晨興聖言-挪亞、但以理和約伯...(W4-3)

第四週週三

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晨興餧養

啟二二1~2 天使又指給我看在城內街道當中一道生命水的河,明亮如水晶,從神和羔羊的寶座流出來。在河這邊與那邊有生命樹…。

 

神生命之路的目的地乃是生命水的城,也就是新耶路撒冷,神永遠的居所(啟二一2、11、23,二二1~2、14),給所有照神心願,並為着神的喜悅,而行在生命之路上的人,作為最好、最榮耀的目標,使他們能與神一同有分於神這永遠生命的一切福分,直到永遠。

死亡、善惡之路的目的地,乃是硫磺火湖,就是火坑(太五22下),撒但永遠的監獄,給所有照撒但惡謀,而走死亡之路的人,作為最壞、最悲慘的結局,使他們與撒但一同有分於永遠的審判和永遠的沉淪(約十六11,太二五41,啟二一8、27,二二15)(約伯記生命讀經,二四○至二四一頁)。

信息選讀

新耶路撒冷是神生命之路最好、最榮耀的結局,乃是極有力的獎勵,叫我們尋求神,直到我們照着祂的愛和恩,得着祂到最完滿的地步;火湖乃是撒但的死亡、善惡之路最壞、最悲慘的結局,這應當是給在撒但敵擋神經綸的路上跟隨撒但之人嚴肅的警告,要他們從撒但的死亡之路轉到神的生命之路,使他們得以逃脫撒但按照神的公義和公平所受永遠的審判和永遠的沉淪。

神在約伯身上的目的,是要銷毀這個『完全且正直』的約伯,剝奪他在最高標準的道德上,所達到並成就的完全和正直(伯一1)。…神的目的也是要拆毀那在自己的完全和正直裏天然的約伯,使神能建立一個有神的性情和屬性,得更新的約伯。…神的目的不是要得着一個在善惡知識樹線上的約伯,乃是要得着一個在生命樹(創二9)線上的約伯。

神嚴厲對付約伯的目的,乃是要將他對神與人關係的邏輯,從按照道德的善惡原則,調整到按照神的生命原則,使約伯能成為得着神並有分於神的人,使神永遠的經綸得着完成。

約伯像他的朋友一樣,也停留在是非的知識裏,而不認識神的經綸,沒有充分的看見神創造人的定旨。他和他的朋友都毫無神聖的啟示,也無神聖生命的經歷。他不知道神的目的不是要加增他的完全、正直、公義和純全。相反的,神的目的是要剝奪他這些自以為滿意的屬人美德,好叫他只尋求神並得着神自己。他的朋友和他,都不在神所命定人該在的生命樹線上。

神把約伯記擺在聖經中,當作一個黑暗的背景。約伯和他朋友的說話,指明他們外表雖是敬虔的人,卻都缺少神,沒有彰顯神。約伯和他的朋友來在一起辯論,而不是交通。他們沒有甚麼關於神的事可以彼此交通。

約伯和他三個朋友—以利法、比勒達和瑣法—都在善惡知識樹的範圍裏。…神要把他們從那個範圍裏拯救出來,擺到生命樹的範圍裏。神必須作的頭一件事,就是把約伯剝奪、銷毀並拆毀,使他在受苦之下成為一無所是。這成為一個根據,使神能用神聖的三一重建約伯,使約伯能成為一個新人,神新造的一部分,以完成神永遠的經綸,使神得着彰顯(約伯記生命讀經,二四一、三四至三五、二四○、四七、六八頁)。

參讀:約伯記生命讀經,第四至五、九篇。

WEEK 4 — DAY 3

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Morning Nourishment

Rev. 22:1-2 And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the middle of its street. And on this side and on that side of the river was the tree of life…

The destination of God’s way of life is a city of water of life, the New Jerusalem, God’s eternal dwelling (Rev. 21:2, 11, 23; 22:1-2, 14), as the best and most glorious goal for all the men who walk in the way of life according to God’s desire and for God’s pleasure, that they may participate with God in all the blessings of God as the eternal life for eternity.

The destination of the way of death and of good and evil is a lake of fire of brimstone, the Gehenna of fire (Matt. 5:22), Satan’s eternal prison, as the worst and most miserable end for all the men who take the way of death according to Satan’s evil device, that they may share with Satan the eternal judgment and eternal perdition (John 16:11; Matt. 25:41; Rev. 21:8, 27; 22:15). (Life-study of Job, p. 197)

Today’s Reading

The New Jerusalem, as the best and most glorious end of God’s way of life, is a dynamic incentive for us to seek God until we gain Him to the fullest extent according to His love and grace; and the lake of fire, as the worst and most miserable end of Satan’s way of death and of good and evil, should be a solemn warning to the men who follow Satan in his way against God’s economy, to turn from his way of death to God’s way of life that they may escape Satan’s eternal judgment and eternal perdition, according to God’s righteousness and justice.

God’s intention with Job was to consume this “perfect and upright” person and to strip him of his attainments, his achievements, in the highest standard of ethics in perfection and uprightness (Job 1:1).

God’s intention was also to tear down the natural Job in his perfection and uprightness that He might build up a renewed Job in God’s nature and attributes. God’s intention was not to have a Job in the line of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but a Job in the line of the tree of life (Gen. 2:9).

God’s purpose in dealing with Job severely was to adjust his logic concerning his relationship with God from the principle of good and evil according to ethics to the principle of life according to God, that he might be one who gained God and participated in God for the fulfillment of God’s eternal economy.

Job, like his friends, was halted in the knowledge of right and wrong, not knowing God’s economy, not realizing in an adequate way the purpose for which God created man. He and his friends were devoid of the divine revelation and of the experience of the divine life. He had no idea that God had no intention to increase his perfection, uprightness, righteousness, and integrity. Rather, God’s intention was to strip all these human virtues which he had as his contentment, so that he could seek and gain only God Himself. Neither his friends nor he were in the line of the tree of life as God ordained man to be.

God put the book of Job into the Bible as a black background. The speaking of Job and his friends indicated that although they apparently were godly men, they were short of God, and they did not express God. Job and his friends came together to debate, not to fellowship. They had nothing of God to fellowship with one another.

Job and his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, were in the realm of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…God was trying to rescue them from that realm and put them into the realm of the tree of life. The first thing God had to do was to strip Job, consume him, and tear him down so that he would become nothing as a person under suffering. This became the base for God to rebuild Job with the Divine Trinity, that Job could be a new man, a part of God’s new creation, to fulfill God’s eternal economy for God’s expression. (Life-study of Job, pp. 197, 29, 196, 39-40, 57)

Further Reading: Life-study of Job, msgs. 4—5, 9 

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