第三週 兩個婦人的寓意

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詩歌：376

讀經：創十六 1 ～十七 14，加四 21 ～ 31

【週一】

壹 撒拉和夏甲是亞伯拉罕的妻和妾，寓指兩個約，就是應許的約與律法的約—創十六1 ～ 3，加四 24：

一 自主的婦人撒拉，表徵應許的約，這與新約—恩典的約—相關聯—加四 23 ～ 24，創十二 7，十五 7 ～ 21：

1 在那約中神應許要給亞伯拉罕後裔，沒有一點意思要亞伯拉罕作任何事來得到；神要把一些東西作到他裏面，使他能生出一個後裔來完成神的定旨；這就是恩典—4 節。

2 撒拉是自主的婦人，是亞伯拉罕正式的妻子，是這恩典之約的象徵；她生出以撒乃是憑神的恩典。

3 恩典之應許的產品是以撒，他是完成神定旨的後裔—十七 19，二一 12 下。

【週二】

二 使女夏甲，表徵律法的約—加四 24 ～ 25：

1 亞伯拉罕的妾夏甲，乃是律法的象徵；由此我們可以看到，律法的地位乃是妾的地位—創十六 1 ～ 3。

2 夏甲所象徵的律法之約，將神的選民帶到律法的奴役、轄制之下，作了律法之下的奴僕，與神的恩典隔絕了—加四 25，五 1、4。

3 亞伯拉罕藉夏甲生以實瑪利，象徵人想用自己肉體的努力與律法配合，以完成神的定旨—創十六 4、15 ～ 16，加二 16，四 23 上。

4 亞伯拉罕靠着他肉體的努力，不憑神的恩典，從夏甲生了以實瑪利；所以，以實瑪利乃是人照着律
法，靠肉體努力的結果，爲神所棄絕—創十七 18 ～19，二一 10，加四 30。

【週三】

三 應許是在創世記十二章二節、七節，十三章十五至十七節，十五章四至五節給的；約是在十五章七至二十一節立的：

1 按照神的心意，應許的約是在律法的約以先；神並沒有意思要帶進律法，要人努力遵守來完成祂的定旨。

2 神原初的心意乃是要將祂自己作到人裏面，藉着人來完成祂的定旨—4 節。

【週四】

四 在十五章七至二十一節神與亞伯拉罕立的約，在十七章一至十四節用割禮得了堅立：

1 在一節，神向亞伯拉罕啓示祂自己爲全豐全足的神；作爲全豐全足的大能者，祂是恩典的源頭，用祂神聖所是的豐富供應祂所呼召的人，使他們能產生基督作後裔，以完成神的定旨。

2 在十六章，亞伯拉罕運用他的肉體生了以實瑪利；在十七章，神要亞伯拉罕割除他的肉體，了結他天然的力量，使神可以進來藉着祂的恩典產生以撒。

3 割禮的屬靈意義乃是藉着基督的釘十字架，脫去肉體，脫去己和舊人—西二 11、13 上，腓三 3：

a 屬靈的割禮乃是不斷的將基督的死應用於我們的肉體—加五 24，羅八 13。

b 割禮對付那想要憑着自己行神旨意並完成神應許的肉體；割禮的意義是割去肉體的自信—腓三 3。

4 藉割禮堅立約，與完成神定旨的後裔和地有關—創十七 2 ～ 8：

a 爲了完成神要人彰顯並代表祂的永遠定旨，我們需要得着基督作我們的後裔和地，爲此我們需要受割禮，並過釘十字架的生活—加五 24，六 14。

b 當肉體、己和舊人被了結，門就開了，讓神進來而生出以撒—創十八 10、14，二一 1 ～ 3。

【週五】

貳 我們需要在創世記亞伯拉罕之經歷的光中，來看加拉太四章二十一至三十一節：

一 保羅在這些經文裏告訴我們，夏甲表徵律法，由屬地的耶路撒冷所象徵；撒拉表徵恩典，由屬天的耶路撒冷所象徵—25 ～ 26 節。

二 夏甲和撒拉代表兩約—律法的約與恩典的約；律法是人的勞苦加上人的能力以產生一些東西，而恩典是將神賜給祂所揀選的人，好產生許多兒子—三 26，四 6。

三 神與亞伯拉罕所立起初的約，乃是恩典的約：

1 在這約裏，不需要人的能力或努力，只需要神的恩典以產生許多兒子—三 29。

2 這約等於新約；這就是說，神與亞伯拉罕所立的約，實際上就是新約—加三 8，來八 7 ～ 8：

a 新約乃是神與亞伯拉罕所立之約的繼續—創十五7 ～ 21。

b 新約就是神與亞伯拉罕所立那恩典之約完全的延續，這約乃是要產生眾子；藉這約所產生眾子當中的頭一位，乃是亞伯拉罕自己—加三 26，四 6，來二 10。

四 這兩約所生的兩種兒女，性質是不同的—加四24、28 ～ 31：

1 由律法之約生的，是按着肉體生的；由應許之約生的，是按着靈生的—29 節。

2 按着肉體生的兒女，沒有權利有分於神所應許的福；按着靈生的兒女，卻有完全的權利—30 ～31 節。

3 因着我們有恩典、基督與賜生命的靈，所以我們是按着靈所生的兒女—六 18，西一 27，林前十五 45 下：

a 這靈現今在我們的靈裏，使我們成爲按着靈所生的兒女；這就是加拉太三章與四章裏奇妙的啓示。

b 我們這些按着靈所生的兒女，應當停留在神心願的實現裏，享受恩典、基督、以及那包羅萬有的靈作爲福音的福—三 14。

【週六】

五 加拉太四章啓示，信徒的母就是在上的耶路撒冷，新耶路撒冷，乃是撒拉所象徵恩典的新約—26 節：

1 新耶路撒冷，屬天的耶路撒冷，在上的耶路撒冷是我們的母，這母乃是恩典的新約—來八 7 ～ 13，十二 22 ～ 23：

a 新約是我們的母，因爲她生出我們作自由的兒女—加四 31。

b 我們已經生在新約之下，那在上的耶路撒冷乃是我們的母—加四 26。

c 這婦人是新約並我們的母，我們的母乃是神的恩典。

2 父是賜恩者；恩典就是約；約又是城，就是那在上的耶路撒冷，新耶路撒冷，她是我們的母；母所產生的眾子，乃是母的組成成分；母歸回於父，與父成爲一，乃是由父而出，然後歸回於父這目的地—加一 3，林前八 6。

3 接受並遵守新約，就是來到屬天的耶路撒冷和召會這裏；新約、屬天的耶路撒冷和召會乃是一—來八7 ～ 13，十二 22 ～ 23。

4 信徒的母，乃是亞伯拉罕所等候的城—十一 10：

a 十二章二十二節指明這座城是甚麼，這節告訴我們，我們乃是來到屬天的耶路撒冷，就是基督的妻並新約信徒的母這裏，這母是由神的眾子所組成，而眾子乃是由她而生。

b 神揀選亞伯拉罕，目的乃是要完成祂的經綸，就是要產生許多的兒子，由恩典而生，以構成新耶路撒冷，就是祂終極並永遠的團體彰顯—啓二一1 ～ 2、7。

Week Three

The Allegory of the Two Women

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Hymns: 497

Scripture Reading: Gen. 16:1-17:14; Gal. 4:21-31

§ Day 1

I. Sarah and Hagar, the wife and the concubine of Abraham, are an allegory of two covenants—the covenant of promise and the covenant of law—Gen. 16:1-3; Gal. 4:24:

A. Sarah, the free woman, signifies the covenant of promise, which is related to the new testament, the covenant of grace—vv. 23-24; Gen. 12:7; 15:7-21:

1. In that covenant God promised that He would give Abraham the seed, without having any intention that Abraham needed to do anything in order to have it; God would work something into him so that he might bring forth a seed to fulfill His purpose; this is grace—v. 4.

2. Sarah, as the free woman, the proper wife of Abraham, is a symbol of this covenant of grace; she brought forth Isaac by Gods grace.

3. The produce of the promise of grace, which is Isaac, is the seed for the fulfillment of Gods purpose—17:19; 21:12b.

§ Day 2

B. Hagar, the maidservant, signifies the covenant of law—Gal. 4:24-25:

1. Hagar, Abrahams concubine, is a symbol of the law; by this we can see that the position of the law is the position of a concubine—Gen. 16:1-3.

2. The covenant of law, symbolized by Hagar, brings Gods chosen people into the slavery, the bondage, of the law, making them slaves under the law, separated from the grace of God—Gal. 4:25; 5:1, 4.

3. Abrahams producing of Ishmael through Hagar symbolizes mans attempt to fulfill Gods purpose by the effort of the flesh in coordination with the law—Gen. 16:4, 15-16; Gal. 2:16; 4:23a.

4. Abraham brought forth Ishmael through Hagar by his fleshly effort and not by Gods grace; therefore, Ishmael, as the issue of mans fleshly effort according to the law, was rejected by God—Gen. 17:18-19; 21:10; Gal. 4:30.

§ Day 3

C. The promise was given in Genesis 12:2, 7; 13:15-17; and 15:4-5, and the covenant was made in 15:7-21:

1. According to Gods intention, the covenant of promise came first, before the covenant of law; He had no intention of bringing in the law and of having man endeavor to keep it for the fulfillment of His purpose.

2. What God originally intended to do was to work Himself into man to fulfill His purpose through man—v. 4.

§ Day 4

D. The covenant that God made with Abraham in Genesis 15:7-21 was confirmed in Genesis 17:1-14 with circumcision:

1. In verse 1 God revealed Himself to Abraham as the All-sufficient God; as the all-sufficient Mighty One, He is the source of grace to supply His called ones with the riches of His divine being so that they may bring forth Christ as the seed for the fulfillment of His purpose.

2. In Genesis 16 Abraham exercised his flesh to produce Ishmael; in Genesis 17 God charged Abraham to cut off his flesh, to terminate his natural strength, so that God could come in and bring forth Isaac by His grace.

3. The spiritual meaning of circumcision is to put off the flesh, to put off the self and the old man, through the crucifixion of Christ—Col. 2:11, 13a; Phil. 3:3:

a. Spiritual circumcision is the constant application of Christs death to our flesh—Gal. 5:24; Rom. 8:13.

b. Circumcision deals with the flesh that tries to do Gods will and to fulfill His promise by itself; the significance of circumcision is to cut off the confidence of the flesh—Phil. 3:3.

4. The confirmation of the covenant with circumcision concerns the seed and the land for the fulfillment of Gods purpose—Gen. 17:2-8:

a. In order to fulfill Gods eternal purpose that man express and represent Him, we need to have Christ as our seed and as our land, and for this we need to be circumcised and to live a crucified life—Gal. 5:24; 6:14.

b. When the flesh, the self, and the old man have been terminated, the door is open for God to come in and bring forth Isaac—Gen. 18:10, 14; 21:1-3.

§ Day 5

II. We need to consider Galatians 4:21-31 in the light of Abrahams experience in Genesis:

A. In Galatians 4:21-31 Paul tells us that Hagar signifies the law, symbolized by the earthly Jerusalem, and that Sarah signifies grace, symbolized by the heavenly Jerusalem—vv. 25-26.

B. Hagar and Sarah represent two covenants—the covenant of law and the covenant of grace; the law is a matter of mans labor with mans ability to produce something, whereas grace is God given to His chosen people to produce the many sons—3:26; 4:6.

C. The-original covenant that God made with Abraham was the covenant of grace:

1. In this covenant there is not the need for mans ability or effort but the need for Gods grace to produce the many sons—3:29.

2. This covenant equals the new testament; this means that the covenant that God made with Abraham was actually the new testament—v. 8; Heb. 8:7-8:

a. The new testament is a continuation of the covenant that God made with Abraham—Gen. 15:7-21.

b. The new testament is a full continuation of the covenant of grace that God made with Abraham to produce sons; the first of the sons produced by this covenant was Abraham himself—Gal. 3:26; 4:6; Heb. 2:10.

D. The two kinds of children brought forth by the two covenants are different in their natures—Gal. 4:24, 28-31:

1. Those brought forth by the covenant of law are born according to the flesh, and those brought forth by the covenant of promise are born according to the Spirit—v. 29.

2. The children born according to the flesh have no right to participate in Gods promised blessing, but the children born according to the Spirit have the full right—vv. 30-31.

3. Because we have grace, Christ, and the life-giving Spirit, we are children according to the Spirit—6:18; Col. 1:27; 1 Cor. 15:45b:

a. This Spirit is now in our spirit and makes us children according to the Spirit; this is the marvelous revelation in Galatians 3 and 4.

b. As those who are children according to the Spirit, we should remain in the fulfillment of Gods desire, enjoying grace, Christ, and the all- inclusive Spirit as the blessing of the gospel—3:14.

§ Day 6

E. Galatians 4 reveals that the mother of the believers, who is the Jerusalem above, the New Jerusalem, is the new covenant of grace symbolized by Sarah—v. 26:

1. The New Jerusalem, the heavenly Jerusalem, the Jerusalem above, is our mother, and this mother is the new covenant of grace—Heb. 8:7-13; 12:22-23:

a. The new covenant is our mother because it brought us forth as children of freedom—Gal. 4:31.

b. We have been born under the new covenant, and the Jerusalem above is our mother—v. 26.

c. This woman is the new covenant and our mother, and our mother is the grace of God.

2. The Father is the grace-giver; the grace is the covenant; the covenant is the city, the Jerusalem above, the New Jerusalem, who is our mother; the sons produced by the mother are the components of the mother; and the mother returns to the Father to be one with Him, having come out from the Father and then going back to the Father as the destination—1:3; 1 Cor. 8:6.

3. To receive the new covenant and to keep it is to come to the heavenly Jerusalem and to the church; the new covenant, the heavenly Jerusalem, and the church are one—Heb. 8:7-13; 12:22-23.

4. The mother of the believers is the city for which Abraham was waiting—11:10:

a. This city is identified in 12:22, which tells us that we have come forward to the heavenly Jerusalem, the wife of Christ and the mother of the New Testament believers, composed of the sons of God, who have been born of her.

b. In choosing Abraham, Gods intention was to carry out His economy, which is to produce many sons, brought forth by grace, to constitute the New Jerusalem—His ultimate and eternal corporate expression— Rev. 21:1-2, 7.