神啊! 求你賜給我一個憂傷痛悔的心, 會因你的話而戰兢
O Lord! Give me a broken and contrite heart that would tremble at Your word.
聖殿
THE HOLY TEMPLE
經文: Isaiah 以賽亞書 66:1-14
新天新地的中心是新耶路撒冷。但是出乎以色列人意料之外的事,就是先知描述將來的美景時, 竟然沒有他們看為至寶的聖殿。這不是先知的疏忽, 因為新約的使徒約翰在啟示錄的異像中, 更加清楚的說: 「我未見城內有殿，因主神─全能者和羔羊為城的殿。」(啟21:22)
The center of the New Heavens and New Earth is the New Jerusalem. But what is surprising to the Israelites is that when the prophet describes the beautiful scenes of the future, the Holy Temple that they consider most precious is nowhere to be found. This is not an oversight on the prophet’s part because Apostle John’s vision in the book of Revelation in the New Testament describes it even more clearly, “And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:22)
以賽亞向讀者解釋, 將來沒有聖殿的原因:
Isaiah explains to the readers the reasons for the absence of the Holy Temple:
1. 新天新地不是物質化的世界, 天和地這兩樣用來代表整個宇宙的東西, 在將來的境界中被喻為只是一些簡單的傢俱──座位和腳凳, 如果人希望建聖殿, 根本沒有物料可用, 所以:「你們要為我造何等的殿宇？」(1)
The New Heavens and New Earth is not a material world. Heavens and Earth, the two things that represent the entire universe, are regarded only as simple furniture in the future – seat and footstool. If people want to build the Holy Temple, there are simply no materials that can be used. Therefore, “what is the house that you would build for me?” (1)
2. 舊約中, 聖殿是神的居所的象徵(翻譯作聖殿一個最常用的字是神的家)。在新天新地裡, 神與人同在, 不再需要象徵。「哪裡是我安息的地方呢？」(1)說出真正神的所在不是地點, 而是組合。所羅門興建聖殿時, 已經認識這點。所以他說:「神果真住在地上嗎？看哪，天和天上的天尚且不足你居住的，何況我所建的這殿呢？」(王上8:27)「這一切都是我手所造的(包括聖殿)，所以就都有了(不必重建)。但我所看顧的，就是虛心痛悔、因我話而戰兢的人。」(2)神在聖殿中,看顧(或看重)的不是禮拜儀式, 乃是誠懇的態度。
In the Old Testament, the Holy Temple is the symbol of God’s dwelling place (the most commonly used term in the translation of the Holy Temple is the House of God). In the New Heavens and New Earth, God dwells with people and therefore no need for a symbol. “What is the place of my rest?” (1) indicates that the fundament of the House of God lies not in the location but of what it’s composed of . When Solomon built the temple, he already knew that. Therefore, he said, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27) “All these things (including the temple) my hand has made, and so all these things came to be (no need to build)…..But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”(2) So, what God looks for (or values) in the temple is not the worship rituals but the sincerity.
以賽亞用四件事來形容假敬拜所表現的形式，這四件事本身在選民的制度中是對的，應當行的。它們是：宰牛，獻羊羔，獻供物，燒乳香。但他們卻使這四件事變成了四種拜偶像的可憎舉動──殺人，打折狗項，獻豬血，稱頌偶像(3)。
Isaiah illustrates the bearing of false worship with four practices. These four practices, in and of itself, are creditable in the Israelites’ system. They are: slaughtering an ox, sacrifice of a lamb, presenting a grain offering, and making a memorial offering of frankincense. But they have made these four practices into four despicable acts of idol worship – killing a man, breaking a dog’s neck, offering pig’s blood, and blessing an idol (3).
因此，假敬拜的意思就是損害真實的東西。先知接著說明這種損害是如何發生的。那是出於內心的不忠。百姓揀選自己的道路，行可憎惡的事，使真正的敬拜受到腐蝕。這種腐蝕了的儀式，令神厭惡(4)。
Therefore, false worship means damaging the real thing. The prophet then further explains how the damage occurs. It stems from the unfaithfulness in their heart. The people choose their ways and delight in their abominations, corrupting the true worship. God is disgusted with the corrupted rituals (4).
但是神卻定意要使「愛慕耶路撒冷的都要與他一同歡喜快樂」(10~14節一共提到五次)。先知用一個本書出現多次的意象──母親(42:14;46:3;49:15~16;54:1;65:23) 來表達這個肯定和快樂的意願: 母親懷孕生子(7-9)、在懷中餵奶(10-11)與搖弄在膝上(12-14)。
But God is determined to make “all you who love her (Jerusalem), rejoice with her in joy” (mentioned a total of 5 times in verse 10 – 14). The prophet uses a symbol that appears many times in this book – mother (42:14;46:3;49:15-16;54:1;65:23) to express this sure and blissful wish: a mother with child and giving birth (7-9), nursing from her breast (10-11), and bouncing on her knees (12-14).
新約將聖殿靈意化, 讓我們在現今物質化世界中, 準備迎接新天新地神作聖殿的來臨:
The New Testament gives the Holy Temple a spiritual meaning. So let us prepare ourselves in the material world to get ready for the New Heavens and New Earth where God is the Holy Temple:
1. 耶穌與撒瑪利亞婦人談道時, 指出聖殿的存在, 重點不在於地點, 而是以心靈和誠實的敬拜(約4:20~24)。
When Jesus shares the gospel with a Samaritan woman, he points out that what matters is not where the temple stands but whether the worship is in spirit and in truth (John 4:20-24).
2. 保羅說, 信徒的身體就是聖殿(林前3:16~17), 必須小心保養, 注重健康, 免致聖殿受損壞, 招來神的責備。
Paul says that the believers’ bodies are God’s temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17) that must be cared for carefully and kept healthy so as not to be injured and be reproached by God.
3. 彼得告訴信徒, 聖殿不是建築物, 神的家是教會。每一個信徒是一塊靈石, 要一起委身投入工程, 聖殿才能建立(彼前2:4~7)。
Peter tells believers that the temple is not a building and the church is the house of God. Every believer is a piece of living stone whose commitment to work together is required in order to make the construction of the temple a success (1 Peter 2:4-7).
每日讀經 by 洪同勉牧師 Rev. Tommy Hung
(English Translation: Ms. Lori Wong)
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