神的异象
惧怕性命不保！
经文
民数记十七1-13
1耶和华对摩西说：
2你晓谕以色列人，从他们手下取杖，每支派一根；从他们所有的首领，按着支派，共取十二根。你要将各人的名字写在各人的杖上，
3并要将亚伦的名字写在利未的杖上，因为各族长必有一根杖。
4你要把这些杖存在会幕内法柜前，就是我与你们相会之处。
5后来我所拣选的那人，他的杖必发芽。这样，我必使以色列人向你们所发的怨言止息，不再达到我耳中。
6于是摩西晓谕以色列人，他们的首领就把杖交给他，按着支派，每首领一根，共有十二根；亚伦的杖也在其中。
7摩西就把杖存在法柜的帐幕内，在耶和华面前。
8第二天，摩西进法柜的帐幕去。谁知利未族亚伦的杖已经发了芽，生了花苞，开了花，结了熟杏。
9摩西就把所有的杖从耶和华面前拿出来，给以色列众人看；他们看见了，各首领就把自己的杖拿去。
10耶和华吩咐摩西说：把亚伦的杖还放在法柜前，给这些背叛之子留作记号。这样，你就使他们向我发的怨言止息，免得他们死亡。
11摩西就这样行。耶和华怎样吩咐他，他就怎样行了。
12以色列人对摩西说：我们死啦！我们灭亡啦！都灭亡啦！
13凡挨近耶和华帐幕的是必死的。我们都要死亡吗？
信息分享
以赛亚书六5记载以赛亚在看见神的圣洁的异象后说：「我是嘴唇不洁的人，又住在嘴唇不洁的民中……」，这究竟是甚么意思？有些解经家相信他是承认自己与世俗挣扎。但是更可能的解释应该是以赛亚承认自己不配作先知──说话是先知的工作。
我们不能确定哪一个解释正确，但我们可以肯定的是：以赛亚看见神的圣洁时，便惧怕自己性命不保。这从他的话中可以明显看到：「我眼见大君王万军之耶和华」（赛六5）。为甚么这句似乎是平淡的话反映了以赛亚惧怕性命不保？要明白这句话，我们必须再看今天的经文：「凡挨近耶和华帐幕的是必死的。」在以色列有一件众人皆知的事：没有人可以靠近神而仍然能够存活。任何看见神的人都可以预期自己会立即死去。事实上，神曾经说过：「你不能看见我的面，因为人见我的面，不能存活」（出三十三20）。
也许现在我们可以明白「我眼见大君王万军之耶和华」这句话，背后隐藏着的意思。以赛亚的呼喊反映的远远不单是普通的定罪，而是不能言喻的恐惧。他看见大君王、全能的耶和华。现在他一定会死！但他真的会死吗？不，因为正如我们将会看到，神不单是圣洁的神，祂也是恩典的神。
「神是恩典的神」
进深研究
出三十三12-21；提前一17，六11-16
1. 摩西祈求甚么？
2. 保罗怎样向提摩太描述主？
祈祷
天父，求您帮助我更清楚今天的真理──我在得救前必须承认自己的失丧，自己是全然无助的。天父，我诚心地承认救恩全是恩典。我十分、十分感激您。阿们。
The Vision of God
Fearing for one's life!
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
Today we ask ourselves: What did Isaiah mean when, following 's holiness, he said: "I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips..." (Isa. 6:5)? Some commentators believe he was confessing here to a struggle with profanity. Probably a more likely explanation is that Isaiah is acknowledging his unworthiness to be a prophet - the spoken word being a prophet's business.
Which of these is the true explanation we cannot be certain, but what we do know for sure is this: when Isaiah saw the holiness of God he feared for his life. This is evident in his statement: "My eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty" (Isa. 6:5). Why should such seemingly innocuous words reflect a fear for his life? To understand what is being said here we need to look at today's text once again: "Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die." It was a well-known fact in Israel that no one could get close to God and live. Anyone who saw God expected to die immediately. In fact, God said on one occasion: "You cannot see my face, for no-one may see me and live" (Ex. 33:20).
Perhaps now we can understand something of the concern that reverberated beneath the words: "My eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." Isaiah's cry reflects much more than an ordinary conviction of sin; it is one of unspeakable horror. He had seen the King, the Lord Almighty. Now he must die! But does he? No, for as we shall see, God is not only a God of holiness - He is also the God of grace.
"God is a God of grace"
Prayer
Father, help me see even more clearly the principle that is at work here, namely that before I can be saved I must admit my lostness - my utter helplessness. I freely confess, Father, that salvation is all of grace. And I am deeply, deeply thankful. Amen.
Further study
Exodus 33:12-21
1 Timothy 1:17; 6:11-16
1. What was Moses' prayer?
2. How did Paul describe the Lord to Timothy?
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