第九週•週三

W09D03-ch

晨興餧養

出二八33 ～ 34『袍子周圍底邊上，要用藍色、紫色、朱紅色線作石榴。在袍子周圍的石榴中間，要有金鈴，一個金鈴一個石榴，一個金鈴一個石榴，在袍子周圍的底邊上。』

出埃及二十八章三十三節說到石榴和鈴，三十四節說到『一個金鈴一個石榴』。作衣服時，石榴要在鈴以先，而盡功用時，鈴要在石榴以先。

袍子的底邊是豐滿的標記，而基督的豐滿就是召會；所以袍子底邊上的石榴和鈴必定與召會有關。

石榴是用表徵人性的麻作的，而鈴是用表徵神性的金作的。…在召會生活裏，我們總是有人性與神性。（出埃及記生命讀經，一六五二至一六五三頁。）

信息選讀

你若看見一個成熟的石榴連同其子粒，就會得着一個印象：石榴滿了生命。在聖經裏，石榴表徵生命的豐滿。召會在她的人性裏該滿了生命。這就是用麻作的石榴的意義。

生命的豐滿彰顯在召會的人性裏，而警告的聲音則彰顯在召會的神性裏，正如金鈴所表徵的。召會正確的說話，總是來自她的神性。…這樣的聲音旣悅耳又柔和，因它不是來自鋼鈴，乃是來自金鈴。…我能見證在召會生活的年日裏，許多時候我因着青年弟兄姊妹的說話而得着警告。…我似乎聽見一個小金鈴的響聲，警告我不要隨便的行事。

當我們都在我們的人性裏，把作生命之基督的豐滿彰顯出來時，我們中間就會有許多的金鈴。然後就有神的說話，神的聲音就藉着召會的神性彰顯出來。我們每個人裏面都有一些神性；從神性的這種成分裏發出微小的聲音，就像一個小鈴的響聲一樣。…很難說出那個在先—是鈴的響聲，還是生命豐滿的彰顯？在召會裏有這二者，作爲基督長袍下垂的部分。

在召會裏，我們不是在人的控制之下，…然而，我們都被石榴和鈴所控制。…正確召會生活的…標記乃是石榴和鈴。…石榴和鈴乃是交互排列，一個鈴一個石榴。〔出二八34。〕這指明神聖的聲音與神聖的生命交互相關。…在召會生活裏若只有鈴而沒有石榴，就會有閒談和批評，而沒有金鈴的響聲。但如果石榴和鈴交互排列，閒談和批評就會消失；反之，會有正確、神聖的聲音。

我們…需要在生命裏長大，最終在生命裏開花，然後我們就成了石榴。…這種生命裏的長大還會影響別人，使閒談和批評被小小金鈴的響聲頂替。如果這是某位弟兄的經歷，他就會來到聚會中，見證他在某件事上受了主的對付。因着他的說話，別人就會受到警告，因爲他們會聽見與石榴交互排列之金鈴的聲音。

我們惟有藉着經歷纔能領會，帶着石榴和鈴的長袍這豫表的意義。首先我們看見，石榴和鈴繫於長袍的底邊上，這指明它們與召會生活有關。…無論我們在召會裏說甚麼，都必須是出於神聖的起源，出於神聖的源頭。同時，我們也需要生命的豐滿彰顯在麻—人性裏。所以，在召會裏有生命的華美彰顯在我們的人性裏，也有神聖的聲音從金鈴而來；這些乃是正確召會生活的標記。（出埃及記生命讀經，一六五三至一六五六頁。）

參讀：出埃及記生命讀經，第一百三十篇。

WEEK 9 — DAY 3

Morning Nourishment

Exo. 28:33-34 And you shall make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet strands, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, on the hem of the robe all around.

Exodus 28:33 speaks of pomegranates and bells, and verse 34, of “a golden bell and a pomegranate.” When the garment was being made, the pomegranates came before the bells. But in function, the bells come before the pomegranates.

The skirts are a sign of fullness, and the fullness of Christ is the church. Therefore, the pomegranates and bells on the skirts must be matters related to the church.

The pomegranates were made of linen signifying humanity, and the bells were made of gold signifying divinity…In the church life we always have humanity and divinity. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 1441-1442)

Today’s Reading

If you see a ripe pomegranate with its seeds, you will receive an impression that a pomegranate is full of life. In the Bible pomegranates signify the fullness of life. The church should be full of life in her humanity. This is the significance of pomegranates made of linen.

Fullness of life is expressed in the church’s humanity, but the voice of warning is expressed in the church’s divinity, as signified by the golden bells. The proper speaking of the church always comes from her divinity…Such a sound is pleasant and gentle, for it comes not from a steel bell but from a golden one. I can testify that throughout the years in the church life, I have been warned a number of times by the speaking of young brothers and sisters…It seems that I hear the sounding of a little golden bell warning me not to walk carelessly.

When we all express the fullness of Christ as life in our humanity, there will be among us many golden bells. Then there will be God’s speaking, God’s voice expressed through the divinity of the church. In each of us there is a certain amount of divinity. From this element of divinity a sound comes out in a small scale, like the ringing of a little bell…It is difficult to tell which comes first, the sounding of the bells or the expression of the fullness of life. Both are in the church as the long train of Christ.

In the church we are not under human control…However, we all are controlled by the pomegranates and the bells…The signs [of the proper church life] are the pomegranates and bells. The pomegranates and the bells were placed alternately, a bell and a pomegranate (Exo. 28:34). This indicates that the divine voice is interrelated with the divine life…If in the church life we have bells without pomegranates, there will be gossip and criticism, not the ringing of golden bells. But if pomegranates are placed alternately with bells, gossip and criticism will disappear, and instead there will be a proper, divine sound.

We need to grow in life and eventually blossom in life. Then we shall become pomegranates…This growth in life will influence others and cause gossip and criticism to be replaced by the proper sounding of little golden bells. If this is the experience of a certain brother, he may come to the meeting to testify of how he has been dealt with by the Lord in a particular matter. Through his speaking others may be warned, for they shall hear the sound of golden bells placed alternately with pomegranates.

By experience…we understand the significance of the typology of the long robe with pomegranates and bells. First we see that the pomegranates and bells are attached to the skirts of the long robe. This indicates that they are related to the church life…Whatever we speak in the church must be of divine origin, of the divine source. At the same time, we need the fullness of life expressed in linen, in humanity. Therefore, in the church we have the beauty of life expressed in our humanity and the divine sounding from the golden bells. These are signs of the proper church life. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 1442-1444)

Further Reading: Life-study of Exodus, msg. 130