晨興聖言-挪亞、但以理和約伯...(W3-1)

第三週週一

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晨興餧養

但一3~4  王吩咐太監長…從以色列人中,…帶進幾個人來,就是年少沒有殘疾,相貌俊美,通曉各樣智慧,知識通達,思想敏捷,足能侍立在王宮裏的…。

      7 太監長給他們起名…。

但以理書只有兩段。第一段包括一至六章,說到神墮落的選民中年輕的後裔(包括但以理),在被擄之中,勝過撒但進一步的詭計。這得勝乃是勝過屬鬼的飲食(一3~21);勝過那阻止人看見尼布甲尼撒夢中大人像(全人類歷史中人類政權的總和)之鬼魔的蒙蔽(二章);勝過拜偶像的引誘(三章);勝過那攔阻人看見諸天之神的諸天掌權的遮蔽(四章);勝過對在神面前荒淫放蕩,褻瀆神的聖別之結果的無知(五章);勝過那禁止得勝者忠信敬拜神的詭計(六章)。

尼布甲尼撒在他對但以理及其同伴所施那屬鬼魔的試誘中,也將原來指明他們是屬於神的名字,改為使他們與偶像成為一的名字。但以理這名,意思是『神是審判者』,或『神是我的審判者』,被改為伯提沙撒—『彼勒(賽四六1)的王子』,或『彼勒所寵愛的』。哈拿尼雅這名,意思是『耶和華曾以恩慈賜與』,或『蒙耶和華恩寵』,被改為沙得拉 —『蒙日神光照』。米沙利這名,意思是『誰是神所是的?』但他的名被改為米煞 —『誰能像女神煞克?』亞撒利雅這名,意思是『耶和華曾幫助』,被改為亞伯尼歌—『火神尼歌的忠僕』(但以理書生命讀經,七至八、一三頁)。

信息選讀

在遷徙到巴比倫時,神殿中的一些器皿被帶到示拿地,放在偶像廟裏(代下三六6~7),這使神選民敬拜耶和華獨一之神的見證,完全被毀。

『王吩咐太監長亞施毗拿,從以色列人中,從王室後裔和貴胄中,帶進幾個人來…。』(但一3~4)在這些以色列人中,有一些年輕的得勝者,是神用以勝過撒但進一步詭計的。撒但可能以為神已經失敗了,地上再也沒有對神的敬拜了;神的選民已經失敗了,神在地上的定旨受到虧損了。然而,神卻不失望,因為祂還有一些得勝者 —但以理和他的同伴。在祂主宰的安排下,這些年輕人被帶到巴比倫,在那裏作祂的得勝者。

原則上,一切臨到我們的試誘,都與喫有關。尼布甲尼撒那屬鬼魔的試誘,首先引誘神失敗的選民中四個卓越的年輕後裔,就是但以理和他的三個同伴,要使他們有分於王不潔的食物,就是獻給偶像的食物,而受玷污。…對但以理來說,王所用的膳食實際上就是善惡知識樹。這樹聯於撒但,甚至與撒但是一;但生命樹聯於神,且與神是一。喫善惡知識樹,就聯於撒但;喫生命樹,就聯於神。當但以理和他的同伴拒絕喫尼布甲尼撒不潔的食物,而揀選喫蔬菜時,他們實際上是在拒絕善惡知識樹,而接受生命樹。因此,甚至在尼布甲尼撒的宮裏,也有這兩棵樹(但以理書生命讀經,一○至一二頁)。

參讀:但以理書生命讀經,第一至二篇。

WEEK 3 — DAY 1

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Morning Nourishment

Dan. 1:3-4 Then the king told…the chief of his eunuchs to bring some of the sons of Israel,…children in whom was no defect, who were good in appearance, who showed insight in all wisdom, understanding in knowledge, and apprehension in thought, and in whom was the ability to stand in the king’s palace…

             7 And the leader of the eunuchs gave them names…

The book of Daniel has just two sections. The first section, comprising chapters 1 through 6, concerns the victory, in their captivity, of the young descendants (including Daniel) of God’s degraded elect over Satan’s further devices. This victory was over the demonic diet (1:3-21); over the devilish blinding that prevents people from seeing the great human image (the totality of human government throughout human history) in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (ch. 2); over the seduction of idol worship (ch. 3); over the covering that hinders people from seeing the ruling of the heavens by the God of the heavens (ch. 4); over the ignorance concerning the result of the debauchery before God and the insult to His holiness (ch. 5); and over the subtlety that prohibited the faithfulness of the overcomers in the worship of God (ch. 6).

In his devilish temptation of Daniel and his companions , Nebuchadnezzar also changed their names, which indicated that they belonged to God, to names that made them one with the idols. The name Daniel, which means “God is the Judge,” or “God is my Judge,” was changed to Belteshazzar, meaning “the prince of Bel,” or “the favorite of Bel” (Isa. 46:1). The name Hananiah, which means “Jah has graciously given,” or “favored of Jah,” was changed to Shadrach, meaning “enlightened by the sun god.” The name Mishael means “Who is what God is?” but his name was changed to Meshach, meaning “Who can be like the goddess Shach?” The name Azariah, which means “Jah has helped,” was changed to Abed-nego, meaning “the faithful servant of the fire god Nego.” (Life-study of Daniel, pp. 6, 10-11)

Today’s Reading

The captivity to Babylon was the utter destruction of the testimony of God’s elect in the worship of the unique God, Jehovah, by the carrying of some of the vessels of the temple of God into the land of Shinar and their being put into the temple of idols (2 Chron. 36:6-7).

“The king told Ashpenaz, the chief of his eunuchs, to bring some of the sons of Israel, including some from the royal seed and from the nobility…” (Dan. 1:3- 4). Among such sons of Israel were some young overcomers whom God used to gain the victory over Satan’s devices. Satan might have thought that God had been defeated and that on earth there no longer was the worship of God. The elect of God had been defeated, and God’s purpose on earth had suffered loss. However, God was not disappointed, for He still had some overcomers—Daniel and his companions. In His sovereignty He had arranged for these young people to be taken to Babylon, where they were His overcomers.

In principle, all the temptations that come to us are related to eating. Nebuchadnezzar’s devilish temptation was first to seduce Daniel and his three companions, the four brilliant young descendants of God’s defeated elect, to be defiled by partaking of his unclean food, food offered to idols… To Daniel, that choice food was actually the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That tree is something attached to Satan and even one with Satan, but the tree of life is something attached to God and one with God. To eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is to become attached to Satan; to eat of the tree of life is to become attached to God. When Daniel and his companions refused to eat Nebuchadnezzar’s unclean food and chose instead to eat vegetables, they were actually rejecting the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and taking the tree of life. Thus, even in Nebuchadnezzar’s palace there were the two trees. (Life-study of Daniel, pp. 8-10)

Further Reading: Life-study of Daniel, msgs. 1—2

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