带有警告的承诺

以色列的历史在祝福和大灾难的时期中徊徨着。在灾难时期质疑上帝的信实、忘记祝福的日子是人性的所在。

当我们忘记上帝的信实时也会忘记我们的罪和不顺服，这是造成悲剧的原因。

当以色列要进入到应许之地时，上帝给她一个承诺。

申命记11:1-9

 “你要爱耶和华——你的神，常守他的吩咐、律例、典章、诫命。

你们今日当知道，我本不是和你们的儿女说话；因为他们不知道，也，没有看见耶和华——你们神的管教、威严、大能的手，和伸出来的臂膀，

并他在埃及中向埃及法老王和其全地所行的神迹奇事；

也没有看见他怎样待埃及的军兵、车马，他们追赶你们的时候，耶和华怎样使红海的水淹没他们，将他们灭绝，直到今日，

并他在旷野怎样待你们，以致你们来到这地方；

也没有看见他怎样待呂便子孙以利押的儿子大坍、亚比兰，地怎样在以色列人中间开口，吞了他们和他们的家眷，并帐篷与跟他们一切的活物。

惟有你们亲眼看见耶和华所做的一切大事。”

“所以，你们要守我今日所吩咐的一切诫命，使你们壮胆，能以进去，得你们所要得的那地，

并使你们的日子在耶和华向你们列祖起誓、应许给他们和他们的后裔的地上得以长久；那是流奶与蜜之地。”

但这是一条带有警告的承诺！

申命记11：13-17

 “你们若留意听从我今日所吩咐的诫命，爱耶和华——你们的神，尽心尽性事奉他，

他必按时降秋雨春雨在你们的地上，使你们可以收藏五谷、新酒、和油，

也必使你吃得饱足，并使田野为你的牲畜长草。

你们要谨慎，免得心中受迷惑，就偏离正路，去事奉别神。

耶和华的怒气向你们发作，就使天闭塞不下雨，地也不出产，使你们在耶和华所赐给你们的美地上速速灭亡。

祈祷以色列记得上帝的信实和自己的不忠信

A promise with a warning

Israel’s history vacillates between times of blessing and times of great tragedy.  It is human nature to question God’s faithfulness in the times of tragedy and forget in times of blessing. While we forget God’s faithfulness we ALSO forget our sin and rebellion which is the cause of the tragedy.  God gave Israel a promise when they were about to cross into the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy 11:1-9

“Therefore you shall love the Lord your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always. Know today that I do not speak with your children, who have not known and who have not seen the chastening of the Lord your God, His greatness and His mighty hand and His outstretched arm—His signs and His acts which He did in the midst of Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to all his land;  what He did to the army of Egypt, to their horses and their chariots: how He made the waters of the Red Sea overflow them as they pursued you, and how the Lord has destroyed them to this day; what He did for you in the wilderness until you came to this place;  and what He did to Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, their households, their tents, and all the substance that was in their possession, in the midst of all Israel—but your eyes have seen every great act of the Lord which He did.

 “Therefore you shall keep every commandment which I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land which you cross over to possess, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord swore to give your fathers, to them and their descendants, ‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’

But it was promise with a warning!

Deuteronomy 11:13-17

 ‘And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I^[b] will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.’ “Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them, lest the Lord’s anger be aroused against you, and He shut up the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield no produce, and you perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you.

PRAY ISRAEL WILL REMEMBER BOTH GOD’S FAITHFULNESS AND HER UNFAITHFULNESS!