Chapter 41 of 58

Book 3: The Secret Door to Success - Crossing Your Red Sea

第三巻：成功への秘密の扉 — あなたの紅海を渡る

$% '5'& One of the most dramatic stories in the bible is the episode of the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea.

聖書の中で最もドラマチックな物語の一つは、イスラエルの民が紅海を渡るエピソードです。

Moses was leading them out of the land of Egypt where they were kept in bondage and slavery. They were being pursued by the Egyptians.

モーセは彼らをエジプトの地から導き出していました。そこでは束縛と奴隷の中に置かれていたのです。エジプト人に追われていました。

The children of Israel, like most people, did not enjoy trusting God; they did a lot of murmuring. They said to Moses: "Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness."

イスラエルの民は、ほとんどの人がそうであるように、神を信頼することを楽しみませんでした。大いにつぶやきました。彼らはモーセに言いました。「我々にこう言ったのは――」

"And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the lord, which he will show to you today, for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever."

「モーセは民に言った。恐れてはならない。しっかり立って、今日あなたがたのためになされる主の救いを見よ。今日見ているエジプト人を――」

"The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." We might say that Moses pounded faith into the children of Israel. They preferred being slaves to their old doubts and fears (for Egypt stands for darkness), than to take the giant swing into faith, and pass through the wilderness to their Promised Land.

「主があなたがたのために戦われる。あなたがたは黙っていればよい。」モーセはイスラエルの民に信仰を叩き込んだと言えるでしょう。彼らは――

There is, indeed, a wilderness to pass through before your Promised Land is reached.

確かに約束の地に到達する前に、通過しなければならない荒野があります。

The old doubts and fears encamp round about you, but, there is always someone to tell you to go forward! There is always a Moses on your pathway. Sometimes it is a friend, sometimes intuition! "And the Lord said to Moses, Wherefore cryest thou unto me?

古い疑いと恐れがあなたの周りに陣を張りますが、前に進めと告げる者が常にいます！あなたの道にはいつもモーセがいるのです。

Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward!"

「イスラエルの民に、前進せよと告げよ！」

"But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it; and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea."

「あなたは杖を上げ、手を海の上に差し伸べてそれを分けよ。イスラエルの民は乾いた地を通って海の中を行くであろう。」

"And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided."

「モーセが手を海の上に差し伸べると、主は夜通し強い東風をもって海を退かせ、海を乾いた地とし――」

"And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground, and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left."

「イスラエルの民は海の真ん中の乾いた地を進み、水は彼らの右と左に壁となった。」

"And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen." "And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen."

「エジプト人は追いかけて、ファラオの馬、戦車、騎兵のすべてが海の真ん中に入って行った。」「そして――」

"And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned; and the Egyptians fled against it, and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea."

「モーセが海の上に手を差し伸べると、海は元に戻った。エジプト人はそれに逆らって逃げたが、主はエジプト人を海の中に投げ込まれた。」

"And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the hosts of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them."

「水は戻り、戦車と騎兵、ファラオの全軍を覆った。海に入って追いかけたものは一人も残らなかった。」

Now remember, the bible is talking about the individual. It is talking about your wilderness, your Red Sea, and your Promised Land.

さて、聖書は個人について語っていることを忘れないでください。あなたの荒野、あなたの紅海、そしてあなたの約束の地について語っているのです。

Each one of you has a Promised Land, a heart's desire, but you have been so enslaved by the Egyptians (your negative thoughts), it seems very far away, and too good to be true. You consider trusting God a very risky proposition. The wilderness might prove worse than the Egyptians.

あなたにはそれぞれ約束の地、心からの願いがあります。しかしあなたはエジプト人（否定的な思考）にあまりにも長く奴隷にされてきたので、とても遠いものに思えるのです。

And how do you know your Promised Land really exists?

そして約束の地が本当に存在することをどうやって知るのでしょうか？

The reasoning mind will always back up the Egyptians.

理性はいつもエジプト人の味方をします。

But sooner or later, something says, "Go forward!" It is usually circumstances — you are driven to it.

しかし遅かれ早かれ、何かが「前に進め！」と言います。それはたいてい状況です。追い立てられるのです。

I give the example of a student.

一人の生徒の例を挙げましょう。

She is a very marvelous pianist and had great success abroad. She came back with a book full of press clippings, and a happy heart. A relative took an interest in her and said she would back her financially for a concert tour. They chose a manager who took charge of the expenses, and attended to her bookings.

彼女は素晴らしいピアニストで、海外で大きな成功を収めていました。新聞の切り抜きでいっぱいの本と、幸せな心を携えて帰国しました。ある親戚が――

After a concert or two, there were no more funds. The manager had taken them. My friend was left stranded, desolate and disappointed. This was about the time that she came to me. She hated the man, and it was making her ill. She had very little money and could afford only a cheerless room where her hands were often too cold to practice.

一、二回のコンサートの後、資金はなくなりました。マネージャーが取ってしまったのです。友人は取り残され、打ちひしがれ、失望しました。これが――

She was indeed, in bondage to the Egyptians — hate, resentment, lack and limitation.

彼女はまさにエジプト人に束縛されていたのです。憎しみ、恨み、欠乏、制限に。

Someone brought her to one of my meetings, and she spoke to me and told her story.

誰かが彼女を私の集会に連れてきて、彼女は私に話しかけ、自分の話をしてくれました。

I said, "In the first place you must stop hating that man. When you are able to forgive him, your success will come back to you. You are taking your initiation in forgiveness."

私は言いました。「まず、その男性を憎むのをやめなければなりません。彼を赦すことができたとき、あなたの成功は戻ってきます。あなたは――」

It seemed a pretty big order, but she tried and came regularly to all my meetings.

かなり大きな注文のように思えましたが、彼女は試み、私の集会にすべて定期的に出席しました。

In the meantime, the relative had started a suit to recover the money. Time went on and it never came to court.

その間に、親戚がお金を取り戻すための訴訟を起こしていました。時が過ぎましたが、裁判にはなりませんでした。

My friend had a call to go to California. She was no longer disturbed by the situation, and had forgiven the man.

友人はカリフォルニアに行くよう召しを受けました。彼女はもうその状況に動揺することなく、その男性を赦していました。

Suddenly, after about four years, she was notified that the case had come to court. She called me upon her arrival in New York, and asked me to speak the word for rightness and justice.

突然、約四年後に、裁判が開かれたという通知が届きました。彼女はニューヨークに着くと私に電話をかけ、助けを求めました。

They went at the time appointed, and it was all settled out of court, the man restoring the money by monthly payments.

指定された時間に行き、すべては示談で解決しました。男性は月払いで返金することになりました。

She came to me overflowing with joy, for she said, "I hadn't the least resentment toward the man. He was amazed when I greeted him cordially." Her relative said that all the money was to go to her, so she found herself with a big bank account.

彼女は喜びに溢れて私のもとに来ました。「あの男性に対して少しも恨みがなかったのです。私が温かく挨拶したとき、彼は驚いていました。」と言いました。

Now she will soon reach her Promised Land. She came out of the house of bondage (of hate and resentment) and crossed her Red Sea. Her goodwill toward the man caused the waters to part, and she crossed over on dry land.

今や彼女はまもなく約束の地に到達するでしょう。束縛の家（憎しみと恨み）から出て、紅海を渡ったのです。善意が――

Dry land symbolizes something substantial under your feet, the feet symbolizing understanding.

乾いた地は足元にある確かなものの象徴です。足は理解を象徴しています。

Moses stands out as one of the greatest figures in biblical history. It came to Moses to move from Egypt with his nation. The task before him was not only the unwillingness of Pharaoh to let go of those whom he had made into profitable slaves, but also to stimulate to open rebellion this nation which had lost its initiative under the hardships of its taskmasters.

モーセは聖書の歴史の中で最も偉大な人物の一人です。モーセは民族とともにエジプトを出発するよう召しを受けました。彼の前にある仕事は――

It required extraordinary genius to meet this condition, which Moses possessed with self abnegation and the courage of his own convictions. Self abnegation! He was called the meekest of men. We have often heard the expression, "As meek as Moses". He was so meek towards the commands of the Lord, that he became one of the strongest of men.

この状況に対処するには、モーセが持っていた自己犠牲と自己の信念への勇気という並外れた才能が必要でした。

"The Lord said to Moses, 'Lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it, and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.'"

「主はモーセに言われた。『杖を上げ、手を海の上に差し伸べてそれを分けよ。イスラエルの民は乾いた地を通って海の中を行く。』」

So, never doubting, he said to the children of Israel, "Go forward." This was a daring thing to do, to lead a multiple of people into the sea, having perfect faith they would not drown.

そこで彼は疑うことなく、イスラエルの民に「前進せよ」と言いました。大勢の人を海の中に導くのは大胆なことでした。

Behold the miracle!

見よ、奇跡を！

"... the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided." Now remember, this could happen for you this very day. Think of your problem.

「……主は夜通し強い東風をもって海を退かせ、海を乾いた地とし、水は分かれた。」今、覚えておいてください――

Maybe you have lost your initiative from living so long a slave to Pharaoh (your doubts, fears and discouragements).

あなたは長い間ファラオ（疑い、恐れ、落胆）の奴隷として生きてきたために、主導権を失ってしまったのかもしれません。

Say to yourself, "Go forward."

自分にこう言いなさい。「前進せよ。」

"... the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind." We will think of this strong east wind as a strong affirmation. Take a vital statement of Truth. For example if your problem is a financial one, say "My supply comes from God, and big happy financial surprises come to me, under grace, in perfect ways." The statement is a good one, for it contains the element of mystery. We are told that God works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform. We might say in surprising ways. Now that you have made your statement for supply, you have caused the east wind to blow.

「……主は強い東風をもって海を退かせた。」この強い東風を力強い宣言と考えましょう。力ある宣言をしなさい。

So walk up to your Red Sea of lack or limitation. The way to walk up to your Red Sea is to do something to show your fearlessness. I will tell the story of a student who had an invitation to visit friends at a very fashionable summer resort.

欠乏や制限という紅海に歩み寄りなさい。紅海に歩み寄る方法は、恐れのないことを示す行動をすることです。例を挙げましょう。

She had been living in the country for a long time, grown heavier, and nothing fitted her but her girl-scout suit. Suddenly, she received the invitation. It meant evening clothes, slippers and accessories, none of which she had, and no money to buy them. She came to me. I said, "What is your hunch?"

彼女は長い間田舎に住んでいて、太ってしまい、ガールスカウトの服しか合わなくなっていました。突然、招待状が届きました。

She replied, "I feel very fearless. I have the hunch to go anyway." So she squeezed herself into something to travel in and went. When she arrived at her friend's house she was greeted warmly, but her hostess said, with some embarrassment, "Maybe what I've done will hurt you, but there are some evening clothes and slippers I never wear which I have put in your room. Won't you make use of them?"

彼女は答えました。「とても恐れがないと感じます。とにかく行くというひらめきがあるのです。」それで何とか体を押し込んで出かけました。着いてみると――

My friend assured her she would be delighted — and everything fitted perfectly.

友人は喜んでくれると保証し、すべてがぴったり合いました。

She had, indeed, walked up to her Red Sea and passed over on dry land.

彼女はまさに紅海に歩み寄り、乾いた地を渡ったのです。

The waters of my Red Sea part, and I pass over on dry land, I now go forward into my Promised Land.

私の紅海の水は分かれ、乾いた地を渡る。今こそ約束の地へ前進する。