神的異象
神聖潔的光芒
經文
民數記十七1-13
1耶和華對摩西說：
2你曉諭以色列人，從他們手下取杖，每支派一根；從他們所有的首領，按著支派，共取十二根。你要將各人的名字寫在各人的杖上，
3並要將亞倫的名字寫在利未的杖上，因為各族長必有一根杖。
4你要把這些杖存在會幕內法櫃前，就是我與你們相會之處。
5後來我所揀選的那人，他的杖必發芽。這樣，我必使以色列人向你們所發的怨言止息，不再達到我耳中。
6於是摩西曉諭以色列人，他們的首領就把杖交給他，按著支派，每首領一根，共有十二根；亞倫的杖也在其中。
7摩西就把杖存在法櫃的帳幕內，在耶和華面前。
8第二天，摩西進法櫃的帳幕去。誰知利未族亞倫的杖已經發了芽，生了花苞，開了花，結了熟杏。
9摩西就把所有的杖從耶和華面前拿出來，給以色列眾人看；他們看見了，各首領就把自己的杖拿去。
10耶和華吩咐摩西說：把亞倫的杖還放在法櫃前，給這些背叛之子留作記號。這樣，你就使他們向我發的怨言止息，免得他們死亡。
11摩西就這樣行。耶和華怎樣吩咐他，他就怎樣行了。
12以色列人對摩西說：我們死啦！我們滅亡啦！都滅亡啦！
13凡挨近耶和華帳幕的是必死的。我們都要死亡嗎？
信息分享
我們今天來進一步思考以賽亞看見神的聖潔時的心情，這革命性的異象令他的靈感到極度痛苦，因而喊叫說：「禍哉，我滅亡了！因為我是嘴唇不潔的人，又住在嘴唇不潔的民中……」（賽六5）。
以賽亞站在神面前時，令他感到驚訝的不單是神難以言喻的聖潔，他更因為自己個人的墮落而感驚訝。在這一刻之前，以賽亞很可能一直都以為自己是善良、正直和有道德的人。我們相信他也確實是如此。如果有人要將年青以賽亞的品格與以色列大部分男女相比較，我很相信他會比大部分人都優秀。不過，以賽亞並非與被神創造的受造物相比，而是與造物主自己來做比較，是與以色列的聖者面對面。忽然間，他的一切良善和他尊崇的一切都分崩離析，他赤身露體，毫無遮掩，充滿恐懼地站在那裡。
最遠離主的人是那些最認為自己良善的人，而最接近神的人往往是那些更能意識自己罪惡的人。這是一個很有意思的發現，為甚麼會是這樣呢？是否因為神聖潔的光芒好像X光那樣，令人更清楚看見自己的內心？如果是這樣的話，那麼所有的罪人多麼需要與聖潔的神相遇的經歷！
「接近神能令人意識自己的罪」
進深研究
弗五1-20；約壹一5-7；彼後一19
1. 我們要怎樣生活？
2. 我們要留意甚麼？
祈禱
神啊！讓您聖潔的光芒透視我裡面深藏的罪惡。求您指出我本性裡面的驕傲和自負。親愛的主，求您令我更像您。奉耶穌的名祈求，阿們。
The Vision of God
The divine X-ray
Bible reading:
Numbers 17:1-13
1 [a]The Lord said to Moses,
2 "Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs from them, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes. Write the name of each man on his staff.
3 On the staff of Levi write Aaron's name, for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe.
4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law, where I meet with you.
5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites."
6 So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one for the leader of each of their ancestral tribes, and Aaron's staff was among them.
7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law.
8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaron's staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds.
9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lord's presence to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each of the leaders took his own staff.
10 The Lord said to Moses, "Put back Aaron's staff in front of the ark of the covenant law, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious. This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die."
11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him.
12 The Israelites said to Moses, "We will die! We are lost, we are all lost!
13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die. Are we all going to die?"
Message
We move on now to consider the fact that Isaiah's revolutionary vision of the holiness of God results in him crying out in great agony of soul: "Woe to me...I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips..." (Isa. 6:5).
The thing that strikes Isaiah as he stands in the presence of God is not just the ineffable holiness of God, but, by contrast, his own personal depravity. Up to this moment Isaiah probably thought of himself as a good, upright, moral man. And no doubt he was. If someone was to compare the young Isaiah's character with that of most of the other men and women in Israel, I feel confident that he would have stood out head and shoulders above most of them. However, Isaiah is not being compared to the creatures whom God had made; he is being compared to the Creator Himself. He is face to face with the Holy One of Israel. Suddenly, all his goodness and everything he had esteemed falls to pieces, and he stands naked, exposed and afraid.
I have always thought it interesting that the people who are farthest away from the Lord are those who are impressed with their own goodness, while those who are closest to Him seem to be more conscious of their sin. Why, I wonder? Is it because the white light of God's holiness acts like an X-ray that enables people to see more clearly what is going on at the core of their beings? If so, then how vital it is that sin-sick human beings have an encounter with a holy God.
"Closeness to God brings consciousness of sin"
Prayer
O God, let the X-ray of Your holiness reveal the insidious disease of sin that is deep within me. Show up the pride and arrogance that lies hidden in my nature. Make me more like You, dear Lord. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Further study
Ephesians 5:1-20
1 John 1:5-7
2 Peter 1:19
1. How are we to live?
2. What are we to pay attention to?
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