2013-08-02 10:20:23 Joshuachang

晨興聖言─創世記結晶讀經(一)(32)

第三週 ‧ 週二

晨興餧養

創一 7~9『神就造出天空,將天空以下的水,與天空以上的水分開;事就這樣成了。神稱天空為天;有晚
                    上,有早晨,是第二日。神說,天以下的水要聚在一處,使旱地露出來;事就這樣成了。』

    在諸水之間造出廣闊的空間,將諸水分開,在屬靈上表徵藉着十字架的工作,將屬天的事與屬
地的事分開(西三 1~3,來四 12);這是產生生命的第五條件(聖經恢復本,創一 6 註 2)。

    旱地露出來,是產生生命的第六條件。這事發生在第三日,與復活之日相符(林前十五 4)。在聖經裏,海代表死,地代表基督(見申八 7 註 1)是產生生命的源頭。地露出來以後,各種生命—植物生命、動物生命甚至人的生命—都從地裏產生出來(創一 11~12、24~27,二 7)。這豫表神聖生命同其一切豐富都出於基督。在第三日,基督在復活裏從死而出,以產生生命(約十二24,彼前一 3),為着構成召會(創一 9 註 1)。

信息選讀

    分開光暗還相當客觀;分開天空上下的水就很主觀了。我們需要這第二步的分開,把屬天的事與屬地的事分開(西三 1~3)。天空以下的水代表屬地的事,天空以上的水代表屬天的事。有些事也許不是黑暗的,卻是屬地的,不是屬天的。

    天空是甚麼?就是大氣,就是環繞地球的空氣。若是沒有大氣,在這地上就不可能產生生命。在月亮上沒有生命,因為月亮的周圍沒有空氣。神創造空氣環繞地,使地能產生生命。我們在得救以後,不只裏面有光,也有空氣,天空。有些東西進到了我們裏面,把屬天的事與屬地的事分開,把神所悅納上面的事,與祂所不悅納下面的事分開。這是甚麼?這就是十字架分開的工作。我們在得救並與主一同往前以後,就要經歷十字架。這十字架要把天然的事與屬靈的事分開,把聖的事與俗的事分開,也把屬天的事與屬地的事分開。希伯來四章十二節告訴我們,活的話能將我們分開到一個地步,使我們的靈與魂分開。我也許說好話,或者作好事,但好話或者好事的源頭不是靈,乃是魂。就道德、倫理或人的觀念說,這並沒有錯;但就屬靈說,源頭不是出於神,不是出於諸天。那不是出於靈的,乃是出於魂,出於地的。因此,我們需要進一步的分開:不僅分開光暗,也要分辨靈(上面的事)與魂(下面的事)。

    在第二天以後是第三天,這是復活的日子。在第三天這復活的日子裏,在天空以下,旱地露出來,為要產生生命。…在整本聖經中,海代表死亡,地代表基督自己。聖經告訴我們,當神工作了許多世代之後,至終海就不再有了。…耶利米五章二十二節說,神劃了一條界線來限制海水。今天神還在工作來消除海,因為在海裏有鬼。海代表屬撒但的事,屬鬼魔的事。最終,當神工作完成時,海就不再有了;在新天新地裏只有地,沒有海(啓二一1)。代表撒但國度主要部分的海,已經被除去了。讚美主!(創世記生命讀經,四二至四四頁)

    參讀:創世記生命讀經,第三篇。


  ‹‹  WEEK 3 — DAY 2  ›› 

Morning Nourishment

Gen. 1:7-9 "And God made the expanse and separated the waters which were under the expanse
                      from the waters which were above the expanse, and it was so. And God called the
                      expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
                      And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place,
                      and let the dry land appear; and it was so."

    The separating of the waters by producing an expanse between them, signifying, spiritually, the dividing of the heavenly things from the earthly things through the work of the cross (Col. 3:1-3; Heb. 4:12), was the fifth requirement for generating life. (Gen. 1:6, footnote 2)

    The appearing of the dry land is the sixth requirement for generating life. This took place on the third day, corresponding to the day of resurrection (1 Cor. 15:4). In the Bible the sea represents death and the land represents Christ (see footnote 71 in Deut. 8) as the generating source of life. After the land appeared, every kind of life—the plant life, the animal life, and even the human life—was produced out of the land (Gen. 1:11-12, 24-27; 2:7). This typifies that the divine life with all its riches comes out of Christ. On the third day Christ came out of death in resurrection to generate life (John 12:24; 1 Pet. 1:3) for the constituting of the church. (Gen. 1:9, footnote 1)

Today's Reading

    To divide light from darkness is rather objective; to divide the waters above the expanse from the waters under the expanse is more subjective. We need the second separation—dividing the heavenly things from the earthly things (Col. 3:1-3). The waters under the expanse represent the earthly things, while the waters above the expanse represent heavenly things. Some things may not be dark, but they are earthly, not heavenly.

    The expanse is simply the atmosphere, the air surrounding the earth. Without the atmosphere no life could ever be generated upon the earth. There is no life on the moon because there is no expanse around the moon. God created the expanse surrounding the earth so that the earth may produce life. After being saved, we not only have the light within us, but also the air, the expanse. Something has come into us to separate the heavenly things from the earthly things, the things above which are acceptable to God from the things below which are not acceptable to Him. What is this? This is the dividing work of the cross. After we have been saved and have gone on with the Lord, we will experience the cross. The cross divides. It divides the natural things from the spiritual things, it divides the holy things from the common things,
and it divides the heavenly things from the earthly things. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the living Word can separate us to such an extent that our soul is divided from our spirit. I may say or do something good; yet that good word or deed does not have its source in the spirit, but in the soul. Morally speaking, ethically speaking, or humanly speaking, there is nothing wrong. But spiritually speaking, the source is not of God, not of the heavens. It is not of the spirit, but of the soul, of the earth. Thus, we need a further division: not only a separation between light and darkness, but also a discernment between the spirit (the things above) and the soul (the things beneath).

    After the second day, we have the third day—the day of resurrection. On the third day, the day of resurrection, the dry land appeared under the expanse for generating life....In the whole Bible, the sea represents death and the earth represents Christ Himself. The Bible tells us that, eventually, after God has worked through many generations, the sea will be eliminated....In Jeremiah 5:22 we are told that God drew a line to limit the sea. Today, God is still working to eliminate the sea because in it there are demons. The sea represents something demonic, something devilish....In the new heavens and new earth there is only land, no sea (Rev. 21:1). The sea representing a main part of Satan's kingdom has been eliminated. Praise the Lord! (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 32-34)

    Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msg. 3