第三週■週二

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晨興餧養

加四 25『這夏甲就是在亞拉伯的西乃山，相當於現在的耶路撒冷，因耶路撒冷同她的兒女都是作奴僕的。』

  五 1『基督釋放了我們，叫我們得以自由；所以要站立得住，不要再受奴役的軛挾制。』

律法的地位像妾的地位，在神的經綸中沒有合法的地位。恩典像撒拉，生子得兒子的名分；而律法像夏甲，生子爲奴。加拉太四章二十四節說，『出於西乃山，生子爲奴，乃是夏甲。』西乃山卽頒佈律法之地；（出十九 20，二四 12；）夏甲所象徵的律法之約，將神的選民帶到律法的轄制之下，作了律法之下的奴僕，與神的恩典隔絕了。（真理課程三級卷一，六五頁。）

信息選讀

當人忽畧了神的恩典，他就想努力作點甚麼來討神的喜悅，這就帶進了律法；亞伯拉罕非正式的妻子，使女夏甲，乃是律法之約的象徵。…凡她所生的不能留在神的經綸中。這表徵律法不應該進來，而且律法的產品，在完成神定旨的事上沒有地位。夏甲生出以實瑪利，是靠人的努力，不是靠神的恩典；以實瑪利乃是神所棄絕的。人藉着律法而勞苦的產品，在完成神定旨的事上無分無關。

按照神的經綸，一個男人只該有一個妻子。因此，撒拉建議亞伯拉罕從夏甲得後裔，絕對違反神的經綸。夏甲不是正式的妻子，只是妾。…恩典是正式的妻子，是正確的後嗣之母；（加四 26，28，31；）律法是妾，她的後代不被接納爲後嗣。按照 古代習俗，男人娶妾主要是因妻子不能生孩子。這 很有意思。當恩典還未工作，你卻急促，你就會與 妾聯合，就是與律法聯合。…恩典是正式的妻子， 律法是妾。

我們得救之後，就開始知道神要我們過一種像基督的生活，屬天的生活，得勝的生活，常常討神喜悅並榮 耀神的生活。是的，神的確要我們過這樣的生活，但神 要把基督作到我們裏面，替我們過這種屬天的生活，來討神的喜悅，並榮耀神。然而我們都是注意神的心願，卻忽畧了恩典。神的心意是要我們爲着神的榮耀，過屬天的生活，而恩典是神要把基督作到我們裏面，來完成祂的定旨。所以首先我們依賴羅得，就是我們從天然背景中所帶出來的，想要用他來完成神的定旨，爲神的榮耀過屬天的生活。當神不允許我們依賴羅得時，我們就轉向以利以謝，指望他能使我們爲神的榮耀過屬天的生活。但至終神告訴我們：『我不要那個，我不要任何客觀的東西，我是要從你這個人裏面出來主觀的東西。』我們一旦知道神要這個，就開始運用自己的力量，天然的能力，來完成神的定旨。…我們也許沒有摩西所賜的律法，但我們卻有很多自己制定的律法。我們都是頒賜律法者，爲自己制定律法。

也許你說，你絕不再向丈夫發脾氣，或者對他態度不好。這是你的第一條誡命。你的第二條誡命是：你旣是個基督徒女士，基督徒妻子，你就需要親切、甘甜且謙卑。你的第三條誡命是絕不批評別人。第四條是常常愛人，絕不恨人。這些自定的律法就是我們的夏甲。我們能否遵守我們的律法，在神看都沒有兩樣，因爲在祂看來，我們就是能守住，也不算數。（創世記生命讀經，七五二至七五五頁。）

參讀：創世記生命讀經，第四十六篇。

WEEK 3 — DAY 2

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Morning Nourishment

Gal. 4:25 Now this Hagar is Sinai the mountain in Arabia and corresponds to the Jerusalem which now is, for she is in slavery with her children.

      5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not be entangled with a yoke of slavery again.

The position of the law is like that of a concubine. As such, the law has no rightful position in God’s economy. Like Sarah, grace brings forth children unto sonship; like Hagar, the law brought forth children unto slavery. Galatians 4:24 says, “One [covenant] from Mount Sinai, bringing forth children unto slavery, which is Hagar.” Mount Sinai is the place where the law was given (Exo. 19:20; 24:12). The covenant of law, symbolized by Hagar, brings God’s chosen people into the bondage of the law, making them slaves under the law, separated from the grace of God. (Truth Lessons—Level Three, vol. 1, pp. 61-62)

Todays Reading

When man is ignorant of God’s grace, he will always endeavor to do something to please God, and this brings in the law, of which Hagar, the maidservant, the improper wife of Abraham, was the symbol…What she brought forth could not remain in God’s economy. This signifies that the law should not have come in and that the produce of the law has no position in fulfilling God’s purpose. Hagar brought forth Ishmael, who was rejected by God, by man’s effort, not by God’s grace. The produce of man’s effort through the law has no share in the fulfillment of God’s purpose.

According to God’s economy, a man should have only one wife. Thus, Sarah’s proposal that Abraham have a seed by Hagar was absolutely against God’s economy. Hagar was not a proper wife but a concubine…Whereas grace is the proper wife, the mother of the proper heirs (Gal. 4:26, 28, 31), the law is the concubine, the mother of those who are rejected as heirs. According to the ancient custom, men mainly took concubines because their wives could not bear children. This is quite meaningful. When grace has not yet worked and you are in a hurry, you will join yourself to a concubine, to the law…Grace is the proper wife, and the law is the concubine.

After we were saved, we came to realize that God wants us to live a Christ-like life, a heavenly life, a victorious life, a life that constantly pleases God and glorifies Him. Yes, God does want us to live such a life, but He will work Christ into us to live for us a heavenly life to please Him and glorify Him. However, all of us focus on the intention and neglect the grace. The intention is that we live a heavenly life for the glory of God, and the grace is that God will work Christ into us for the fulfillment of His purpose. So first we rely upon our Lot, that which we brought with us from our natural background, trying to use him to fulfill God’s purpose in living a heavenly life for the glory of God. When God does not allow us to rely upon Lot, then we turn to Eliezer, expecting that he will enable us to live a heavenly life for God’s glory. Eventually, God tells us, “I don’t want that. I don’t want anything objective but something subjective from within your own being.” Once we realize that God wants this, then we begin to exercise our own energy, our natural strength, to fulfill God’s purpose…We may not have the law given by Moses, but we do have many self-made laws. We all are lawgivers and make laws for ourselves.

Perhaps you say that never again will you lose your temper with your husband or have a negative attitude toward him. This is your first commandment. The second commandment is that, as a Christian lady and a Christian wife, you need to be nice, sweet, and humble. Your third commandment is never to criticize others, and the fourth is to always love people and never to hate them. These self-made laws are our Hagars. Whether we succeed or not in keeping our laws makes no difference in the eyes of God because in His eyes even our successes do not count. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 618-620)

Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msg. 46