王上七15 他制造两根铜柱，每根柱子高十八肘，柱子围十二肘。

　　罗七18　 我知道住在我里面，就是我肉体之中，并没有善，因为立志为善由得我，只是行出来由不得我。

　　在预表上，铜总是表征神的审判。那两根柱子是铜造的，清楚指明我们若要作柱子，就必须认识我们是在神审判之下的人。我们不仅该在神的审判之下，也该在我们自己的审判之下。正如保罗在加拉太二章二十节一样，我们必须说，“我已经被钉十字架。我所以被钉，因为在神的经纶中，我一无用处，我只有资格死。”许多弟兄很聪明能干，许多姊妹也很美好，但我们必须认识，实际上我们一无是处，……我们只配死（创世记生命读经，一二七一页）。

　　1 Kings 7:15 And he formed the two bronze pillars; eighteen cubits was the height of each pillar, and a line of twelve cubits encompassed each pillar.

　　Rom. 7:18 For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but to work out the good is not.

　　In typology, bronze always signifies God’s judgment. That the two pillars were made of bronze clearly indicates that if we would be a pillar, we must realize that we are those under God’s judgment. We should not only be under God’s judgment, but also under our own judgment. Like Paul in Galatians 2:20, we must say, “I have been crucified. I have been crucified because I am not good for anything in God’s economy. I am only qualified for death.” Many brothers are intelligent and capable and many sisters are quite nice. Nevertheless, we must recognize that actually we are not good at all... We are only good for death. (Life-study of Genesis, p. 1065)

　　所有对召会的建造真正有益的人，乃是那些自以为没有资格带头的人。他们总是说，“我不够格，我太贫穷，我的性情不适合。我还是太在天然的生命里，我不认为自己很好。”这样说不仅是在神的审判之下，也是在自己的审判之下。……我们都必须感觉，在我们里面，就是在我们肉体之中，并没有善（罗七18）。我们应当说，“我什么都不配，只配死。弟兄们怎么会想到我该作长老？我害怕这种可能性。”……主绝不会选上自以为有资格的人。你若自以为有资格，你就与铜无关。……经历铜就是一直在神的审判之下，也在我们自己的审判之下。我们都必须把这话应用在自己身上，说，“主啊，怜悯我，因为在我里面一无良善。”

　　 王上七章十七节说，“柱子上端的柱顶有装修的格子网和拧成的链索形成的花圈，一个柱顶有七个，另一个柱顶也有七个。”……召会的肢体所面对的每一种情况都是格子网，就是围着荆棘冠冕的格子架。……在这种情况里是我们的定命。我们不仅必须在这种错综复杂的情况里承担责任，并且必须活在其中。……要在这种复杂的情况里承担责任，我们必须在神里面凭信而活。十九节说，“廊子里柱子上端的柱顶……刻着百合花。”百合花表征在神里面的信心生活。首先，我们必须定罪自己，认识我们是堕落、无能、不够格，并且一无所有；然后我们必须在神里面凭信活着，不凭我们的所是或我们所能作的活着。我们必须是百合花，凭着神对我们的所是，不凭着我们的所是存活（太六28、30）。我们今天活在地上是在于祂。我们在错综复杂的召会生活中怎能承担责任？在我们自己里面，我们不能作这事；但我们若是在神里面凭信而活就能这样作。不再是我，乃是基督在我里面活着—这就是百合花。不是我承担责任—乃是祂承担责任。我活不是凭自己，乃是凭祂。我尽职事，也不是凭自己，乃是凭祂。你们姊妹们若是召会生活中的母亲，你们必须说，“我在召会中不是凭自己作母亲，乃是凭祂。”

　　一面我们是被定罪、被审判的铜，另一面我们是活的百合花。铜的意思是“不是我”，百合花的意思是“乃是基督”。那些是百合花的人能说，“我如今所活的生命，是我因信耶稣基督所活的。”借着这一切我们能看见，我们是百合花，在满了格子网和链索，错综复杂的情况里，负起不可能负的责任。……所有的格子网乃是百合花长在其上的基础，花床（创世记生命读经，一二七二至一二七三、一二八○、一二八二至一二八四页）。

　　参读：创世记生命读经，第八十三至八十四篇。

　　All those who became a true profit to the building of the church were those who did not think of themselves as being qualified for leadership. Rather, they always said, “I am not qualified. I am too poor. My disposition is not suitable, and I am still too much in my natural life. I do not consider myself to be good.” To say this is not only to be under God’s judgment, but also under self-judgment... We all must feel that in us, that is, in our flesh, there is nothing good (Rom. 7:18). We should say, “I am worthy of nothing but death. How could the brothers think that I should be one of the elders? I am terrified of this possibility.”... The Lord will never choose anyone who considers himself to be qualified. If you think that you are qualified, then you have nothing to do with bronze... The experience of bronze is that we are always under God’s judgment and under our own self-judgment. We all must apply this word to ourselves, saying, “Lord, have mercy upon me, for in me there is nothing good.”

　　First Kings 7:17 speaks of “nets of checker work with wreaths of chain work for the capitals that were at the top of the pillars, seven for the one capital, and seven for the second capital.” Every situation faced by the church members is a checker work, a trellis encircled by a crown of pins and thorns... It is our destiny to be in this situation. We must not only bear the responsibility in this intermixed and complicated situation, but also live in the midst of it. In order to bear the responsibility in this complicated situation, we must live by faith in God. First Kings 7:19 says, “And the capitals that were at the top of the pillars in the portico were of lily work.” The lily signifies a life of faith in God. First, we must condemn ourselves, realizing that we are fallen, incapable, unqualified, and that we are nothing. Then we must live by faith in God, not by what we are or by what we can do. We must be a lily existing by what God is to us, not by what we are (Matt. 6:28, 30). Our living on earth today depends upon Him. How can we possibly bear the responsibility in the intermixed and complicated church life? In ourselves, we are incapable of doing this, but we can do so if we live by faith in God. It is not I, but Christ who lives in me—this is the lily. It is not I who bear the responsibility—it is He who bears it. I live, not by myself, but by Him, and I minister, not by myself, but by Him. If you sisters are mothers in the church life, you must say, “I am not a mother in the church by myself, but by Him.”

　　On the one hand, we are the condemned and judged bronze; on the other hand, we are the living lilies. The bronze means, “Not I,” and the lily means, “But Christ.” Those who are lilies can say, “The life that I now live, I live by the faith of Jesus Christ.” By all this we can realize that we are lilies bearing an impossible responsibility in an intermixed and complicated situation full of checker work and chain work... All the checker work is the base, the bed, in which the lilies grow. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 1066-1067, 1073-1075)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msgs. 83-84