神的異象
唯一的事
經文
以賽亞書四十三14-28
14耶和華你們的救贖主、以色列的聖者如此說：因你們的緣故，我已經打發人到巴比倫去；並且我要使迦勒底人如逃民，都坐自己喜樂的船下來。
15我是耶和華你們的聖者，是創造以色列的，是你們的君王。
16耶和華在滄海中開道，在大水中開路，
17使車輛、馬匹、軍兵、勇士都出來，一同躺下，不再起來；他們滅沒，好像熄滅的燈火。
18耶和華如此說：你們不要記念從前的事，也不要思想古時的事。
19看哪，我要作一件新事；如今要發現，你們豈不知道嗎？我必在曠野開道路，在沙漠開江河。
20野地的走獸必尊重我；野狗和鴕鳥也必如此。因我使曠野有水，使沙漠有河，好賜給我的百姓、我的選民喝。
21這百姓是我為自己所造的，好述說我的美德。
22雅各啊，你並沒有求告我；以色列啊，你倒厭煩我。
23你沒有將你的羊帶來給我作燔祭，也沒有用祭物尊敬我；我沒有因供物使你服勞，也沒有因乳香使你厭煩。
24你沒有用銀子為我買菖蒲，也沒有用祭物的脂油使我飽足；倒使我因你的罪惡服勞，使我因你的罪孽厭煩。
25惟有我為自己的緣故塗抹你的過犯；我也不記念你的罪惡。
26你要提醒我，你我可以一同辯論；你可以將你的理陳明，自顯為義。
27你的始祖犯罪；你的師傅違背我。
28所以，我要辱沒聖所的首領，使雅各成為咒詛，使以色列成為辱罵。
信息分享
今天我們要繼續將思想集中在以賽亞看見撒拉弗在寶座上敬拜的這個異象。我們要問問自己：真心敬拜神的人在親近神的時候，所想的唯一最重要的事情是甚麼？祂的全能？祂的良善？祂的信實？答案是：祂的聖潔！你只需要搜尋聖經的記錄──特別是舊約，便會發現最接近主的人，思考祂的聖潔多於思考別的。
我們提到神的聖潔時，具體是指些甚麼？神學家告訴我們，嚴格來說，我們不應該把神的聖潔視為一種屬性，而應該理解它是讓神完整的必備元素。米倫伯格（J Muilenburg）說：「聖潔是神獨特的標記和特徵。『聖潔』這個詞比一切都更能夠表達神的主要本性。因此我們不應將聖潔理解為眾多屬性的一種，應該明白它是最內在的實質，所有屬性都與它有關連。」這些話相當有力，因為它們指出聖潔是神所以是神的原因。由於祂是聖潔的，祂一切屬性都是聖潔的。無論我們想到屬於神的任何東西，都必須明白那是聖潔的。因此，神學家強調，每當我們談及神的愛，就應該說那是聖潔的愛。如果我們使神的愛脫離聖潔的這個思路，就很容易會變得感情用事。今天一些自由派教會把神乏味的理論化了，這就是一個明顯的例子。
「聖潔就是神的本相」
進深研究
啟十五1-8；彼前一15；利十一44-45
1. 眾天使在唱甚麼？
2. 神要求的標準是甚麼？
祈禱
天父啊，當我細意思考您聖潔的奇妙時，就好像敬拜您的撒拉弗一樣，想加入一起高唱：「聖哉，聖哉，聖哉，萬軍之耶和華，全地充滿您的榮耀。」我要敬拜您聖潔的名字。阿們。
The Vision of God
The one thing
Bible reading:
Isaiah 43:14-28
14 This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "For your sake I will send to Babylon and bring down as fugitives all the Babylonians,[a] in the ships in which they took pride.
15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel's Creator, your King."
16 This is what the Lord says—he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters,
17 who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
18 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
20 The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21 the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.
22 "Yet you have not called on me, Jacob, you have not wearied yourselves for[b] me, Israel.
23 You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings, nor honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with grain offerings nor wearied you with demands for incense.
24 You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me, or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your offenses.
25 "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.
26 Review the past for me, let us argue the matter together; state the case for your innocence.
27 Your first father sinned; those I sent to teach you rebelled against me.
28 So I disgraced the dignitaries of your temple; I consigned Jacob to destruction[c] and Israel to scorn.
Message
We continue focusing our thoughts on Isaiah's vision of the worshipping seraphs above the throne and today we ask ourselves: What is the one thing above all others that true worshippers think of when approaching God? His Almightiness? His goodness? His faithfulness? The answer is: His holiness! You have only to comb the record of the Scriptures - particularly the Old Testament - to discover that those who were closest to the Lord thought more about His holiness than about any other attribute.
What exactly do we mean when we talk about the holiness of God? Theologians tell us that, strictly speaking, we should not think of divine holiness as an attribute but as the essential ingredient that holds God together. "Holiness," says J. Muilenburg, "is the distinctive mark and signature of the divine. More than any other, the term 'holiness' gives expression to the essential nature of the sacred. It is therefore to be understood, not as one attribute among other attributes, but as the innermost reality to which all others are related." These are powerful words because they point out that holiness is the way God is. Because He is holy, all His attributes are holy. Whatever we think of as belonging to God must be thought of as holy. This is why theologians insist that, whenever we talk about the love of God, we talk about it as holy love. If we remove God's love from the thought of holiness we can easily come out with sentimentalism, and a clear example of that can be seen in the vapid theorising about God that goes on in some of the liberal churches of our day.
"Holiness is the way God is"
Prayer
O Father, as I survey the wonder of Your holiness I too, like the worshipping seraphs, want to join in the refrain and say: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty. The whole earth is full of Your glory." I worship Your holy Name. Amen.
Further study
Revelation 15:1-8
1 Peter 1:15
Leviticus 11:44-45
1. What did the angels sing?
2. What is the standard God requires?
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