来十二1　　…我们既有这许多的见证人，如同云彩围着我们，就当脱去各样的重担，和容易缠累我们的罪，凭着忍耐奔那摆在我们前头的赛程。

　　出十三21　　耶和华在他们前面行，日间在云柱中领他们的路；夜间在火柱中光照他们，使他们日夜都可以行走。

　　云彩是为着引导百姓跟随主（民九15~22），并且主是在云彩中与百姓同在（出十三21~22）。以色列人乃是借着云柱跟随主，并在云柱中享受主的同在。所有信心的见证人，和信心的殉道者，都如同云彩。借着这些如同云彩的见证人〔来十二1〕，我们得以跟随主，并享受祂的同在（希伯来书生命读经，六五九页）。

　　Heb. 12:1 …Let us also, having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, put away every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and run with endurance the race which is set before us.

　　Exo. 13:21 And Jehovah went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them on the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might go by day and by night.

　　The cloud is for leading people in following the Lord (Num. 9:15-22), and the Lord is in the cloud to be with the people (Exo. 13:21-22). The children of Israel followed the Lord by the pillar and enjoyed the Lord’s presence in the pillar of cloud. All the witnesses of faith, even the martyrs of faith, are a cloud. By this cloud of witnesses [Heb. 12:1] we follow the Lord and enjoy His presence. (Life-study of Hebrews, p. 550)

　　旧约的圣徒，只是信心的见证人，没有一个是信心的创始者、源头、成终者或完成者。希伯来十二章一节把信心的见证人看作是“如同云彩围着我们”。主是在云彩中与祂的百姓同在（出十三21~22）。以色列人是照着云彩的行动跟随主。云彩在哪里，主也就在哪里。不仅如此，云彩更是为着引导百姓跟随主。如果你有心要寻找主，…你会立即觉得，借着有信心的人，就能得着主的同在和祂的引导。你若有云彩，你就有了主。你若失去云彩，你就失去了主。所有有信心的人，就是召会里的人，都是云彩。寻求主同在最好的路，就是到召会里来。凡要寻求主引导的人，都必须跟随云彩，就是召会。主在云彩里，意思就是祂与有信心的人同在。我们既是有信心的人，我们就是今天的云彩；人只要跟随我们，就可以跟从主。凡寻求祂的人，都能在我们中间得到祂的同在。主既是在我们这里，所以我们在哪里，哪里就是主今天行动的方向（希伯来书生命读经，六六○页）。

　　希伯来十二章一节所说的“见证人”…按字面看，好像就是指着十一章所说的那些大有信心的人。但是，实在说来，不是指着那些人，乃是指着那些人的事情。…那些人的事情所得的见证如同云彩围着我们。

　　这许多见证…是证明神“这么大的救恩”（二3~4）。…〔这救恩〕不只是罪得赦免，更是指得着国度。国度就是我们奔跑的目标。神给我们这么多的见证，为要鼓励我们过信心的生活，来奔跑这个赛程，来得着国度的荣耀。在十一章里，那些信心的伟人所直接信的虽然不都是为着国度，但他们的信心就是他们的路程…。他们所直接相信的已经得着了，如有的被提，有的得地，有的复活，有的免灭亡；但这些并不是神所应许最后要给他们的。他们因信所得的一切，不过是证据〔或凭质〕，证明他们也要得着神所应许的国度。“这些人都借着信得了美好的见证，却没有得着所应许的；因为神为我们预备了更美的事，叫他们若没有我们，就不能完全。”（十一39~40）这是说…国度。…神证明他们将来必定得着国度。

　　“许多的见证人”，就是神因许多人的信心所赐给的恩典。神已经这样地听祷告、行神迹，来证明他们这样的奔跑赛程是祂所喜悦的，国度是他们所必有的。我们因为有了这许多的见证，就必须奔跑这信心的赛程（倪柝声文集第一辑第十七册，二五○至二五一页）。

　　参读：希伯来书生命读经，第四十八篇；倪柝声文集第一辑第十七册，奔那摆在前头的路程。

　　The saints of the old covenant were only witnesses of faith. None of them was the author, source, perfecter, or finisher of faith. In Hebrews 12:1 the witnesses of faith are considered as “a cloud of witnesses surrounding us.” The Lord was in the cloud to be with His people (Exo. 13:21-22). The children of Israel followed the Lord according to the move of the cloud. Where the cloud was, there the Lord was also. Furthermore, the cloud is for leading people in following the Lord. If you have a heart to seek out the Lord…, you may immediately have the sense that by the people of faith you can have the Lord’s presence and His leading. If you have the cloud, you will have the Lord. But if you miss the cloud, you will also miss the Lord. All the people of faith, the church people, are the cloud. The best way to seek the Lord’s presence is to come to the church. If anyone is seeking the Lord’s leading, he must follow the cloud, the church. The Lord is in the cloud, meaning that He is with the people of faith. Since we are the people of faith, we are today’s cloud, and people can follow the Lord by following us. Those who seek Him can find His presence with us. The Lord is where we are, and where we are is the direction in which the Lord is moving in these days. (Life-study of Hebrews, p. 551)

　　The “witnesses” mentioned in Hebrews 12:1… apparently… refer… to those who have great faith as mentioned in chapter 11. Actually, it does not refer to the people themselves but to the things they did… The witnesses of the things done by those people are like a great cloud surrounding us.

　　These many witnesses… witness to God’s “great salvation” (2:3-4)… [which] is not only the forgiveness of sins but obtaining the kingdom. The kingdom is the goal of our race. God gave us so many witnesses for the purpose of encouraging us to live a life of faith so that we can run the race and receive the glory of the kingdom. Although the great men of faith in chapter 11 did not have the kingdom directly as their object of faith, their faith was nevertheless their race… Apparently, they obtained what they believed in; some were raptured, some obtained the land, some were resurrected, and some were saved from perishing. But these things are not God’s ultimate promise to them. What they had obtained through faith was only their earnest [or pledge], proving that they would obtain the promised kingdom of God. “And these all, having obtained a good testimony through their faith, did not obtain the promise, because God has provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect” (11:39-40)… This [is] talking about… the kingdom… [and] God’s assurance to them that they would obtain the kingdom in the future.

　　“So great a cloud of witnesses” is the grace given by God through the faith of many people. God answered their prayers and worked miracles; He proved that their running of the race was well pleasing to Him and that they would possess the kingdom. Since we have all these witnesses, we should run the race of faith. (CWWN, vol. 17, pp. 230-231)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Hebrews, msg. 48; CWWN, vol. 17, pp. 229-240