Only God will satisfy our spiritual hunger.

唯有上帝能满足我们心灵的饥渴。

Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Isaiah 55:1

你们一切干渴的都当就近水来，没有银钱的也可以来。你们都来，买了吃。-以赛亚书55章1节

As we distributed snacks for children at a Bible School program, we noticed a little boy who devoured his snack. Then he also ate the leftovers of the children at his table. Even after I gave him a bag of popcorn, he still wasn’t satisfied. As leaders, we were concerned as to why this little boy was so hungry.

在教会主日学分点心给孩子们时，我们注意到一个小男孩一下子就狼吞虎咽地吃光了，也吃掉了同桌小朋友剩下的点心。我后来又再给他一包爆米花，他还是不饱足。作为主日学老师，我们不免担忧这个小男孩为何会如此饥饿。

It occurred to me that we can be like that boy when it comes to our emotions. We look for ways to satisfy our deepest longings, but we never find what fully satisfies us.

这让我想到我们可能也会像那个小男孩一样，想要用各种方式满足心灵最深的渴求，但却永远得不着真正的满足。

The prophet Isaiah invites those who are hungry and thirsty to “come, buy and eat” (Isaiah 55:1). But then he asks, “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?” (v. 2). Isaiah is talking about more than just physical hunger here. God can satisfy our spiritual and emotional hunger through the promise of His presence. The “everlasting covenant” in verse 3 is a reminder of a promise God made to David in 2 Samuel 7:8–16. Through David’s family line, a Savior would come to reconnect people to God. Later, in John 6:35 and 7:37, Jesus extended the same invitation Isaiah gave, thus identifying Himself as the Savior foretold by Isaiah and other prophets.

先知以赛亚邀请那些饥渴的人，说：“你们都来，买了吃”（以赛亚书55章1节）。但他又问道：“你们为何花钱买那不足为食物的？用劳碌得来的买那不使人饱足的呢？”（2节）在此，他不仅是论述身体的饥渴，更进一步指出，唯有上帝同在的应许，才能满足我们心灵与情感的饥渴。第3节提到的“永约”，提醒我们上帝对大卫的应许（撒母耳记下7章8-16节），就是上帝要从大卫的后裔中兴起一位救主，召聚万民重新归向上帝。后来耶稣宣称祂就是以赛亚和众先知所预言的救主，并对众人发出邀请：“我就是生命的粮，到我这里来的，必定不饿；信我的，永远不渴”（约翰福音6章35节）；“人若渴了，可以到我这里来喝”（7章37节）。

Hungry? God invites you to come and be filled in His presence.

你又饥又渴吗？上帝邀请你来得饱足。

Father, I long to know You more. Only You can satisfy my deepest desires.

亲爱的天父，我渴望更认识祢，唯祢能满足我最深的渴求。

Isaiah 55:1-7    NIV

55 “Come, all you who are thirsty,come to the waters;and you who have no money,come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. 3 Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. 4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the peoples. 5 Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.” 6 Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

以赛亚书 55:1-7 

55 “你们一切干渴的，都当就近水来！没有银钱的，也可以来！你们都来，买了吃。不用银钱，不用价值，也来买酒和奶。 2 你们为何花钱[a]买那不足为食物的，用劳碌得来的买那不使人饱足的呢？你们要留意听我的话，就能吃那美物，得享肥甘，心中喜乐。 3 你们当就近我来，侧耳而听，就必得活。我必与你们立永约，就是应许大卫那可靠的恩典。 4 我已立他做万民的见证，为万民的君王和司令。 5 你素不认识的国民，你也必召来，素不认识你的国民，也必向你奔跑，都因耶和华你的神以色列的圣者，因为他已经荣耀你。” 6 当趁耶和华可寻找的时候寻找他，相近的时候求告他。 7 恶人当离弃自己的道路，不义的人当除掉自己的意念。归向耶和华，耶和华就必怜恤他；当归向我们的神，因为神必广行赦免。

INSIGHT

灵粮透视

Jesus’s invitation in John 7:37 echoes the call of Isaiah 55:1–7. The setting is the Feast of Tabernacles, and one of the daily rituals of the feast was designed to point to the exodus of Israel from Egypt. On each of the seven days of the feast, the priest would perform a ritual by bringing a pitcher of water to the altar and pouring it out—a reminder of God’s provision of water in the wilderness. In John 7, it’s the last day of the feast, and it appears that at the moment when the priest is pouring out the water, Jesus declares, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink” (v. 37). Water satisfies. It quenches thirst. It meets our deepest needs—and Jesus declares Himself to be the source of that ultimate satisfaction.

在约翰福音7章37节，耶稣向众人发出邀请，与以赛亚书55章1-7节的呼吁遥相呼应。那时正是住棚节，节期的每一天都有一个仪式，纪念以色列人出埃及的经历。在为期七天的节日里，祭司每天都会将一罐水带到祭坛旁，并将水倒出来，以这个仪式表明上帝在旷野为百姓供应水。约翰福音第7章，讲到节期的最后一天，似乎正是祭司倒水的那个时刻，耶稣宣告说：“人若渴了，可以到我这里来喝！”（37节）水能让人解渴，也能满足我们最深的需求，而耶稣宣称唯有祂才是让人得满足的泉源。

In what things might you be pursuing satisfaction other than in Christ?

除了基督之外，你会在何事上追求满足呢？

整理：于姊妹