第三週 • 週三

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晨興餧養

利一3    他的供物若以牛為燔祭，就要獻一隻沒有殘疾的公牛；他要在會幕門口把公牛獻上，使他可以在耶和華面前蒙悅納。

　　9     但燔祭牲的內臟與腿，那人要用水洗。祭司要把這一切全燒在壇上，當作燔祭，獻與耶和華為怡爽香氣的火祭。

惟一討神喜悅的生活，就是重複基督在地上所過的生活。在基督作燔祭的經歷中經歷祂的生活，乃是討神喜悅的生活。這樣的生活是神的喜悅。

燔祭表徵基督，主要的不是在於贖罪，乃是在於為神而活，使神得着滿足。基督作贖罪祭，是為着贖人的罪；但祂作燔祭，乃是過一種完全且絕對為着神並滿足神的生活。…在四福音書，祂被陳明為絕對與神是一的一位。祂神聖的屬性彰顯於祂人性的美德，有時祂人性的美德又彰顯於祂神聖的屬性，並同着祂神聖的屬性彰顯出來。祂在地上末了的日子中，常面對邪惡、詭詐的反對者—經學家、法利賽人、撒都該人和希律黨人，並受到他們的察驗、查問，那時祂人性的美德藉着祂神聖的屬性得着彰顯，有時祂神聖的屬性又彰顯於祂人性的美德（利未記生命讀經，九八、三○頁）。

信息選讀

『燔祭』，原文意，上升之物，因此指升到神面前的東西。…惟一能從地上升到神那裏的，乃是基督所過的生活，因為祂是惟一絕對為着神而活的人。

燔祭牲經過宰殺、剝皮、切塊並洗淨以後，就放在祭壇上焚燒。…『怡爽香氣』〔利一9下〕，原文意，安息或滿足的香氣；亦即一種獻給神，使神怡爽的香氣，藉此蒙神喜悅。…（S. R. Driver，竇威爾）。利未記一章九節裏的『燒』字，原文意，『使…在煙中上升』，指明燔祭牲不是很快的燒，乃是慢慢的燒。這樣慢慢的燒，結果就有怡爽的香氣，就是一種帶來滿足、平安與安息的香氣。這樣一種怡爽的香氣對神乃是享受。…當我們將燔祭牲焚燒而獻上給神時，一種使神悅納的香氣就上升到神那裏，使祂滿足、安息。神既得着滿足，就將祂甜美的悅納賜給我們，這就是燔祭的意義。

要以甜美、平安與安息滿足神的路，就是過一種絕對為着神的生活。我們既無法過這樣的生活，就必須接受基督作我們的燔祭。我們需要按手在祂身上，指明我們渴望與祂聯合，與祂是一，過祂在地上所過的生活。…按手在供物身上，就是說我們與供物是一，並把供物當作與我們是一來接受。因此，按手使兩方成為一。…藉着按手在作我們燔祭的基督身上，我們就與祂聯結。我們與祂，祂與我們就成為一。這樣的聯結，這樣的聯合，指明我們一切的輭弱、缺陷、缺失和過失，都由祂擔負，而祂一切的美德都成為我們的；這不是交換，這是聯結。

我們可能領悟自己完全不彀資格，完全無望。這是我們實在的光景。但當我們按手在基督身上時，我們的弱點由祂擔負，而祂的剛強之處，祂的美德，成了我們的。不僅如此，就屬靈一面說，藉着這樣的聯結，祂與我們成為一併活在我們裏面。祂活在我們裏面時，就在我們裏面重複祂在地上所過的生活，就是燔祭的生活。…我們藉着按手在祂身上，就使祂與我們是一，也使我們與祂是一。這樣祂就在我們裏面重複祂的生活。這就是獻上燔祭（利未記生命讀經，八三、四八至四九、三四至三五頁）。

參讀：利未記生命讀經，第三至九篇。

WEEK 3 — DAY 3

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Morning Nourishment

Lev. 1:3 If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall present it, a male without blemish; he shall present it at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, that he may be accepted before Jehovah.

         9 But its inward parts and its legs he shall wash with water. Then the priest shall burn the whole on the altar, as a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a satisfying fragrance to Jehovah.

The only life that is pleasing to God is the life that is a repetition of the life Christ lived on earth. A life that experiences Christ in His experiences as the burnt offering is a God-pleasing life. Such a life is a delight to God.

The burnt offering signifies Christ not mainly for redeeming man’s sin but for living for God and for God’s satisfaction. As the sin offering, Christ is for redeeming man’s sin, but as the burnt offering, He is absolutely for living a life that can satisfy God in full…In the four Gospels He is presented as the One who is absolutely one with God. His divine attributes were expressed in His human virtues, and sometimes His human virtues were expressed in and with His divine attributes. When He was confronted, examined, and questioned by the evil, subtle opposers—the scribes, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Herodians—during His last days on earth, at certain times His human virtues were expressed through His divine attributes, and at other times His divine attributes were expressed in His human virtues. (Life-study of Leviticus, pp. 82, 24)

Today’s Reading

The Hebrew word translated “burnt offering” literally means “that which goes up” and thus denotes something that ascends to God…The only thing that can ascend to God from earth is the life lived by Christ, for He is the unique person to live a life absolutely for God.

After the burnt offering was slaughtered, skinned, cut into pieces, and washed, it was burned on the altar…The Hebrew words translated “satisfying fragrance” [in Leviticus 1:9] literally mean “savor of rest or satisfaction,” that is, a savor giving satisfaction to the Deity, to whom it is offered, and, therefore, received with favor by Him…(S. R. Driver). The word for burn in this verse literally means “cause to rise in smoke.” This indicates that the offering was not burned quickly but slowly. As a result of this slow burning, there was a satisfying fragrance, a savor that brought satisfaction, peace, and rest. Such a satisfying fragrance is an enjoyment to God. When we offer a burnt offering whole to God, a fragrance well pleasing to God will ascend to Him for His satisfaction and rest. Since God is satisfied, He will render His sweet acceptance to us. This is the significance of the burnt offering.

The way to satisfy God with sweetness, peace, and rest is to live a life that is absolutely for God. Since we cannot live such a life, we must take Christ as our burnt offering. We need to lay our hands on Him to indicate that we desire to be identified with Him, one with Him, and to live the kind of life He lived on earth. To lay our hand on the offering means that we are one with the offering and take the offering as being one with us. Hence, the laying on of hands makes the two parties one. We are joined to Him. We and He, He and we, become one. Such a union, such an identification, indicates that all our weaknesses, defects, shortcomings, and faults become His and that all His virtues become ours. This is not exchange—it is union.

We may realize that we are altogether unqualified and hopeless. This is our actual situation. But when we lay our hands on Christ, our weak points become His, and His strong points, His virtues, become ours. Furthermore, spiritually speaking, by such a union He becomes one with us and lives in us. As He lives in us, He will repeat in us the life He lived on earth, the life of the burnt offering…By laying our hands on Him, we make Him one with us, and we make ourselves one with Him. Then He will repeat His living in us. This is to offer the burnt offering. (Life-study of Leviticus, pp. 69, 39, 27-28)

Further Reading: Life-study of Leviticus, msgs. 3—9