A Hundred Years from Now / 一百年后
Dexu Xia
A Hundred Years from Now
I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. Job 19:25
Today's Scripture & Insight: Job 19:21–27
“I just want people to remember me a hundred years from now,” said screenwriter Rod Serling in 1975. Creator of the TV series The Twilight Zone, Serling wanted people to say of him, “He was a writer.” Most of us can identify with Serling’s desire to leave a legacy—something to give our lives a sense of meaning and permanence.
The story of Job shows us a man struggling with meaning amid life’s fleeting days. In a moment, not just his possessions but those most precious to him, his children, were taken. Then his friends accused him of deserving this fate. Job cried out: “Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever!” (Job 19:23–24).
Job’s words have been “engraved in rock forever.” We have them in the Bible. Yet Job needed even more meaning in his life than the legacy he’d leave behind. He discovered it in the character of God. “I know that my redeemer lives,” Job declared, “and that in the end he will stand on the earth” (19:25). This knowledge gave him the right longing. “I myself will see him,” Job said. “How my heart yearns within me!” (v. 27).
In the end, Job didn’t find what he expected. He found much more—the Source of all meaning and permanence (42:1–6).
一百年后
我知道我的救赎主活着，末了必站立在地上。-约伯记19章25节
美国电视剧集《迷离境界》（The Twilight Zone）的创作者洛德 · 瑟林于1975年表示，他想要让人们在一百年后，仍然记得他是一位作家。许多人都会和瑟林一样，希望自己能留下美名，让我们的生命具有意义和永恒价值。
从约伯的经历，我们看见人如何在短暂的年日中寻求生命的意义。他在顷刻之间，不仅失去财产，还痛失最珍爱的孩子们。过后，他的朋友甚至指责他该受这样的刑罚。约伯不禁大声宣告﹕“惟愿我的言语现在写上，都记录在书上；用铁笔镌刻，用铅灌在磐石上，直存到永远。”（约伯记19章23-24节）
约伯的言语已被镌刻在磐石上，存到永远，我们从圣经就可以读到。但约伯所寻求的并不是要留下什么，而是要从上帝的特质中找到生命真正的意义。所以他宣告说﹕“我知道我的救赎主活着，末了必站立在地上”（19章25节）。这使约伯有了正确的渴望，他说﹕“我必见祂在我身边，我要亲眼见祂，……我的心肠在我里面渴想极了。”（27节，新译本）
最后，约伯虽未得到期盼的答案，但他有更大的发现：上帝就是所有意义和永恒的根源（42章1-6节）。
上帝啊，除祢以外，一切都是转瞬即逝。
我们要赞美祢，因惟有祢永远不变，
求祢让我们明白祢才是最重要的。
你认为约伯为什么要让自己所说的话存到永远？
你希望一百年后人们会如何记得你呢？