申十二19　　 你要谨慎，你在地上的一切日子，总不可撇弃利未人。

　　林前十六1~2 关于为圣徒收集馈送，我从前怎样吩咐加拉太的众召会，你们也当怎样行。每逢七日的第一日，你们各人要照所得的昌盛，拿出来储存着，免得我来的时候才收集。

　　我们看见，在申命记十三章，神顾到祂自己；在十二章，神顾到作祂彰显的子民。如今在这些关于帮助缺乏之人的经节中〔十四28~十五18〕，神顾到一切作祂彰显的人。

　　利未人没有工作或别的收入来源，他们靠神而活，全时间事奉神；他们该受到这样的照顾〔申十二19〕。此外也要供给寄居的，并孤儿寡妇〔十四29〕。今天我们也该顾到我们中间缺乏的人。……在主的恢复中，我们需要顾到全时间者及其他缺乏的人。

　　用新约的说法，这就是说，基督顾到祂身体的每一个肢体。我们都该跟随这榜样。我们应当爱主耶稣，应当爱祂的身体，也应当顾到一切肢体的需要。在顾到圣徒需要的事上，我们为此最好有预备，有预算。这就是说，我们该经常有所积存，好用以照顾缺乏的圣徒（申命记生命读经，一一四至一一五页）。

　　Deut. 12:19 Be careful that you do not forsake the Levite all your days upon the earth.

　　1 Cor. 16:1-2 Now concerning the collection for the saints, just as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also do. On the first day of the week each one of you should lay aside in store to himself whatever he may have been prospered, that no collections be made when I come.

　　In Deuteronomy 13 we see that God takes care of Himself, and in Deuteronomy 12, that He takes care of His people as His expression. Now in the verses concerning aid to the needy [14:28—15:18] we see that God takes care of all those who are part of His expression.

　　The Levites, who had no job or other source of income but who lived on God, serving Him full time, were to be taken care of [12:19]….There was also to be provision for the sojourner, the orphan, and the widow [14:29]. Today we should also care for the needy ones among us….In the Lord’s recovery, we need to care for the full-timers and the other needy ones.

　　In New Testament terms, this means that Christ takes care of every member of His Body. We all should follow this pattern. We should love the Lord Jesus, we should love His Body, and we should take care of the needs of all the members. In caring for the needs of the saints, it is best that we prepare for this by having a budget. This means that in a regular way we should lay something aside to use in taking care of needy saints. (Life-study of Deuteronomy, pp. 97, 96, 97)

　　百姓总要向穷乏的弟兄松手，借给他，补他的不足（申十五8）。今天我们不该不乐意给我们中间穷乏的弟兄。当我们给出去以应付穷乏弟兄的需要时，主会回报我们，比我们所给出去的还要多。所有甘心给出去的信徒，都能见证这事。

　　“你总要给他，给他的时候心里不可作难；因耶和华你的神必为这事的缘故，在你一切所行的并你手所办的事上，赐福与你。”（10）……我们今天给穷人的时候，也不该作难，反该高兴，知道神必赐福与我们，以更多回报我们（申命记生命读经，一一六至一一七页）。

　　所有堕落的人类，都在玛门和财物的辖制之下（太六19~21、24~25、30，十九21~22，路十二13~19）。五旬节那天，在圣灵的能力下，所有的信徒都推翻了金钱的辖制，实行凡物公用，按所需用的分给各人（徒二44~45，四32、34~37）。但由于信徒堕落天性的软弱（参五1~11，六1），这种实行并没有持续很久，到使徒保罗的时候就已经过去了。因此，信徒需要恩典，胜过玛门和物质的权势，释放这些物质脱离撒但的管辖，好献给主，以完成祂的定旨。复活的生命乃是全备的供应，能使信徒活出这种生活，一种信靠神而不信靠财物，不为着今天而为着将来，不为着今世而为着来世（路十二16~21，提前六17~19）的生活，一种推翻了短暂无定之钱财霸占的生活。〔林前十六章的〕这对付，摆在〔十五章〕论到复活生命的实际之后，原因也许就是在此。无论如何，这对付是与神在众召会中的行政有关。

　　七日的第一日，乃是主复活的表号，……〔指明〕我们的供给，必须是在复活的生命里，不在我们天然的生命里。……〔这〕是在复活里的得胜，胜过你如何使用金钱与财物（哥林多前书生命读经，七四二至七四五页）。

　　参读：申命记生命读经，第十四至十五篇；哥林多前书生命读经，第六十九篇；哥林多后书生命读经，第四十六至四十七、四十九篇。

　　The people were required to open their hand to the poor one and to lend enough for his need in whatever he lacked (Deut. 15:8). Today we should not be reluctant to give to the poor brothers among us. When we give to meet the needs of the poor brothers, the Lord will return to us much more than we gave. All the believers who give willingly can testify of this.

　　“You must give to him, and your heart shall not be displeased when you give to him; for on account of this matter Jehovah your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings” (v. 10)….We today should not be displeased when giving to the poor; instead, we should be happy, knowing that God will bless us and return much more to us. (Life-study of Deuteronomy, pp. 98-99)

　　All of fallen mankind are under the domination of mammon and material possessions (Matt. 6:19-21, 24-25, 30; 19:21-22; Luke 12:13-19). At the day of Pentecost, under the power of the Holy Spirit, all the believers overthrew this domination and had all their possessions in common for distribution to the needy ones (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32, 34-37). That practice, due to the weakness of the believers’ fallen nature (see Acts 5:1-11; 6:1), did not last long. It was already over by the apostle Paul’s time. Then the believers needed grace to overcome the power of mammon and material things and to release them from Satan’s domination for an offering to the Lord to fulfill His purpose. Resurrection life is the supply for the believers to live such a life, a life trusting in God, not in treasures of material possessions, a life not for today but for the future, not for this age but for the coming age (Luke 12:16-21; 1 Tim. 6:17-19), a life that overthrows the usurpation of temporal and uncertain riches. This may be the reason that this dealing [in 1 Corinthians 16] follows the one concerning the reality of resurrection life [in chapter 15]. In any case this dealing is related to God’s administration among the churches.

　　[In 1 Corinthians 16:2] “the first day of the week” is a symbol of the Lord’s resurrection…[indicating that] our giving must be in resurrection life, not in our natural life….[This is] the victory in resurrection over your use of your money and material possessions. (Life-study of 1 Corinthians, pp. 625-626, 628)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Deuteronomy, msgs. 14-15; Life-study of 1 Corinthians, msg. 69; Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msgs. 46-47, 49