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复造法版

出埃及记34章1-3节    耶和华吩咐摩西说:「你要凿出两块石版,和先前你摔碎的那版一样,其上的字我要写在这版上。明日早晨,你要预备好了,上西奈山,在山顶上站在我面前。谁也不可和你一同上去,遍山都不可有人,在山根也不可叫羊群牛群吃草。」

摩西又要上山了,这一次也是四十昼夜。没饭吃,没水喝的四十昼夜(出34:28)。〈阿摩司书〉4章11节,主耶和华说:「人饥饿非因无饼,干渴非因无水,乃因不听耶和华的话。」摩西的经历很可以印证神的话,他两个四十天在山上见神,都是这样过来的,虽然无饼无水,但是他的身体十分健朗,上下山一点无碍。

他的健康不仅没有受到影响,他的脸反而因为亲近神而有了神的光辉。他自己不知道,但是亚伦和以色列众人看见摩西的面皮发光,就怕挨近他。因此,摩西跟他们讲话时,就用帕子蒙上脸;但摩西进到耶和华面前与祂说话就揭去帕子,及至出来的时候,便用帕子蒙上脸,再将耶和华所吩咐的告诉以色列人。

使我得见祢的面

出埃及记32章34节     现在你去领这百姓,往我所告诉你的地方去,我的使者必在你前面引路,只是到我追讨的日子,我必追讨他们的罪。

耶和华神在山上告诉摩西,以色列人在山下造了一只金牛犊,向它下拜献祭。摩西求神不要降祸于祂的百姓,神应允了他。当摩西手里拿着两块神亲手写的法版下山时,就看见牛犊,又看见人跳舞,便发烈怒,把两块版扔在山下摔碎了,又将他们所铸的牛犊用火焚烧,磨得粉碎,撒在水面上,叫以色列人喝。

摩西责备亚伦,亚伦却把责任都推给百姓。摩西就站在营门中,说:「凡属耶和华的,都要到我这里来!」于是利未的子孙都到他那里聚集。他对他们说:「耶和华以色列的神这样说:『你们各人把刀跨在腰间,在营中往来,从这门到那门,各人杀他的弟兄与同伴并邻舍。』」利未的子孙照摩西的话行了。那一天百姓中被杀的约有三千。摩西说:「今天你们要自洁,归耶和华为圣,各人攻击他的儿子和弟兄,使耶和华赐福于你们。」(出32:26-29)

这段经文让我们看了不解,摩西为何要叫他们杀自己人呢?只为了拜偶像吗?拜偶像是这么严重的死罪吗?你认为呢?

As I Have Done to You

Victoria Ruvolo doesn’t remember the 18-year-old boy leaning out the window, of all things, holding a frozen turkey. He threw it at her windshield. Crashing through the glass, it shattered Victoria’s face like a dinner plate on concrete.

John 13:14-15 (NKJV) says, “Since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet…do as I have done to you.” Victoria Ruvolo did. Months later, she stood face to face with her offender in court. He was no longer cocky. He as trembling, tearful, and apologetic. Six months behind bars, five years’ probation. Everyone in the courtroom objected to the light sentence. He sobbed, but she spoke. The light sentence was her idea. She said, “I forgive you, and I want your life to be the best it can be.” Grace does this. Grace chooses to give the forgiveness that’s been received.

Where Grace Abounds

If hurts were hairs, we’d all look like grizzlies! So many hurts. When teachers ignore your work, their neglect hurts. When your girlfriend drops you, when your husband abandons you, when the company fires you, it hurts. Rejection always hurts. People bring pain. Sometimes deliberately, sometimes randomly. So where do you turn? Hitman.com? Jim Beam and friends? Pity Party Catering Service? Retaliation has its appeal, but Jesus has a better idea.

Grace is not blind. It sees the hurt full well. But grace chooses to see God’s forgiveness even more. Hebrews 12:15 (NIV) urges us to, “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” You see, where grace is lacking, bitterness abounds. But where grace abounds, forgiveness grows. Forgiveness may not happen all at once. But it can happen with you.

拜金牛犊的后果

出埃及记32章34节     现在你去领这百姓,往我所告诉你的地方去,我的使者必在你前面引路,只是到我追讨的日子,我必追讨他们的罪。

耶和华神在山上告诉摩西,以色列人在山下造了一只金牛犊,向它下拜献祭。摩西求神不要降祸于祂的百姓,神应允了他。当摩西手里拿着两块神亲手写的法版下山时,就看见牛犊,又看见人跳舞,便发烈怒,把两块版扔在山下摔碎了,又将他们所铸的牛犊用火焚烧,磨得粉碎,撒在水面上,叫以色列人喝。

摩西责备亚伦,亚伦却把责任都推给百姓。摩西就站在营门中,说:「凡属耶和华的,都要到我这里来!」于是利未的子孙都到他那里聚集。他对他们说:「耶和华以色列的神这样说:『你们各人把刀跨在腰间,在营中往来,从这门到那门,各人杀他的弟兄与同伴并邻舍。』」利未的子孙照摩西的话行了。那一天百姓中被杀的约有三千。摩西说:「今天你们要自洁,归耶和华为圣,各人攻击他的儿子和弟兄,使耶和华赐福于你们。」(出32:26-29)

这段经文让我们看了不解,摩西为何要叫他们杀自己人呢?只为了拜偶像吗?拜偶像是这么严重的死罪吗?你认为呢?

Enough of the Frenzy

Attempts at self-salvation guarantee nothing but exhaustion. We scamper and scurry, trying to please God, collecting merit badges and brownie points, scowling at anyone who questions our accomplishments. The result? The weariest people on earth. We so fear failure that we create the image of perfection. Call us the church of hound-dog faces and slumped shoulders. Stop it! Once and for all, enough of this frenzy.

Hebrews 13:9 (NCV) says, “Your hearts should be strengthened by God’s grace, not by obeying rules.” In Matthew 11:28 (NASB) Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” There is no fine print. A second shoe isn’t going to drop. God’s promise has no hidden language. Let grace happen. You have his unending affection. Stretch yourself out in the hammock of grace. You can rest now.

以色列人拜金牛犊

出埃及记32章13节    「求祢记念祢的仆人亚伯拉罕、以撒、以色列,祢曾指著自己起誓说:『我必使你们的后裔像天上的星那样多,并且我所应许的这全地,必给你们的后裔,他们要永远承受为业。』」

当以色列人出埃及后,聚集在西乃山下时,摩西教导他们耶和华的律例典章,又和他们立约,他们说:「耶和华所吩咐的,我们都必遵行。 (出24:3/7) 」但是这样的美好关系能持续多久呢?是什么原因使他们背弃自己的约呢?

耶和华对摩西说:「你上山到我这里来,住在这里,我要将石版并我所写的律法和诫命赐给你,使你可以教训百姓。」摩西和他的帮手约书亚起来,上了神的山。摩西对长老说:「你们在这里等著,等到我们再回来。有亚伦、户珥与你们同在,凡有争讼的,都可以就近他们去。」摩西上山,有云彩把山遮盖。耶和华的荣耀停于西奈山,云彩遮盖山六天,第七天他从云中召摩西。耶和华的荣耀在山顶上,在以色列人眼前,形状如烈火。摩西进入云中上山,在山上四十昼夜。(出24:12-18)

摩西在众人眼前上山,四十昼夜,专心领受神的律法和诫命。他把照顾百姓的责任交给亚伦,其他的长老也上山和神亲近过。百姓也见过神在山上颢的大荣耀,这些,能不能使百姓持守对神的敬畏呢?

Salvation is Not Earned

I became a Christian about the same time I became a Boy Scout, and I made the assumption that God grades like the Boy Scouts do: on a merit system. Good scouts move up. Good people go to heaven.

So, I resolved to amass of multitude of spiritual badges. I worked toward the day when God, amid falling confetti and dancing cherubim, would drape my badge-laden sash across my chest and welcome me into his eternal kingdom, where I would humbly display my badges for eternity.

But some thorny questions surfaced. How many badges does he require? How good is good? And then I was corrected. Ephesians 2:8 (NASB) says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” Unearned. A gift. Our merits merit nothing. So let grace happen, for Heaven’s sake.

人际关系之二

出埃及记20章15-17节     「不可偷盗。16 「不可作假见证陷害人。17 「不可贪恋人的房屋,也不可贪恋人的妻子、仆婢、牛驴并他一切所有的。」

在十诫中的第五诫到十诫里,耶稣用一句话就把它们概括了:「你们愿意人怎样待你们,你们也要怎样待人(路6:31)。」

你希望儿女孝敬你吗?那你就要有好榜样,先孝敬你和配偶的父母。你不想被杀吗?或是被人蔑视或看轻,那你就不要恨人,也不要随便骂人。你不想配偶背叛你,那么你就要做个忠实的配偶,做一个手洁心清的人,给对方有安全感。

第八诫:「不可偷盗」。你喜欢人家偷你的东西吗?若是不喜欢自己的东西被偷,那么自己就不要去偷别人的东西。因为:「你们愿意人怎样待你们,你们也要怎样待人。」

第九诫:「不可作假见证陷害人」。假见证除了说谎,还包括你知道却不说事实,或是把事情说一半,留一半不说,都是假见证,因为会误导人,间接陷害他人。所以不要以为沉默是金,在该说话时保持沉默,那就是犯了此诫。

人际关系之一

出埃及记20章12-14节「当孝敬父母,使你的日子在耶和华你神所赐你的地上得以长久。13 「不可杀人。14 「不可奸淫。」

在十诫中,5-10诫是神教导人与人之间应当守的法则。我相信这几诫也是一个和平社会必须有的法则。假如人人在社会里可以遵守这几诫,那么人人都可以道不拾遗,夜不闭户了。当然,许多人在表面上都可以达到这些要求,好像我没杀过人,你一定也没杀过人,他也没杀过人,要找出杀过人的人并不是随手可以指出。因为想杀人的,不会在脸上写:「我要去杀人了。」或是,「我杀过人。」小偷也不会告诉你,他是小偷,要偷你的东西了。做假见证的更是口口声声说他说的都是真的,等到对质时,才笑你是大傻瓜。所以我们来看看这六诫里的内容。

第五诫:「当孝敬父母,使你的日子在耶和华你神所赐你的地上得以长久。」孝敬有时很引起争议,因为不信耶稣的父母最不想孩子信耶稣,害怕死后没人烧香或烧纸钱,或是用一些鸡鸭水果拜他们,以致他们在阴间没得吃,他们觉得这就是不孝。但是基督徒强调孝敬父母是要在父母还在人间时,好好地服侍他们,使他们快乐。