(申02）为了听众的缘故 (Deuteronomy 02): For the sake of the audience

(ChatGPT translation from Chinese, edited by Mijiale, 中文在后面）

Deuteronomy 2:2, “And the Lord said to me, …”

Deuteronomy 2:9, “And the Lord said me, … ”

Deuteronomy 2:16-17, “when the fighting men among the people had perished, the Lord spoke to me, …”

The question arises: what is the relationship between the “perishing” of the fighting men and the change in the Lord’s manner of speaking, from “said to me” (vayomer) to “spoke to me” (vayedaber)? According to Rashi’s commentary on Deuteronomy 2:16 https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Deuteronomy.2.16.1?lang=bi, the Lord had punished the old generation of Israelites who rebelled against Him, causing them to die in the wilderness. From that time, He no longer spoke face-to-face with Moses using the intimate tone of “spoke” until the old generation had “completely perished.” It was only then that the Lord resumed speaking face-to-face with Moses, using the term “spoke.”

The explanation reveals that Moses’s intimate relationship with the Lord and what he received from the Lord was for the sake of the Israelites. The listeners were more important than the speaker.

This perspective resonates with my experiences. When the pandemic began, our school allowed us to pre-record lectures. I discovered that without an audience, it was difficult to get enthusiastic about lecturing and challenging to record the lecture well. However, if even one student was present, I would think about how to make the lecture interesting for him, making it much easier to record the lecture effectively. The same occurred when recording Bible discussions. Once, when my wife had a sore throat and did not speak much, her presence as a listener was crucial for me to record well.

It seems that for the sake of those who listen, the speaker is gifted to speak effectively. When leading Bible studies, I sometimes feel unprepared and uncertain about how to present the material. In those moments, I pray, “Lord, these listeners are your people. I may not have done my homework and have shortcomings, or maybe it’s due to my limited abilities. But now the meeting has started, and I don’t have time to make up for my lack of preparation. For the sake of your people, please help me and use me so the listeners benefit.” I have found that the Lord consistently answers such prayers.

(申02）为了听众的缘故

申命记2:2 耶和华对我说，

申命记2:9 耶和华吩咐我说（应该也译成： 耶和华对我说 ），…

申命记2:16-17 兵丁从民中都灭尽死亡以后，耶和华吩咐我说,

这里，兵丁的“灭尽死亡”与主的说话方式的改变有什么关系？为什么从主“对我说” (vayomer)变成了主“吩咐我说”（vayedaber)？Rashi解经（申2:16）解释

https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Deuteronomy.2.16.1?lang=bi，

主在三十八年前惩罚了旧的一代背叛主的以色列人，让他们死在旷野，从那时开始就不再以“吩咐”的亲密语气面对面与摩西说话，一直到旧的一代“都灭尽死亡以后”，主才重新面对面“吩咐”摩西。原来，摩西与主的亲密关系，和他从主那里得到的领受，是为了以色利人的缘故才有的，原来听众比讲员更重要。

我对这样的观点很有感受。疫情开始后，我们学校曾经允许我们把要讲的课预先录下来。我发现一个奇特的现象，就是在录制时如果没有听众，我就提不起兴致来讲课，很难把课录好。但是只要有一个学生来听我录制，那么对着这个学生，我就会想怎么让他觉得有意思，就可以更容易把课录好。我在录制圣经讨论时也是这样，有一次我太太嗓子痛，她基本没有说话，但是没有她听着我就很难录好。

也许，是为了听课的人缘故，讲课的人才能得到恩赐可以讲好的。我在带查经时，有时会也觉得没有准备好，不知怎么讲，我就对主说，主啊，这些听众是你的子民，我没有事先做好功课，对你有亏欠，或者也因为是能力有限，但现在聚会已经开始，我现在来不及补上自己的努力了，就求祢为祢自己的民的缘故帮助我，使用我，让听众得到益处。我印象中每一次，主都垂听这样的祷告。