十一月七日

看哪，我將你銘刻在我掌上。（賽49：16）

這句話的奇妙在于“看哪”二字，因爲前面不信的人所說的悲哀的話語才使神這樣慨嘆。錫安說：“耶和華離弃了我，主忘記了我。”神對于這種不信的惡人所存的心是多麽奇妙！有什麽事能比神所恩待的人毫無根據地疑惑和懼怕更令人驚异呢？神責備我們的慈愛的話真使我們面紅耳赤；他說：“我既把你銘刻在我的掌上，我怎能忘記你呢？你既在我的身上爲記念，你怎敢懷疑我恒久的顧念呢？”不信的人哪！你是多麽令人希奇呀！我們不知道什麽是最希奇的事，是神的信實呢，還是他民的不信呢？他雖有千次成就了他的應許，但試驗再一次臨到之時我們又開始疑惑他了。

他永不失敗；他幷不是一口涸井；他幷不像落日、流星，或是蒸氣；然而我們却常受煩慮的苦惱、猜疑的困惑和懼怕的攪擾，好像把我們的神當作是荒漠中的海市蜃樓。“看哪！”足可激起我們的羡慕。這話真使我們希奇。天地都必因此震驚，因爲悖逆的人仍然被刻在他的掌上得以靠近神無限大愛的心懷。“我將你銘刻”，幷不說“你的名”。當然名字已在那裏，可是還不够：“我將你銘刻。”你看其中的意義是多豐滿！我將整個的你，你的形象、你的情景、你的環境、你的罪、你的試探、你的軟弱、你的需要、你的工作，都銘刻下來；我將你，你的一切，一切關于你的事銘刻下來；我把你完完全全銘刻在那裏。他既把你銘刻在他自己的掌上，你還會再說，他離弃了你嗎？

November 7

"Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands."--Isaiah 49:16

No doubt a part of the wonder which is concentrated in the word "Behold," is excited by the unbelieving lamentation of the preceding sentence. Zion said, "The Lord hath forsaken me, and my God hath forgotten me." How amazed the divine mind seems to be at this wicked unbelief! What can be more astounding than the unfounded doubts and fears of God's favoured people? The Lord's loving word of rebuke should make us blush; he cries, "How can I have forgotten thee, when I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands? How darest thou doubt my constant remembrance, when the memorial is set upon my very flesh?" O unbelief, how strange a marvel thou art! We know not which most to wonder at, the faithfulness of God or the unbelief of his people. He keeps his promise a thousand times, and yet the next trial makes us doubt him. He never faileth; he is never a dry well; he is never as a setting sun, a passing meteor, or a melting vapour; and yet we are as continually vexed with anxieties, molested with suspicions, and disturbed with fears, as if our God were the mirage of the desert. "Behold," is a word intended to excite admiration. Here, indeed, we have a theme for marvelling. Heaven and earth may well be astonished that rebels should obtain so great a nearness to the heart of infinite love as to be written upon the palms of his hands. "I have graven thee." It does not say, "Thy name." The name is there, but that is not all: "I have graven thee." See the fulness of this! I have graven thy person, thine image, thy case, thy circumstances, thy sins, thy temptations, thy weaknesses, thy wants, thy works; I have graven thee, everything about thee, all that concerns thee; I have put thee altogether there. Wilt thou ever say again that thy God hath forsaken thee when he has graven thee upon his own palms?