晨興聖言-...主的恢復之中心負擔...(W5-3)

第五週■週三

w05d03-ch

晨興餧養

利一3『他的供物若以牛爲燔祭，就要獻一隻沒有殘疾的公牛；他要在會幕門口把公牛獻上，使他可以在耶和華面前蒙悅納。』

     9『但燔祭牲的內臟與腿，那人要用水洗。祭司要把這一切全燒在壇上，當作燔祭，獻與耶和華爲怡爽香氣的火祭。』

燔祭豫表基督，主要的不是在於救贖人脫離罪，乃是在於過一種完全且絕對爲着神並滿足神的生活，（利一9，約五19，30，六38，七18，…）並在於祂是使神子民能過這樣一種生活的生命。（林後五15，加二19 ～ 20。）燔祭乃是神的食物，使神可以享受並得着滿足。（民二八2。）這祭每天早晚都要獻上。（出二九38 ～ 42，利六8 ～13，民二八3 ～ 4。）（聖經恢復本，利一3 註1。）

信息選讀

燔祭不是一件輕的事，乃是很有分量的事。『燔祭』，原文意，上升之物，因此指升到神面前的東西。這地上有甚麼能升到神那裏？惟一能從地上升到神那裏的，乃是基督所過的生活，因爲祂是惟一絕對爲着神而活的人。

燔祭牲經過宰殺、剝皮、切塊並洗淨以後，就放在祭壇上焚燒。…〔在利未記一章九節〕『怡爽香氣』，原文意，安息或滿足的香味；亦卽一種獻給神，使神怡爽的香味，藉此蒙神喜悅。這辭是專門術語，用以指燒祭牲時上升的馨香之氣。（S. R.Driver，竇威爾。）這節裏的『燒』字，原文意，『使…在煙中上升，』指明燔祭牲不是很快的燒，乃是慢慢的燒。這樣慢慢的燒，結果就有怡爽的香氣，就是一種帶來滿足、平安與安息的香氣。這樣一種怡爽的香氣對神乃是享受。

當我們將燔祭牲焚燒而獻上給神時，一種使神悅納的香氣就上升到神那裏，使祂滿足、安息。神旣得着滿足，就將祂甜美的悅納賜給我們，這就是燔祭的意義。

燔祭乃指基督是絕對爲着神的滿足。要以甜美、平安、與安息滿足神的路，就是過一種絕對爲着神的生活。我們旣無法過這樣的生活，就必須接受基督作我們的燔祭。我們需要按手在祂身上，指明我們渴望與祂聯合，與祂是一，過祂在地上所過的生活。

在聖經裏，按手總是表徵聯合，聯結，不是表徵代替。按手在供物身上，就是說我們與供物是一，並把供物當作與我們是一來接受。因此，按手使兩方成爲一。

藉着按手在作我們燔祭的基督身上，我們就與祂聯結。我們與祂，祂與我們就成爲一。這樣的聯結，這樣的聯合，指明我們一切的輭弱、缺陷、缺失和過失，都由祂擔負，〔來九28，〕而祂一切的美德都成爲我們的；這不是交換，這是聯結。

我們可能領悟自己完全不彀資格，完全無望。這是我們實在的光景。但當我們按手在基督身上時，我們的弱點由祂擔負，而祂的剛強之處，祂的美德，成了我們的。不僅如此，就屬靈一面說，藉着這樣的聯結，祂與我們成爲一並活在我們裏面。祂活在我們裏面時，就在我們裏面重複祂在地上所過的生活，就是燔祭的生活。我們憑自己無法過這種生活，但祂能在我們裏面活出這種生活。我們藉着按手在祂身上，就使祂與我們是一，也使我們與祂是一。這樣祂就在我們裏面重複祂的生活。這就是獻上燔祭。（利未記生命讀經，八三、四八至四九、三四至三五頁。）

參讀：利未記生命讀經，第三至五、八至九篇。

WEEK 5 — DAY 3

w05d03-en

Morning Nourishment

Lev. 1:3 If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall present it, a male without blemish; he shall present it at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, that he may be accepted before Jehovah.

          9 But its inward parts and its legs he shall wash with water. Then the priest shall burn the whole on the altar, as a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a satisfying fragrance to Jehovah.

The burnt offering typifies Christ not mainly in His redeeming man from sin but in His living a life that is perfect and absolutely for God and for God’s satisfaction (Lev. 1:9; John 5:19, 30; 6:38; 7:18…) and in His being the life that enables God’s people to have such a living (2 Cor. 5:15; Gal. 2:19-20). It is God’s food that God may enjoy it and be satisfied (Num. 28:2). This offering was to be offered daily, in the morning and in the evening (Exo. 29:38-42; Lev. 6:8-13; Num. 28:3-4). (Lev. 1:3, footnote 1)

Today's Reading

The burnt offering is not a light matter but a very weighty matter. The Hebrew word translated “burnt offering” literally means “that which goes up” and thus denotes something that ascends to God. What is there on this earth that can ascend to God? The only thing that can ascend to God from earth is the life lived by Christ, for He is the unique person to live a life absolutely for God.

After the burnt offering was slaughtered, skinned, cut into pieces, and washed, it was burned on the altar…The Hebrew words translated “satisfying fragrance” [in Leviticus 1:9] literally mean savor of rest or satisfaction, that is, a savor giving satisfaction to the Deity, to whom it is offered, and, therefore, received with favor by Him. The phrase is a technical term for the fragrant steam arising from a burning sacrifice (S. R. Driver). The word burn in verse 9 [smoke in AMP] indicates that the offering was not burned quickly but  slowly. As a result of this slow burning, there was a satisfying fragrance, a savor that brought satisfaction, peace, and rest. Such a satisfying fragrance is an enjoyment to God.

When we offer a burnt offering in smoke to God, a fragrance well pleasing to God will ascend to Him for His satisfaction and rest. Since God is satisfied, He will render His sweet acceptance to us. This is the significance of the burnt offering.

The burnt offering denotes Christ’s being absolute for God’s satisfaction. The way to satisfy God with sweetness, peace, and rest is to live a life that is absolutely for God. Since we cannot live such a life, we must take Christ as our burnt offering. We need to lay our hands on Him to indicate that we desire to be identified with Him, one with Him, and to live the kind of life He lived on earth.

In the Scripture, the laying on of hands always signifies identification, union; it does not signify substitution. To lay our hand on the offering means that we are one with the offering and take the offering as being one with us. Hence, the laying on of hands makes the two parties one.

By laying our hands on Christ as our burnt offering, we are joined to Him. We and He, He and we, become one. Such a union, such an identification, indicates that all our weaknesses, defects, shortcomings, and faults become His and that all His virtues become ours. This is not exchange—it is union.

We may realize that we are altogether unqualified and hopeless. This is our actual situation. But when we lay our hands on Christ, our weak points become His, and His strong points, His virtues, become ours. Furthermore, spiritually speaking, by such a union He becomes one with us and lives in us. As He lives in us, He will repeat in us the life He lived on earth, the life of the burnt offering. In ourselves we cannot live this kind of life, but He can live it in us. By laying our hands on Him we make Him one with us, and we make ourselves one with Him. Then He will repeat His living in us. This is to offer the burnt offering. (Life-study of Leviticus, pp. 71, 39-40, 27-28)

Further Reading: Life-study of Leviticus, msgs. 3-5, 8-9