Provoking God’s Anger (Chinese/English)

PROVOKING GODS ANGER

激怒神

“Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies: But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.  For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images…Psalm 78:56-58.”

“他们仍旧试探悖逆至高的神，不守他的法度。反倒退后，行诡诈，像他们的祖宗一样。他们改变，如同翻背的弓。因他们的邱坛，惹他发怒，以他们雕刻的偶像，触动他的愤恨…诗篇78篇56至58节。

This psalm tells the whole story of the children of Israel from their escape from Egypt to the time of the exile’.    God reads the story of the children of Israel and it makes sorry reading.    These verses are some of the saddest in the whole psalm, after all that God has done for them, they provoked God to anger.

这篇诗篇讲述了以色列人从逃离埃及到被掳的整个故事。上帝读到以色列人的故事，却让人感到遗憾。这几节经文是整篇诗篇中最悲伤的几节，在神为他们所做的一切之后，他们却惹动了神的怒气。

Could this be written across our lives?    I know that I provoke God to anger, by my sin and rebellion. Sometimes I act like a spoiled brat, just like the children of Israel were acting here.

这会写在我们的生活中吗？我知道我因自己的罪和悖逆，惹神发怒。有时候我会撒娇，就像以色列的孩子在这里撒娇一样。

What are these high places, we so often hear about in the Old Testament? So often we hear about them getting rid of their idols, but the high places weren’t torn down.   Remember an idol is anything, we place above God. He is right to be angry and jealous; he deserves and demands first place in our lives.

我们在旧约中经常听到的这些邱坛是什么呢？我们常常听到他们除掉偶像，但邱坛并没有被拆毁。记住偶像是任何东西，我们把它放在上帝之上。他的愤怒和嫉妒是正确的；他应该和要求在我们的生活中的第一位。

So often we tear down the idols we want to tear down, but we cleave unto those precious idols we hold dear.  So, what graven images and high places have we got in our lives? Maybe it is our beloved TV or even our computer/mobile phone.

我们常常拆毁我们想拆毁的偶像，但我们却紧紧抓住那些我们所珍视的宝贵偶像。那么，在我们的生活中有什么雕刻的形象和高处呢？也许是我们心爱的电视，甚至是我们的电脑/手机。

Do you spend more on the latest gadget than you give to the Lord’s work?    When the book of your/my life is written and read, I pray that it doesn’t say these words in the verses above about us.

你在最新的小玩意上花的钱比你在主的工作上花的还多吗？当你/我的生命之书被书写和阅读时，我祈祷它不要在上面的经文中说这些关于我们的话。

God bless you

上帝祝福你