晨兴圣言-马太福音中所启示...(W5-4)

第五周 • 周四

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晨兴餧养

出三一15 六日要作工，但第七日是完全安息的安息日，是归耶和华为圣的；凡在安息日作工的，必要被处死。

　　　17 这是我与以色列人之间永远的记号；因为六日之内耶和华造天地，第七日便安息舒畅。



创世记和出埃及记都告诉我们，神在第七日便安息了。但是出埃及三十一章十七节加上『舒畅』这辞，启示出连神也需要得着舒畅。…安息是一回事，但得着舒畅是更进一步的。我们要安息，并不需要甚么特别的东西，只要坐下或躺下就彀了。但我们要得着舒畅，就需要一些吃或喝的东西。在英文里，我们常把食物和饮料说成令人舒畅之物（refreshment）。这里的点是说，我们若要得着舒畅，就需要一些东西成为我们的舒畅。神也是这样，神需要一些东西使祂舒畅。…到底甚么能使神舒畅？（出埃及记生命读经，二○九一页）。

信息选读

也许你读过出埃及三十一章许多次，却从来没有对这事实有印象：神需要得着舒畅。…圣经启示出神创造的工完毕以后，便安息舒畅了。神安息在甚么事上？神安息在祂的创造上。举例来说，假设一名工匠花了很长的时间制作一张非常别致的椅子。工作完成时，他就安息的坐在他所制作的椅子上，享受并思想它。…我写完了一些东西，就往后靠，看看自己所写的，并享受它。我特别享受藉着主的话从主所得着的亮光。照样，自己作衣服的姊妹作好一件特别的衣服以后，也可以享受美好的安息。同样的原则，神把人造好以后，就安息了。祂能看着祂手的工作，看看诸天，看看大地，

看看所有的活物，特别看看人，就说，『甚好！』然后神就能安息舒畅了。…神因甚么得着舒畅？神是因着人而得着舒畅。人就是神的舒畅。神爱人，祂按着自己的形像造人，有一个灵，使人能与祂有交通。因此，人是神的舒畅。

神说，『那人独居不好，我要为他造一个帮助者作他的配偶。』〔创二18〕这话有豫表上的意义，指明神独居不好。神创造人以前，好比是个单身汉。有些人会批评我们用单身汉这辞来说到我们圣别的神，但我相信神欢喜听见我们用这辞说到祂自己。也许神会说，『我的孩子，这话摸着我的心，我造人以前，的确是个单身汉。』圣经启示出，在已过的永远里，神是个『单身汉』。但在将来的永远里，祂要得着一个妻子，就是新耶路撒冷，称为羔羊的妻（启二一9~10）。因此，按照圣经里新耶路撒冷是羔羊的妻这个启示，我有胆量用单身汉这辞来说到神。

神看见祂所创造的人，便安息舒畅了。人就像一种令人舒畅的饮料，解除神的干渴，并使祂满足。神结束祂的工作，开始歇息时，就有人作祂的同伴。对神而言，第七日是安息与舒畅的日子。然而，对作神同伴的人而言，安息与舒畅的日子是第一日。人的第一日乃是享受的日子。

在我们得着享受以前，神不会要求我们作工，这乃是一个神圣的原则。神首先以享受来供应我们，等到我们与祂一同有完满的享受，并对祂有完满的享受以后，就能与祂同工了。我们若不知道如何与神一同有享受，以及如何享受神自己，就不会知道如何与祂同工。我们不会知道如何在神圣的工作上与神是一（出埃及记生命读经，二○九二至二○九三页）。

参读：出埃及记生命读经，第一百七十二篇。

WEEK 5 — DAY 4

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Morning Nourishment

Exo. 31:15 Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day there is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to Jehovah; whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall surely be put to death.

17 It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.

Both Genesis and Exodus tell us that God rested on the seventh day. But in Exodus 31:17 the words and was refreshed are added. This reveals that even God needs to be refreshed. To rest is one thing, but to be refreshed is something further. For us to rest we do not need anything in particular. It is sufficient either to sit down or to lie down. But to be refreshed we need something to eat or drink. We often refer to food and drink as refreshment. The point here is that if we would be refreshed, we need something to be a refreshment to us. The same is true of God. God needs something to refresh Him…What is it that refreshes God? (Life-study of Exodus, 2nd ed., p. 1761)

Today’s Reading

Perhaps you have read Exodus 31a number of times without ever being impressed by the fact that God needs to be refreshed…The Bible reveals that after God’s work of creation was completed, He rested and was refreshed. On what did God rest? He rested on His creation. To illustrate, suppose a craftsman spends a long time making a very special chair. When his work is finished, he may rest on the very chair he has made, enjoying it and thinking about it… When I have finished writing something, I may sit back, look at what I have written, and enjoy it. I particularly enjoy the light I have received from the Lord through His Word. Likewise, sisters who make their own clothing may enjoy a good rest after they have finished making a particular garment. In the same principle, after God created man, He rested. He could look upon His handiwork, at the heavens, the earth, and all the living things, especially at man, and say, “Very good!” Then God could rest and be refreshed. With what was God refreshed? God was refreshed with man. Man was God’s refreshment. God loved man. He created him in His own image with a spirit so that man could have fellowship with Him. Man, therefore, was God’s refreshment.

God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper as his counterpart” [Gen. 2:18]. This word has a significance in typology and indicates that it was not good for God to be alone. Before God created man, God could be compared to a bachelor. Some may criticize us for using the word bachelor to speak of our holy God. But I believe that God is happy to hear this word used with respect to Himself. Perhaps God would say, “My child, this word touches My heart. I truly was a bachelor before I created mankind.” The Bible reveals that in eternity past God was a “bachelor.” But in eternity future He will have a wife, the New Jerusalem, which is called the Lamb’s wife (Rev. 21:9-10). Therefore, according to the revelation of the Bible that the New Jerusalem is the wife of the Lamb, I have the boldness to use the word bachelor with respect to God.

When God saw the man created by Him, He could rest and be refreshed. Man was like a refreshing drink to quench God’s thirst and satisfy Him. When God ended His work and began to rest, He had man as His companion. To God, the seventh day was a day of rest and refreshment. However, to man, God’s companion, the day of rest and refreshment was the first day. Man’s first day was a day of enjoyment.

It is a divine principle that God does not ask us to work until we have had enjoyment. God first supplies us with enjoyment. Then after a full enjoyment with Him and of Him, we may work together with Him. If we do not know how to have enjoyment with God and how to enjoy God Himself, we will not know how to work with Him. We will not know how to be one with God in His divine work. (Life-study of Exodus, 2nd ed., pp. 1761-1762)

Further Reading: Life-study of Exodus, msg. 172