晨興聖言-挪亞、但以理和約伯...(W4-2)
第四週 • 週二
晨興餧養
太七13~14 你們要進窄門;因為引到毀壞的,那門寬,那路闊,進去的人也多;引到生命的,那門窄,那路狹,找着的人也少。
這兩棵樹不是為着產生材料,乃是為給人喫其上的果子(創三3、6下)。生命樹的果子成為滋養人的食物,為着分賜生命;善惡知識樹的果子成為殺死人的毒物。喫就是把外面的東西接受進來,消化並吸收。我們必須謹慎我們喫的是甚麼。今天的電視和許多種的報紙和雜誌,無疑是善惡知識樹的枝子(約伯記生命讀經,二三六頁)。
信息選讀
兩棵樹,作為神與撒但的表號,乃是兩類人的兩個源頭。第一棵樹是尋求神作生命,以得着供應與享受之人的源頭,其中亞伯是領頭的人(創四4)。第二棵樹是跟隨撒但作毒物以至於死而永遠沉淪之人的源頭,其中該隱是領頭的人(5)。
這兩個源頭的結果成了地上的兩個國。第一個是神的國,先是照着神舊約經綸的以色列國,然後是照着神新約經綸的召會(太二一43);第二個是撒但的國(參十二26,西一13)。
這兩個源頭的結果帶進兩條線。…這兩條線,就是兩條路,是起源於兩個源頭。
第一條路是生命的路、狹路(太七14)、這道路(徒九2,十九9、23,二二4,二四22)、正路(彼後二15)、義路(21)、救人的道路(徒十六17)、神的道路(太二二16,徒十八26)以及主的道路(25),是為着給人尋求神,得着神,並在神永遠的生命裏享受祂作供應,而以祂永遠的生命為目標,使他們得以從神而生,有神的生命和性情(約一12~13),被變化並模成神榮耀的形像(林後三18,羅八29),並在神這榮耀裏得着榮耀(30,彼前五10上,來二10上),以得着祂並有分於祂,到最完滿的地步。在這條生命的道路上,有亞伯、塞特、以挪士、以諾、挪亞、亞伯拉罕、以撒、雅各、摩西、大衛、撒母耳、舊約所有的申言者以及新約所有的信徒(十一39~40)。神對付約伯的目的,乃是要將他從善惡的路上轉到這條生命的路上,使他能得着神到最完滿的地步。
第二條路是善惡的路、死亡的路、闊路(太七13),讓人跟隨撒但,作他的兒女(約壹三10上),以至於死,並作他的同伴,有分于他永遠的沉淪(太二五41)。在這條死亡、善惡的路上,有該隱、拉麥、雅八、猶八、土八該隱(猶11上,創四16~24)、含、古實、寧錄(十6~12)、可拉、巴蘭(彼後二15,猶11下)、掃羅、押沙龍、敵基督和他的跟從者(啟十九19~21)以及所有的不信者(二十15)。
這兩條路,就是生命的路和死亡的路,分別將人引到神命定的兩個結局—新耶路撒冷和火湖。…兩條路…構成支配、管治並規律人與神建立關係的兩個原則。
第一個原則是生命的原則,按照這原則,所有在生命路上的人保持與神的接觸,並且藉着這原則一步一步地尋求神、得着神、擁有神並享受神,直至達到最完滿的地步。
第二個原則是死亡、善惡的原則,在這原則裏,所有在死亡路上的人都有意識或無意識的跟隨撒但,並且藉此棄絕神和祂生命的路,而成為撒但的同伴,以至於死和永遠的沉淪(約伯記生命讀經,二三六至二三九頁)。
參讀:約伯記生命讀經,第六至七篇。
WEEK 4 — DAY 2
Morning Nourishment
Matt.
7:13-14 Enter in through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and
broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter
through it. Because narrow is the gate and constricted is the way
that leads to life, and few are those who find it.
The
two trees are not for producing materials but for man to eat their
fruit (Gen. 3:3, 6b), the fruit of the tree of life becoming food to man
for nourishing, for the dispensing of life, and the fruit of the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil becoming poison to man for killing. To
eat means to take in something that is outside of us and then digest
and assimilate it. We must be careful concerning what we eat. Surely,
today’s television and so many different kinds of newspapers and
magazines are branches of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
(Life-study of Job, p. 194)
Today’s Reading
The
two trees, as signs of God and Satan, are the two sources of two
categories of men. The first tree is the source of men who seek God as
life for their supply and enjoyment, of whom Abel is the leading one
(Gen. 4:4). The second tree is the source of men who follow Satan as
their poison unto death and eternal perdition, of whom Cain is the
leading one (v. 5).
The
outcome of the two sources becomes two kingdoms on the earth. The
firstis the kingdom of God, which was first the kingdom of Israel
according to God’s Old Testament economy and then the church according
to God’s New Testament
economy (Matt. 21:43). The second is the kingdom of Satan (cf. 12:26; Col. 1:13).
These two sources issue in two lines…The two lines, as the two ways, originate from the two sources.
The
first way is the way of life, the constricted way (Matt. 7:14), the Way
(Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:22), the straight way (2 Pet. 2:15),
the way of righteousness (v. 21), the way of salvation (Acts 16:17), the
way of God (Matt. 22:16; Acts 18:26), and the way of the Lord (v. 25),
for men to seek God, to gain God, and to enjoy God in His eternal life
as the supply and unto His eternal life as the goal, that they may be
born of God in His life and nature (John 1:12-13), transformed and
conformed into His glorious image (2 Cor. 3:18; Rom. 8:29), and
glorified in Him as glory (v. 30; 1 Pet. 5:10a; Heb. 2:10a) to gain Him
and participate in Him to the fullest extent. In this way of life are
Abel, Seth, Enosh, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David,
Samuel, all the Old Testament prophets, and all the New Testament
believers (11:39-40). God’s purpose in dealing with Job was to turn him
from the way of good and evil to this way of life that he might gain God
to the fullest extent.
The
second way is the way of good and evil, the way of death, the broad way
(Matt. 7:13), for men to follow Satan to be his children (1 John 3:10a)
unto death and his companions in his eternal perdition (Matt. 25:41).
In this way of death and of good and evil are Cain, Lamech, Jabal,
Jubal, Tubal-cain (Jude 11a; Gen. 4:16-24), Ham, Cush, Nimrod (10:6-12),
Korah, Balaam (2 Pet. 2:15; Jude 11b), Saul, Absalom, Antichrist and
his followers (Rev. 19:19- 21), and all unbelievers (20:15).
These
two ways, the way of life and the way of death, lead men to the two
God-ordained ends—the New Jerusalem and the lake of fire—respectively…
The two ways…constitute the two controlling, ruling, and
regulating principles by which men have their relationship with God.
The
first principle is the principle of life, according to which all men in
the way of life keep their contact with God, and by which they seek
God, gain God, possess God, and enjoy God, step by step, until they
reach the fullest extent.
The
second principle is the principle of death and of good and evil, in
which all men in the way of death follow Satan either consciously or
unconsciously, and through which they reject God and His way of life to
be Satan’s companions unto death and eternal perdition. (Life-study of
Job, pp. 194-196)
Further Reading: Life-study of Job, msgs. 6—7
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