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經文：「摩西就向埃及地伸杖，那一晝一夜、耶和華使東風颳在埃及地上，到了早晨，東風把蝗蟲颳了來。於是法老急忙召了摩西亞倫來…耶和華轉了極大的西風，把蝗蟲颳起，吹入紅海，在埃及的四境連一個也沒有留下。」（出10:13,16,19） 讓我們來看神如何利用暴風來拯救以色列人脫離殘酷的法老；當神最後一次對付埃及的軍隊時，祂利用大東風（出14:21）彰顯其最大的權能。當時以色列人都認為他們的處境太過奇怪與殘酷；前有紅海後有追兵，兩旁又都是高聳的山巖，這些種種似乎斷絕他們所有逃生的可能。 這此危急時刻以色列人只能仰望耶和華的拯救了。可是祂的拯救卻是大東風，這實在是令人意外。可畏的風加增了他們的驚慌，四周的寒冷凍得他們戰慄。他們抱怨神的拯救只是加速他們的死期，恐怕當時他們全營的呼聲是：「我們死定啦，埃及人追上來了！」 正當絕望的時候，榮耀的勝利來了；怒吼的東風把浪擊退，把海吹乾，以色列人向前邁進，湧入神的保護和慈愛中。兩側是水晶的牆垣，前方是上帝的榮光。終夜如此直到天亮，當最後一個以色列人也上了岸，大東風的使命便完成了。 於是以色列人向耶和華歌唱說：「成就祂命的狂風…都當讚美耶和華。」（詩148:8,12）「仇敵說我要追趕，我要追上，我要分擄物…祢叫風一吹，海就把他們淹沒，他們如鉛沉在大水之中。」（出15:9-10）當他們歡唱讚美的時候，才明白大東風的拯救。 我們直到今日面對神的拯救，恐怕也視為以色列人的東風；只看見東風可畏的一面，卻不見神的信實。然而我們算什麼，怎能測度神的奧秘？總要等到事情過境，才能認出神的能力與恩典。有那麼一天，我們要站在玻璃海上，拿著神的琴，與眾聖徒齊唱神的僕人摩西和羔羊的歌，說：「眾聖之王阿，祢的方法義哉，誠哉。」（啟15:3） 如今只覺得大風暴不可思異；將來必看見威脅的敵人，在戰慄恐怖的夜裏消滅淨盡。如今只在意的損失；將來必看見神如何擊打那已經開始綑綁你的罪惡。如今只因風嘯雷鳴而畏縮；將來必知道神如何擊退那滅絕生命的洪水，爲你們開闢道路，通往那應許的福地。-- Mark Guy Pearse 新譯｜荒漠甘泉讀書會
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Scripture: "The Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the cast wind brought the locusts....Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste....And the Lord turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt" (Exod. 10:13, 19). See how in the olden times, when the Lord fought for Israel against the cruel Pharaoh, the stormy winds wrought out their deliverance; and yet again, in that grandest display of power--the last blow that God struck at the proud defiance of Egypt. A strange, almost cruel thing it must have seemed to Israel to he hemmed in by such a host of dangers--in front the wild sea defying them, on either hand the rocky heights cutting off all hope of escape, the night of hurricane gathering over them. It was as if that first deliverance had come only to hand them over to more certain death. Completing the terror there rang out the cry: "The Egyptians are upon us!" When it seemed they were trapped for the foe, then came the glorious triumph. Forth swept the stormy wind and beat back the waves, and the hosts of Israel marched forward, down into the path of the great deep--a way arched over with God's protecting love. On either hand were the crystal walls glowing in the light of the glory of the Lord; and high above them swept the thunder of the storm. So on through all that night; and when, at dawn of the next day, the last of Israel's host set foot upon the other shore, the work of the stormy wind was done. Then sang Israel unto the Lord the song of the "stormy wind fulfilling his word." "The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil...Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters." One day, by God's great mercy, we, too, shall stand upon the sea of glass, having the harps of God. Then we shall sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: "Just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints." We shall know then how the stormy winds have wrought out our deliverance. Now you see only the mystery of this great sorrow; then you shall see how the threatening enemy was swept away in the wild night of fear and grief. Now you look only at the loss; then you shall see how it struck at the evil that had begun to rivet its fetters upon you. Now you shrink from the howling winds and muttering thunders; then you shall see how they beat back the waters of destruction, and opened up your way to the goodly land of promise. --Mark Guy Pearse ｜ Mrs. Charles Cowman
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