神的异象
唯一的事
经文
以赛亚书四十三14-28
14耶和华你们的救赎主、以色列的圣者如此说：因你们的缘故，我已经打发人到巴比伦去；并且我要使迦勒底人如逃民，都坐自己喜乐的船下来。
15我是耶和华你们的圣者，是创造以色列的，是你们的君王。
16耶和华在沧海中开道，在大水中开路，
17使车辆、马匹、军兵、勇士都出来，一同躺下，不再起来；他们灭没，好像熄灭的灯火。
18耶和华如此说：你们不要记念从前的事，也不要思想古时的事。
19看哪，我要作一件新事；如今要发现，你们岂不知道吗？我必在旷野开道路，在沙漠开江河。
20野地的走兽必尊重我；野狗和鸵鸟也必如此。因我使旷野有水，使沙漠有河，好赐给我的百姓、我的选民喝。
21这百姓是我为自己所造的，好述说我的美德。
22雅各啊，你并没有求告我；以色列啊，你倒厌烦我。
23你没有将你的羊带来给我作燔祭，也没有用祭物尊敬我；我没有因供物使你服劳，也没有因乳香使你厌烦。
24你没有用银子为我买菖蒲，也没有用祭物的脂油使我饱足；倒使我因你的罪恶服劳，使我因你的罪孽厌烦。
25惟有我为自己的缘故涂抹你的过犯；我也不记念你的罪恶。
26你要提醒我，你我可以一同辩论；你可以将你的理陈明，自显为义。
27你的始祖犯罪；你的师傅违背我。
28所以，我要辱没圣所的首领，使雅各成为咒诅，使以色列成为辱骂。
信息分享
今天我们要继续将思想集中在以赛亚看见撒拉弗在宝座上敬拜的这个异象。我们要问问自己：真心敬拜神的人在亲近神的时候，所想的唯一最重要的事情是甚么？祂的全能？祂的良善？祂的信实？答案是：祂的圣洁！你只需要搜寻圣经的记录──特别是旧约，便会发现最接近主的人，思考祂的圣洁多于思考别的。
我们提到神的圣洁时，具体是指些甚么？神学家告诉我们，严格来说，我们不应该把神的圣洁视为一种属性，而应该理解它是让神完整的必备元素。米伦伯格（J Muilenburg）说：「圣洁是神独特的标记和特征。『圣洁』这个词比一切都更能够表达神的主要本性。因此我们不应将圣洁理解为众多属性的一种，应该明白它是最内在的实质，所有属性都与它有关连。」这些话相当有力，因为它们指出圣洁是神所以是神的原因。由于祂是圣洁的，祂一切属性都是圣洁的。无论我们想到属于神的任何东西，都必须明白那是圣洁的。因此，神学家强调，每当我们谈及神的爱，就应该说那是圣洁的爱。如果我们使神的爱脱离圣洁的这个思路，就很容易会变得感情用事。今天一些自由派教会把神乏味的理论化了，这就是一个明显的例子。
「圣洁就是神的本相」
进深研究
启十五1-8；彼前一15；利十一44-45
1. 众天使在唱甚么？
2. 神要求的标准是甚么？
祈祷
天父啊，当我细意思考您圣洁的奇妙时，就好像敬拜您的撒拉弗一样，想加入一起高唱：「圣哉，圣哉，圣哉，万军之耶和华，全地充满您的荣耀。」我要敬拜您圣洁的名字。阿们。
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?
本文英文版权属 CWR 所有，承蒙允准刊载。
背景音乐版权属 赞美之泉音乐事工 所有，承蒙允准使用。