10月23日

標　　題：第二次

經　　節：耶和華的話二次臨到約拿。（約拿書三章1節）

約拿不喜歡神交給他的任務。神指示他離開自己的家鄉，去敵國尼尼微城。尼尼微是以色列的對敵，是邪惡偶像崇拜的中心。約拿的任務是去警告那裡的百姓，即將逼近神的審判，並且鼓勵他們悔改。希伯來人憎恨尼尼微人，所以這個不順服的先知往相反的方向跑，希望神會有不同且較合自己心意的旨意。相反地，神定意要約拿遵守自己原來的旨意（以賽亞書五十五：11）。祂又對約拿說話。祂第二次的指示和第一次的指示一模一樣。然而，在這兩次指示之間，約拿曾經與波濤搏鬥，並在魚腹中待了三天。這回，他已經預備好要聽從神的話，照神的吩咐行。

神的話也曾兩次臨到耶利米（耶利米書卅三：1∼3）。但是，耶利米在第一次就聽從神的話。神第二次對他說的話，是更完全地啟示上回祂所說的話。

神接下來對我們說的話，取決於我們對祂上回指示的回應。如果我們像約拿一樣，不順服神早先的指示，神會再次給我們同樣的指示。如果我們像耶利米一樣，在祂第一次指示時就立即順服，祂會讓我們更深地領受祂的旨意（馬太福音廿五：23）。

如果你好一陣子不曾從神那裡領受任何新鮮的話語，你要回到神上回對你的指示，並且檢驗自己是否順服神。主是否仍然在等待你的順服？要像耶利米一樣，第一次就順服神的指示。

A Second Time

Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time. (Jonah 3:1)

Jonah didn’t like the assignment God gave him. God directed him to leave his homeland and go to the enemy city of Nineveh, a hostile and evil center of idol worship. There Jonah was to warn the people of God’s impending judgment and urge them to repent. The Hebrews hated the people of Nineveh, so the rebellious prophet fled in the opposite direction, hoping for a different word from God that was more to his liking. Instead, God was determined that his word to Jonah would be obeyed (Isa. 55:11). He spoke to Jonah again. His second message was the same as the first. However, during the interval, Jonah had been buffeted by storms and had traveled in the stomach of a fish for three days. This time, he was prepared to hear God again and do His bidding.

God also spoke to the prophet Jeremiah two times (Jer. 33:1–3). But Jeremiah accepted God’s word to him the first time. The second time God spoke to him was to give him a fuller revelation of what He had first told him.

What God says to us next will depend on how we responded to His previous word to us. If, like Jonah, we disobeyed His earlier instructions, God will give them a second time. If we obeyed His first directive, as Jeremiah did, He will give us a fresh and deeper expression of His will (Matt. 25:23).

If you have not received a fresh word from God, return to the last thing God told you and examine your obedience. Is the Lord still waiting for your obedience? Seek to be like Jeremiah, and properly respond to your Lord’s instructions the first time.