晨興聖言-亞伯拉罕、以撒、雅各的神-(W5-2)
第五週■週二
晨興餧養
創十七 1『亞伯蘭年九十九歲的時候，耶和華向他顯現，對他說，我是全足的神；你要行在我面前，並且要完全。』
十八 14『耶和華豈有難成的事麼？到了約定的日期，明年這時候，我必回到你這裏，撒拉必生一個兒子。』
我們需要…知道創世記十七章一節之全足的神這稱呼的意義。在希伯來文裏，這稱呼是『伊勒沙代』（ElShaddai）。『伊勒』，El，意思是強者，大能者；『沙代』，Shadda，含示胸部，乳房，意思是全豐全足的。『伊勒沙代』是有乳房的大能者，有全豐全足供應的大能者。乳房分泌乳汁，而乳汁是全豐全足的供應，其中有水、礦物質和多種養分，含有我們日常生活所需要的一切。
當亞伯拉罕憑他天然的己行事的時候，他忘了他供應的源頭。換句話說，他忘了神是他全豐全足供應的源頭。所以，神臨到亞伯拉罕，似乎這樣說，『我是有乳房的大能者。你缺少甚麼？爲甚麼不到我這裏來？你飢渴麼？到我這裏來。你供應的源頭不是你天然的己，乃是我這有乳房的大能者。我是全豐全足者，能供應你生活所需要的一切，以及你成就我永遠定旨所需要的一切。我是源頭。…你不該靠自己或憑自己而活。你必須憑我作你供應的源頭而活。』（創世記生命讀經，七六四至七六五頁。）
信息選讀
亞伯拉罕天然的力量和自我的努力受神對付之後，以 撒 就 出 生 了。（ 創 十 七 15 ～ 19， 十 八 10 ～ 14，二一 1 ～ 7。）這含示以撒是從撒拉所代表的恩典而生。（加四 23 ～ 28，31。）創世記的記載說，這事發生在『生命的時候』。（十八 10，14，直譯。）當天然生命的努力停止的時候，那就是生命的時候。在生命的時候，有個東西在恩典裏出生了。恩典聯於生命，生命隨着恩典。因此，恩典稱爲生命的恩典。（彼前三 7。）
神要把我們帶進恩典的享受中，但這恩典有一個阻撓，就是己。我們自己就是阻撓。…因此，在我們能有以撒的經歷之前，需要代表生命經歷第一面的亞伯拉罕。亞伯拉罕的生活啓示，我們若要享受神的恩典，對神的豐富有完滿的享受，我們必須受對付，受割禮，被割除。亞伯拉罕若不受割禮，以撒絕不會生出來。亞伯拉罕受割禮之後，以撒來了。在創世記十七章亞伯拉罕受割禮之後，神就告訴他，以撒將要出生。（19。）至終，在二十一章，以撒出生了。以撒隨着神的眷臨而來，他是憑着神的眷臨出生的。神的眷臨等於以撒的出生。神眷臨撒拉，那個眷臨就成了以撒的出生。這就是恩典。
神已經來給祂所呼召的人享受。然而我們若要有這享受，己必須除去。己一除去，以撒就來了；這就是說，恩典來了。喪失己並不容易；要除去己，我們必須受損失。…我們必須先失去自己，恩典纔能臨到。失去己就是失去面子。…弟兄們，當你在日常生活中對待妻子的時候，你必須準備失去己，你若這樣作，恩典就要來臨。亞伯拉罕受割禮之後，以撒就來了。這是原則。對我們來說，己必須除去，然後恩典纔臨到。
神要眷臨我們，進到我們裏面，爲我們活着，甚至爲我們愛別人。…你的愛是以實瑪利；但憑神的眷臨而有的愛是以撒。…凡在祂的眷臨之外，出於你的東西，神絕不認可。…我們都必須說，『主阿，沒有你的眷臨，我就不作甚麼。主，你若不臨到我，藉着我作些事，並從我作出來，我就不作甚麼。我旣不恨也不愛，旣不驕傲也不謙卑。我要作一張白紙。主，沒有你的眷臨，我就一無所有。』神的眷臨是實際的恩典。當我憑神的眷臨，而不憑自我的努力愛人並謙卑，那就是享受恩典。（創世記生命讀經，一○○四、九九四至九九五、一○○○頁。）
參讀：創世記生命讀經，第四十七、六十三篇。
WEEK 5 — DAY 2
Morning Nourishment
Gen. 17:1 …When Abram was ninety-nine years old, Jehovah appeared to Abram and said to him, I am the All-sufficient God; walk before Me, and be perfect.
18:14 Is anything too marvelous for Jehovah? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
We need to learn the meaning of the title of God in Genesis 17:1, the All- sufficient God. In Hebrew this title is El Shaddai. El means “the Strong One, the Mighty One,” and Shaddai, implying the meaning of “breast” or “udder,” means “all-sufficient.” El Shaddai is the Mighty One with an udder, the Mighty One who has the all-sufficient supply. An udder produces milk, and milk is the all-sufficient supply, having water, minerals, and many vitamins in it and containing all that we need for our daily living.
When Abraham did things by his natural self, he forgot the source of his supply. In other words, he forgot God as his all-sufficient source of supply. Therefore, God came to Abraham and seemed to say, “I am the Mighty One with an udder. Are you lacking something? Why don’t you come to this udder?…The source of your supply is not your natural self, but I, the Mighty One with an udder. I am the all-sufficient One who can supply everything you need for your living and everything you need for the fulfillment of My eternal purpose. I am the source…You should not live on your own or by yourself. You have to live by Me as the source of your supply.” (Life-study of Genesis, p. 628)
Todays Reading
After Abraham’s natural strength and self-effort were dealt with by God, Isaac was born (Gen. 17:15-19; 18:10-14; 21:1-7). This implies that Isaac was born of grace, which is represented by Sarah (Gal. 4:24-28, 31). The record of Genesis says this transpired at “the time of life” (18:10, 14). Whenever the effort of the natural life ceases, that is the time of life. At the time of life something is born in grace. Grace is related to life, and life goes with grace. Hence, grace is called “the grace of life” (1 Pet. 3:7).
God wants to bring us into the enjoyment of grace, but there is a frustration to this grace—the self. We ourselves are the frustration…Hence, before we can have the experience of Isaac, we need Abraham who represents the first aspect of the experience of life. Abraham’s life reveals that if we would enjoy God’s grace and have the full enjoyment of God’s riches, we must be dealt with, circumcised, and cut off. If Abraham had not been circumcised, Isaac would never have been born. Isaac came after Abraham’s circumcision. After Abraham was circumcised in Genesis 17, God told him that Isaac would be born (v. 19). Eventually, in chapter 21 Isaac was born. Isaac came with God’s visitation. He was born by God’s visitation. God’s visitation equaled the birth of Isaac. God visited Sarah, and that visitation became the birth of Isaac. This is grace.
God has come to be enjoyed by His called ones. But if we would have this enjoyment, the self must go. Once the self has gone, Isaac comes. This means that grace comes. It is not easy to lose the self. In order for the self to go, we must suffer loss…We must lose ourselves before grace can come. To lose the self is to lose our face…Brothers, as you deal with your wife in your daily living, you must be prepared to lose yourself. If you do this, grace will come. After Abraham was circumcised, Isaac came. This is the principle. With us, the self must go, and then grace will come.
God wants to visit us, get into us, live for us, and even love others for us… Your love is an Ishmael; the love by God’s visitation is an Isaac…God does not recognize anything that comes out of you apart from His visitation…We all must say, “O Lord, I will not do anything without Your visitation. Lord, if You will not visit me and work something through me and out of me, I will do nothing. I will neither hate nor love, be proud nor be humble. I want to be blank. Lord, without Your visitation, I am nothing.” God’s visitation is the practical grace. When I love others and am humble by God’s visitation, not by my self-effort, that is the enjoyment of grace. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 826, 819-820, 823)
Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msgs. 47, 63
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