第02章 选民
§1
第02章 选民
§2
Chap. 2 -The Chosen People
§3
犹太人等候救主降临，已经一千多年了。他们把最光明的希望，寄托在这件大事上。在诗歌和预言中，在圣殿的礼节和家庭的礼拜中，他们都崇奉救主的名。然而到他降临的时候，他们却不认识他。在他们看来，上帝的爱子“像根出于干地。他无佳形美容”，在他身上也看不出什么美貌，令人羡慕。“他到自己的地方来，自己的人倒不接待他。”（赛53:2；约1:11）[1]{DA 27.1}
§4
For more than a thousand years the Jewish people had awaited the Saviours coming. Upon this event they had rested their brightest hopes. In song and prophecy, in temple rite and household prayer, they had enshrined His name. And yet at His coming they knew Him not. The Beloved of heaven was to them as a root out of a dry ground; He had no form nor comeliness; and they saw in Him no beauty that they should desire Him. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. Isaiah 53:2; John 1:11. {DA 27.1}[1]
§5
然而上帝早就拣选了以色列人，呼召他们在人间持守他的律法，并保存有关救主的预言和表号的知识。上帝的美意是要叫这一切的启示，成为全世界救恩的泉源。如亚伯拉罕在寄居之地、约瑟在埃及和但以理在巴比伦朝廷中所作的一样，希伯来人也当在世人面前彰显上帝。[2]{DA 27.2}
§6
Yet God had chosen Israel. He had called them to preserve among men the knowledge of His law, and of the symbols and prophecies that pointed to the Saviour. He desired them to be as wells of salvation to the world. What Abraham was in the land of his sojourn, what Joseph was in Egypt, and Daniel in the courts of Babylon, the Hebrew people were to be among the nations. They were to reveal God to men. {DA 27.2}[2]
§7
上帝呼召亚伯拉罕时说：“我必赐福给你，……你也要叫人得福。……地上的万族都要因你得福。”（创12:2-3）这教训曾由众先知反复传讲。即使在以色列人战败被掳，由盛转衰之后，这赐福的应许仍然属于他们。“雅各余剩的人必在多国的民中，如从耶和华那里降下的露水，又如甘霖降在草上；不仗赖人力，也不等候世人之功。”（弥5:7）论到耶路撒冷的圣殿，主曾借着以赛亚宣布：“我的殿必称为万民祷告的殿。”（赛56:7）[3]{DA 27.3}
§8
In the call of Abraham the Lord had said, I will bless thee; . . . and thou shalt be a blessing: . . . and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Genesis 12:2, 3. The same teaching was repeated through the prophets. Even after Israel had been wasted by war and captivity, the promise was theirs, The remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men. Micah 5:7. Concerning the temple at Jerusalem, the Lord declared through Isaiah, Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all peoples. Isaiah 56:7, R. V. {DA 27.3}[3]
§9
然而，以色列人只把希望寄托于属世的强大上。进入迦南之后，他们竟离弃了上帝的诫命，而去随从外邦的风俗。上帝虽差遣他的众先知去警戒他们，并使他们遭受异族压迫的惩罚，却仍是枉然。每当改过自新之后，以色列民族总是又一次陷入更严重的背叛。[4]{DA 28.1}
§10
But the Israelites fixed their hopes upon worldly greatness. From the time of their entrance to the land of Canaan, they departed from the commandments of God, and followed the ways of the heathen. It was in vain that God sent them warning by His prophets. In vain they suffered the chastisement of heathen oppression. Every reformation was followed by deeper apostasy. {DA 28.1}[4]
§11
如果以色列人效忠上帝，他就必赐给他们尊荣和高位，以成就他的美意。他们若行顺从的路，上帝就要使他们“得称扬、美名、尊荣，超乎他所造的万民之上。”摩西曾对以色列众人说：“天下万民见你归在耶和华的名下，就要惧怕你。”“他们听见这一切律例，必说：‘这大国的人真是有智慧、有聪明。’”（申26:19,28:10,4:6）但由于以色列民的不忠，上帝的旨意就只能透过他们的不断受苦受辱来实行了。[5]{DA 28.2}
§12
Had Israel been true to God, He could have accomplished His purpose through their honor and exaltation. If they had walked in the ways of obedience, He would have made them high above all nations which He hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honor. All people of the earth, said Moses, shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee. The nations which shall hear all these statutes shall say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. Deuteronomy 26:19; 28:10; Deuteronomy 4:6. But because of their unfaithfulness, Gods purpose could be wrought out only through continued adversity and humiliation. {DA 28.2}[5]
§13
终于，以色列民被掳到巴比伦为奴，并从此分散到世界各地。在苦难之中，有许多人醒悟过来，重新宣誓效忠于上帝的约。当他们把琴挂在柳树上，为荒凉的圣殿哀哭时（诗137:2），真理之光就藉着他们照耀出去，那与上帝有关的真知识便得以传播于列国之中。异邦的祭祀歪曲了上帝所定制度的原意。许多真诚履行异邦仪式的人，从希伯来人那里学得上帝所定祭礼的真义，就用信心握住有关救赎主的应许。[6]{DA 28.3}
§14
They were brought into subjection to Babylon, and scattered through the lands of the heathen. In affliction many renewed their faithfulness to His covenant. While they hung their harps upon the willows, and mourned for the holy temple that was laid waste, the light of truth shone out through them, and a knowledge of God was spread among the nations. The heathen systems of sacrifice were a perversion of the system that God had appointed; and many a sincere observer of heathen rites learned from the Hebrews the meaning of the service divinely ordained, and in faith grasped the promise of a Redeemer. {DA 28.3}[6]
§15
被掳的人中有许多遭受逼迫。不少人因不肯放弃安息日来遵守异邦的节日而丧生。当拜偶像者起来扑灭真理时，主就使他的仆人在君王和官长面前作见证，使他们和百姓得以领受真光。屡次有强大的君王宣布，被掳的希伯来人所敬拜的上帝是至高的真神。[7]{DA 28.4}
§16
Many of the exiles suffered persecution. Not a few lost their lives because of their refusal to disregard the Sabbath and to observe the heathen festivals. As idolaters were roused to crush out the truth, the Lord brought His servants face to face with kings and rulers, that they and their people might receive the light. Time after time the greatest monarchs were led to proclaim the supremacy of the God whom their Hebrew captives worshiped. {DA 28.4}[7]
§17
在巴比伦作囚奴的生活，根治了以色列人拜偶像的恶习。他们被异邦的仇敌压迫，遭受苦难达数百年之久，才终于明白，民族的兴盛全在于顺从上帝的律法。然而，其中大多数人的顺从，并非出于爱的激励，而是被自私的动机驱使。他们以侍奉上帝的外表为强国的手段；他们没有成为世上的光，却闭关自守，以期逃避拜偶像的试探。借着摩西，上帝曾警戒以色列人，限制他们与拜偶像之人来往。但这教训被他们误解了。上帝的本意是要防止犹太人随从外邦人的行为，他们却以此在自己和别国之间筑起一道隔绝的墙。犹太人视耶路撒冷城为他们的天堂，并且心怀嫉妒，唯恐上帝向外邦人施恩。[8]{DA 28.5}
§18
By the Babylonish captivity the Israelites were effectually cured of the worship of graven images. During the centuries that followed, they suffered from the oppression of heathen foes, until the conviction became fixed that their prosperity depended upon their obedience to the law of God. But with too many of the people obedience was not prompted by love. The motive was selfish. They rendered outward service to God as the means of attaining to national greatness. They did not become the light of the world, but shut themselves away from the world in order to escape temptation to idolatry. In the instruction given through Moses, God had placed restrictions upon their association with idolaters; but this teaching had been misinterpreted. It was intended to prevent them from conforming to the practices of the heathen. But it was used to build up a wall of separation between Israel and all other nations. The Jews looked upon Jerusalem as their heaven, and they were actually jealous lest the Lord should show mercy to the Gentiles. {DA 28.5}[8]
§19
从巴比伦归回之后，宗教教育受到高度重视。全国各处建立了会堂，其中有祭司和文士讲解律法。各地兴办了学校，除研究艺术和科技之外，也讲授公义的原则。可是这些机构全都腐化了。因为在被掳的岁月中，许多人接受了异教的思想和风俗，并将其掺合在自己的崇拜中。在许多事上他们都随从了拜偶像者的行为。[9]{DA 29.1}
§20
After the return from Babylon, much attention was given to religious instruction. All over the country, synagogues were erected, where the law was expounded by the priests and scribes. And schools were established, which, together with the arts and sciences, professed to teach the principles of righteousness. But these agencies became corrupted. During the captivity, many of the people had received heathen ideas and customs, and these were brought into their religious service. In many things they conformed to the practices of idolaters. {DA 29.1}[9]
§21
犹太人既离弃了上帝，就看不出宗教仪式中大部分的教训。这仪式原是基督亲自制订的。其中的每一部分都是预表祂自己，而且富有活力和属灵的美。但是犹太人在他们的礼节中失去了属灵的生命，而墨守死板的形式。他们信赖祭物和礼仪本身，而不依靠这些事物所预表的主。为要弥补他们所失去的灵意，祭司和拉比们就增加了自造的教条。这些教条愈来愈严紧，则所显示上帝的爱却愈见减少。他们以仪式的多寡，来衡量自己的圣洁，但他们的心里却藏满了骄傲，自恃和伪善。[10]{DA 29.2}
§22
As they departed from God, the Jews in a great degree lost sight of the teaching of the ritual service. That service had been instituted by Christ Himself. In every part it was a symbol of Him; and it had been full of vitality and spiritual beauty. But the Jews lost the spiritual life from their ceremonies, and clung to the dead forms. They trusted to the sacrifices and ordinances themselves, instead of resting upon Him to whom they pointed. In order to supply the place of that which they had lost, the priests and rabbis multiplied requirements of their own; and the more rigid they grew, the less of the love of God was manifested. They measured their holiness by the multitude of their ceremonies, while their hearts were filled with pride and hypocrisy. {DA 29.2}[10]
§23
上帝的律法被人为地加上了许多繁琐的条文，就变成了沉重不堪的教条，人也就不可能守住了。凡愿侍奉上帝并遵守拉比（犹太教师）规条的人，无不被这些重担弄得疲惫不堪。他们的良心被搅扰，无法得到安宁。撒但就这样使以色列人灰心丧志，降低了他们对上帝品德的信念，并使他们的信仰被人轻视。撒但想要借此证实他在天上反叛时所提出的理由：上帝的律法是不公正的，是不能服从的。他宣称，连以色列人也没有遵守。[11]{DA 29.3}
§24
With all their minute and burdensome injunctions, it was an impossibility to keep the law. Those who desired to serve God, and who tried to observe the rabbinical precepts, toiled under a heavy burden. They could find no rest from the accusings of a troubled conscience. Thus Satan worked to discourage the people, to lower their conception of the character of God, and to bring the faith of Israel into contempt. He hoped to establish the claim put forth when he rebelled in heaven,--that the requirements of God were unjust, and could not be obeyed. Even Israel, he declared, did not keep the law. {DA 29.3}[11]
§25
犹太人指望弥赛亚救主的降临。可是他们并没有正确认识弥赛亚的使命，他们所渴求的并不是从罪恶中得到救赎，而是从罗马人手里得解放。他们希冀弥赛亚作为征服者出现，摧垮压迫者的权势，带领以色列民族统治天下。这种错误的认识，就为他们日后拒绝救主的行动埋下了伏笔。[12]{DA 29.4}
§26
While the Jews desired the advent of the Messiah, they had no true conception of His mission. They did not seek redemption from sin, but deliverance from the Romans. They looked for the Messiah to come as a conqueror, to break the oppressors power, and exalt Israel to universal dominion. Thus the way was prepared for them to reject the Saviour. {DA 29.4}[12]
§27
耶稣降生时，犹太国正处于内忧外患的困境之中。犹太人虽然获准保持独立的政府，但毕竟是罗马统治下的傀儡。犹太民族不甘忍受罗马权势的束缚，这一点是掩饰不住的。他们的统治者掌有大祭司的任免权。为此，人们往往不惜用欺骗、贿赂，甚至谋杀的手段来获得大祭司的职分。于是祭司们越来越腐败。民众遭受他们无情的勒索，同时还要负担罗马国的重税。这种局势造成了普遍的不满。民间的骚动时有发生。贪婪、强暴、猜疑和灵性的冷淡，已经将国家的命脉销蚀殆尽了。[13]{DA 30.1}
§28
At the time of the birth of Christ the nation was chafing under the rule of her foreign masters, and racked with internal strife. The Jews had been permitted to maintain the form of a separate government; but nothing could disguise the fact that they were under the Roman yoke, or reconcile them to the restriction of their power. The Romans claimed the right of appointing and removing the high priest, and the office was often secured by fraud, bribery, and even murder. Thus the priesthood became more and more corrupt. Yet the priests still possessed great power, and they employed it for selfish and mercenary ends. The people were subjected to their merciless demands, and were also heavily taxed by the Romans. This state of affairs caused widespread discontent. Popular outbreaks were frequent. Greed and violence, distrust and spiritual apathy, were eating out the very heart of the nation. {DA 30.1}[13]
§29
对罗马的憎恨、民族的优越感和灵性上的骄傲，使以色列人仍然严格地固守敬拜的形式。祭司们拘泥于宗教的仪礼，想借此保持他们圣洁的声望。处在黑暗和压迫之下的以色列民，和贪图权势的官长，都盼望弥赛亚快来振兴以色列国。他们虽曾研究预言，却因没有属灵的眼光，而忽略了许多指明基督第一次降临时忍屈受辱的经文，又错把那些论及他第二次来临时得荣耀的话附会上去。骄傲蒙蔽了眼光，他们一味地按私意来强解预言。[14]{DA 30.2}
§30
Hatred of the Romans, and national and spiritual pride, led the Jews still to adhere rigorously to their forms of worship. The priests tried to maintain a reputation for sanctity by scrupulous attention to the ceremonies of religion. The people, in their darkness and oppression, and the rulers, thirsting for power, longed for the coming of One who would vanquish their enemies and restore the kingdom to Israel. They had studied the prophecies, but without spiritual insight. Thus they overlooked those scriptures that point to the humiliation of Christs first advent, and misapplied those that speak of the glory of His second coming. Pride obscured their vision. They interpreted prophecy in accordance with their selfish desires. {DA 30.2}[14]