给儿子的话 #2 奉献

关于奉献

若不是基督徒，不必奉献；

若不明白了解，不用奉献；

若不甘心乐意，不要奉献。

神所喜爱的奉献 «歌林多後書9:7»

寡妇的奉献 «馬可福音 12:41»

亚伯拉罕献以撒 «創世記 22:1-14»
活祭 «羅馬書 12:1»

亚伯拉罕 简史

亚伯兰 Abram ( 1948 BCE – 2123 BCE ) 生于迦勒低 ( Chaldeans ) 的吾珥 ( Ur )，是美索不达米亚 ( Mesopotamia ) 的一座古城，位于幼发拉底  ( Euphrates ) 河畔南部，今遗址位于伊拉克 ( Iraq )境内。

亚伯兰的父亲叫他拉  ( Terah )。亚伯兰为长子，下有弟弟拿鹤 ( Nahor ) 和哈兰 ( Haran )。亚伯兰娶同父异母的妹妹撒莱 ( Sarai ) 为妻。

大弟拿鹤娶侄女密迦为妻，生八子 : 乌斯 ( Uz ), 布斯 ( Buz ), 基母利 ( Kemuel ), 基薛( Kesed ), 哈琐 ( Hazo ), 必达 ( Pildash ), 益拉 ( Jidlaph ) 和彼土利 ( Bethuel )。彼土利生拉班 ( Laban ) 和利百加 ( Rebekah )。

小弟哈兰英年早逝，遗下一子二女 : 罗得 ( Lot )，密迦 ( Milkah ) 和亦迦 ( Iskah )。

亚伯兰的父亲他拉带了亚伯兰和罗得离开家乡吾珥，要往迦南去 ( Canaan )。中途停在哈兰 ( Harran )，不再前进。他拉便死在哈兰。哈兰今位于土耳其东南部。

后来耶和华上帝指示亚伯兰去迦南。亚伯兰( Abram ) 离开哈兰到迦南时已75岁。与他同去的除了妻子撒莱 ( Sarai )，还有侄子罗得 ( Lot )，和他们所有的积蓄和佣人。

自以为是（一） 离开迦南

亚伯兰和罗得有钱有业，离开哈兰到陌生的迦南，开始新的生活，因该不难。到了神所指示的地方 - 迦南 ( Canaan )，他们却不定居下来，反而迁到南地 ( Negev )。后来遇到饥荒，又到埃及 ( Egypt ) 暂居。

在埃及，亚伯兰怕美丽的67岁撒莱召来杀身之祸，认妻为妹（确实同父異母之妹）。美丽的妻子果然给法老相中，被招入宫。法老反而招来了一身骚，无奈放走撒莱，并命亚伯兰离开埃及。

岂不知，迦南就是上帝的旨意吗？

自以为是（二） 分家分居

亚伯兰无奈又离开埃及回到迦南。原来亚伯兰和罗得的总资产太多，迦南地容不下两个大财主，两家人常为牧地相争。亚伯兰顾念骨肉之情，为了不伤和气，决定和罗得分居。罗得选了东边约旦平原 ( Jordan )，亚伯兰留在迦南。分了楚河汉界，两人从此各自为政。

罗得定居所多玛 ( Sodom )，因此被卷入五王叛乱，被霸王基大老瑪 ( Kedorlaomer ) 所掳。亚伯兰率领318条好汉相救，好不威风！仗后，罗得继续在所多玛定居，所多玛人和蛾摩拉人 ( Gomorrah ) 道德沉沦，乱搞男女关系，罪恶甚重，人神共愤之！连住在所多玛的罗得也受了影响。

上帝决定要毁了所多玛和蛾摩拉，命罗得全家即刻离城。罗得迟迟不走，不但不拼命逃上山，却去了附近的琐珥 ( Zoar )。妻子还往后一看，变成一根盐柱。罗得后来离开琐珥上山，躲在洞穴里，和两个女儿乱伦生了儿子，摩押 ( Moab ) 和便亚米 ( Ben Ammi )，就是摩押人 ( Moabites ) 和便亚米人 ( Ammonites ) 的始祖。

岂不知，上帝何曾要罗得离开？何曾要罗得入乡随俗？

自以为是（三） 纳妾留后

好个亚伯兰，名威迦南。有钱有势，不但是农牧专家、还是家财万贯的企业家、有勇有谋的军事家、更是上帝眷顾的子民。虽然不登位称王，亚伯兰已经名副其实的一国之尊！小国也是国呀！唯一遗憾的是年老无子，多富无后。

不过耶和华上帝曾应许，亚伯兰必后裔如星众多。只不过爱妻已停经多年，看来撒莱是当不成万国之母了。撒莱也深明大义，准亚伯兰纳妾。

撒莱让埃及籍使女夏甲 ( Hagar ) 与亚伯兰同房，夏甲便怀了孕，生了一个儿子，亚伯兰取名为以實瑪利 ( Ishmael )， 意思是“神听见”。岂不知，这并不是神的计划。亚伯兰一直认为：神计划、人执行，路始终是人走出来的。（箴16：9）

岂不知，上帝何曾设立多妻婚姻？

当亚伯兰99岁高龄时，耶和华上帝向他显现，又重提应许一事，并以割礼为据。同时神给亚伯兰新名叫亚伯拉罕 ( Abraham )， 撒莱改为撒拉 ( Sarah )，为万国之母。亚伯拉罕不以为意。

自以为是（四） 再离迦南

迦南其实并不肥沃，崎岖不平，雨量不多。当年亚伯拉罕和罗得分家时，罗得早就知道，亚伯拉罕也不是不知。亚伯拉罕义财难全，无奈留下。上帝怎么会给他这么一块不毛之地？埃及和约旦 ( Jordan ) 才是肥田嘛！

亚伯拉罕又因某些原因迁到南地。又老计故施，认妻为妹。可见撒拉越老越漂亮，保养有方。更显出亚伯拉罕怕死、怕事，还经事不长智。此计不但不管用，还差点坏了爱妻名声，害人害己！也不难看到亚伯拉罕爱惜自己的生命，大于妻子的贞操。女人如衣服！不过，当时杀夫抢妻如此狂昌，可想而知。

岂不知，逆境就是顺服的考场？（雅各1：12）

自以为是（五） 抛妻弃儿

亚伯拉罕100岁高龄时，撒拉生了一个儿子，取名叫以撒 ( Isaac ) 。撒拉见以实玛利日后可能跟以撒争家产，要求亚伯拉罕指使夏甲母子离开。上帝也没有反对，还说会让以实玛利的后嗣成立一国。

不过，为何让夏甲俩母子遗弃于矿野，只给了一些饼和一袋水，任他们生死由命？幸亏神保守夏甲俩母子、不让他们横死旷野，不然亚伯拉罕又犯了杀人之罪了。

岂不知，该做的而不去做，就是罪吗？（雅各4：17）

Abraham's Faith Tested : Islam vs Christian

Quran’s Story When Ibrahim ( Abraham ) was 99 years old, Allah decided to test his faith, in a dream Allah commanded Ibrahim to offer up 13-years-old Ismail ( Ishmael ) for sacrifice.  As Ibrahim prepared to submit to Allah’s will, Syaitan ( Satan ) tried to dissuade him from carrying out Allah’s commandment.  Yet, Ibrahim drove Saitan away by throwing pebbles at him.  Thus stones are thrown at jamrah pillars to commemorate the rejection of Saitan. Although Ibrahim was ready to sacrifice his dearest possession, he could not just bring Ismail to the place of sacrifice without Ismail’s consent.   And so Ibrahim consulted Ishmael whether he was willing to give up his life in fulfillment of Allah’s command.  This consultation would be a test of Ismail’s maturity in faith, love and commitment for Allah, willingness to obey his father, and readiness to sacrifice his own life for the sake of Allah. Ismail without hesitation submitted to Allah’s will.  When Ibrahim attempted to cut Ismail’s throat, Allah interfered by protecting Ismail from being harmed.  Allah too prepared a ram in replacement of the sacrifice. As a reward for Ibrahim’s faith in Allah, he was granted with a second son, Ishak ( Isaac )

Bible’s Accord Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born to him through Sarah, his wife.  ( Genesis 21:5 )   One day, God tested Abraham, by commanding him to bring his young son, Isaac to be sacrificed as an offering on a mountain in the region of Moriah.  Abraham obeyed God’s commandment without hesitation.    Early the next morning, Abraham took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac, together with wood loaded on a donkey.  They reached the sacrifice site on the third day.  Abraham had his servants waited with the donkey, while Isaac carried the wood, and himself carried the fire and the knife.  When asked by Isaac of the whereabouts of the sacrificial lamb, Abraham assured Isaac that God will provide one.    Yet when they reached the place, Abraham built an altar, bound Isaac and him on the wood.  As he was about to slay Isaac, an angel appeared and stopped him.   Abraham saw and caught a ram that was caught in a nearby bush, and sacrificed it instead. God then reassured Abraham that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars and the sand, and through his offspring all nations will be blessed.  ( Genesis 22:1-18)

Aidiladha : 亚伯拉罕 的 献祭

Aidiladha 音译为献祭节、也称哈芝节 ( Hari Raya Haji ) 、古尔邦节 ( Hari Raya Korban )， 是伊斯兰教的重要节日。落于回历每年的12 月10 日（ Zulhijjah / Dhu al-Hijjah ) 。

该节日是为了纪念亚伯拉罕 （ Ibrahim / Abraham ) 向真主阿拉 ( Allah ) 献祭爱子以实玛利 ( Ismail / Ishmael )，以示顺服。

亚伯拉罕老年得子。纵然家财万贯，却无子续后。眼见自己一天一天老去，爱妻亦已断经多年，老亚伯拉罕却不死心。于是纳了妻子女仆夏甲为妾。果然宝刀未老，夏甲给他生了一个儿子，名以实玛利。老亚伯拉罕视以实玛利为心肝宝贝。

岂知真主阿拉却命令老亚伯拉罕把以实玛利当祭品献上。老亚伯拉罕和幼子以实玛利也十分顺服阿拉。当亚伯拉罕举刀割以实玛利的喉咙之时，以实玛利几乎有金钟护身，刀枪不入，伤他不得。又有公羊陷在树丛里，动弹不得，便捉来献祭，成了代罪羔羊。

以实玛利是亚伯拉罕的至宝，可是还不至于大过他对阿拉的顺服。

The Sacrifice of Isaac, Rembrandt, 1635

什么是排在我们生命中的第一位？

什么是我们的至宝？生命？妻儿？财富？

什么是我们的至爱？自己？父母？娇妻？独子？

什么是我们千方百计要得到的？青春？健康？名牌？名声？

什么是我们老年的保障？金钱？孩子？保险？

什么是和我们影不离身的？偶像剧？电玩？

什么是我们活着的能源？烟？酒？毒？性？

什么是我们活着的目的？旅游？美食？

什么是我们放不下的？那一口气？那一份执著？

当亚伯拉罕选择顺服阿拉，把爱子献上为祭时，已顺利通过真主阿拉得试验了。亚伯拉罕选择真主阿拉为他的生活的供应者、患难中的依靠、 生命的主宰、永生的盼望。

Jacob's Ladder (disambiguation)

10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”  16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”  18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19 He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.  Genesis 28 ( New International Version )

10 雅各出了别是巴，向哈兰走去。 11到了一个地方，因为太阳落了，就在那里住宿，便拾起那地方的一块石头枕在头下，在那里躺卧睡了。 12梦见一个梯子立在地上，梯子的头顶着天，有神的使者在梯子上上去下来（或作：站在他旁边。） 13和华站在梯子以上，说：“我是耶和华你祖亚伯拉罕的神，也是以撒的神，我要将你现在所躺卧之地赐给你和你的后裔。 14你的后裔必像地上的尘沙那样多，必向东西南北开展。地上万族必因你和你的后裔得福。 15我也与你同在，你无论往哪里去，我必保佑你，领你归回这地，总不离弃你，直到我成全了向你所应许的。” 16雅各睡醒了，说：“耶和华真在这里，我竟不知道！” 17就惧怕，说：“这地方何等可畏！这不是别的，乃是神的殿，也是天的门。” 18雅各清早起来，把所枕的石头立做柱子，浇油在上面。 19他就给那地方起名叫伯特利，但那地方起先名叫路斯。 创世记 28 ( 和合本 )

Jacob’s Ladder is a ladder to heaven that the biblical Jacob dreams about during his flight from his brother Esau. 

Jacob’s Ladder may also refer to many things, among them are :

· Gholtage travelling arc, a device for producing a continuous train of large sparks.

· Crepuscular rays, rays of sunlight that appear to radiate through gaps in clouds etc.

· Polemonium , a genus of flowering plants.

· Rope ladder, specialized ladder used at sea.

· a Rope course

· an Exercise equipment

· a type of pocket knife

· a quilt block pattern

· a String figure pattern

· a Folk toy, consisting of blocks of woods held together by strings

· Short ribs in the UK

· a non-compact surface in mathematics

Names of YHWH

Jehovah ( Isaiah 42:8 ) is an anglicized representation of Hebrew Yahwah, a vocalization of the Tetragrammaton YHWH, the name of the God of Israel, in Christian Bible.

According to Jewish tradition, God’s divine name is written but not pronounced.  

Jehovah-jireh ( Genesis 22:14 ) was a place in the land of Moriah.  It was the location of the binding of Isaac, where God told Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering.  Abraham named the place after the Lord provide a ram to sacrifice in the place of Isaac. 

The Septuagint translation is ”The Lord hath seen“.  KJV follows this meaning.

NIV render it as ”The Lord will provide“, amplifying the literal meaning along the lines of ’the Lord hath seen‘, and referring to Abraham’s earlier words, : ”God Himself will provide the lamb“ ( Genesis 22:8 )

Jehovah-mekaddeshem ( Exodus 31:13 ) means ”Lord who sanctifies“.   After God redeem Israel from Egypt, God sets Israel separates from the profane. 

NIV translated it as ”I am the Lord, who makes you holy“

Jehovah-nissi ( Exodus 17:15 ) is the name given by Moses to the altar which he built to celebrate the defeat of the Amalekites at Rephidim. 

The Septuagint translators believed the word to be derived from nus (H), meaning ”flee for refuge“ , thus rendered it ”the Lord my Refuge“ ;

while the Vulgate translators thought it to be derived from nasas (H), meaning ” hoist; lift up“, thus rendered it ”Jehovah is my Exaltation“ ;

NIV translated it as ”The Lord is my Banner “

Jehovah-rapha  ( Exodus 15:26 ) means ”Lord our healer“. 

After God delivered Israel from Egypt, Moses led Israel from Red Sea into the Desert of Shur.  When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water as it was bitter.  So the people grumbled against Moses.  After Moses cried out to the Lord, and the lord showed him a piece of wood, which he threw into the water, and the water became fit to drink.  There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction to the Israel to obey God’s commands, so no disease would ever strike them.

NIV translated it as ”I am the Lord, who heals you“

Jehovah-sabaoth ( Amos 4:13 ) is the name Amos called God, meaning ”The Lord of host“ of armies on earth, the stars and the angels.  Implying that Jehovah is the Supreme Ruler.

NIV translated it as ”Lord Almighty“

Jehovah-shammah ( Ezekiel 48:35 ) is the name given to the city in Ezekiel’s vision.  It means ”The Lord is there“

Jehovah-shalom ( Judges 6:24 ) is the name give to the place in Ophrah where Gideon built an alter, after he saw an angle of the Lord face to face.  The Lord assigned Gideon to deliver Israel from the hand of the Midianites, which Gideon accepted with much doubts. 

It means ”The Lord is peace“

Joseph's Coat = Amaranthus tricolor

Jospeh’s coat is Amaranthus tricolor.  It is native to South America, yet may of its varieties are widely distributed all around the world. 

Joseph’s coat or A. tricolor sometimes interchangeably refer to other amaranths, A. gangeticus, A. dubius or any of its species.  It is because there are very few distinguished characters among ±70 species of the Amaranthus genus, thus making it difficult to differentiate them. 

A. tricolor, as the name suggested, has striking yellow, red and green foliage.  The leaves may be eaten as a salad vegetables, as well as cooked as a leafy vegetable.

Biblical Account ( Genesis 37 )

Joseph’s father Jacob favoured him and gave Joseph as a gift when he was 17 years of age.  As a result, he was envied by his brothers, who saw the special coat as an indication that Joseph would assume the family leadership.

Jacob may had favoured Joseph most out of his 12 sons, from the fact that Joseph was the son of Rachel, Jacob’s first love.

His brother’s suspicious grew when Joseph told them of his two dreams in which all the brothers bowed down to him.   His brothers then plotted to kill him, had not the eldest brother Reuben interposed.  Reuben persuaded them instead to throw Joseph into a pit and secretly planned to rescue him later. 

However, while Reuben was away, they others sold Joseph to Ishmaelite merchants for 20 pieces of silver.  The brothers then dipped Joseph’s coat in goat blood and showed it to their father, saying that Joseph had been torn apart by wild beasts