晨興聖言-挪亞、但以理和約伯...(W4-1)

第四週週一

W04-d1-ch

晨興餧養

創二9     耶和華神使各樣的樹從地裏長出來,可以悅人的眼目,也好作食物;園子當中有生命樹,還有善惡知識樹。

  17   只是善惡知識樹上的果子,你不可喫,因為你喫的日子必定死。


在聖經的神聖啟示裏有兩棵樹、兩個源頭、兩條線、兩個原則、兩個結局。

在創世記二章有兩棵樹—生命樹和善惡知識樹。但到了啟示錄二十一至二十二章,我們只看見一棵樹—生命樹—在一座聖城裏。在這城的中心有神和羔羊的寶座(二二1),指明神的行政。…羔羊是燈(二一23),而神乃是燈裏的光。這指明神和羔羊,光和燈,乃是一。從神和羔羊的寶座,就是從這一位神,流出一道河,在河兩岸長着生命樹(二二2上)(約伯記生命讀經,二三二至二三三頁)。

信息選讀

啟示錄二十二章裏一切邪惡的東西,都聯於火湖。因此,兩個結局乃是水城和火湖。在這兩個源頭和兩個結局之間,有兩條線,成為兩條路。每一個源頭帶進一條線,這條線成為一條路,總結於一個結局。

聖經是神聖啟示的全部記載,乃是一本表號的書(啟一1下)。譬如,啟示錄裏有許多表號,如金燈檯(一12)、星(20)、猶大支派中的獅子(五5)、羔羊(6)、四匹馬(六1~8)以及宇宙的婦人(十二1)。啟示錄裏最末了並最大的表號,乃是新耶路撒冷。

在創世記一至二章裏,頭一組表號中,最顯着的兩個乃是兩棵樹(二9)。…第一個表號是生命樹,乃是最高的表號,表徵神,就是三一神,在人與神的關係中,對人乃是生命(詩三六9上)。神造了人,將生命之氣吹到他裏面(創二7),成了人的靈。但那時神並沒有將祂自己放到人裏面,作人的生命。…第二個表號是善惡知識樹,是最高的消極表號,表徵魔鬼撒但,就是那惡者,在人於神面前的墮落中,對人乃是死亡(17)。

這兩個表號都是最顯着的,表徵神與撒但這兩個人位,而不是表徵事或物。…第一棵樹表徵神單單是生命,不包含別的元素。…第二棵樹表徵撒但是死亡,包含知識、善和惡。神是簡單的,撒但卻很複雜。

照着神聖的啟示,知識是撒但,善是撒但,惡也是撒但。今天的世界是個崇拜知識的世代。亞當和夏娃在喫善惡知識樹以前是無知的,不知罪,所以沒有罪。他們喫了知識樹以後,眼睛明亮了,他們就有了知識,那就是罪。我們都認為犯罪是罪,卻不認為知道罪也是罪。

真正的善乃是神自己(太十九17中);因此,得着神就等於得着真正的善。當那富有的青年官來到主耶穌那裏,稱祂為『良善的夫子』,主耶穌說,『你為甚麼稱我是良善的?除了神一位以外,再沒有良善的。』(可十17~18)…我們若摸着神以外的善事,這就是說我們摸着撒但。聖經教導我們,知識、善和惡都是撒但。因此,在善惡知識樹上,善和惡是同等的(約伯記生命讀經,二三三至二三五頁)。

參讀:約伯記生命讀經,第十至十一篇。

WEEK 4 — DAY 1

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Morning Nourishment

Gen. 2:9 And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, as well as the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

        17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, of it you shall not eat; for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.

In the divine revelation in the Holy Scriptures, there are two trees, two sources, two lines, two principles, and two ends.

In Genesis 2 there are two trees—the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. However, in Revelation 21 and 22 we see only one tree—the tree of life—in a holy city. In the center of this city is the throne of God and of the Lamb (22:1), indicating God’s administration…The Lamb is the lamp (21:23), and God is the light in the lamp. This indicates that God and the Lamb, the light and the lamp, are one. Out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, that is, out of the one God, flows a river, and on the two sides of this river grows the tree of life (22:2a). (Life-study of Job, p. 191)

Today’s Reading

All the evil things in Revelation 22 are involved with the lake of fire. Thus, the two ends are the city of water and the lake of fire. Between the two sources and the two ends are two lines, which become two ways. Each source issues in a line that becomes a way consummating in an end.

The Bible, as a full record of the divine revelation, is a book of signs (Rev. 1:1b). In the book of Revelation, for example, there are many signs, such as the golden lampstands (1:12), the stars (v. 20), the Lion of the tribe of Judah (5:5), the Lamb (v. 6), the four horses (6:1-8), and the universal woman (12:1). The last and the greatest sign in Revelation is the New Jerusalem.

The two most striking in the first group of signs in Genesis 1 and 2 are the two trees (2:9). The first of these signs is the tree of life, as the highest sign, signifying God, even the Triune God, as life to man in man’s relationship with Him (Psa. 36:9a). God created man, breathing into him the breath of life (Gen. 2:7), which became man’s spirit; but at that time He did not put Himself into man as man’s life. The second of these signs is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, as the highest negative sign,
signifying Satan the devil, even the evil one, as death to man in man’s fall before God (v. 17).

Both of these signs, as the most striking ones, signify persons—God and Satan—not things or matters. The first tree signifies God only as life, with no implications of other elements. The second tree signifies Satan as death, with the implications of knowledge, good, and evil. Whereas God is simple, Satan is very complicated.

According to the divine revelation, knowledge is Satan, good is Satan, and evil is Satan. Today the world is in an age that worships knowledge. Before eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve were ignorant, not knowing, so they had no sin. After they ate of the tree of knowledge, their eyes were opened, and they became knowledgeable. That was sin. We all consider that to commit sin is sin, but we may not consider that knowing sin is sin.

The genuine good is God Himself (Matt. 19:17a); hence, gaining God equals gaining the genuine good. When the rich young ruler came to the Lord Jesus and called Him, “Good Teacher,” the Lord Jesus said, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except One—God” (Mark 10:17-18)…If we touch the good things outside of God, this means that we touch Satan. The Bible teaches us that knowledge, good, and evil all are Satan. In the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, therefore, evil and good are equal. (Life-study of Job, pp. 191-193)

Further Reading: Life-study of Job, msgs. 10—11

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