Article #16 the series: You Are God’s Masterpiece: The Genesis Notes.
你是神的杰作:《创世记手记》系列第十六
中文和英文版本语音
Listen to the Chinese or English Audio
If you are waiting for God to move in your life, don’t give in to the temptation to try and make something happen.
如果你在等候神在你生命中的动工，切记不要尝试向试探和诱惑屈服而擅自驱动某些事情发生。
God had given Abram the promise of descendants, but it seemed that this promise was taking a really long time to come to pass. The pressure was mounting, Abram and Sarai were not getting any younger and they still had no children.
神已应许赐给亚伯兰后裔，可这个应许似乎真的要很久才能实现。压力越来越大，亚伯兰和撒莱日渐衰老却依然膝下无子。
The issue of having no children was not something only on Abram’s mind. No children was also on his wife Sarai’s mind. She knew God’s promise and had been waiting along with Abram.
没有孩子这个问题不仅萦绕在亚伯兰的脑海里，撒莱也在思想这事。她知道神的应许，就和亚伯兰一同等候。
Waiting Too Long
等候太久！
This waiting was not just affecting Abram. The waiting was affecting his wife, Sarai. Both of them were waiting for God’s promise. This is both a spiritual and physical promise and is connected to something so incredibly intimate, their life as a couple, their life as a family, their future children.
这等待不仅影响着亚伯兰，也影响着他的妻子撒莱。他们俩都在等候神的应许。这个应许即是属灵的也是属肉体的，这个应许联结着某种极其亲密的关系，生命中的夫妻关系、生命中的家人关系，以及他们将来的孩子。
In the waiting time we see human nature appear. Abram could believe God when God spoke directly to Abram, when God said, “Look at the stars in the sky.” Abram believed. But now things were harder. The time waiting for the promise was difficult.
在等待中，我们看到显现出的人性。当神直接对亚伯兰说话，说：“你看天上的星星”时，亚伯兰能够信靠神。但如今情况变得越发艰难，等候应许的日子实在难熬。
Sarai Gets Involved
撒莱介入
Sarai did something I think a lot of us do. She thought about the promises of God and then wanted to get involved, wanted to help God out, so things could move on a little faster. Abram was getting old.
我认为撒莱做了我们很多人都会做的事，她对神的应许思虑良久，接着想插手进来帮助神，这样可以让事情进展得更快一点，亚伯兰渐渐老了。
In the Christian life there are many moments when we are waiting. Or moments when we are not sure what the future holds. Sometimes we feel we are in the dark and aren’t sure where to go or what to do as we are waiting on God. Unfortunately at those times we can find ourselves finding our own way out. Making the way instead of waiting for God to make the way.
在基督徒的一生中，许多时候我们都在等待中度过，或者不确定未来如何。有时，当等候神的时候，我们感到置身于黑暗之中，不知道该往哪里去或应做些什么。不幸的是，在那时候，我们靠着自己在找出路。让自已去开路，而不是要等候主来开路。
If we find ourselves in a dark place not sure where to go as we wait on the Lord, the book of Isaiah gives us a strong warning:
等候主的时候，如果发现自己身处黑暗之中却不知去往何方，以赛亚书给出了严重警告：
Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let the one walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God. But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from My hand: you will lie down in torment.
Isaiah 50:10-11 NIV
你们中间谁是敬畏耶和华，听从他仆人之话的？这人行在暗中，没有亮光，当倚靠耶和华的名，仗赖自己的神。凡你们点火，用火把围绕自己的，可以行在你们的火焰里，并你们所点的火把中。这是我所定的。你们必躺在悲惨之中。
以赛亚书 50:10-11
So Sarai gives her Egyptian servant, Hagar, to Abram as a wife. (Remember when this happened before. Abram gave Sarai away as a wife to Pharaoh of Egypt.) And with this one move generations were affected. Hagar becomes pregnant and everything in the household goes crazy. All of the sinful human nature comes out and we see the ugly side of this family.
于是撒莱把她的埃及使女夏甲给亚伯兰为妻。（还记得之前也发生过类似的事情，亚伯兰把撒莱送给埃及法老为妻。）这一安排影响了几代人。夏甲怀孕了，家里的一切都变得失控了。人的所有罪性都显露出来，我们看到了这个家族丑陋的一面。
Sarai’s Self Focus
撒莱的自我关注
Sarai goes to Abram with her plan.
撒莱把她的计划告诉了亚伯兰。
Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.” “Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.
Genesis 16:1-6 NIV
亚伯兰的妻子撒莱不给他生儿女。撒莱有一个使女名叫夏甲，是埃及人。撒莱对亚伯兰说：“耶和华使我不能生育，求你和我的使女同房，或者我可以因她得孩子（“得孩子”原文作“被建立”）。”亚伯兰听从了撒莱的话。于是亚伯兰的妻子撒莱将使女埃及人夏甲给了丈夫为妾。那时亚伯兰在迦南已经住了十年。亚伯兰与夏甲同房，夏甲就怀了孕。她见自已有孕，就小看她的主母。撒莱对亚伯兰说：“我因你受屈，我将我的使女放在你的怀中，她见自已有了孕就小看我，愿耶和华在你我中间判断。”亚伯兰对撒莱说：“使女在你手下，你可以随意待她。”撒莱苦待她，她就从撒莱面前逃走了。
创世记 16:1-6
What kind of character traits is Sarai displaying when she talks to Abram about future children?
当撒莱和亚伯兰谈论将来的孩子时，她表现出什么样的性格特征？
Sarai first shows her impatience and self-pity. She blames God for her misfortune. She sounds like God has done something terrible to her. And then she ends the sentence – she wants to build the family by using Hagar – for herself. She has waited long enough. She is going to take care of the situation.
撒莱首先表现出不耐烦和自怜。她将自己的不幸都怪罪于神，听起来仿佛神对她做了什么可怕的事。然后，她的结束语是-她可以因夏甲得孩子-是为了她自已。她已经等得够久了，她准备化解眼前的局面。
Sometimes we find our self in a situation like Sarai. We have waited for something and seems like it is taking too long:
我们也时常会发现自己的处境和撒莱一样。我们为某事而等，而且似乎等了很久。
- A promotion at work 工作晋升
- Approval from parents 父母的认可
- Marriage 婚姻
- Children 孩子
- Respect from colleagues 同事的尊重
- Respect from friends or family 朋友和家人的尊重
As we are waiting we start to get frustrated because we start focusing on ourselves and we start telling ourselves falsehoods like:
我们在等的时候，就开始变得沮丧，因为我们开始关注自我，开始对自已撒谎：
- I deserve this 我值得拥有这个
- I should have this 我应该拥有这个
- Someone is keeping this from me 有人不想让我拥有这个
- God is keeping this from me 神不想让我拥有这个
- I’ve done nothing wrong 我什么也没做错
- I’ve done all of the right things so this should be mine 我所做的都是正确的，这个应该属于我
The focus is more and more on me. Self-pity is pride and it is self-focused. Poor me; I should have this and I don’t have it … so I am going to get it. Sarai focuses on herself and comes up with a plan to benefit herself.
焦点越来越集中在自己身上。自怜就是骄傲，且关注自我。我真可怜，我本应有这个却没有，所以我要得到它！撒莱关注在自己身上，想出了一个对自己有利的计划。
Abram Follows
亚伯兰听从了
Abram goes along with his wife’s plan. He agreed with Sarai that it was time to move forward.
亚伯兰听从了他妻子的计划，同意了撒莱的做法：是时候往前看了。
Hagar Used
夏甲被利用
Hagar has no say because she is the servant. She is used by Sarai and Abram.
夏甲没有话语权，因她是仆人，她被撒莱和亚伯兰利用了。
Positive Result
积极的结果
They get the result they were hoping for: a baby. And now life starts to go terribly wrong.
他们如愿以偿，终于有了一个孩子。现在生活开始变得乱糟糟。
Hagar’s Pride and Escape
夏甲的骄傲和逃跑
Hagar now is feeling very proud of herself as if she is better than Sarai and she despises Sarai. Sarai’s plan has turned around and hurt her and she is upset again. She blames Abram.
夏甲现在感觉非常自豪，觉得自己胜过撒莱，于是小看她。撒莱的计划有变，而且害了自己，她又变得忧伤！她就责备亚伯兰。
“Then Sarai said to Abram, ‘You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.’”
Genesis 16:5 NIV
撒莱对亚伯兰说：“我因你受屈，我将我的使女放在你怀中，她见自己有了孕就小看我，愿耶和华在你我中间判断。”
创世记 16:5
Abram told Sarai she could do what she wanted with Hagar. So Sarai mistreated Hagar, the pregnant woman carrying Abram’s child, and as a result Hagar ran away. What a big mess. Everyone is upset, no one is happy.
亚伯兰对撒莱说她可以随意待夏甲。因此撒莱苦待夏甲，就是怀着亚伯兰的孩子的女人，最后，夏甲逃走了。简直一团糟！每个人都不开心，没有人感到快乐。
Our Ugly Humanness
丑陋的人性
So many ugly human events happened here.
这里实在发生了太多人性丑陋的事情.
Abram, who has been a great man and leader in the community, is now facing an incredible disaster. Impatience, blame, pride, mistreatment, abandonment. And what does Abram do? He seems to just walk away from the problem. He lets Sarai do whatever she would like. Even if her action means sending away the mother of his child and his unborn child.
亚伯兰，已成为宗族的伟人和首领，现在却面临巨大的灾难、不耐烦、指责、骄傲、苦待和抛弃。亚伯兰做了什么呢？好象他只是避开矛盾。他让撒莱随己意而行。哪怕她的举动意味着要赶走他自已孩子的母亲和那未出生的孩子。
Quarreling – Who is Right? Who is Wrong?
斗殴–谁是谁非？
This story seems very crazy, but events like this happen in everyday life quite often. Maybe not as dramatic as this, but it happens. People want something yet they don’t get their desires. So they argue and fight because they are thinking of themselves first. And the problem grows.
这个故事听起来有点费解，却是人们日常生活中经常会发生的事情。可能没有这么戏剧化，但确实在不断发生。人们思而不得，就争吵、争战，因为他们首先考虑的都是自己。麻烦也就越来越多。
What causes us to fight with each other? It comes from our own human desires. Each of us has goals he or she wants, good things and bad things. We want to have something, but then when we don’t get what we want, we are jealous of others or execute wrong motivations to get it. And we end up fighting.
到底是什么导致我们彼此争战呢？是源于我们人类的私欲。我们每个人都有自己想要的目标-或好或坏。我们想要得到某样东西，可是无法得到的话，就会嫉妒他人，或为了目的不择手段。最后的结果就是争战。
Why don’t we have the thing we want in the first place? Have we asked God? Maybe we have asked, but we are so focused on ourselves and our own desires we asked God with the wrong motives in our hearts.
为什么一开始我们就得不到想要的东西呢？我们有求问过神吗？或许我们问过了，但是又太专注于自我和私欲，所以我们求问神的时候不过是妄求。
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
James 4:1-3 NIV
你们中间的争战、斗殴，是从哪里来的呢？不是从你们百体中战斗之私欲来的吗？你们贪恋，还是得不着。你们杀害嫉妒，又斗殴争战，也不能得。你们得不着，是因为你们不求；你们求也得不着，是因为你们妄求，要浪费在你们的宴乐中。
雅各书 4:1-3
Who Is Right?
谁是对的呢？
In Abram, Sarai and Hagar’s situation how is God going to sort this one out? Who will be right in this love triangle? Surely God will declare a winner and a loser here.
在亚伯兰、撒莱和夏甲三人的处境之中，神准备如何解决这个问题呢？在这个爱的三角关系中，究竟谁是对的呢？神会宣布赢家和输家。
The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered. Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.” The angel of the Lord also said to her: “You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered. So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
Genesis 16:7-16 NIV
耶和华的使者在旷野书珥路上的水泉旁遇见她，对她说：“撒莱的使女夏甲，你从哪里来？要往哪里去？”夏甲说：“我从我的主母撒莱面前逃出来。”耶和华的使者对她说：“你回到你主母那里，服在她手下。”又说：“我必使你的后裔极其繁多，甚至不可胜数。”并说：“你如今怀孕要生一个儿子，可以给他起名叫以实玛利（注：“以实玛利”就是“神听见”的意思），因为耶和华听见了你的苦情。他为人必像野驴。他的手要攻打人，人的手也要攻打他。他必住在众弟兄的东边。”夏甲就称那对她说话的耶和华为“看顾人的神”。因而说：“在这里我也看见那看顾我的吗？”所以这井名叫庇耳拉海莱。这井正在加低斯和巴列中间。后来夏甲给亚伯兰生了一个儿子，亚伯兰给他起名叫以实玛利。夏甲给亚伯兰生以实玛利的时候，亚伯兰年八十六岁。
创世记 16:7-16
Now the angel of the Lord comes to Hagar. Basically God finds Hagar and He asks her two questions:
此时有神的天使临到夏甲。基本上是神找到夏甲，衪问了夏甲两个问题：
- Where have you come from? 你从哪里来？
- Where are you going? 要往哪里去？
She obviously was in the middle of things; there was a place she was coming from and a place she was going. This spring on the side of the road was not her final destination. She had run away from the problem, but she had not arrived at a solution. And this is where God finds her.
显然她处在两者之间，从某一处来，要到某处去。路边的水泉并不是她的目的地。她已经从困扰中逃出来了，可是还没有找到解决办法。神就在这里找到了她。
God cares about Hagar. He wants to hear what is in her heart. God inquired, “What is the problem, Hagar? Where are you going to go now?” Hagar answers the first question, “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai.” But she has no answer for the second question. She has no future plan.
神看顾夏甲，衪想听夏甲的心声。神问：“出什么事了，夏甲？你现在要去哪里呢？”夏甲回答了第一个问题“我的主母苦待我”。但她没有回答第二个问题，她对未来还没有计划。
God gives an interesting answer. He does not tell her who is right or wrong. But He tells her where to go. “Go back and submit to your mistress.” That would seem incredibly hard to do. That doesn’t seem humanly logical. But then God gives her a blessing and says He will increase her offspring. And He tells her to name the child Ishmael.
神的回答非常有趣。衪并没有说谁对谁错，只是告诉她去往哪里：“你回到你主母那里，服在她手下。”这似乎很难做到。这并不符合人类的逻辑。但是神却给她一个祝福，说必使她的后裔极其繁多！还给她的孩子取名以实玛利。
Hagar immediately responds to God and calls Him by a new name: El Roi “the God who sees me.” Notice, not “The God who tells me I’m right and the others are wrong.” Is it enough for her that God sees her and her pain.
夏甲立即回应神，并且称呼衪为：EI Roi “看顾人的神”。注意，并不是称衪为“说我是对的，而其他人是错的神”。对她而言，神看顾她和她的苦情就足够了。
Hagar obeys God. She goes back and she bears a son. And please note the son’s name was Ishmael exactly as God told her. This means Hagar must have told Abram what happened, Abram must have believed her and Abram agreed with Hagar to name their child Ishmael.
夏甲顺从了神，回到撒莱那里生了一个儿子。请注意，儿子的名字叫以实玛利，正是神为他取的名字。这意味着夏甲必须将所发生的一切都告诉亚伯兰，亚伯兰肯定相信了她的话，同意夏甲为他们的儿子取名以实玛利。
God Sees
神看顾
Despite the big mess God sees. God doesn’t always give a clear answer, “You are right and they are wrong.” But He sees. The big mess didn’t get taken care of at that moment. In fact the mess would continue and the fighting in Abram’s family continues in the Middle East today. Maybe as we view the fighting there we should remember this story. No one declared right, no one declared wrong. Just God seeing Hagar and Him telling her to go back. The natural consequences would play out, the problems aren’t over, but Hagar has the assurance God sees her, she is not alone.
尽管神所见的是一片混乱的局面。神并不总是给出明确的答案，“你是对的，他们错了”，但衪看见了。在那时这混乱的局面并没有得到清理，事实上，还在持续混乱之中，亚伯兰家族的冲突现今仍在中东地区继续发生。或许看到那个地区的争战时，我们应该谨记这个故事。没有人判定是非过错。神看顾夏甲且叫她回去。自然的结果会显现出来，问题虽还没完结，但是神向夏甲保证会看顾她，她并非孤单一人。
Let’s always remember God sees us even in the midst of a big mess and painful events. In our humanness we will focus on ourselves and want to be told we are right. But let us lift up our eyes and see the One who sees us.
我们要永远记得，即使陷入混乱和痛苦的事情之中，神看顾我们。人性使然，我们总会关注自己，希望别人说我们是对的。还是让我们举目仰望看顾我们的那一位吧！
Am I In A Mess?
我是否身处混乱之中？
Are you in the middle of a mess? If you find yourself in a difficult situation with others, ask yourself some questions:
你现在身处混乱之中吗?如果你发现自己与他人正处于艰难的境况里，问自己以下几个问题：
Where Did I Come From?
我从哪里来？
What did I want? Did I ask God? Am I focused on my own desires?
我究竟想要什么？我有求问神吗？我是否只关注自己的私欲？
Where Am I Going?
我要往哪里去？
Am I willing to follow God out of this mess even if He sends me somewhere I don’t want to go? (Like submitting to the person I am running away from?) Have I listened to God? Has He given me direction or vision for the future with Him?
即使神要差我去我不愿意去的地方，我愿意跟随神走出困境吗？（比如屈服于我想避而远之的那个人？）我听从了神的话吗？神有没有给我指引方向，或是给我与祂同行的异象呢？
Is there something I want but I am not getting?
有没有什么是我想要却没有得到的?
Have I asked God for this with the right motives?
我向神求这样东西，是不是动机合理呢？
In your time of distress, may you meet the God who sees you and surrender your life to Him and trust Him to bring you through.
在你遭难的时候，愿你遇见看顾你的神，把生命献给衪，信靠衪会带你安然度过。
