基督教宣道會北角堂

二○二一年二月十三日／十四日 Click here for English

有福的人

周曉暉牧師

謹自譯「詩篇一一二篇」，作為對北宣家人的新春賀辭：祝願大家成為有福的人！

1	哈利路亞*
	有福的人　敬畏上主
	祂的吩咐　樂於遵從
2	兒孫滿堂　人才輩出
	正直的人　後代蒙福
3	生活豐裕　家境富足
	慷慨仁義　一直長存
4	黑中作光　照亮人群
	如主恩惠　憐憫公義
5	神看為好　恩助他人
	言說行事　盡皆公道
6	長久以來　不會動搖
	公義的人　永被記念
7	噩耗流言　他不驚怕
	心中沉穩　只靠上主
8	心中堅定　他不驚怕
	直到最後　見敵遭報
9	他廣施予　救助貧寒
	慷慨仁義　一直長存
	必得尊重　昂首闊步
10	惡人看見　怒火中燒
	雖然不憤　仍必敗退
	眾惡所謀　終歸無有

* 此為字母詩，除起初的「哈利路亞」外，22 行詩句是按 22 個希伯來字母順序寫成。

平常日子行公義　福從何來敬畏神
福的起點，是敬畏上主。無論何事，只要不偏離這最重要的基礎，就必能走在正路之上。這樣，人怎會不得福？但甚麼是「福」呢？家道豐富嗎？非也。原來在平常生活中，敬畏神的人是會顧己及人；賺取生活所需，而不謀取暴利。凡事以公義的原則過活，你就走得更遠，且能正面影響旁人和後代（1-3 節），這是真正的「福」。

無常日子光照人　公道言行神讚好
世局常變，敬畏神的人要像光一樣，照亮黑暗的角落。在黑雲密佈的日子中，你去恩待和實際地幫扶他人，就算面對公義不彰的一刻，你仍公道地說話和行事。上主看見，上主知道，上主看為好（4-6 節），這是真正的「福」。

反常日子好憐憫　堅持到底倚靠神
平常行公義不難；無常之時，公道待人還可為之；但在是非顛倒的時日呢？敬畏神的人，在反常的處境裡，仍可選擇繼續行善。當然這樣行不等於人人都贊成，反而有人會因此遷怒於你（這詩中的敵人，都是同一個社群的人）。此時，你的心仍有平安，因你是倚靠上主的。而你將來必得見神的判定，惡人無一能笑到最後（7-10節）。這也是真正的「福」啊！

祝願大家在這個農曆新年裡，無論是在平常、無常和反常的處境中，都成「有福的人」！

The Blessed One

Rev Arnold Chow

Below is my own paraphrase of Psalm 112 as my Lunar New Year message to the NPAC Family (please see the Chinese bulletin for the original Chinese version). May all of you be blessed!

Psalm 112

1	Hallelujah.*
	Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
	who finds great delight in his commands.
2	His children will be remarkable and plentiful;
	the offspring of the upright will be blessed.
3	Wealth and riches are in his house,
	and his generosity and righteousness endure forever.
4	He sheds light in darkness, illuminating the crowds;
	he is gracious and compassionate and righteous like the Lord.
5	God calls him good, for he is generous and lends freely;
	he speaks and conducts his affairs with justice.
6	Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
	he will be remembered forever.
7	He will have no fear of bad news and hearsay;
	his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
8	His heart is secure, he will have no fear;
	in the end he will see their foes paying the price.
9	He has freely scattered his gifts to the poor,
	his generosity and righteousness endure forever;
	he will be respected and his head lifted up in honor.
10	The wicked will see and be vexed,
	he will gnash his teeth and waste away;
	the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

*This is an acrostic psalm. The 22-line poem after "Hallelujah" is written in the order of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Ordinary days: Do justice and receive blessings by fearing God – Blessings flow from the fear of the Lord. Whatever you do, keep to this baseline and you will not go astray. That is for sure. What is a blessing? Riches? No. Those who fear God in daily life will not just take care of themselves, but also others. They earn what they need without profiteering. They keep to the principle of righteousness, and in doing so go farther and make a positive impact on others and the next generation (verses 1-3). This is a real "blessing."

Uncertain days: Let your light shine, speak and act in fairness to win praises from God – The times change. Those who fear God should light up the dark corners. In dark, gloomy days, be gracious and lend practical help to others. Even when injustice prevails, speak and act in fairness. The Lord sees. The Lord knows. The Lord calls them good (verses 4-6). This is a real "blessing."

Hard times: Be compassionate, steadfast and trust in God – In ordinary days, it is not difficult to practice righteousness. In uncertain days, we may still treat others fairly. But what about the times when right is wrong? When the going gets tough, those who fear God can still continue to choose doing good. Of course, not everyone would agree to this. On the contrary, some will shift their blame on you (The "foes" in this psalm are people in the same community). But at this time, you will still have peace like a river because you trust in the Lord. Ultimately, you will see God’s final verdict. No wicked person can laugh till the end (verses 7-10). This is also a real "blessing"!

In this Chinese New Year, may all of you be "blessed" – whether in ordinary, uncertain, or hard times!