申十二5　　但耶和华你们的神从你们各支派中，所选择出来立祂名的地方，就是祂的居所，那是你们当寻求的，你们要往那里去。

　　8　　你们将来不可照我们今日在这里所行的，各人行自己眼中看为正的事。

　　在申命记三十三章二十二节，但被比作小狮子，从巴珊跳出来。但作为小狮子，为得更多地土争战（书十九47，士十八27~29）；地表征基督（见申八7注1）。但得胜成功之后，成了虺蛇，单独并独立地骄傲行事，设立偶像和分裂的敬拜中心，并且当神的殿在示罗时，一直在但城任命受雇的祭司（士十八30~31，参申十二5与注）。但这条蛇咬伤马蹄，使骑马的向后坠落，表征但所带进的背道，成了以色列国很大的绊脚石。在召会历史中，许多属灵的人跟随但的榜样，因而拦阻神的子民，使他们不能走神所命定的路（圣经恢复本，创四九17注1）。

　　Deut. 12:5 But to the place which Jehovah your God will choose out of all your tribes to put His name, to His habitation, shall you seek, and there shall you go.

　　8 You shall not do according to all that we do here today, each man doing all that is right in his own eyes.

　　In Deuteronomy 33:22 Dan is likened to a young lion…. As a young lion, Dan fought in order to gain more land (Josh. 19:47; Judg. 18:27-29), the land signifying Christ (see footnote 1 on Deut. 8:7). After his success in his victory Dan became a serpent, a viper, acting individualistically and independently in his pride to set up an idol and a divisive center of worship and to ordain a hired priest in the city of Dan during the time that the house of God was in Shiloh (Judg. 18:30-31; cf. Deut. 12:5 and footnote). As a serpent Dan bit the horse’s heels so that its rider fell backward, signifying that the apostasy brought in by Dan became a great stumbling block to the nation of Israel. Throughout the history of the church many spiritual people have followed Dan’s example, thereby frustrating God’s people from going on in His ordained way. (Gen. 49:17, footnote 1)

　　很多人用敬拜神为掩饰，好设立分裂的中心。有些人会说，“为着敬拜神作这样的事有什么错？设立敬拜中心不比上电影院好么？”按照旧约的历史，历代以来没有一件事比但设立分裂的敬拜中心这个行动更有罪、更损害神的百姓。在申命记十二、十四、十五、十六章，神至少十五次借着摩西嘱咐以色列人，不可在他们各自所选择的地方献燔祭。他们奉命要到神为祂的名和祂的居所，所选择唯一的地方去。十二章十三至十四节说，“你要谨慎，不可在你所看中的各地方献上燔祭；唯独耶和华从你的一个支派中所选择的地方，你要在那里献上燔祭，行我一切所吩咐你的。”…摩西这位年迈慈爱的律法颁布者，再三将这事嘱咐以色列人。你若读那几章，就看见摩西为这唯一的地方，就是神为祂的名和祂的居所，所选择的地方，嘱咐百姓。神一再吩咐摩西发出这个嘱咐，原因乃是祂顾到维持祂子民的合一。

　　以色列人进入美地以后，帐幕，就是神的家，是在示罗（士十八31）。…（因此，）示罗就是唯一敬拜神的中心。示罗既是唯一的中心，就该维持神子民的合一。然而，但在北方设立了另一个中心，在以色列人中间引起了第一次的分裂。…（虽然神）是无所不在的，…但是为着保守祂子民的合一，神喜欢受限制。今天多数基督徒…象但人一样，觉得可以随便设立另外的敬拜中心。

　　士师记十八章三十节说，“但人就为自己设立那雕像。”这里我们看见，但人为他们自己作了一些事。他们不关心别的支派。因此，他们背道的源头乃是不关心他们的弟兄。不关心身体其他的部分，乃是背道的源头。这种背道在敬拜神的伪装下偷偷地进来。今天的原则也是这样。许多基督徒设立别的中心，不是为着赌博或跳舞，乃是为着敬拜神。虽然这事似乎很正面，事实上却是凭自己，为自己而作的。每一个分裂的中心都是为着某个人的私利设立的。这样的作法不仅引起分裂，也引起争竞（创世记生命读经，一五七一至一五七三页）。

　　参读：创世记生命读经，第一百零二至一百零三篇；李文集一九七五至一九七六年第三册，青年训练，第十二章；马太福音生命读经，第四十七篇。

　　Many use the matter of the worship of God as a cloak for setting up a divisive center. Some would say, “What could be wrong with doing such a thing for the worship of God? Isn’t it better to set up a center of worship than to go to a movie theater?” According to the history in the Old Testament, nothing throughout the generations was more sinful or more damaging to God’s people than Dan’s act of setting up a divisive center of worship. In Deuteronomy 12, 14, 15, and 16 the Lord through Moses charged the children of Israel at least fifteen times not to offer their burnt offerings in the place of their choice. They were commanded to go to the unique place the Lord had chosen for His name and for His habitation. Deuteronomy 12:13 and 14 say, “Be careful that you do not offer up your burnt offerings in every place that you see; but in the place which Jehovah will choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer up your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I am commanding you.”…Again and again Moses, the elderly, loving lawgiver, charged the children of Israel concerning this matter. If you read these chapters, you will see that Moses charged the people concerning the unique place, the place the Lord had chosen for His name and for His habitation. The reason the Lord commanded Moses to issue this charge repeatedly was that He was concerned about maintaining the unity of His people.

　　After the children of Israel entered the good land, the tabernacle, the house of God, was in Shiloh (Judg. 18:31)…. [Hence,] Shiloh was the unique center for the worship of God. As the unique center, it should have maintained the unity of God’s people. However, Dan set up another center in the north, which caused the first division among the children of Israel…. [Although God] is omnipresent…[He] enjoys being limited for the purpose of keeping the unity of His people. Most Christians today,…like the Danites,…feel free to set up another center of worship.

　　Judges 18:30 says, “The children of Dan erected for themselves the sculptured idol.” Here we see that the Danites did something for themselves. They did not care for the other tribes. Thus, the source of their apostasy was not caring for their brothers. Not caring for the other parts of the Body is the source of apostasy. This apostasy crept in under the guise of the worship of God. The principle is the same today. Many Christians set up other centers, not for gambling or dancing, but for worshipping God. Although this seems so positive, it is actually done by the self and for the self. Every divisive center is established for someone’s self-interest. Such a practice causes not only division but also competition. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 1317-1319)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msgs. 102-103; CWWL, 1975-1976, vol. 3, “Young People’s Training,” ch. 12; Life-study of Matthew, msg. 47