晨興聖言-挪亞、但以理和約伯...(W2-1)
第二週 • 週一
晨興餧養
創六8~9 但挪亞在耶和華眼前蒙恩。挪亞的後代記在下麵。挪亞是個義人,在當時的世代是個完全人;挪亞與神同行。
當神在創世記一章初次看人的時候,祂既快樂又喜悅。當神在六章再次看人的時候,祂看見人已經邪惡敗壞到了極點,就為着造了人而憂傷。從一章到這裏,有何等的改變!……如果你是神,你會怎麼作?也許你會說,『算了罷。』但神永遠的目的怎麼辦?神豈不是永遠的神?永遠的神能改變麼?神不是短暫的神,乃是永遠的神,在祂並沒有轉動的影兒(雅一17)。祂作了決定,就永遠立定。如果神忘了祂永遠的目的,祂的仇敵會譏笑祂說,『你想要創造人來擊敗我,但是你沒有擊敗我,反被我擊敗了。』神會被擊敗麼?絕對不會!那麼神應該怎麼作?答案就在創世記六章八節:『但挪亞在耶和華眼前蒙恩。』歷代以來,這原則一直不變(創世記生命讀經,四七一頁)。
信息選讀
我們從創世記六章五節讀到八節。『耶和華見人在地上罪惡甚大,心中終日所思念的盡都是惡。』(5)所思念的,直譯,思想的意念。『意念』一辭,在希伯來文不僅指意念,也指目的和願望。『耶和華就後悔造人在地上,心中憂傷。耶和華說,我要將所創造的人,…都從地上除滅,因為我後悔造了他們。』(6~7)如果一切到此為止,那就沒有希望了。但是,阿利路亞,我們還有第八節!這一節開始於一個重要的『但』字。『但挪亞在耶和華眼前蒙恩。』這是創世記這卷書中最重大的經節之一。撒但很樂意聽到,神要把人從地上除滅,但挪亞卻在耶和華眼前蒙恩。這轉變了局面,改變了時代。阿利路亞,神沒有被擊敗!在表面的失敗中,藉着一個在耶和華眼前蒙恩的人得勝了。這是個轉捩點。如果你配着聖經讀一讀歷史,你會看見在每一個時代,當撒但盡力把局面破壞到極點之後,總有一個人或少數人在神眼前蒙恩,成為改變那時代的人。你們記得以色列人的歷史,雖然他們一再墮落,墮落到底,但是出來了一個少年人,使仇敵大大的驚訝,這人名叫但以理。但以理一章八節說,『但以理卻立定心意,不以王的膳和王所飲的酒玷污自己。』但以理書說,『但以理卻…。』創世記六章八節說,『但挪亞…。』
如果我們看挪亞的生活,我們會看見這不僅是與神同行,或建造方舟的事。基本且重要的點乃是,神用挪亞改變了時代。…看來好像沒有希望了。但挪亞蒙了恩典,挪亞的生活是改變時代的生活。
看看今天的局面。如果你讀福音書,如果你看見神對召會的定旨,你會認識召會有這樣一個高超的使命。召會是由神的生命所產生,在這新約時代彰顯神自己。召會已受託以這樣一個榮耀的使命。我們不需要看過去。眼前的情況就足以告訴我們,召會是多麼墮落,多麼偏離神正確的目標。但不要灰心。雖然撒但盡力破壞,神仍然有方法達成祂原初的目的。在一切的失敗之中,神今天興起了眾地方召會來改變時代(創世記生命讀經,四七一至四七三頁)。
參讀:創世記生命讀經,第二十九篇。
WEEK 2 — DAY 1
Morning Nourishment
Gen.
6:8-9 But Noah found favor in the sight of Jehovah. These are the
generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in
his generations; and Noah walked with God.
When
God had His first look at mankind in Genesis 1, He was happy and
pleased with man. When God had another look at man in Genesis 6, He saw
that man had become wicked and corrupt to the uttermost, and it grieved
Him that He had made man. What a change from Genesis 1!…What would you
have done if you had been God? Perhaps you would have said, “Forget
about it.” But what about God’s eternal purpose? Is not God the eternal
God? Can the eternal God change? God is not a temporary God but an
eternal God. In Him there is no shadow of change (James 1:17). Once He
makes a decision, it stands for eternity. If God had forgotten His
eternal purpose, His enemy would have laughed at Him, saying, “You
intended to create man to defeat me, but instead of You defeating me, I
have defeated You.” Will God be defeated? Never! Then what should God
do? The answer, the same in principle throughout the centuries, is found
in Genesis 6:8: “But Noah found favor in the sight of Jehovah.”
(Life-study of Genesis, p. 386)
Today’s Reading
Let
us read Genesis 6:5 through 8 : “Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man
was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of
his heart was only evil continually.” In Hebrew, the words every
imagination signify not only the imagination but also the purposes and
desires. “And Jehovah repented that He had made man on the earth, and it
grieved Him in His heart. And Jehovah said, I will blot out the man
whom I have created…; for I repent that I have made them.” If that had
been all, there would have been no hope. But Hallelujah for verse 8!
This verse begins with a big “but.” “But Noah found favor in the
sight of Jehovah.” The King James Version translates this verse, “But
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” This is one of the greatest
verses in the book of Genesis.
Satan
was glad to hear that God was going to blot out man from the surface of
the ground, but Noah found favor, or grace, in the sight of Jehovah.
That turned the situation and changed the age. Hallelujah, God was not
defeated! In the midst of apparent defeat, there was victory through a
man who found favor, or grace, in the sight of Jehovah. That was the
turning point. If you read history along with the Bible, you will see
that in every generation, when Satan has done his best to damage the
situation to the uttermost, there has always been one man or a few
people who found grace in the sight of God and who became the ones who
turned the age. Remember the history of Israel. Although they degraded
lower and lower until they reached the bottom, there was, much to the
surprise of the enemy, a young man named Daniel. Daniel 1:8 says, “But
Daniel set his heart not to defile himself with the king’s choice
provision and with the wine that the king drank.” There in the book of
Daniel it says, “But Daniel”; here in Genesis 6:8 it says, “But Noah.”
If
we look at Noah’s life, we will see that it was not simply a matter of
walking with God or of building the ark. The basic and crucial point is
that God used Noah to change the age…There seemed to be no hope. But
Noah found favor. Noah’s life was a life that changed the age.
Look
at the situation today. If you read the Gospels and if you see God’s
purpose for the church, you will realize that the church has such a high
commission. The church was produced with God’s life to express Him in
this New Testament age. The church has been entrusted with such a
glorious commission. There is no need for us to look into the past. The
present situation is sufficient to show us how much the church has
fallen and deviated from God’s proper goal. But do not be
disappointed. Though Satan has done his best, God still has a way to
carry out His original purpose. Among all the defeats, God today has
raised up local churches to change the age. (Life-study of Genesis, pp.
386-387)
Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msg. 29
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