蒙主思思念念的古聖徒們（耶15章）

耶和華對我說：「雖有摩西和撒母耳站在我面前代求、我的心也不顧惜這百姓．你將他們從我眼前趕出、叫他們去罷。」（耶 15：1）

上一章中，神對先知耶利米說：「不要為這百姓祈禱求好處。他們禁食的時候、我不聽他們的呼求．他們獻燔祭和素祭、我也不悅納．我卻要用刀劍、飢荒、瘟疫、滅絕他們。」（耶 14：11b-12）。但是耶利米還是不斷地為百姓代求。

來到本章一開始，神就跟耶利米說，即使有摩西、撒母耳站在神面前代求，神也不會顧惜這百姓。意思是不用再白費力氣為他們代禱了，連某某人來都沒用，表示神絕對不會應允所求。

在這裏，神特別提了摩西、撒母耳兩人，可見在數百年後的耶利米時代裡，摩西和撒母耳二人仍然讓天父真神念念不忘！這兩人到底有何事蹟，能讓我慈愛的天父歷經數百年之後，仍如此揪心？

關於摩西：

到了第二天、摩西對百姓說：「你們犯了大罪、我如今要上耶和華那裏去、或者可以為你們贖罪。」摩西回到耶和華那裏、說：「唉！這百姓犯了大罪、為自己作了金像。倘或你肯赦免他們的罪、……不然、求你從你所寫的冊上塗抹我的名。」（出 32：30-32）。

這是以色列百姓剛出埃及，在西乃山下，因為久候不到上山已四十天的摩西下山，以為摩西已經死在山上。在亞倫的領導下鑄造金牛犢，讓百姓陷在拜偶像的重罪之中。為此，神的原意是要一瞬間滅絕以色列全體會眾，獨留摩西一個家族。但是，摩西這時為百姓代求，甚至願意以生命冊上好不容易擁有的名字，為百姓的存留接受塗抹。經文中這裡點點點的符號，讓我似乎看見摩西哽咽，因極度悲傷說不出話來時，聖經所做的描述。

關於撒母耳：

撒母耳直到死的日子、再沒有見掃羅。但撒母耳為掃羅悲傷、是因耶和華後悔立他為以色列的王。耶和華對撒母耳說：「我既厭棄掃羅作以色列的王、你為他悲傷要到幾時呢？你將膏油盛滿了角、我差遣你往伯利恆人耶西那裏去、因為我在他眾子之內、預定一個作王的。」（撒上 15：35-16：1)

掃羅王因為頑梗悖逆，神下定決心要廢王。但是這位當初被撒母耳所反對要立的王「掃羅」，如今犯罪，將要被神廢棄另立新王，這時，撒母耳卻忍不住不斷地爲掃羅向神代求，為他悲傷。甚至讓神都忍不住了，出面要安慰掃母耳，藉由派他去膏大衛為王來轉移他憂傷的心。

能被神如此紀念，即使肉體已因年紀老邁死亡數百年，仍被神思思念念，甚至在神的心中成為一種標竿，藉以用來表達神心中那絕不改變的標準。

想起另有三人也是在離世數千年之後，還被神思思念念：

人子阿！若有一國犯罪干犯我、我也向他伸手折斷他們的杖、就是斷絕他們的糧、使飢荒臨到那地、將人與牲畜從其中剪除。其中雖有挪亞、但以理、約伯這三人、他們只能因他們的義救自己的性命．這是主耶和華說的。（結 14：13-14）

雖有挪亞、但以理、約伯在其中、主耶和華說：「我指着我的永生起誓、他們連兒帶女都不能救、只能因他們的義救自己的性命。」（結 14：20）

這裡的挪亞、但以理、約伯，也是神心目中合祂心意的最高標準，也就是表示連這最高標準的人在世，神也不會改變祂的決定，何況是其他人？

想起啟示錄中，當寶座出現在天的時候，周圍有廿四位長老，皆蒙神賞賜金冠冕，他們也都是神心上的人（參 啟 4：4）。我們從小若是希望自己是父母的幾個小孩中，那最被疼愛的孩子，必會為此努力表現，只為討好父母的歡心。如今，我們在神面前也都是神眼中的「諸長子」（參 來 12：22），我們是否也對自己有如此的期待，羨慕那些被主思思念念的古聖徒們，因而願意為此努力討主喜悅？這時，我們會如何努力？

心中響起讚美詩398首，第一節歌詞足表我心：

我願獻身心，為基督而活，在一切事上討我主喜樂；

歡欣順服主，任祂指引我，願背十字架，一生為主活。

哦！主耶穌，我救主，我心奉獻給祢，因祢獻自己為祭，為我生命捨棄。

懇求祢作我救主，來住在我心裡。我一生一世為主活，我願為主而活。.......。

By Isaiah Kao

The Ancient Saints Whom the Lord Always Remembers (Jeremiah 15)

July 12, 2026

"Then the LORD said to me, 'Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not be with this people; send them away from My presence, and let them go!'" (Jeremiah 15:1, NASB 2020)

In the previous chapter, God said to the prophet Jeremiah:

"Do not pray for the welfare of this people. When they fast, I am not going to listen to their cry; and when they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I am not going to accept them. Rather, I am going to put an end to them by the sword, famine, and plague." (Jeremiah 14:11–12, NASB 2020)

Yet Jeremiah continued to intercede for the people.

At the beginning of this chapter, God told Jeremiah that even if Moses and Samuel stood before Him to intercede, He still would not have compassion on this people. It means, there was no need to pray for them. Even if the greatest intercessors came, it would make no difference. God will never grant what he asks.

Here, God specifically mentioned Moses and Samuel. This shows that even hundreds of years later, in Jeremiah's time, these two faithful servants were still deeply remembered by our heavenly Father. What had they done that caused God to remember them so dearly after so many centuries?

Concerning Moses:

"The next day Moses said to the people, 'You yourselves have committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the LORD, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.' Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, 'Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. But now, if You will forgive their sin—... but if not, please wipe me out from Your book which You have written!'" (Exodus 32:30–32, NASB 2020)

This happened shortly after Israel came out of Egypt. While Moses had been on Mount Sinai for forty days, the people assumed he had died. Under Aaron's leadership, they made a golden calf and fell into the terrible sin of idolatry. God intended to destroy the entire nation immediately and leave Moses alone in one family. But Moses pleaded for the people. He was even willing to have his own name removed from the Book of Life if that would spare Israel.

Whenever I read this passage, the unfinished sentence marked by the dash seems to reveal Moses choking with grief, unable to finish his words because of his deep sorrow-the description of the Bible.

Concerning Samuel:

"Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, because Samuel mourned for Saul. And the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel. Now the LORD said to Samuel, 'How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself from among his sons.'" (1 Samuel 15:35–16:1, NASB 2020)

King Saul became stubborn and rebellious, and God decided to remove him from the throne.

Ironically, Saul was the very king whom Samuel had originally opposed when Israel demanded a king. Yet when Saul fell into sin and God rejected him, Samuel could not stop grieving and interceding for him.

His sorrow was so deep that God Himself comforted Samuel by sending him to anoint David as the next king, helping him turn his heart from grief.

Those forever remembered by God, 

even though their bodies had died for hundreds of years, they remained in God's heart. They became a goal by which God expressed His unchanging standard.

This reminds me of three other people whom God still remembered thousands of years after their deaths:

"'Son of man, if a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine against it, and eliminate both human and animal life from it, even though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only save themselves,' declares the Lord GOD." (Ezekiel 14:13–14, NASB 2020)

"'Even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, as I live,' declares the Lord GOD, 'they could not save either their son or their daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.'" (Ezekiel 14:20, NASB 

2020)

Noah, Daniel, and Job also represented God's highest standard of righteousness. God's point was that even if these most righteous people were present, His righteous judgment would still stand. How much less could anyone else change His decision?

This also reminds me of the book of Revelation. Around God's throne sit the twenty-four elders, each wearing a golden crown given by God.They, too, are people precious to God's heart.(see Revelation 4:4)

When we were children, many of us hoped to become the child most loved by our parents, and we tried our best to please them.

Today, we are all counted among "the assembly of the firstborn" before God (see Hebrews 12:22–23). Should we not have the same desire? Should we not long to become people whom the Lord lovingly remembers, just as He remembers those faithful saints of old.

Should I, therefore willing to work hard to please the Lord?

At this moment, the words of Hymn 398 come to my heart. The first verse expresses exactly what I long to say:

Living for Jesus, a life that is true,

Striving to please Him in all that I do;

Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,

This is the pathway of blessing for me.

O Jesus, Lord and Savior,

I give myself to Thee,

For Thou, in Thy atonement,

Didst give Thyself for me;

I own no other Master,

My heart shall be Thy throne;

My life I give, henceforth, to live,

O Christ, for Thee alone.

By Isaiah Kao