《吞拿魚的反思》Day04
《約拿被吞的改變》
1 耶和華的話二次臨到約拿說： 2「你起來！往尼尼微大城去，向其中的居民宣告我所吩咐你的話。」 3 約拿便照耶和華的話起來，往尼尼微去。這尼尼微是極大的城，有三日的路程。 4 約拿進城走了一日，宣告說：「再等四十日，尼尼微必傾覆了！」 5 尼尼微人信服上帝，便宣告禁食，從最大的到至小的都穿麻衣。6 這信息傳到尼尼微王的耳中，他就下了寶座，脫下朝服，披上麻布，坐在灰中。 7 他又使人遍告尼尼微通城，說：「王和大臣有令，人不可嘗甚麼，牲畜、牛羊不可吃草，也不可喝水。 8 人與牲畜都當披上麻布；人要切切求告上帝。各人回頭離開所行的惡道，丟棄手中的強暴。 9 或者上帝轉意後悔，不發烈怒，使我們不致滅亡，也未可知。」10 於是上帝察看他們的行為，見他們離開惡道，他就後悔，不把所說的災禍降與他們了。(約拿書三1-10)
1 這事約拿大大不悅，且甚發怒，2 就禱告耶和華說：「耶和華啊，我在本國的時候豈不是這樣說嗎？我知道祢是有恩典、有憐憫的上帝，不輕易發怒，有豐盛的慈愛，並且後悔不降所說的災，所以我急速逃往他施去。3 耶和華啊，現在求祢取我的命吧！因為我死了比活着還好。」 (約拿書四1-3)
1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” 3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. 6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” 10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened. (Jonah 3:1-10)
1 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” (Jonah 4:1-3)
1 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” (Jonah 4:1-3)
分享：約拿脫離困境被魚吐出之後，終於聽從上帝的吩咐，前往尼尼微，向這座大城宣告審判的信息。尼尼微的居民迅速回應了這警告，他們信服神，並且從國王到平民都謙卑悔改，穿上麻衣，禁食求告上帝。這場大規模的悔改使上帝收回了原本要施加的審判，尼尼微得到了赦免。
這個悔改的場景非常震撼！叫一個人悔改已經殊不容易，而要在這個充滿暴行和邪惡的尼尼微中叫人悔改就更困難。上帝只是透過約拿所宣告的一句話，就叫全城人都願意悔改。他們的悔改不僅僅是外在的形式，更是內心的徹底改變，從國王到百姓都真誠地悔改。上帝的憐憫及大能遠超過我們的想像。
然而，約拿又怎樣理解這樣感人、震撼的悔改呢？雖然約拿並沒有像第一次那樣逃避上帝，他仍然不太認同「尼尼微有機會得救」這件事。於是，他漫不經心地履行上帝的使命。而當尼尼微人真的回轉悔改時，約拿卻「大大不悅，且甚發怒」(參約拿書四1) 。這跟昨天所分享的約拿很不一樣。在魚腹的約拿將焦點放在上帝的憐憫與拯救上，縱使自己得罪了上帝，他仍呼求上帝的名，然後經歷上帝的赦免與拯救了。但如今在尼尼微城的約拿卻將焦點放在尼尼微人的罪惡上，而忘記了上帝是憐憫、慈愛、願意給人悔改機會的主⋯⋯ 這樣看來，經歷了被魚吞下的約拿，仍然需要更多的改變。
各位，我們曾否會像約拿一樣，心裡對某些人或群體懷有成見，認為他們不配得上帝的憐憫，但卻忘記了自己也只不過是一個蒙恩的罪人？上帝的愛並不是局限於某一群人，而是普世性的，祂渴望每一個罪人都回轉向祂，並且得救。
反思：你曾否對某些人或群體有過成見，覺得他們不配得到上帝的憐憫？同時，請思想自己是否有需要為某些過犯尋求上帝的赦免？
禱告：親愛的天父，祢的憐憫超乎我們的想像，祢不願任何人滅亡，乃願人人悔改得救。感謝祢的寬恕，即使對那些我們認為不配的人，祢仍然願意施恩。求祢赦免我們的成見，讓我們學會像祢一樣去愛與憐憫每一個人，努力傳揚福音。以上禱告，奉主耶穌得勝的名求，阿們。
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