九月二十一日

我必歡喜施恩與他們。（耶32：41）

神歡喜屬他的聖徒實在是信徒所當快樂的一件事！我們不明白我們有什麽理由使神歡喜；我們不能使自己歡喜，因爲我們常有悲哀，常背重擔；想到我們的罪，看到我們的不信，我們也怕屬神的人不能歡喜我們，因爲他們必知曉我們的缺陷和愚妄；他們非但不羡慕我們的美點，反而爲我們的過犯傷心。但我們却喜歡靠著這超然的真理、這榮耀的奧秘而生存；新郎怎樣喜悅新婦，神也照樣喜悅我們。聖經中從沒有一處說神歡喜終年積雪的高山，或是晶瑩的明星，但我們却讀到過他歡喜住在地上的人，他喜愛人的兒子。聖經中也沒有一處記載著他對基路伯和撒拉弗說“你却要稱爲我所喜悅的……因爲耶和華喜悅你”；但他却這樣向我們這些被罪所敗壞，被拯救，被高舉，幷被他的恩典所榮耀的人說過。他表現他歡喜他民的話是多麽清楚有力呀！誰知道永生神會唱出這樣一支歌來呢？但經上說：“他在你中間必因你歡欣喜樂，默然愛你，且因你喜樂而歡呼。”當他察看他所造的世界時，他說“都甚好”；但當他看耶穌的血所買來的，他自己所揀選的民時，無限之神的偉大的心不能抑制的喜樂便像歌聲一樣涌流而出。我們不當爲他奇妙大愛的宣告存著感恩的心回答說“我要因耶和華歡欣，因救我的神喜樂”嗎？

“神歡喜施恩與我們，樂意賜福于我們。”

September 21

"I will rejoice over them to do them good." -- Jeremiah 32:41

How heart-cheering to the believer is the delight which God has in His saints! We cannot see any reason in ourselves why the Lord should take pleasure in us; we cannot take delight in ourselves, for we often have to groan, being burdened; conscious of our sinfulness, and deploring our unfaithfulness; and we fear that God's people cannot take much delight in us, for they must perceive so much of our imperfections and our follies, that they may rather lament our infirmities than admire our graces. But we love to dwell upon this transcendent truth, this glorious mystery: that as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so does the Lord rejoice over us. We do not read anywhere that God delighteth in the cloud-capped mountains, or the sparkling stars, but we do read that He delighteth in the habitable parts of the earth, and that His delights are with the sons of men. We do not find it written that even angels give His soul delight; nor doth He say, concerning cherubim and seraphim, "Thou shalt be called Hephzibah, for the Lord delighteth in thee"; but He does say all that to poor fallen creatures like ourselves, debased and depraved by sin, but saved, exalted, and glorified by His grace. In what strong language He expresses His delight in His people! Who could have conceived of the eternal One as bursting forth into a song? Yet it is written, "He will rejoice over thee with joy, He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing." As He looked upon the world He had made, He said, "It is very good"; but when He beheld those who are the purchase of Jesus' blood, His own chosen ones, it seemed as if the great heart of the Infinite could restrain itself no longer, but overflowed in divine exclamations of joy. Should not we utter our grateful response to such a marvellous declaration of His love, and sing, "I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation?"