逃离诱惑

Tempt means to entice one to commit an unwise or immoral act.  Something that tempts or entices causes one to be in a state of temptation.

Today we will look at three examples from the Bible that teach us important lessons about temptation and how we can be victorious over the temptations in our own lives.  Our first example is about a young man named Joseph.  You can find Joseph’s story in the book of Genesis.  Joseph is one of the two youngest sons of Jacob, and he was about seventeen years old at the time of this story.  Joseph’s brothers were jealous of their father’s love for him, and because of their jealousy, his brothers hated him.  So they sought to do Joseph harm, and eventually, his brothers sold him into slavery to a man named Potiphar.

创世记 39:1-5

“1 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.

2 耶和华与约瑟同在，他是富足的人；他在他主人埃及人的家里。

3 他的主人见耶和华与他同在，耶和华使他所做的一切都在他手中顺利。

4 约瑟在他眼前蒙恩，就事奉他，派他看管他的家和他手中所有的。

5 And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.”

At the beginning of Genesis chapter 39, we read that Joseph’s brothers treated him cruelly because they were incredibly jealous of their father’s love for him.  So the brothers plotted to kill Joseph but instead sold him to an Egyptian household as an enslaved person.  God did not abandon Joseph but had His hand on him, and Joseph quickly advanced in the house of Potiphar.  Joseph feared God, and God was with him.   So instead of keeping him as a mere slave, Potiphar made him his steward and overseer of his whole house.

创世记 39:6

^“6 他把一切所有的，都在约瑟手里；他知道他不应该吃，除了他吃的面包。约瑟夫是个好人，也很受人欢迎。”

当约瑟在这些繁荣的环境中时，在他主人的家里遇到了巨大的试探。圣经告诉我们，约瑟的情妇以情欲投向他，然后引诱他。现在这种诱惑不仅仅是一次发生，而是一次又一次地发生。圣经向我们展示；没有人在身边的时候，最大的诱惑就来了。

创世记 39:10-12

10事情是这样的，当她日复一日地对约瑟说话时，他不听她的话，也不在她身边躺着，也不和她在一起。

11 事情是这样的，约瑟进屋办事；里面没有一家人。

12 她抓住他的衣服，说，跟我躺下。他把衣服交在她手里，逃跑，把他救了出来。

What did Joseph do when this temptation came at its strongest?  He not only refused her, but he fled from her as he would have done as if someone were trying to kill him.  Joseph escaped for his life!  This behavior of Joseph, without doubt, is recorded for the instruction of all.  We have to avoid the things that are themselves sinful and those that lead to sin.  Any sin we commit is evil and separates us from God.

诗篇 66:18

“18 我若心里注重罪孽，主必不听：

以赛亚书 59:2

“2 但你的罪孽使你与神隔绝，你的罪孽使他掩面不听你。”

我们需要用我们的心、灵魂、思想和力量来憎恨罪恶并热爱上帝的律法。

约书亚记 22:5

“5 但要殷勤谨守遵行耶和华的仆人摩西吩咐你的诫命律法，爱耶和华你的神，行他一切的道，遵守他的诫命，紧守他，并全心全意地为他服务。”

申命记 4:9

“9 只管留心自己，谨守你的灵魂，免得你忘记你亲眼所见的事，免得他们终生远离你的心；但要教导他们你的儿子，你儿子的儿子;”

什么是罪？罪是故意和蓄意地违背上帝。

雅各书 4:17

“17所以，知道行善却不去行的，在他看来就是罪了。”

Before we sin, there is always a temptation.  Temptation is not a sin, but it is the testing point for sin.  Joseph did not know that his boss’s wife would tempt him, but if he had given in and not fled, he would have sinned.  What do we do when temptation meets us?  Are we fleeing from the wrong, or are we giving in?  What happens when the temptation to lie, get angry or do anything that transgresses God’s commandments challenges us?

Would you walk across a river where the ice was all broken up?  No, you would avoid it.  Would you take your money and throw it into the sea?  No.  Would you walk off the edge of a cliff?  No, you would flee from the area.  If we say we love God and follow Him, we will flee from doing anything sinful.  We will stay as far away from sin as possible.

Our second example is about a man named Achan, whose story we can find in the book of Joshua.  Before the Israelites would conquer Jericho, God commanded them not to take specific items from spoils because they were accursed.  Achan was tempted in Jericho by things he’d seen and then desired to have, which God said not to take.  Achan took the accursed items anyway and hid them in his tent.  God told Joshua there was sin among the Israelites, and Achan finally confessed.  God became very angry, and Achan’s action became responsible for the defeat against the Israelites when Joshua sent the men into Ai.

约书亚记 7:21

“21 我在战利品中看见一件精美的巴比伦衣服，两百舍客勒银子，一块五十舍客勒重的金子，就贪图取下；看啊，他们都藏在我帐棚中间的地里，下面是银子。”

亚干与约瑟不同。亚干受试探，没有逃跑，结果如何？以色列人处死亚干和他的家人。当我们今天犯罪时，本质上我们就死了，我们不再与神相交。

Our last example is our Lord Himself.  When the devil tempted Jesus, what did He do?  Jesus said, “Get thee behind me, Satan!” In other words, get out of here, devil!  I am sure Jesus was not timid about this either.  Instead, Jesus was forceful and commanding.  He rebuked the devil amid temptation.  Jesus knew we would experience temptation, so He taught us to pray in this way:

马太福音 6:13

“13 不叫我们遇见试探，救我们脱离凶恶：因为国度、权柄、荣耀都是你的，直到永远。阿门。”

马太福音 26:41

“41 总要警醒祷告，免得入了迷惑；灵固然愿意，肉体却软弱了。”

Do you think these commands are any less important today?  No, we need to watch lest we enter into temptation or, in other words, SIN.  We need to flee anything that looks, acts, or talks like SIN.

How have you been doing in your life?  Have you been letting temptations lead you to sin?  If yes, God gives you the power to defeat and overcome temptation through His Son.  When we get saved and stay close to God, we can flee whenever the temptation arises.

1 哥林多前书 10:12-14

“12 所以，自以为站立得住的，要谨慎，免得跌倒。

13 除了人所常受的试探外，你没有被试探；但神是信实的，他不会让你受试探超过你所能承受的；但会带着诱惑也开出一条路来逃脱，以便你们能够忍受。

14 因此，我心爱的人，要远离偶像崇拜。”

RHT