神的異象
一丁點兒經驗
經文
創世記二十二1-19
1這些事以後，神要試驗亞伯拉罕，就呼叫他說：亞伯拉罕！他說：我在這裡。
2神說：你帶著你的兒子，就是你獨生的兒子，你所愛的以撒，往摩利亞地去，在我所要指示你的山上，把他獻為燔祭。
3亞伯拉罕清早起來，備上驢，帶著兩個僕人和他兒子以撒，也劈好了燔祭的柴，就起身往神所指示他的地方去了。
4到了第三日，亞伯拉罕舉目遠遠的看見那地方。
5亞伯拉罕對他的僕人說：你們和驢在此等候，我與童子往那裡去拜一拜，就回到你們這裡來。
6亞伯拉罕把燔祭的柴放在他兒子以撒身上，自己手裡拿著火與刀；於是二人同行。
7以撒對他父親亞伯拉罕說：父親哪！亞伯拉罕說：我兒，我在這裡。以撒說：請看，火與柴都有了，但燔祭的羊羔在那裡呢？
8亞伯拉罕說：我兒，神必自己預備作燔祭的羊羔。於是二人同行。
9他們到了神所指示的地方，亞伯拉罕在那裡築壇，把柴擺好，捆綁他的兒子以撒，放在壇的柴上。
10亞伯拉罕就伸手拿刀，要殺他的兒子。
11耶和華的使者從天上呼叫他說：亞伯拉罕！亞伯拉罕！他說：我在這裡。
12天使說：你不可在這童子身上下手。一點不可害他！現在我知道你是敬畏神的了；因為你沒有將你的兒子，就是你獨生的兒子，留下不給我。
13亞伯拉罕舉目觀看，不料，有一隻公羊，兩角扣在稠密的小樹中，亞伯拉罕就取了那隻公羊來，獻為燔祭，代替他的兒子。
14亞伯拉罕給那地方起名叫耶和華以勒（意思就是耶和華必預備），直到今日人還說：在耶和華的山上必有預備。
15耶和華的使者第二次從天上呼叫亞伯拉罕說：
16耶和華說：你既行了這事，不留下你的兒子，就是你獨生的兒子，我便指著自己起誓說：
17論福，我必賜大福給你；論子孫，我必叫你的子孫多起來，如同天上的星，海邊的沙。你子孫必得著仇敵的城門，
18並且地上萬國都必因你的後裔得福，因為你聽從了我的話。
19於是亞伯拉罕回到他僕人那裡，他們一同起身往別是巴去，亞伯拉罕就住在別是巴。
信息分享
以賽亞得到潔淨後，立刻聽到神高聲呼喊：「我可以差遣誰呢？誰肯為我們去呢？」以賽亞立即回應說：「我在這裡，請差遣我。」（賽六8）。
神有無數天使，他們喜歡為神效勞，但祂卻希望固執和不馴服的人類加入祂的隊伍。這對我來說總是一個奧秘。但當你細想這件事時，就會發現天使缺少了在地上作神使者所需要的一件事──經驗。天使可以更雄辯地講出神的真理，更有力地提出神的論證，但他們對恩典的經驗一無所知，至少在主觀上是這樣。他們看見恩典在我們生命中發揮作用，但卻從未經歷過恩典在自己身上發揮作用。
有這麼一句古老的話：「一丁點兒經驗抵得上大量的理論。」這是多麼真實啊。我可以確認，帶領你接受主基督的人自己也經歷過神的恩典。我知道有些人在聆聽未信主的人談論福音時竟然信主。不過，這是例外而不是常規。「誰肯為我們去呢？」這句話背後的含義是地上的任務需要由地上的男男女女來完成。以賽亞毫不猶疑地接受這任務。你呢？神是否正在呼召你接受某些任務，而你卻感到猶疑不肯定？也許那是因為你接受主給你的異象時力度不夠。那些看見祂，真的看見祂的人，不能不說：「我在這裡，請差遣我。」
「神希望固執的人群加入祂的隊伍」
進深研究
林前一18-31；約十五16；徒九15；雅二5
1. 神揀選了怎樣的人？
2. 主向亞拿尼亞說甚麼？
祈禱
神啊！我每天總是看到您更多的榮耀，但求您讓我看到您令人懾服的異象，以粉碎我所有的自私。無論您呼召我做甚麼，求您幫助我回應說：「我在這裡，請差遣我。」阿們。
The Vision of God
"An ounce of experience"
Bible reading:
Genesis 22:1-19
1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.
2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you."
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.
4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.
5 He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together,
7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"
8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.
9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.
12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.
14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided."
15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time
16 and said, "I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,
17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,
18 and through your offspring[b] all nations on earth will be blessed,[c] because you have obeyed me."
19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.
Message
As soon as Isaiah has been cleansed, he hears God's voice crying out: "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" Isaiah immediately responds: "Here am I. Send me!" (Isa. 6:8).
It is always a mystery to me that God wants stubborn and recalcitrant human beings on His team when He has ranks of angels who delight to do His bidding. But when you think of it, angels are limited by the one thing that is needful for God's ambassadors on earth - experience. Angels could put God's truth more eloquently, and present the divine arguments more powerfully, but they know nothing of the experience of grace, at least subjectively. They witness it at work in our lives, but they have never experienced it at work in themselves.
An old saying goes like this: "An ounce of experience is worth a ton of theory." How true. I can almost guarantee that the person who influenced you to come to Christ was himself or herself someone who had experienced the grace of God. I know people have been converted when listening to other people talk about the gospel who were not converted themselves. However, that is more the exception than the rule. The implication behind the words "Who will go for us?" is that the task on earth has to be done by the men and women on earth. Isaiah didn't hesitate. What about you? Is God calling you to some task, and you feel hesitant and uncertain? Perhaps it is because you have not had a powerful enough vision of the Lord. Those who see Him - really see Him - cannot help but say: "Here am I. Send me!"
"God wants stubborn human beings on His team"
Prayer
O God, day by day I am seeing more of Your glory, but give me an overwhelming vision of Yourself that will shatter every one of my self-concerns. Help me say in response to whatever You are calling me to: "Here am I. Send me!" Amen.
Further study
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
John 15:16
Acts 9:15
James 2:5
1. What sort of people has God chosen?
2. What did the Lord say to Ananias?
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