旧约 - 约伯记(Job)第22章

Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
"Can a man be of benefit to God? Can even a wise man benefit him?
What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous? What would he gain if your ways were blameless?
"Is it for your piety that he rebukes you and brings charges against you?
Is not your wickedness great? Are not your sins endless?
You demanded security from your brothers for no reason; you stripped men of their clothing, leaving them naked.
You gave no water to the weary and you withheld food from the hungry,
though you were a powerful man, owning land--an honored man, living on it.
And you sent widows away empty-handed and broke the strength of the fatherless.
That is why snares are all around you, why sudden peril terrifies you,
why it is so dark you cannot see, and why a flood of water covers you.
"Is not God in the heights of heaven? And see how lofty are the highest stars!
Yet you say, 'What does God know? Does he judge through such darkness?
Thick clouds veil him, so he does not see us as he goes about in the vaulted heavens.'
Will you keep to the old path that evil men have trod?
They were carried off before their time, their foundations washed away by a flood.
They said to God, 'Leave us alone! What can the Almighty do to us?'
Yet it was he who filled their houses with good things, so I stand aloof from the counsel of the wicked.
"The righteous see their ruin and rejoice; the innocent mock them, saying,
'Surely our foes are destroyed, and fire devours their wealth.'
"Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.
Accept instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart.
If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored: If you remove wickedness far from your tent
and assign your nuggets to the dust, your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines,
then the Almighty will be your gold, the choicest silver for you.
Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty and will lift up your face to God.
You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows.
What you decide on will be done, and light will shine on your ways.
When men are brought low and you say, 'Lift them up!' then he will save the downcast.
He will deliver even one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands."
约伯记第廿二章   第 22 章 

  伯 22 章 > 事不过三,以利法最后的尝试── 

  22 章 这是以利法的第三次,也是最后一次和约伯对话。在第一次的对话里( 4-5 章),以利法提到约伯的好行为,并且小心地暗示他需要为某些罪而忏悔。这次他并没有说出新的东西来,只是说得更具体而已。他始终不能改变他的信念,即苦难是神对人恶行的惩罚,所以他提出了约伯可能犯的几条罪。以利法并非要毁灭约伯,在其演说的结尾他保证,如果约伯肯承认自己的罪并忏悔,便会得到平安和复兴。 

  伯 22:12-14> 神在天上,祂能看见我吗?世上那么多人,神如何顾得过来? 

  22:12-14 以利法声称约伯把神看小了。他批评约伯认为神离世界太远,无法照顾他。以利法说,如果约伯知道神对他的看顾,他便不会轻视自己的罪了。以利法的观点是对的:因为确实有些人认为神离他很远,不会注意到我们所做的一切,所以不在乎自己的罪。但他的观点对约伯并不适用。 

  伯 22:21-30> 你同意以利法关于悔改归神的言论吗? 

  22:21-30 约伯的朋友几次表现出他们掌握了神的部分真理,却不能准确地将其运用到生活中。以利法就是这样,他对忏悔作了一个漂亮的总结。以利法的观点是对的,我们犯了罪就要求神的赦免。但他的说法不适用于约伯身上,因约伯已经寻求了神的赦免( 7:20-21 ; 9:20 ; 13:23 ),并且他一直与神有密切的关系。──《灵修版圣经注释》