44 英翻中 Their Revolting (2:14b–16) . 他們的反叛. 20/04/2025

44 英翻中      Their Revolting (2:14b–16) .                   他們的反叛.                  20/04/2025

3.  Their Revolting (2:14b–16)                                                                                                                  3. 他們的反叛（2:14下 - 16）

“They have abandoned the right road” is the way the Phillips translation expresses it. The apostates know the right road, the straight path that God has established, but they deliberately abandon God’s way for their own. No wonder Peter called them “natural brute beasts” (2 Peter 2:12) and compared them to animals (2 Peter 2:22). “Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule!” warned the psalmist (Ps. 32:9). The horse likes to rush ahead and the mule likes to lag behind; both can get you off the right path. Believers are sheep, and sheep need to stay close to the shepherd or they will stray.                                                                                                                        菲利普斯譯本的表達是「他們拋棄了正確的道路」。叛教者知道正確的道路，知道上帝所設立的筆直道路，但他們故意放棄上帝的道路，走自己的路。難怪彼得稱他們為「本性的畜類」（彼得後書 2:12）並將他們與動物進行比較（彼得後書 2:22）。 「你們不要像馬，也不要像騾子！」詩篇作者警告說（詩篇 32:9）。馬喜歡衝在前面，騾子喜歡落後；兩者都可能讓你偏離正確的道路。信徒是羊，羊需要靠近牧羊人，否則就會迷失。

We have already learned one reason for the apostates’ godless conduct: they want to satisfy the cravings of their flesh. But there is a second reason: they are cov[1]etous and want to exploit people for personal gain. Peter mentioned this in 2 Peter 2:3 and now develops the thought. Not only is the false teacher’s outlook controlled by his passions (2 Peter 2:14a), but his heart is controlled by covetousness. He is in bondage to lust for pleasure and money!                                      我們已經知道叛教者不信神行為的一個原因：他們想要滿足肉體的慾望。但還有第二個原因：他們貪婪[1]，想利用他人來謀取私利。彼得在彼得後書 2:3 中提到了這一點，現在進一步闡述了這一思想。假教師的觀點不只受激情控制（彼得後書 2:14a），而且他的心也受貪婪控制。他被享樂和金錢的慾望所束縛！

In fact, he has perfected the skill of getting what he wants. “They are experts in greed” says the New International Version, and the Phillips translation is even more graphic: “Their technique of getting what they want is, through long practice, highly developed.” They know exactly how to motivate people to give. While the true servant of God trusts the Father to meet his needs and seeks to help people grow through their giving, the apostate trusts his “fundraising skills” and leaves people in worse shape than he found them. He knows how to exploit the unstable and the innocent.                                                                                                                                                        事實上，他已經掌握了獲得自己想要的東西的技能。新國際版聖經說：“他們是貪婪的專家”，菲利普斯譯本則更加生動地描述道：“通過長期實踐，他們獲得所需之物的技巧已經高度發達。”他們確切地知道如何激勵人們捐贈。上帝的真正僕人相信天父會滿足他的需要，並尋求透過奉獻幫助人們成長，而叛教者則相信他的“籌款技巧”，並使人們的處境比他發現他們時更糟糕。他知道如何利用不穩定和無辜的人。

There is certainly nothing wrong with a ministry sharing its opportunities and needs with its praying friends. My wife and I receive many publications and letters of this kind, and, quite frankly, some of them we throw away without reading. We have learned that these ministries cannot be trusted, that their dramatic appeals are not always based on fact, and that the funds donated are not always used as they should be. The other letters and publications we read carefully, pray about, discuss, and see if God would have us invest in their work. We know we cannot support every good work that God has raised up, so we try to exercise discernment, and invest in the ministries God has chosen for us.                                                                                          教會與其祈禱的朋友分享其機會和需求當然沒有錯。我和我的妻子收到了很多此類出版物和信件，坦白說，有些我們甚至沒有閱讀就扔掉了。我們了解到，這些部門不可信，他們的戲劇性呼籲並不總是基於事實，捐贈的資金也並不總是得到應有的利用。我們仔細閱讀、禱告、討論其他信件和出版物，看看上帝是否希望我們投入他們的工作。我們知道我們無法支持上帝所興起的每一項善舉，因此我們努力運用辨別力，並投資於上帝為我們選擇的事工。

As Peter wrote about the devious practices of these people, he could only exclaim, “Cursed children!” They were not the “blessed” children of God but the cursed children of the devil (John 8:44). They might succeed in building up their bank accounts, but in the end, at the throne of God, they would be declared bankrupt. “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41). “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Matt. 16:26).                                                                        當彼得寫到這些人的邪惡行徑時，他只能驚呼：「被詛咒的孩子！」他們不是上帝「有福的」孩子，而是魔鬼被詛咒的孩子（約翰福音 8：44）。他們也許能成功地建立自己的銀行帳戶，但最終，在上帝的寶座前，他們會被宣布破產。 「你們這被咒詛的人，離開我，進入那為魔鬼和他的使者所預備的永火裡去。」（馬太福音 25:41） 「人若賺得全世界，卻賠上自己的生命，有什麼益處呢？」（馬太福音 16:26）

Covetousness is the insatiable desire for more— more money, more power, more prestige. The covetous heart is never satisfied. This explains why the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil (1 Tim. 6:10), for when a person craves more money, he will commit any sin to satisfy that craving. He has already broken the first two of the Ten Commandments, because money is already his god and idol. It is then a simple step to break the others—to steal, lie, commit adultery, take God’s name in vain, and so on. No wonder Jesus warned, “Take heed and beware of covetousness” (Luke 12:15).                                                                                                                    貪婪是對更多東西的無盡渴望——更多的金錢、更多的權力、更多的聲望。貪婪的心永遠不會滿足。這就解釋了為什麼貪財是萬惡之源（提摩太前書 6:10），因為當一個人渴望更多的金錢時，他會犯下任何罪行來滿足這種渴望。他已經違反了十誡中的前兩條，因為金錢已經是他的神和偶像。然後，打破其他的戒律就變得很簡單了──偷竊、說謊、通姦、妄稱上帝的名等等。難怪耶穌警告說：「你們要謹慎，免去一切的貪婪」（路 12:15）。

I have read that the people in North Africa have devised a clever way to catch monkeys. They make a hole in a gourd just large enough for the monkey’s paw, then fill the gourd with nuts and tie it to a tree. At night, the monkey reaches into the gourd for the nuts, only to find he cannot pull his paw out of the gourd! Of course, he could let go of the nuts and escape quite easily—but he doesn’t want to forfeit the nuts! He ends up being captured because of his covetousness. We might expect this kind of stupidity in a dumb animal, but certainly not in a person made in the image of God; yet it happens every day.                                                                                                                  我讀到北非人民發明了一種捕捉猴子的聰明方法。他們在葫蘆上鑿一個剛好能容納猴爪的洞，然後將葫蘆裝滿堅果，綁在樹上。晚上，猴子把手伸進葫蘆去摘堅果，卻發現他的爪子拔不出來！當然，他可以放棄堅果牌並輕鬆逃脫——但他不想放棄堅果牌！他最後因貪婪而被俘。我們或許會認為不會說話的動物會有這種愚蠢的行為，但按照上帝的形象所造的人肯定不會有這種愚蠢的行為；但這種事每天都在發生。

Peter knew his Old Testament Scriptures. He had already used Noah and Lot to illustrate his words, and in 2 Peter 2:15–16, he used the prophet Balaam. The story of Balaam is found in Numbers 22—25; take time now to read it.                                                                                            彼得熟悉舊約聖經。他已經使用諾亞和羅得來闡明他的話，並且在彼得後書 2:15-16 中，他使用了先知巴蘭。巴蘭的故事記載在《民數記》22—25章；現在花點時間閱讀它。

Balaam is a mysterious character, a Gentile prophet who tried to curse the Jews. Balak, the king of the Moabites, was afraid of Israel, so he turned to Balaam for help.  Balaam knew it was wrong to cooperate with Balak, but his heart was covetous and he wanted the money and honor that Balak promised him. Balaam knew the truth of God and the will of God, yet he deliberately abandoned the right way and went astray. He is a perfect illustration of the apostates in their covetous practices.                                                                                                                                        巴蘭是個神祕的人物，一個試圖詛咒猶太人的外邦先知。摩押王巴勒懼怕以色列人，所以向巴蘭求助。  巴蘭知道與巴勒合作是錯的，但他的心裡卻很貪婪，他想要巴勒承諾給他的金錢和榮譽。巴蘭明知神的真理、神的旨意，但他卻故意放棄正路，走入歧途。他是叛教者貪婪行為的完美例證。

From the outset, God told Balaam not to help Balak and, at first, Balaam obeyed and sent the messengers home. But when Balak sent more princes and promised more money and honor, Balaam decided to “pray about it again” and reconsider the matter. The second time, God tested Balaam and permitted him to go with the princes. This was not God’s direct will; it was His permissive will, designed to see what the prophet would do.                                                                  從一開始，上帝就告訴巴蘭不要幫助巴勒，起初，巴蘭服從了上帝並讓使者回家。但當巴勒派遣更多的王子並承諾給予更多的金錢和榮譽時，巴蘭決定「再次祈禱」並重新考慮此事。第二次，上帝考驗巴蘭並允許他與王子一起去。這不是上帝直接的意願；這是祂的許可意志，旨在看看先知會做什麼。

Balaam jumped at the chance! But when he started to go astray, God rebuked the disobedient prophet through the mouth of his donkey. How remarkable that the animals obey God, even when their masters do not (read Isa. 1:3)! God permitted Balaam to set up his altars and offer his sacrifices, but God did not permit him to curse Israel. Instead, God turned Balaam’s curse into a blessing (Deut. 23:4–5; Neh. 13:2).                                                                                                          巴蘭抓住了這個機會！但當他開始誤入歧途時，上帝透過驢的嘴斥責了這個不聽話的先知。即使主人不服從上帝，動物們也服從上帝，這是多麼令人驚奇的事情啊（讀以賽亞書 1:3）！上帝允許巴蘭設立祭壇並獻上祭品，但上帝不允許他詛咒以色列。相反，上帝將巴蘭的詛咒變成了祝福（申命記 23：4-5；尼希米記 13：2）。

Balaam was not able to curse Israel, but he was able to tell Balak how to defeat Israel. All the Moabites had to do was invite the Jews to be “friendly neighbors” and share in their feasts (Num. 25). Instead of maintaining its separated position, Israel compromised and joined the pagan orgies of the Moabites. God had to discipline the people and thousands of them died. You can see in Balaam the two aspects of apostasy that Peter emphasized in this chapter: sensual lust and covetousness. He loved money and he led Israel into lustful sin. He was a man who could get messages from God, yet he led people away from God! When you read his oracles, you cannot help but be impressed with his eloquence, yet he deliberately disobeyed God! Balaam said, “I have sinned” (Num. 22:34), but his confession was not sincere. He even prayed, “Let me die the death of the righteous” (Num. 23:10), yet he did not want to live the life of the righteous. Because Balaam counseled Balak to seduce Israel, God saw to it that Balaam was judged. He was slain by the sword when Israel defeated the Midianites (Num. 31:8). We wonder who received all the wealth that he had “earned” by his devious ways. Peter called his hire “the wages of unrighteousness.” This phrase reminds us of another pretender, Judas, who received “the reward of iniquity” (Acts 1:18) and who also perished in shame. We will have more to say about Balaam when we study Jude 11, but we must not ignore the main lesson: he was a rebel against the will of God. Like the false teachers that Peter described, Balaam knew the right way, but deliberately chose the wrong way because he wanted to make money. He kept “playing with the will of God” by trying to get “a different viewpoint” (Num. 22:41; 23:13, 27). He no doubt had a true gift from God because he uttered some beautiful prophecies about Jesus Christ, but he prostituted that gift to base uses just to gain honor and wealth.                                                                                            巴蘭無法咒詛以色列，但他可以告訴巴勒如何打敗以色列。摩押人所要做的就是邀請猶太人成為「友好鄰居」並分享他們的盛宴（民數記 25）。以色列非但沒有保持其分離的立場，反而妥協並加入了摩押人的異教狂歡。上帝必須懲罰人民，結果成千上萬的人死去。你可以在巴蘭身上看到彼得在本章中強調的背道的兩個面向：情慾和貪婪。他貪愛金錢，並導致以色列人陷入淫欲的罪惡。他是一個能夠從上帝那裡得到信息的人，但他卻讓人們遠離了上帝！當你讀到他的神諭時，你不禁對他的口才印象深刻，但他卻故意違背上帝！巴蘭說：「我有罪了」（民 22:34），但他的告解並不真誠。他甚至禱告說：「我願如義人之死而死」（民 23:10），但他卻不想過義人的生活。因為巴蘭建議巴勒引誘以色列人，所以上帝確保巴蘭受到審判。當以色列擊敗米甸人時，他被刀劍殺死（《民數記》31:8）。我們想知道，他用不正當手段「賺」來的所有財富都歸誰所有。彼得稱他的工資為「不義的工價」。這句話讓我們想起了另一個偽裝者猶大，他得到了「罪的報酬」（使徒行傳1:18），並且也在恥辱中死去。當我們學習猶大書第 11 章時，我們會對巴蘭有更多了解，但我們不能忽視主要的教訓：他是一個違背上帝旨意的叛逆者。就像彼得所描述的假教師一樣，巴蘭知道正確的道路，但為了賺錢，他故意選擇了錯誤的道路。他不斷“玩弄上帝的意志”，試圖獲得“不同的觀點”（民 22:41；23:13, 27）。毫無疑問，他擁有上帝賜予的真正天賦，因為他對耶穌基督做出了一些美麗的預言，但他將這種天賦濫用於卑鄙的用途，只是為了獲得榮譽和財富。

A bank officer approached a junior clerk and secretly asked, “If I gave you $50,000, would you help me alter the books?”                                                                                                                          一位銀行職員走到一位初級職員面前，偷偷問道：“如果我給你5萬美元，你能幫我修改賬簿嗎？”

“Yes, I guess I would,” the man replied.                                                                                              「是的，我想我會的，」那人回答。

“Would you do it for $100?”                                                                                                                    “你願意花 100 美元做這件事嗎？”

“Of course not!” the man said. “What do you think I am, a common thief?”                                「當然不是！」男人說。 “你以為我是什麼人？一個普通的小偷嗎？”

“We’ve already determined that,” said the officer. “Now we’re talking about price.”                  「我們已經確定了，」該官員說。 “現在我們討論的是價格。”

The person who is covetous does have his price, and when it is met, he will do whatever is asked, even revolt against the will of God. Peter called this attitude mad[1]ness. The word means “to be deranged, out of your mind.” But Balaam thought he was doing the wise thing; after all, he was taking advantage of a situation that might never come along again. But any rebellion against God is madness and can only lead to tragedy. It was when the prodigal son “came to himself” that he realized how stupid he had been (Luke 15:17).                                                                                      貪婪的人是有代價的，當代價滿足時，他會做任何被要求做的事情，甚至違背上帝的意願。彼得稱這種態度為瘋狂[1]。這個字的意思是「精神錯亂、失去理智」。但巴蘭認為他所做的是明智的；畢竟，他正在利用一種可能永遠不會再出現的情況。但任何反抗上帝的行為都是瘋狂的，只會導致悲劇。當浪子「醒悟過來」時，他才意識到自己是多麼愚蠢（路加福音 15:17）。

Peter has condemned three sins of the false teachers: their reviling, their reveling, and their revolting. All of these sins spring from pride and selfish desire. A true servant of God is humble and seeks to serve others (see the contrast in Phil. 2:20–21). The true servant of God does not think about praise or pay, because he serves God from a loving and obedient heart. He honors God and the authority that God has established in this world. In short, the true servant of God patterns himself after Jesus Christ.                                                                                                          彼得譴責了假教師的三種罪行：辱罵、狂歡和反抗。所有這些罪惡都源自於驕傲和自私的慾望。上帝的真正僕人是謙卑的，並尋求為他人服務（參考腓立比書 2:20-21 中的對比）。真正服事上帝的人不會考慮讚美或報酬，因為祂是發自愛心和順從的心事奉上帝。他尊敬上帝以及上帝在這個世界上所建立的權柄。簡言之，上帝真正的僕人以耶穌基督為榜樣。

In these last days there will be an abundance of false teachers pleading for support. They are gifted and experienced when it comes to deceiving people and getting their money. It is important that God’s people be established in the truth, that they know how to detect when the Scriptures are being twisted and the people exploited. I thank God for agencies that help to expose “religious rackets,” but there is still the need for spiritual discernment and a growing knowledge of the Word of God.                                                                                                                                                在這最後的日子裡，將會有大量的假教師懇求支持。他們在欺騙他人並騙取金錢方面很有天賦並且經驗豐富。重要的是，上帝的子民要堅守真理，他們知道如何察覺聖經何時被扭曲、人民何時被剝削。我感謝上帝幫助揭露「宗教騙局」的機構，但仍然需要精神上的洞察力和對上帝之言日益增長的認識。

Not all of these “religious frauds” will be discovered and put out of business. But God will one day deal with all of them! Like animals, they will be “taken and destroyed” (2 Peter 2:12). They will receive “the reward of unrighteousness” (2 Peter 2:13) to compensate for the wages they have exploited from others. As “cursed children” (2 Peter 2:14) they will be banished from the presence of the Lord forever.                                                                                                                                      並非所有這些「宗教騙局」都會被發現並被取締。但有一天上帝會處理所有這些問題的！就像動物一樣，他們將被「拿走並毀滅」（彼得後書 2:12）。他們將得到「不義的工價」（彼得後書 2:13），以補償他們從別人身上剝削的工資。作為「被咒詛的孩子」（彼得後書 2:14），他們將永遠被驅逐出主的面前。

They are marked men and women; they will not escape.                                                                      他們是有標記的男人和女人；他們不會逃脫.