神的異象
神聖的強調
經文
利未記十一26-47
26凡走獸分蹄不成兩瓣、也不倒嚼的，是與你們不潔淨；凡摸了的就不潔淨。
27凡四足的走獸，用掌行走的，是與你們不潔淨；摸其屍的，必不潔淨到晚上。
28拿其屍的，必不潔淨到晚上，並要洗衣服。這些是與你們不潔淨的。
29地上爬物與你們不潔淨的乃是這些：鼬鼠、鼫鼠、蜥蜴與其類；
30壁虎、龍子、守宮、蛇醫、蝘蜓。
31這些爬物都是與你們不潔淨的。在他死了以後，凡摸了的，必不潔淨到晚上。
32其中死了的，掉在甚麼東西上，這東西就不潔淨，無論是木器、衣服、皮子、口袋，不拘是作甚麼工用的器皿，須要放在水中，必不潔淨到晚上，到晚上才潔淨了。
33若有死了掉在瓦器裡的，其中不拘有甚麼，就不潔淨，你們要把這瓦器打破了。
34其中一切可吃的食物，沾水的就不潔淨，並且那樣器皿中一切可喝的，也必不潔淨。
35其中已死的，若有一點掉在甚麼物件上，那物件就不潔淨，不拘是爐子，是鍋臺，就要打碎，都不潔淨，也必與你們不潔淨。
36但是泉源或是聚水的池子仍是潔淨；惟挨了那死的，就不潔淨。
37若是死的，有一點掉在要種的子粒上，子粒仍是潔淨；
38若水已經澆在子粒上，那死的有一點掉在上頭，這子粒就與你們不潔淨。
39你們可吃的走獸若是死了，有人摸他，必不潔淨到晚上；
40有人吃那死了的走獸，必不潔淨到晚上，並要洗衣服；拿了死走獸的，必不潔淨到晚上，並要洗衣服。
41凡地上的爬物是可憎的，都不可吃。
42凡用肚子行走的和用四足行走的，或是有許多足的，就是一切爬在地上的，你們都不可吃，因為是可憎的。
43你們不可因甚麼爬物使自己成為可憎的，也不可因這些使自己不潔淨，以致染了污穢。
44我是耶和華─你們的神；所以你們要成為聖潔，因為我是聖潔的。你們也不可在地上的爬物污穢自己。
45我是把你們從埃及地領出來的耶和華，要作你們的神；所以你們要聖潔，因為我是聖潔的。
46這是走獸、飛鳥，和水中游動的活物，並地上爬物的條例。
47要把潔淨的和不潔淨的，可吃的與不可吃的活物，都分別出來。
信息分享
昨天我們發現神的聖潔遠超過祂本性的其他方面，這是否令你感到驚訝？著名神學家查諾克（Stephen Charnock）說：「對於神聖潔的描述總是多於祂的全能；闡述祂的尊嚴的也比任何其他部分的多。祂的聖潔比其他一切都更多地被用作祂的稱號。你永遠都找不到『祂大能的名字』或『祂智慧的名字』，但卻會找到祂偉大的名字，而最多是找到祂聖潔的名字。」查諾克繼續說的話給我留下深刻的印象，我希望也會給你留下深刻的印象。他說：
「聖潔想要超越神所有其他完美的屬性，因此是其他一切的榮耀；它是神的榮耀，所以是神一切完美屬性的榮耀；神的能力是祂一切完美屬性的力量，因此祂的聖潔是它們的美；如果沒有神全能的支持，一切都會是軟弱的，因此，如果沒有聖潔作為裝飾，一切都會變得不恰當。如果聖潔被玷污，其他一切都會失去榮耀；正如在太陽失去光輝的一刻，它也會失去溫暖、力量，失去它的生長力和復甦的屬性。正如真誠是基督徒每一個恩典的光輝，純潔也是神每一種屬性的光彩。祂的公義是聖潔的公義。祂的智慧是聖潔的智慧。祂能力的膀臂是『聖臂』（詩九十八1）。祂的真理或應許是『聖言』（詩一零五42）。那個能代表神一切屬性的名字就是『聖名』（詩一零三1）。」「純潔是神每一種屬性的光彩」
進深研究
羅一1-7；出十六23；申二十六15：代上二十九3；尼十一1；帖後一10
1. 還有甚麼其他東西被形容為聖潔？
2. 你會形容自己為聖潔嗎？
祈禱
天父啊，如果說您的教會該在甚麼時候需要對您的聖潔有新的領悟的話，那就是今天。求您以那些認識聖潔的先知和教師們充滿我們的教會。奉基督獨一和寶貴的名字祈求，阿們。
The Vision of God
The divine emphasis
Bible reading:
Leviticus 11:26-47
26 "'Every animal that does not have a divided hoof or that does not chew the cud is unclean for you; whoever touches the carcass of any of them will be unclean.
27 Of all the animals that walk on all fours, those that walk on their paws are unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening.
28 Anyone who picks up their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening. These animals are unclean for you.
29 "'Of the animals that move along the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard,
30 the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon.
31 Of all those that move along the ground, these are unclean for you. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean till evening.
32 When one of them dies and falls on something, that article, whatever its use, will be unclean, whether it is made of wood, cloth, hide or sackcloth. Put it in water; it will be unclean till evening, and then it will be clean.
33 If one of them falls into a clay pot, everything in it will be unclean, and you must break the pot.
34 Any food you are allowed to eat that has come into contact with water from any such pot is unclean, and any liquid that is drunk from such a pot is unclean.
35 Anything that one of their carcasses falls on becomes unclean; an oven or cooking pot must be broken up. They are unclean, and you are to regard them as unclean.
36 A spring, however, or a cistern for collecting water remains clean, but anyone who touches one of these carcasses is unclean.
37 If a carcass falls on any seeds that are to be planted, they remain clean.
38 But if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.
39 "'If an animal that you are allowed to eat dies, anyone who touches its carcass will be unclean till evening.
40 Anyone who eats some of its carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening. Anyone who picks up the carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.
41 "'Every creature that moves along the ground is to be regarded as unclean; it is not to be eaten.
42 You are not to eat any creature that moves along the ground, whether it moves on its belly or walks on all fours or on many feet; it is unclean.
43 Do not defile yourselves by any of these creatures. Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean by them.
44 I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground.
45 I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
46 "'These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves about in the water and every creature that moves along the ground.
47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.'"
Message
Did it surprise you to discover yesterday that the holiness of God is emphasised more than any other aspect of His nature? Stephen Charnock, a renowned theologian, says this: "God is oftener styled Holy than Almighty and set forth by this part of His dignity more than by any other. This is more fixed on as an epithet to His name than any other. You never find expressed 'His mighty name' or 'His wise name' but His great name and most of all His holy name." He goes on to make a statement that I pray will make as deep an impression upon you as it did upon me:
"As it seems to challenge an excellency above all His other perfections, so it is the glory of all the rest, as it is the glory of the Godhead, so it is the glory of every perfection of the Godhead; as His power is the strength of them, so His holiness is the beauty of them, as all would be weak without almightiness to back them, so all would be uncomely without holiness to adorn them. Should this be sullied, all the rest would lose their honour, as at the same instant the sun should lose its light, it would lose its heat, its strength, its generative and quickening virtue. As sincerity is the lustre of every grace in a Christian, so is purity the splendour of every attribute in the Godhead. His justice is a holy justice. His wisdom a holy wisdom. His arm of power 'a holy arm' (Psa. 98:1). His truth or promise a 'holy promise' (Psa. 105:42). His name which signifies all attributes in conjunction is 'holy' (Psa. 103:1)."
"Purity is the spendour of every attribute in the Godhead"
Prayer
O Father, if ever Your Church needed a fresh vision of Your holiness it is today. Fill our pulpits with prophets and teachers who have a knowledge of the Holy. This we ask in Christ's peerless and precious Name. Amen.
Further study
Romans 1:1-7
Exodus 16:23
Deuteronomy 26:15
1 Chronicles 29:3
Nehemiah 11:1
2 Thess. 1:10
1. What other things are described as holy?
2. Would you describe yourself as holy?
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