第五週 • 週四

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晨興餧養

結三四11~13  因為主耶和華如此說，我必親自尋找我的羊，將他們尋見。…這些羊…四散到各處，我必把他們從那裏救回來。我必把他們從萬民中領出來，從各國聚集他們，引導他們歸回自己的地，也必在以色列山上，一切溪水旁邊，在那地一切可居之處牧養他們。 

因着我們墮落的情形，我們都被埋在許多惡事之下，所以我們需要神來尋找我們。在路加十五章裏，我們有牧人（表徵基督作牧者）尋找迷羊，也有婦人（表徵那靈）點上燈，在屋內找着失落的銀幣。於是浪子就被那靈尋見，而被領回家。

主對我們作了同樣的事。祂尋找我們，為要拯救我們，恢復我們。我們得救以前，被埋在許多的罪底下，但主耶穌尋見我們。我們得救以後，退後到墮落的基督教裏，又被埋在許多事物之下，就如道理、形式和恩賜等等。然而，主耶穌再來尋找我們；祂尋見我們，並把我們帶出來。現在我們乃是被主耶穌這位牧人所尋見的人（以西結書生命讀經，二一八頁）。

信息選讀

以西結豫言，主這位牧人要把祂的百姓，祂的羊，從萬民中領出來〔結三四12~13上〕。

這也是我們的經歷。當我們墮落作罪人時，當我們冷淡退後時，…雖然我們像在地上億萬人中的不信者一樣過生活，但主耶穌將我們尋見，並從萬民中，從不信者中間，將我們領出來。…你以前和不信者一樣，但有一天主耶穌這位牧人尋見你，把你從不信者中間領回，並領你歸向祂自己。

主在以西結三十四章十三節下半繼續說，祂要引導祂的子民歸回自己的地。他們原被擄到異邦之國，但主應許要領他們歸回自己的地，回到迦南美地。我們的美地是基督。我們得救以前，或在冷淡退後之後，都是與基督隔離的。但主把我們尋見，並領我們歸向祂自己，甚至帶我們進入祂自己，以祂自己為我們的美地。…美地今天也是在召會生活中。因此，當我們被領回歸向基督時，我們也被領回到召會生活，在其中我們得着美地的豐富和享受。

主應許祂的子民，不僅要領他們回到自己的地，也要帶他們回到高山（13~14）。…這指明主耶穌要領我們回到對復活、升天之基督的經歷。

主也說，祂要帶祂的子民回到溪水旁邊（13）。這些溪水表徵賜生命的靈，就是那靈的活水。從高山，就是從復活、升天的基督，流出那靈的活水。生命的靈在基督的復活並升天裏，從祂流出來。主把我們尋見並把我們帶回歸向祂自己之後，我們不僅歸向在升天超越地位上的基督，我們也開始喝那靈作為活水。

不僅如此，十三節說，主要在溪水旁邊牧養祂的羣羊。我們能作見證，在地方召會中，我們感覺到主耶穌天天都在活水的江河旁邊餧養我們。當我們在公會裏的時候，我們感到枯乾、乾旱，但是我們一旦進到地方召會的聚會中，我們就開始感到，我們被帶回到溪水邊，在這裏我們得着主耶穌的餧養。這裏有湧流的河，我們就在這河邊享受基督的豐富（以西結書生命讀經，二一八至二二一頁）。

參讀：新約總論，第一百零九篇；撒迦利亞書生命讀經，第十至十一篇。

WEEK 5 — DAY 4

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Morning Nourishment

Ezek. 34:11-13 For thus says the Lord Jehovah, I Myself, even I, will search for My sheep and seek them out…And I will deliver them from all the places where they have been scattered…And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them into their own land, and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the streams and in all the inhabited places of the land.

Because of our fallen condition, we were all buried under many evil things, so we needed God to search for us. In Luke 15 we have both the shepherd (signifying Christ as the Shepherd) seeking the lost sheep and the woman (signifying the Spirit) lighting the lamp and searching within the house for the lost coin. The prodigal son then was drawn home by the searching of the Spirit.

The Lord has done the same thing with us. He searched for us in order to save us and recover us. Before we were saved, we were buried under many sins, but the Lord Jesus sought us. Then after we were saved, we backslid into degraded Christianity, and we were buried under many things, such as doctrines, forms, and gifts. However, once again the Lord Jesus searched for us; He sought us out and brought us out. Now we are the ones who have been sought out by the Lord Jesus as the Shepherd. (Life-study of Ezekiel, pp. 175-176)

Todays Reading

Ezekiel prophesied that as the Shepherd, the Lord would bring His people, His sheep, out of the nations [Ezek. 34:12-13a].

This also has been our experience…As sinners or when we became backsliders,…although we were living like unbelievers among billions of others on earth, the Lord Jesus sought us out and brought us out of the nations, out of the unbelievers…Formerly, you were the same as the unbelievers, but one day the Lord Jesus as the Shepherd sought you and brought you out from among the unbelievers and brought you to Himself.

In verse 13b the Lord went on to say that He would bring His people back to their own land. They were in captivity in heathen countries, but the Lord promised to bring them back to their own country, to the good land of Canaan. Our good land is Christ. Before we were saved or after we backslid, we were separated from Christ. But the Lord sought us out and brought us back to Himself and even into Himself as our good land…The good land today is also in the church life. Thus, when we were brought back to Christ, we were also brought to the church life, where we have the riches and the enjoyment of the good land.

The Lord promised to bring His people back not only to their own land but also to the mountains of the heights (vv. 13-14)…This indicates that the Lord Jesus brings us back to the experience of the resurrected and ascended Christ.

The Lord also said that He would bring His people back to the streams (v. 13). These streams signify the life-giving Spirit, the living water of the Spirit. From the mountains, the resurrected and ascended Christ, the living water of the Spirit flows. The Spirit of life flows forth from Christ in His resurrection and ascension. After the Lord sought us out and brought us back to Himself, we not only returned to Christ in the transcendent position of His ascension, but we also began to drink of the Spirit as the living water.

Furthermore, verse 13 says that the Lord would feed His flock by the streams. We can testify that in the local churches we have the sense that the Lord Jesus is feeding us day by day by the streams of living water. While we were in the denominations, we had the sense of dryness and drought, but once we came into the meetings of the local churches, we began to have the sense that we had been brought back to the streams and that by these streams we were being fed by the Lord Jesus. Something was flowing there as a stream, and we were by the side of the stream enjoying the riches of Christ. (Life-study of Ezekiel, pp. 176-178)

Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 109; Life- study of Zechariah, msgs. 10—11