肆 以色列和犹大的四十一个王都在最高的地位上，但他们在享受美地上不谨慎；甚至大卫也没有完全享受美地；我们该将他们的例子应用到自己身上： |
Ⅳ The forty-one kings of Israel and Judah were in the highest position, but they were not careful in their enjoyment of the good land; not even David enjoyed the good land in full; we should apply their example to ourselves: |
一 那些恶王邪恶的根，正如以色列人邪恶的根一样，乃是他们离弃神这活水的泉源，并转向异教的偶像作他们破裂不能存水的池子；这两件恶事把他们淹没在拜偶像和放纵情欲的死水中—耶二13。 |
A The root of the evil of the evil kings, like that of the evil of the people of Israel, was their forsaking the very God as the fountain of living waters and their turning away to the pagan idols as broken cisterns that hold no water; these two evils drowned them in the death waters of idolatry and of the indulgence of lusts—Jer. 2:13. |
二 今天我们乃是君王，借着领受洋溢之恩与洋溢之义的恩赐，在生命中与基督一同作王（罗五10、17）；我们该竭力跟随保罗的榜样，他能宣告，他已经与基督同钉十字架，并且现在活着的，不再是他，乃是基督在他里面活着（加二20）；他又说，借着领受耶稣基督之灵全备的供应，就是基督身体的供应，他活基督以显大基督（腓一19~21上）。 |
B Today we are kings who are reigning with Christ in life by receiving the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness (Rom. 5:10, 17); we should endeavor to follow the pattern of Paul, who could declare that he had been crucified with Christ and that he no longer lived but Christ lived in him (Gal. 2:20); he said that he lived Christ for His magnification by receiving the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the supply of the Body (Phil. 1:19-21a). |
晨兴喂养
耶二13 因为我的百姓，作了两件恶事，就是离弃我这活水的泉源，为自己凿出池子，是破裂不能存水的池子。 罗五17 若因一人的过犯，死就借着这一人作了王，那些受洋溢之恩，并洋溢之义恩赐的，就更要借着耶稣基督一人，在生命中作王了。 〔以色列诸王〕为人的方式，他们在日常生活、活动和事业上如何行事、生活、行动、活动，描绘出一幅完整的图画，给我们看见神的选民如何能有分于神所应许、神所赐给的美地，并享受其上一切的权利，使他们能在这被神仇敌撒但所霸占的地上，成为神的国。这预表并表征我们如何能有分于包罗万有的基督，作神所命定给我们的分，并享受神所分派给我们在基督里的一切权利，使我们这些蒙神拣选并救赎的人，能在被那恶者，神的仇敌撒但所霸占的地上，在基督里并与基督一同成为神的国（列王纪生命读经，一九六页）。 |
Jer. 2:13 For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, which hold no water. Rom. 5:17 ...By the offense of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. The way in which [the kings of Israel] had their being, how they behaved, lived, moved, and acted in their daily living, activities, and careers, paints a full picture of how the elect of God could partake of the God-promised and God-given good land and enjoy all its rights that they could become God’s kingdom on the earth usurped by His enemy Satan. This typifies and signifies how we can partake of the all-inclusive Christ as the portion ordained by God for us and enjoy all the rights in Christ assigned to us by God that we, the people chosen and redeemed by God, can become God’s kingdom in Christ and with Christ on the earth usurped by the evil one, God’s enemy Satan. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Kings, pp. 156-157) |
信息选读
以色列历史中共有四十一个王。头三个，就是扫罗、大卫和所罗门，统治全体以色列人。……其余的三十八个王中，只有八个，比较而言，是好的；但事实上，他们仍然都是自私自利、寻求自己的荣耀，多多少少把神在他们中间的国看作是自己的王国，没有照着神所命定的法则认识神，没有否认他们的己、他们天然的人，而绝对凭着神的灵过一种生活，完成一种事业。 那些恶王邪恶的根，正如以色列人邪恶的根一样，乃是他们离弃神这活水的泉源，并转向异教的偶像作他们破裂不能存水的池子（耶二13）。这两件恶事把他们淹没在拜偶像、放纵情欲、不公正流无辜人之血的死水中。他们的邪恶得罪神到一个地步，使神不肯将祂的怒气从他们转消，而把他们先丢弃在亚述人手中，后丢弃在巴比伦人手中；这些人毁坏并焚烧圣殿、圣城，且把圣民掳到异教拜偶像之地，使圣地荒凉七十年。因此他们这些神的选民，失去对神所赐美地的享受，不再是在圣地上神国的国民，而在外邦之地作了被掳的人。 在蒙神拣选并赐福的选民中间，诸王如此可怜历史的悲惨结局，对我们这些在新约时代神的选民，该是严肃的警告。……只像大卫一样作合乎神心的人，或只像一些诚实的基督徒一样，在神眼中作半对和半好的人，并不能使我们够资格完满地有分于基督，享受在祂里面的一切权利，而使我们够得上成为召会，作基督的身体，并作神与基督的国。我们这些新约的得胜者，必须借着基督复活的大能，模成祂的死，使我们向自己、向天然的人死，而在复活里向神活着。我们这些神新约的寻求者，必须凭那包罗万有、赐生命之灵全备的供应而活基督、显大基督并与基督一同活动行事，在那灵里并照着那灵作每一件事；我们要成为神圣生命赛程中的胜利者，这种生活对我们是绝对必要的；这使我们能在召会时代完满地享受基督作神所赐的美地，并在国度时代得着荣耀的赏赐，最完满地有分于基督（列王纪生命读经，一九四、一九六至一九八页）。 参读：如何作同工与长老，并如何履行同工与长老的义务，第四至五篇。 |
There were altogether forty-one kings in the history of Israel. The first three, Saul, David, and Solomon, reigned over the entire people of Israel. Of the remaining thirty-eight kings, only eight were comparatively good. Actually, however, they still were self-seeking and self-glorying, somewhat considering the kingdom of God among them something of their monarchies, not knowing God according to the way ordained by God, not denying themselves, their natural man, to live a life and carry out a career absolutely by the Spirit of God. The root of the evil of the evil kings, like that of the evil of the people of Israel, was their forsaking the very God as the fountain of living waters and their turning away to the pagan idols as broken cisterns that hold no water (Jer. 2:13). These two evils drowned them in the death waters of idolatry, of the indulgence of lusts, and of injustice in shedding the blood of the innocent. Their evils offended their God to such an extent that He would not turn His anger from them but cast them off, first into the hands of the Assyrians and then into the hands of the Babylonians, who destroyed and burned the holy temple and the holy city, carried away into captivity the holy people to a pagan land of idol worship, and desolated the holy land for seventy years. Thus, they, as God’s elect, lost the enjoyment of the God-given good land and, instead of remaining the citizens of God’s kingdom in the holy land, they became captives in a heathen land. The tragic result of such a pitiful history of the kings among God’s chosen and blessed elect should be a serious warning to us, God’s elect in the New Testament age... Just to be one who is according to God’s heart, like David, and just to be partly right and good in the eyes of God, like some honest Christians, do not qualify us to partake of Christ in full and to enjoy all the rights in Him that we may become adequately the church as the Body of Christ and as the kingdom of God and of Christ. Conformity to Christ’s death by the power of His resurrection is required of us, the New Testament overcomers, that we may die to ourselves, our natural man, and live to God in resurrection. A life of living Christ, magnifying Christ, and moving and acting with Christ by the bountiful supply of the all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit, doing everything in and according to the Spirit, is indispensable for us, God’s New Testament seekers, to be winners in the racecourse of the divine life that we may fully enjoy Christ as the God-given good land in the church age and be gloriously rewarded to partake of Christ, in the fullest sense, in the kingdom age. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Kings, pp. 155-158) Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “How to Be a Co-worker and an Elder and How to Fulfill Their Obligations,” chs. 4-5 |