二月二十二日

但他的弓仍舊堅硬，他的手健壯敏捷，這是因以色列的牧者，以色列的磐石，就是雅各的大能者。（創49:24）

神所給約瑟的力量是真正的力量，並非常人的幻泡虛影，旋即化為雲煙的誇大之詞；那是真實的，屬神幫助他。為什麼約瑟能在受引誘的時候站立得住呢？因為神幫助他。若我們沒有神的能力什麼事也就不能作。一切的力量都是從“雅各的大能者”來的，神也把這力量同樣地給了約瑟。神把自己的手放在約瑟的手上，把自己的膀臂放在約瑟的膀臂上；父親怎樣教導孩子作事，神也照樣教導敬畏他的人，他把自己的膀臂放在他們的膀臂之上。神這樣的俯就人是多麼令人驚訝呀！神是全能的，永活的，大能的，從他的寶座上屈身把自己的手放在他孩子的手上，伸出他的膀臂來放在約瑟的膀臂上，好使他健壯！這種力量也是約的力量，是從神的約而來的，因為在這裡提到“雅各的大能者”，所以當你在聖經中每逢念到雅各的神時，你要記住他與雅各所立的約。基督徒喜愛想到神的約。我們所有的一切能力、一切恩惠、一切福分、一切恩憐、一切安慰、一切事都藉這約，從源頭流歸我們。若是沒有約，我們就失敗了，因為一切恩典都本於它，像光和熱出自太陽一樣。除了雅各所看到的上達立約之神的梯子之外，再也沒有一個可以使天使上去下來的梯子了。基督徒呀！弓箭手雖可射傷你，使你痛楚不堪，但你的弓仍舊堅硬；那末，讓我們把一切的榮耀歸給雅各的神吧！

February 22

"His bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob." --Genesis 49:24

That strength which God gives to His Josephs is real strength; it is not a boasted valour, a fiction, a thing of which men talk, but which ends in smoke; it is true--divine strength. Why does Joseph stand against temptation? Because God gives him aid. There is nought that we can do without the power of God. All true strength comes from "the mighty God of Jacob." Notice in what a blessedly familiar way God gives this strength to Joseph--"The arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob." Thus God is represented as putting His hands on Joseph's hands, placing His arms on Joseph's arms. Like as a father teaches his children, so the Lord teaches them that fear Him. He puts His arms upon them. Marvellous condescension! God Almighty, Eternal, Omnipotent, stoops from His throne and lays His hand upon the child's hand, stretching His arm upon the arm of Joseph, that he may be made strong! This strength was also covenant strength, for it is ascribed to "the mighty God of Jacob." Now, wherever you read of the God of Jacob in the Bible, you should remember the covenant with Jacob. Christians love to think of God's covenant. All the power, all the grace, all the blessings, all the mercies, all the comforts, all the things we have, flow to us from the well-head, through the covenant. If there were no covenant, then we should fail indeed; for all grace proceeds from it, as light and heat from the sun. No angels ascend or descend, save upon that ladder which Jacob saw, at the top of which stood a covenant God. Christian, it may be that the archers have sorely grieved you, and shot at you, and wounded you, but still your bow abides in strength; be sure, then, to ascribe all the glory to Jacob's God.