November 4

“As I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God…and the hand of the Lord was there upon me”(Ezek. 1:1-3)

There is no commentator¹ of the Scriptures² half so valuable as a captivity³. The old Psalms⁴ have quavered for us with a new pathos⁵ as we sat by our "Babel's stream," and have sounded for us with new joy as we found our captivity turned as the streams in the South.

The man who has seen much affliction will not readily part with his copy of the Word of God. Another book may seem to others to be identical with his own; but it is not the same to him, for over his old and tear-stained Bible he has written, in characters which are visible to no eyes but his own, the record of his experiences, and ever and anon he comes on Bethel pillars or Elim palms, which are to him the memorials of some critical chapter in his history.

If we are to receive benefit from our captivity we must accept the situation and turn it to the best possible account. Fretting⁶ over that from which we have been removed or which has been taken away from us, will not make things better, but it will prevent us from improving those which remain. The bond is only tightened⁷ by our stretching it to the uttermost.

The impatient horse which will not quietly endure his halter only strangles himself in his stall. The high-mettled animal that is restive⁸ in the yoke⁹ only galls¹⁰ his shoulders; and every one will understand the difference between the restless starling of which Sterne has written, breaking its wings against the bars of the cage, and crying, "I can't get out, I can't get out," and the docile¹¹ canary that sits upon its perch¹² and sings as if it would outrival the lark¹³ soaring to heaven's gate.

No calamity¹⁴ can be to us an unmixed evil if we carry it in direct and fervent¹⁵ prayer to God, for even as one in taking shelter from the rain beneath a tree may find on its branches fruit which he looked not for, so we in fleeing for refuge beneath the shadow of God's wing, will always find more in God than we had seen or known before.

It is thus through our trials and afflictions that God gives us fresh revelations of Himself; and the Jabbok ford¹⁶ leads to Peniel, where, as the result of our wrestling, we "see God face to face,"(Gen.32:30) and our lives are preserved. Take this to thyself, O captive, and He will give thee "songs in the night," and turn for thee "the shadow of death into the morning."(Amos 5:8) ━William Taylor

“Submission to the divine will is the softest pillow on which to recline.”

“ It filled the room, and it filled my life,

With a glory of source unseen;

It made me clam¹⁷ in the midst of strife¹⁸,

And in winter my heart was green,

And in birds of promise sang on the tree,

When the storm was breaking on land and sea .”

十一月四日

「以西结在迦巴鲁河边被掳的人中，天就开了，得见上帝的异象。……耶和华的话特特临到。」（结一:1-3）

被掳的人是最佳的释经家。当我们坐在自己的巴别溪旁时，旧的「诗篇」用新的感力为我们发颤音；当我们发现自己被掳的人归还，好像南地的水复流，并为我们响起了新的喜乐之声。

凡是经历过许多苦难的人，不会轻易离开他的那本「圣经」。在别人看来，似乎另一本书与他自己的一本书相同，但是对他来说，却不相同，因为他曾在他的这本泪痕斑斑的旧「圣经」上写有许多字，这些字除了他自己外，别人的眼睛都认不出，其中记载着他自己的亲身经验，例如他一再遇到伯特利的柱子和以琳的棕树，所以这些字是他一生中几个关键性章节的备忘录。

如果我们要从自己「被掳」中得到益处，我们就必须接受自己的处境，并尽可能转变它为最好的处境。为已经挪去或已经除掉的环境烦恼，非但无补于事，反足以妨碍我们改进现有的环境。有时神喜欢把我们暂时幽禁在试炼、患难中；如果我们竭力挣扎的话，我们的桎梏就会越挣越紧。

一匹急躁的马，如果不肯安安静静地套着马头络，反竭力挣扎的话，结果无非在厩舍中勒死。一只负轭的动物，如果倔强挣扎，结果无非擦伤牠自己的颈肩。所以让我们不学愚昧好动的掠鸟，用翅膀拍扑鸟笼，结果反拍伤了自己的翅膀；让我们来作驯良的金丝雀，静坐在栖木上歌唱。

没有一件灾祸能伤害我们，如果我们立刻用虔诚的祷告把它带到神面前去。常有人在树下避雨，无意间在树上找到果子；照样当我们逃到神的翅膀荫下去避难的时候，也将在神着面找到许多我们以前所未曾看见，未曾知道的东西。

这样，神藉着我们的试炼、患难，给了我们新的启示；雅博渡口变成了毘努依勒━摔跤变成了「面对面见了神」（创卅二:30）。受苦的信徒阿，你还有甚么可伤心的呢？神将使你「夜间歌唱」，「使死荫变为晨光」（摩五:8）。你快来赞美祂罢！━戴威廉

「服从神的旨意是最柔软的靠头枕。

在我的周围,在我的生命中,

充满了不可见的荣光,

使我寒冷的心,有了春意,

使我在争斗时,保持安详,

当暴风笼罩了世界,

希望的歌声,如转笙簧。

1 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

2 scriptures   

经文，圣典( scripture的名词复数 )； 经典

参考例句：

• Here the apostle Peter affirms his belief that the Scriptures are 'inspired'. 使徒彼得在此表达了他相信《圣经》是通过默感写成的。
• You won't find this moral precept in the scriptures. 你在《圣经》中找不到这种道德规范。

3 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

4 psalms   

n.赞美诗( psalm的名词复数 )；圣诗；圣歌；(中的)

参考例句：

• the Book of Psalms 《〈圣经〉诗篇》
• A verse from Psalms knifed into Pug's mind: "put not your trust in princes." 《诗篇》里有一句话闪过帕格的脑海：“不要相信王侯。” 来自辞典例句

5 pathos   

n.哀婉，悲怆

参考例句：

• The pathos of the situation brought tears to our eyes.情况令人怜悯，看得我们不禁流泪。
• There is abundant pathos in her words.她的话里富有动人哀怜的力量。

6 fretting   

n. 微振磨损 adj. 烦躁的, 焦虑的

参考例句：

• Fretting about it won't help. 苦恼于事无补。
• The old lady is always fretting over something unimportant. 那位老妇人总是为一些小事焦虑不安。

7 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

8 restive   

adj.不安宁的，不安静的

参考例句：

• The government has done nothing to ease restrictions and manufacturers are growing restive.政府未采取任何措施放松出口限制,因此国内制造商变得焦虑不安。
• The audience grew restive.观众变得不耐烦了。

9 yoke   

n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶

参考例句：

• An ass and an ox,fastened to the same yoke,were drawing a wagon.驴子和公牛一起套在轭上拉车。
• The defeated army passed under the yoke.败军在轭门下通过。

10 galls   

v.使…擦痛( gall的第三人称单数 )；擦伤；烦扰；侮辱

参考例句：

• Best results will be obtained on recently formed galls. 如果瘿瘤是新近形成的，则效果最好。 来自辞典例句
• Crown galls are cancerous growths composed of disorganized and proliferating plant cells. 冠瘿是无组织的正在不断增殖的植物细胞所组成的癌状物。 来自辞典例句

11 docile   

adj.驯服的，易控制的，容易教的

参考例句：

• Circus monkeys are trained to be very docile and obedient.马戏团的猴子训练得服服贴贴的。
• He is a docile and well-behaved child.他是个温顺且彬彬有礼的孩子。

12 perch   

n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于

参考例句：

• The bird took its perch.鸟停歇在栖木上。
• Little birds perch themselves on the branches.小鸟儿栖歇在树枝上。

13 lark   

n.云雀，百灵鸟；n.嬉戏，玩笑；vi.嬉戏

参考例句：

• He thinks it cruel to confine a lark in a cage.他认为把云雀关在笼子里太残忍了。
• She lived in the village with her grandparents as cheerful as a lark.她同祖父母一起住在乡间非常快活。

14 calamity   

n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件

参考例句：

• Even a greater natural calamity cannot daunt us. 再大的自然灾害也压不垮我们。
• The attack on Pearl Harbor was a crushing calamity.偷袭珍珠港(对美军来说)是一场毁灭性的灾难。

15 fervent   

adj.热的，热烈的，热情的

参考例句：

• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。
• Austria was among the most fervent supporters of adolf hitler.奥地利是阿道夫希特勒最狂热的支持者之一。

16 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

17 clam   

n.蛤，蛤肉

参考例句：

• Yup!I also like clam soup and sea cucumbers.对呀！我还喜欢蛤仔汤和海参。
• The barnacle and the clam are two examples of filter feeders.藤壶和蛤类是滤过觅食者的两种例子。

18 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。