一月二十四日

他必救你脫離捕鳥人的網羅（詩91:3）

神拯救他的子民脫離捕鳥人的網羅有兩種意義。就是“脫”和“離”。第一，他救他們得脫網羅——不叫他們被捕，不使他們進入網羅；第二，若他們已經被捕去，他就救他們離開網羅。對於某些人第一個應許是寶貴的，而在另一些人後者便是最好的了。

“他必救你脫網羅。”怎樣救法呢？苦難常是神救我們的方法。神知道我們的背道，必使我們趨於毀滅，他因為憐憫我們，所以使刑杖臨到我們。我們說：“主啊！為什麼要這樣呢？”我們並不明白我們的苦難是救我們不犯更大之罪的方法。有很多人因著他們的悲哀和十架而救了自己，得免毀滅；這些像網羅一樣使鳥嚇飛了。有時，神為要救他的民脫離捕鳥人的網羅，就賜更大的靈力給他的子民，好在他們被罪惡引誘時說：“我怎能作這大惡得罪神呢？”當信徒在罪惡來臨之時，進了網羅，但神仍能使他脫離，這是一件多麼好的事呀？遠離神的人啊！雖然你被打倒了，卻不要失望。你雖流離失所，且聽你的救贖主對你所說的話吧：“背道的孩子啊！回來吧！我要憐憫你。”但你說你不能回來，因為你已被擄去。那麼，你要留心聽這應許吧：“他必救你脫離捕鳥人的網羅。”你雖落在百般的罪惡當中，也必被救拔出來，你雖不停地為已罪懊悔，但他曾愛你，必不拋棄你；他要接受你，給你歡喜和快樂，被折斷的骨頭必得歡樂。樂園的鳥必沒有一個死在捕鳥人的網羅的。

January 24

"Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler." --Psalm 91:3

God delivers His people from the snare of the fowler in two senses. From, and out of. First, He delivers them from the snare--does not let them enter it; and secondly, if they should be caught therein, He delivers them out of it. The first promise is the most precious to some; the second is the best to others.

"He shall deliver thee from the snare." How? Trouble is often the means whereby God delivers us. God knows that our backsliding will soon end in our destruction, and He in mercy sends the rod. We say, "Lord, why is this?" not knowing that our trouble has been the means of delivering us from far greater evil. Many have been thus saved from ruin by their sorrows and their crosses; these have frightened the birds from the net. At other times, God keeps His people from the snare of the fowler by giving them great spiritual strength, so that when they are tempted to do evil they say, "How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" But what a blessed thing it is that if the believer shall, in an evil hour, come into the net, yet God will bring him out of it! O backslider, be cast down, but do not despair. Wanderer though thou hast been, hear what thy Redeemer saith--"Return, O backsliding children; I will have mercy upon you." But you say you cannot return, for you are a captive. Then listen to the promise--"Surely He shall deliver thee out of the snare of the fowler." Thou shalt yet be brought out of all evil into which thou hast fallen, and though thou shalt never cease to repent of thy ways, yet He that hath loved thee will not cast thee away; He will receive thee, and give thee joy and gladness, that the bones which He has broken may rejoice. No bird of paradise shall die in the fowler's net.