And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’” Not only will the elders of Israel believe, but they’ll make it their own. |
摩西的第三个异议从合理变为不信。摩西怀疑以色列人是否会相信或听从他。上帝在3:18告诉摩西，“他们必听你的话；你和以色列的长老要到埃及王那里去，对他说：‘耶和华希伯来人的 神遇见了我们。现在求你让我们走三天的路程到旷野去，好献祭给耶和华我们的 神。’”以色列的长老不仅会相信，而且会成为他们自己的目的。 |
| In response, God gives three signs to Moses. |
作为回应，上帝给了摩西三个神迹。 |
| Sign 1: Staff to Serpent (Exodus 4:2–5) |
神迹1：杖变蛇（出埃及记4：2-5） |
| Moses’ staff turns into a serpent such that Moses’ ran from it in fear. This sign reveals God’s power over the Egyptians and Pharaoh. Snakes—more specifically a cobra—represented the national god of Egypt and was the symbol for Pharaoh. It was on his crown or helmet, carved into statues, and depicted in murals and drawings. Pharaoh’s claim to divine power and sovereignty was symbolized by a snake. God’s sign to Moses is an attack on the “sovereign power” of Pharaoh. |
摩西的杖变成了一条蛇，使摩西在恐惧中逃跑离开。这个神迹揭示了上帝对埃及人和法老的绝对主权。蛇 - 更具体地说是眼镜蛇 - 代表了埃及的国神，是法老的象征。蛇被刻在法老的王冠或头饰上，壁画和图画也常描绘蛇。法老对神力和主权的声张是由蛇来作为象征的。上帝给摩西的神迹是对法老“主权”的攻击。 |
| Exodus 4:5 This sign is specifically so that Israel would believe: “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” |
出埃及记4：5“这样就使他们相信耶和华他们祖宗的 神，就是亚伯拉罕的 神、以撒的 神、雅各的 神曾向你显现了。”” |
| Sign 2: Leprous Hand Healed (Exodus 4:6–8) |
神迹2：医治大麻风（出埃及记4：6-8） |
| The second sign is Moses’ hand turns leprous and then is healed again. This demonstrates God’s divine power over the physical body, over disease, and over death. This sign points forward to how God will afflict the Egyptians with diseases (e.g. boils) in the plagues. Leprosy would have been widespread and incurable in that time, requiring total seclusion outside the camp (Leviticus 13:45-46). Exodus 4:8 makes clear, “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign.” |
第二个神迹是摩西的手患上麻风，然后又被医治。这表明了上帝对身体、疾病和死亡的神圣权能。这个神迹指出上帝将如何以瘟疫中的疾病来折磨埃及人（例如脓疮）。麻风病在那个时代会传染且无法治愈，需要在营外完全隔离居住（利未记13：45-46）。出埃及记4：8清楚地表明，“如果他们不信你，也不听从头一个神迹的话，他们必信随后来的神迹。” |
| Sign 3: Nile Water to Blood (Exodus 4:9) |
神迹3：尼罗河水变血（出埃及记4：9） |
| Moses turns water from the Nile into blood. If they won’t believe the first two signs or listen to your voice, then here’s a third sign that I’m sending you. All three of these signs point to life and death. To be bitten by a snake is deadly, to have leprosy is to having a terminal illness, and now blood symbolizes God’s power of life and death. In Egypt the Nile is the source of life for man, animals and plants alike. |
摩西把尼罗河的水变成了血。如果他们不相信前两个神迹或听从你，那么这是我送你的第三个神迹。所有这三个迹象都指向了生与死。被蛇咬伤是致命的，麻风病是绝症，现在血象征着上帝掌控生死的力量。在埃及，尼罗河是人类、动物和植物的生命之源。 |
| To turn the life-giving water of the Nile into blood is to declare that Yahweh alone has power over life. The documentary series Planet Earth has amazing video of the African desert wasteland suddenly—with the aid of time-lapse video—turn into a river that gives birth to an amazing oasis of life, with hundreds of animals gathered to drink, and birthing all sort of plant life. The symbol here is that God is going to turn that life into death. |
把尼罗河的生命之水变为血，就是宣告唯独耶和华掌权。《地球脉动》系列纪录片中，借助于延时摄影技术，非洲沙漠荒地，突然变出了一条河流，产生了一片令人惊叹的生命绿洲，千百种动物聚集在一起饮用，并产生植物生命。神给摩西的这个神迹象征着上帝将要把生命变成死亡。 |
| These signs are a good reminder that God can use a reluctant messenger, exiled from his country, fleeing prosecution for murder that has been content to stay under the radar in the wilderness for 40 years. For weary people, doubting perhaps your effectiveness or abilities, let this be an encouragement for us all: God’s power overcomes unbelief. |
这些神迹是一个很好的提醒，上帝可以使用一个心不甘情不愿的使者，从自己的国家逃亡、因逃避谋杀罪而藏身旷野40年之久。对于心力交瘁的人们，如果你怀疑你的效率或能力，请让这成为对我们所有人的鼓励：上帝的权能可以战胜不信。 |
| The irony is that Moses says the people won’t believe, when in fact it’s him that doesn’t believe God. God just told him how it’s going to happen. Moses is the one with hardness of heart. Yet God’s signs reveal his power to overcome Moses’ unbelief and Israel’s unbelief. |
具有讽刺意味的是，摩西说人们不会相信，而实际上是他自己不相信上帝。上帝只是告诉他将会如何发生。摩西是心硬的人。然而，上帝的神迹表明祂有能力克服摩西的不信和以色列的不信。 |
| Moses says the people won’t believe, and God gives him three signs that will overcome both Israel’s and Moses’ unbelief so that they will go to Pharaoh. |
摩西说人们不会相信，上帝赐给他三个神迹，能克服以色列和摩西的不信，使他们去见法老。 |
| Moses’ Fourth Objection: I Don’t Have the Skill (Ability) (Exodus 4:10–12) |
摩西的第四个异议：我没有技能（能力）（出埃及记4：10-12） |
| Moses has a fourth objection, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent…I am slow of speech and of tongue” (4:10). This is literally I am of “heavy or dull mouth and tongue.” |
摩西还有第四个反对意见，“主啊，我不是个会说话的人…因为我本是拙口笨舌的。”（4:10）。这实际上说我“不会说话”。 |
| Moses recognizes that this is a significant mission. It is not for the faint of heart. He will walk into the presence of the most powerful man in the most powerful kingdom to demand that he release a minority slave people to worship their unknown God. Moses isn’t a diplomat, Moses isn’t sent by a powerful neighboring country, Moses isn’t an ambassador, instead, Moses is a nobody. Moses rightly doubts whether he has the skill or ability for such a task. |
摩西认识到这是一项重大使命。它不适合胆小的人。他将走进最强大王国中最有权势的人面前，要求释放少数族裔的奴隶去敬拜他们不知名的上帝。摩西不是外交官，摩西不是由一个强大的邻国派遣，摩西不是大使，相反，摩西啥也不是。摩西合理地怀疑他是否具备完成这项任务的技能或能力。 |
| There is a lot of speculation as to what Moses’ mean in saying he wasn’t eloquent or heavy speech. |
有很多关于摩西说他拙口笨舌的猜议。 |
| •Lacked Confidence: It would be that Moses lacked confidence. He was a nervous public speaker. His voice prone to crack, tremble, and waver in the face of scrutiny. He’s shy and embarrassed to speak in public. |
•缺乏自信：摩西缺乏自信心。他有公众演讲恐惧症。他在面对审查时声音会破碎、发颤和哆嗦。他羞于在公共场合讲话。 |
| •Speech Impediment: It could be that Moses did in fact have a speech impediment. His lack of ability stems from a stutter, a stammer, or lisp. |
•言语障碍：可能摩西确实有言语障碍。他缺乏能力源于口吃，结巴或口齿不清。 |
| •Language Deficiency: Others suggest that Moses—after 40 years in the desert—has lost his command of the Egyptian language. |
•语言缺陷：其他人认为摩西 - 在沙漠中度过了40年 - 已经不会说埃及语言了。 |
| Obedience Issue: Regardless of what Moses’ issue was, it boils down to an issue of obedience. Would Moses listen to God? |
顺服问题：无论摩西的问题是什么，都归结为顺服的问题。摩西会听神吗？ |
| God responds with rhetorical questions for Moses, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?” (Exodus 4:11). |
上帝以摩西的说辞反问：“谁造人的口呢？谁使人口哑、耳聋、眼明、眼瞎呢？不是我耶和华吗？”（出埃及记4:11）。 |
| God tells Moses that he is the one who made all things. Even mute, deaf, seeing, or blind are from the Lord! I’m sovereign and in control of all things. I made your mouth that way. God reminds Moses, whatever his issue was, that it is inconsequential before Yahweh. God is declaring, “I got this! I can handle this! Don’t worry about it!” Moses’ mouth isn’t an obstacle before the power of God. |
上帝告诉摩西，祂是创造天地万物的那一位。即使是聋哑人、聋人、明眼人或瞎子都出自耶和华！我是掌权者，掌控一切。我造了你的口。无论他的问题是什么，上帝都提醒摩西，在耶和华面前这是无关紧要的。上帝宣告：“是我造了这个！我应付得了！别担心！”摩西的口在上帝大能面前根本不是障碍。 |
| No matter where your gifts lie and where your disabilities rear their head, you can be used by God. Your limitations do not limit God’s ability to glorify himself in our lives. Our disabilities and limitations + God’s ability = limitless possibilities. God is revealing his sovereignty, first to Moses, then to Israel, and then to Pharaoh and Egypt. |
无论你的恩赐在哪里，你的障碍在哪里，你都可以被上帝使用。你自己的局限局限不了上帝在我们生命中荣耀自己的能力。我们的残缺和局限+上帝的能力=无限的可能。上帝首先向摩西显示祂的主权，然后是向以色列，然后是法老和埃及。 |
| When I read this story of Moses at 80-years-old being called and commissioned by God to go, I think of many of you here in our midst. I think of the Abundant Grace Sunday School class. God is not done with you. AARP tells you to enjoy these twilight years. To spend it because you now deserve it. But I hope you take Psalm 71:18 to heart: “So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.” There is a call upon your life. For some of our older, gray haired folks, God has not forsaken you so you could proclaim his glory to another generation. That might be in our children’s ministry, and it might overseas among the unreached and unengaged. For some it may well mean you put aside a future of watching the Price is Right, and Wheel of Fortune, while you wait to go home to Jesus in a convalescent home, and instead go to the nations. There are multiple generations that can looking to you finish well in following Jesus and fulfilling his mission. |
当我读到80岁的摩西被上帝呼召和托付的故事时，我想到在我们中间的许多人。我想起了丰盛恩典主日学课程班（译注：这个班主要是退休人员）。上帝在你们身上的工还未完成。 AARP（美国退休人员协会）告诉你们要安享晚年。好好度过，因为你们现在配得。但我希望你们把诗篇71:18铭记于心：“神啊！到我年老发白的时候，求你仍不要离弃我，等我把你的能力向下一代传扬，把你的大能向后世所有的人传扬。”这是对你们生命的呼召。对于一些年长的白发苍苍的人来说，上帝并没有离弃你，所以你可以将祂的荣耀传给下一代人。这可能是我们的儿童事工，也可能是来自福音未得和未及之民的海外人士。对于一些人来说，这可能意味着放弃《价格竞猜》或《幸运轮盘》节目的乐趣 ，或放弃在疗养院等待回归天家的安逸，而是到万国万民那里去。使万代仰望你如何跟随耶稣并完成祂的使命。 |
| God gives Moses the command, “therefore go.” This is in fact the fourth time God has given Moses that command. In chapter 3, verse 10, 16 and 18 God has told Moses to go to Pharaoh and to go gather the elders. God follows this command with the promise of his presence. God says, “I will be with your mouth.” Despite whatever issue Moses may have had—imagined or real—God says my empowering presence will go with you. |
上帝赐给摩西命令，“去吧。”这实际上是上帝第四次赐给摩西这个命令。在第3章10,16和18节中，上帝告诉摩西要去见法老，去聚集长老。上帝在发出命令之后应许祂的同在。上帝说：“我与你的口同在。”不管摩西有什么样的问题 - 真实或想象的 - 上帝说我赐下我的临在与你同去。 |
| God is promising his very presence with him as he goes to Pharaoh. Exodus 3:11–12 “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” and God responds “I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” Isn’t my presence enough for you? |
当他去见法老时，上帝承诺与他同在。出埃及记3：11-12“我是谁，竟能到法老那里去？”上帝回应说：“我必与你同在；你把人民从埃及领出来的时候，你们要在这山上事奉 神；这就是我派你去的凭据。”难道我的同在对你还不够吗？ |
| Moses was focused on the wrong thing. He may very well have had a speech impediment or some other disability—and yet that does not limit God’s power nor negate his presence. In fact, God’s presence will overcome and render irrelevant Moses’ disability. If God can use Balaam’s talking donkey (Numbers 22) to accomplish his purposes, and a man like Moses—murderer in hiding—to deliver his people from slavery and enslavement, then God quite frankly can do whatever he wants. Get your eyes off yourself and get them on God’s power and presence. God’s purposes are not thwarted by your inability, inadequacy, or even unbelief. |
摩西总盯在错误的事情上。他很可能有言语障碍或其他一些残疾 - 但这并不能限制上帝的力量，也不会否定祂的存在。事实上，上帝的同在将克服并使摩西的残疾无关紧要。如果上帝可以使用巴兰的驴（民数记22）来成就祂的目的，或是像摩西这样的人 - 杀人后逃亡 - 将祂的子民从为奴之家拯救出来，那么上帝可以做任何祂想做的事情。把目光从自己身上移开，让他们了解上帝的力量和同在。上帝的目的不会因你的无能、不足、甚至不信而受挫。 |
| Moses’ Fifth Objection: Please Send Someone Else (Exodus 4:13–17) |
摩西的第五个反对意见：请派别人（出埃及记4：13-17） |
| Now we come to Moses’ fifth and final objection (rejection!), “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” This gets right to the heart of the matter. It’s striking in its honesty. Moses goes from protests and excuses that are quite reasonable, now to complete honesty. “I don’t want to go! Please send someone else!” |
现在我们来到摩西的第五个也是最后的反对意见（拒绝！），“主啊，请你差派你愿意差派的人。”这才是问题的核心。这份诚实令人惊叹。摩西从合理的抗议和借口，到现在的完全诚实。 “我不想去！请差派别人！“ |
| God has been patient with Moses, reassuring him with every objection that Moses has raised up to this point. God has promised his presence, his power, given him promises of a fruitful land, ensured that they would return to this mountain, and even foretells of how Pharaoh will free them. But Moses refuses to trust him and obey his call. “Send anyone but me” is essentially the message. |
上帝一直对摩西极有耐心，针对摩西的每一个异议给予保证。上帝已经应许了祂的同在、祂的权能，给了他一块富饶土地的应许，确保他们会回到这座山上，甚至预言法老会如何释放他们。但是摩西拒绝相信并顺服祂的呼召。 “差派除我之外的任何人”本质上就是摩西的要点。 |
| We now see in the passage God’s anger with Moses, “14 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. 16 He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him.” |
现在我们看到上帝对摩西的愤怒，“14耶和华向摩西发怒，说：“不是有你的哥哥利未人亚伦吗？我知道他是有口才的；他现在出来要迎接你。他看见了你，心里就快乐。15你要对他说话，把你要说的话放在他的口里；我必与你的口同在，也与他的口同在；我必指教你们当行的事。16他要替你向人民说话，他要作你的口，你要作他的 神。” |
| Though God is angry with Moses, we see later when God passes over Moses with him hidden in a cleft in the rock that he is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love” (Exodus 34:6). God’s mercy, grace, and steadfast love are at the heart of his character, and God is slow to anger, but it still means there is a righteous indignation with God. |
虽然上帝对摩西生气，但我们后来看到上帝掠过隐藏在岩石裂缝中的摩西，宣告自己是“有怜悯有恩典的神，不轻易发怒，并且有丰盛的慈爱和诚实”（出埃及记34：6）。上帝的怜悯、恩典和坚定不移的爱是祂品格的核心，上帝不轻易发怒，但仍然意味着上帝有正义的忿怒。 |
| Yet God displays grace by accommodating Moses’ refusal. God gives Aaron, his brother, as a partner and helper to share the load and burden of leading Israel from Egypt. Furthermore, God will be with Moses and Aaron, and he will teach them both what to do. Yet make no mistake, Moses is the one God has chosen and called, and Aaron will be Moses’ spokesperson to Pharaoh and the people of Israel. While this accommodation is gracious, it reveals also that Moses will lose some of the luster of being sent by God. It is also judgment and discipline. Aaron would later use his smooth rhetoric to lead Israel astray into worship of the golden calf (Exodus 32:1–4); what a wonderful #2. |
然而上帝通过宽容摩西的拒绝来显示恩典。上帝赐给他的兄弟亚伦作为伙伴和帮助者，分担领导以色列出埃及的负担和压力。此外，上帝将与摩西和亚伦同在，祂将教导他们做什么。但毫无疑问，摩西是上帝所拣选和呼召的人，亚伦将成为摩西对法老和以色列人民的代言人。虽然这种包容充满恩典，但它也表明摩西会失去上帝派遣的一些荣光。这也是审判和管教。亚伦后来会用他华丽的言辞引导以色列陷入崇拜金牛犊（出埃及记32：1-4）;多么棒的2号人物。 |
| Nonetheless, God does not allow Moses’ unbelief or rejection of his call to interfere with his purpose to rescue his people from enslavement. God’s sovereign power over the life-giving water of the Nile, over the serpents of Pharaoh, over deadly disease, and over even Moses’ unbelief reveal that he is able to fulfil his purposes. God does what he wants. He does what he says. God manifests his power and presence to fulfill his purpose which cannot be thwarted. One might have thought that Moses’ final objection and refusal would have ended the conversation. God might have gotten fed up and picked someone else. But no. God had Moses in view and would call him for the work that he had intended. |
尽管如此，上帝不允许摩西不信或拒绝祂的呼召干扰祂拯救祂子民免受奴役的目的。上帝对尼罗河赐生命之水的权柄，对法老的蛇，对致命的疾病，甚至摩西的不信都表明祂能够成就祂的目的。上帝做祂想做的事。祂说到就做到。上帝表现出祂的力量和同在，以实现祂无可阻挡的目的。人们可能认为摩西的最终反对和拒绝会结束谈话。上帝可能已经厌烦了并挑选了其他人。但不是。上帝选中摩西，并呼召他做祂计划的工作。 |
| Our section ends with verse 17, “And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.” The staff of Moses now symbolizes God’s presence and power that goes with Moses wherever he goes. What was once a tool of protection and shepherding, now signifies that Moses has been sent on a mission by God to deliver Israel from the grasp of Pharaoh himself. |
这一部分以第17节结束，“这手杖你要拿在手里，用来行神迹。”摩西的手杖现在象征着上帝的同在和权力，无论他走到哪里都与摩西同在。曾经是一种保护和牧羊的工具，现在成为摩西已经被上帝选召执行任务的象征，将以色列从法老本人手中拯救出来。 |
| God tells Moses in no uncertain terms that he can use a stick of wood. No spells, no incantations, just an everyday stick of wood. How much more can he do with his chosen messenger Moses? |
上帝毫不含糊地告诉摩西他可以用一根木杖。没有魔咒，也没有魔法，只是日常的木棍。祂还能为祂所拣选的使者摩西做多少呢？ |
| When David—himself a shepherd—writes in Psalm 23, “I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me,” seems to allude all the way back even to this event. Moses’ staff represents God’s power, presence, and his purposes that will come to pass. |
当大卫 - 他自己是牧羊人 - 在诗篇23篇中写道：“也不怕遭受伤害，因为你与我同在；你的杖你的竿都安慰我。”似乎可以一直回溯到这个事件。摩西的杖代表上帝的大能、同在和祂的目的将会成为现实。 |
| This sign also symbolizes the moment when Moses’ staff becomes God’s staff and symbolizes God’s divine power. God calls special attention to it (Ex. 4:2 “What is that in your hand?”), calls it out again in 4:17 (“take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it”) and later in Exodus 4:20 it is called “the staff of God.” The staff symbolizes divine authority, supremacy, and God’s presence. It is an enduring reminder of God’s power and presence with them, for Moses’ sake and so that Israel would believe. |
这个神迹也象征着摩西的杖成为上帝的杖并象征上帝神圣权能的那一刻。上帝特别注意它（出4：2“在你手里的是什么？”），在4:17再次呼唤它（“这手杖你要拿在手里，用来行神迹。”）后来在出埃及记4:20，它被称为“上帝的杖。”杖象征着神圣的权威、至高无上的地位和上帝的同在。这是对上帝的能力和同在的持续提醒，因为摩西的缘故，以色列会相信。 |
| If we look ahead to what Moses encounters, the staff feels woefully insufficient. You want me to take on the Pharaoh of Egypt with a stick? How about an army? And while the staff is a picture of God’s deliverance and rescue (e.g. parting of the Red Sea, turning the Nile into blood, standing on the hill in Exodus 17:9), the staff is also a reminder of Moses’ failure along the way (e.g. striking the rock in Numbers 20). |
如果我们展望摩西即将遇到的事情，手杖似乎非常不足。你想让我用手杖对敌埃及法老？军队怎么样？虽然手杖描绘了上帝的拯救和救赎（例如，使红海分离，将尼罗河水变为血，在出埃及记17：9中站在山上），手杖也提醒着摩西在路上的失败（例如在民数记20章的击打磐石）。 |
| Conclusion |
结语 |
| Moses and his staff point to the need for a better deliverer: Jesus Christ. In Deuteronomy 18:18 God says to Moses that “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak to them all that I command him.” Jesus Christ is that prophet, like and yet unlike Moses, who came to deliver his people from enslavement, captivity to sin, and bondage to death. Contrast between Moses & Jesus. |
摩西和他的杖指向对一个更好的拯救者的需要：耶稣基督。在申命记18:18中，上帝对摩西说：“我要从他们的兄弟中间，给他们兴起一位先知，像你一样；我要把我的话放在他口里，他必把我吩咐他们的一切话都对他们说。”耶稣基督就是那个先知，像摩西一样，但却不同于摩西，祂将子民从奴役、捆绑、罪恶、死亡中拯救出来。摩西与耶稣之间的对比。 |
| •Moses runs from the serpent, but Jesus crushes head of the serpent. |
•摩西从蛇旁边跑开，但耶稣击碎了蛇的头。 |
| •Moses pours out water to turn to blood, but Jesus pours out water and blood from his flesh on the cross. |
•摩西倒水为血，但是耶稣在十字架上从祂的躯体中倒出水和血。 |
| •Moses tries to run from God’s call, but Jesus embraces God’s mission. |
•摩西试图逃避上帝的呼召，但耶稣接受了上帝的使命。 |
| •Moses wavers at the prospect of going to a suffering people, but Jesus sets his face like flint to suffer for his people at Calvary. |
•对于遭受苦难的人，摩西摇摆不定，但是耶稣甘愿在髑髅地为祂的子民受苦。 |
| •Moses fears the unbelief of the people, but Jesus goes to a people who will not only disbelieve but even crucify him. |
•摩西担心人们的不信，但耶稣去寻找一个个不仅不相信甚至将祂钉在十字架上的人。 |
| •Moses doubts his ability to speak for God, but Jesus is the living incarnate word of God. |
•摩西怀疑他为上帝说话的能力，但耶稣是上帝的话语成了活生生的肉身。 |
| •Moses rejects God’s call, but Jesus says—in his darkest moment—says not my will but yours be done. |
•摩西拒绝接受上帝的呼召，但耶稣说 - 在祂的至暗时刻 - 说不要照我的意思，乃要照你的意思。 |
| •Moses says “please send someone else,” but Jesus sees the people and has compassion on them because they are like sheep without a shepherd. |
•摩西说“请差派别人”，但耶稣看到了百姓，并怜悯他们，因为他们就像没有牧羊人的羊。 |
| But not only do we have a better deliverer and better example in Jesus, we have God’s power and presence at work within us now in the person of Jesus. Jesus is God incarnate, all the fullness of God dwelling bodily, and he is with us. The power at work in Jesus to raise him from the dead is now at work in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. We have God’s presence through the Spirit, and Jesus says I will never leave you nor forsake you. The indwelling power of God in us gives us confidence—even in the midst of weakness—to obey his call and fulfill the tasks he has called us to. |
但我们不仅有耶稣这样更好的拯救者和更好的榜样，我们现在在耶稣身上有上帝的能力和同在我们里面运行。耶稣是上帝的化身，上帝充满了身体的全部，祂与我们同在。耶稣里的大能使祂从死里复活，现在正借着圣灵的能力在我们里面运行。我们通过圣灵有上帝的同在，耶稣说我永远不会离开你们，也不会离弃你们。上帝在我们里面的内在力量给了我们信心 - 即使在软弱之中 - 顺服祂的呼召并完成祂召唤我们的任务。 |
| How ought we to respond to God’s call on our lives? Embrace his call on your life because he has given you Jesus. He overcomes our inadequacies, our weaknesses, our fears, and sends us out and commissions us with his power and presence to accomplish his glorious purposes in the world. We have his presence and power ever with us in the Holy Spirit. |
我们应该如何回应上帝对我们生命的呼召呢？接受祂对你生命的呼召因为祂赐给了你耶稣。祂克服了我们的不足，我们的弱点，我们的恐惧，并派我们出去，以祂的权能和同在来托付我们，以成就祂在地上的光荣目的。我们在圣灵里有祂的同在和能力。 |
| Moses gets Israel out of Egypt to the mountain, and brings them to the cusp of the Promised Land, but doesn’t enter in himself. But Jesus Christ brings us all the way home, all the way in, and we will dwell with him forever. |
摩西将以色列从埃及带到山上，将他们带到应许之地，自己却未能进入。但耶稣基督将我们一路带回家，一路走来，祂将永远与我们同在。 |
|
| Sermon Discussion Questions |
讲道讨论问题 |
| Sermon Title: Sent with God’s Presence & Power |
标题：靠着上帝的同在和权能受差遣 |
| Sermon Text: Exodus 4:1–17 |
讲道经文：出埃及记4：1-17 |
| Main Point: We can obey God’s call on our lives, because he sends his power and presence to accomplish his purposes. |
要点：我们可以顺服上帝对我们生命的呼召，因为祂以祂的权能和同在来成就祂的目的。 |
| Outline: (Objections one and two are found in Exodus 3) |
大纲:(异议一和二在出埃及记3章） |
| Moses third objection: The people won’t believe (4:1–9) |
1.摩西的异议三：人们不会相信（4：1-9） |
| Moses forth objection: I don’t have the skill (4:10–12) |
2.摩西的异议四：我没有技能（4：10-12） |
| Moses fifth objection: Please send someone else (4:13–17) |
3.摩西的异议五：请差派别人（4：13-17） |
| Opening Question: |
开场问题： |
| 1.What is something God may be calling you to do that elicits fear or feelings of inadequacy? |
1.上帝可能会叫你做什么，会引起恐惧或能力不足的感觉？ |
| Discussion Questions: |
讨论问题： |
| 2.Read Exodus 3:7–22. How do Moses’ first two objections in chapter 3 differ from his later objections in chapter 4? |
2.阅读出埃及记3：7-22。摩西在第3章中的前两个异议与他后来在第4章中的异议有何不同？ |
| 3.What is Moses third objection and how does God respond to overcome Moses’ objection? (Exodus 4:1–9) |
3.摩西的第三个异议是什么？上帝如何回应并力克摩西的反对？ （出埃及记4：1-9） |
| 4.What is Moses forth objection and how does God respond to overcome Moses’ objection? (Exodus 4:10–12) |
4.摩西的第四个异议是什么？上帝如何回应并力克摩西的反对？ （出埃及记4：10-12） |
| 5.What is Moses fifth objection and how does God respond to overcome Moses’ objection? (Exodus 4:13–17) |
5.摩西的第五个异议是什么？上帝如何应对并力克摩西的反对？ （出埃及记4：13-17） |
| 6.What is the significance of Moses’ staff mentioned in Exodus 4 and throughout Moses’ life? |
6.在出埃及记4章和摩西的一生中，摩西的杖有什么重要意义？ |
| 7.What is at the heart of Moses objections and excuses? Are his objections reasonable in light of who God has revealed himself to be? |
7.摩西的反对和借口的核心是什么？鉴于上帝揭示了自己是谁，他的反对意见是否合理？ |
| Application Questions: |
应用问题： |
| 8.Seeing how God responds to Moses’ objections, how does God respond to our fears, feelings of adequacy, or areas of weakness? |
8.看上帝如何回应摩西的反对意见，上帝如何回应我们的恐惧、不足感或软弱之处？ |
| 9.What is the significance of God’s power both for Moses and for us in our everyday experience? |
9.在日常生活中，上帝的能力对摩西和我们有何重要意义？ |
| 10.What is the significance of God’s presence both for Moses and for us in our everyday experience? |
10.在我们的日常经历中，上帝的同在对摩西和我们的重要意义是什么？ |
| 11.How does Jesus’ example and promise of never forsaking his children and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit give us confidence to obey God in the face of uncertainty or inadequacy? |
11.耶稣永远不会离弃祂的孩子和圣灵内驻的榜样和应许，如何使我们有信心在不确定或能力不足的情况下顺服上帝？ |
| Prayer Focus: |
祷告焦点： |
| Take a moment to praise God for his power and presence that has been given to us through the person of Jesus Christ. Confess any sins of unbelief, faithlessness, or misplaced fear when considering Christ’s call on our lives. Thank God for being slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and kindness, and for long suffering towards us when we falter or fail. Ask God for wholehearted faith in Jesus, greater delight in the gospel, and obedience to his commands and call on our lives to accomplish his purposes in the world. |
花时间赞美上帝通过耶稣基督赐给我们的能力和同在。考虑基督对我们生命的呼召时，承认任何不信、不忠或错置的恐惧之罪。感谢上帝的不轻易动怒，祂丰盛的爱和美善，以及当我们犹豫或失败时对我们的恒久宽容。求上帝赐下对耶稣的全心全意的信，更加以福音为乐，顺服祂的命令，顺服祂对我们生命的呼召，来成就祂在世上的目的。 |
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