10月23日
标 题：第二次
经 节：耶和华的话二次临到约拿。（约拿书三章1节）
约拿不喜欢神交给他的任务。神指示他离开自己的家乡，去敌国尼尼微城。尼尼微是以色列的对敌，是邪恶偶像崇拜的中心。约拿的任务是去警告那里的百姓，即将逼近神的审判，并且鼓励他们悔改。希伯来人憎恨尼尼微人，所以这个不顺服的先知往相反的方向跑，希望神会有不同且较合自己心意的旨意。相反地，神定意要约拿遵守自己原来的旨意（以赛亚书五十五：11）。祂又对约拿说话。祂第二次的指示和第一次的指示一模一样。然而，在这两次指示之间，约拿曾经与波涛搏斗，并在鱼腹中待了三天。这回，他已经预备好要听从神的话，照神的吩咐行。
神的话也曾两次临到耶利米（耶利米书卅三：1～3）。但是，耶利米在第一次就听从神的话。神第二次对他说的话，是更完全地启示上回祂所说的话。
神接下来对我们说的话，取决于我们对祂上回指示的回应。如果我们像约拿一样，不顺服神早先的指示，神会再次给我们同样的指示。如果我们像耶利米一样，在祂第一次指示时就立即顺服，祂会让我们更深地领受祂的旨意（马太福音廿五：23）。
如果你好一阵子不曾从神那里领受任何新鲜的话语，你要回到神上回对你的指示，并且检验自己是否顺服神。主是否仍然在等待你的顺服？要像耶利米一样，第一次就顺服神的指示。
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.
