旧约 - 以西结书(Ezekiel)第46章
"'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: The gate of the inner court facing east is to be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day and on the day of the New Moon it is to be opened. |
The prince is to enter from the outside through the portico of the gateway and stand by the gatepost. The priests are to sacrifice his burnt offering and his fellowship offerings. He is to worship at the threshold of the gateway and then go out, but the gate will not be shut until evening. |
On the Sabbaths and New Moons the people of the land are to worship in the presence of the LORD at the entrance to that gateway. |
The burnt offering the prince brings to the LORD on the Sabbath day is to be six male lambs and a ram, all without defect. |
The grain offering given with the ram is to be an ephah, and the grain offering with the lambs is to be as much as he pleases, along with a hin of oil for each ephah. |
On the day of the New Moon he is to offer a young bull, six lambs and a ram, all without defect. |
He is to provide as a grain offering one ephah with the bull, one ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as he wants to give, along with a hin of oil with each ephah. |
When the prince enters, he is to go in through the portico of the gateway, and he is to come out the same way. |
"'When the people of the land come before the LORD at the appointed feasts, whoever enters by the north gate to worship is to go out the south gate; and whoever enters by the south gate is to go out the north gate. No one is to return through the gate by which he entered, but each is to go out the opposite gate. |
The prince is to be among them, going in when they go in and going out when they go out. |
"'At the festivals and the appointed feasts, the grain offering is to be an ephah with a bull, an ephah with a ram, and with the lambs as much as one pleases, along with a hin of oil for each ephah. |
When the prince provides a freewill offering to the LORD--whether a burnt offering or fellowship offerings--the gate facing east is to be opened for him. He shall offer his burnt offering or his fellowship offerings as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he has gone out, the gate will be shut. |
"'Every day you are to provide a year-old lamb without defect for a burnt offering to the LORD; morning by morning you shall provide it. |
You are also to provide with it morning by morning a grain offering, consisting of a sixth of an ephah with a third of a hin of oil to moisten the flour. The presenting of this grain offering to the LORD is a lasting ordinance. |
So the lamb and the grain offering and the oil shall be provided morning by morning for a regular burnt offering. |
"'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: If the prince makes a gift from his inheritance to one of his sons, it will also belong to his descendants; it is to be their property by inheritance. |
If, however, he makes a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, the servant may keep it until the year of freedom; then it will revert to the prince. His inheritance belongs to his sons only; it is theirs. |
The prince must not take any of the inheritance of the people, driving them off their property. He is to give his sons their inheritance out of his own property, so that none of my people will be separated from his property.'" |
Then the man brought me through the entrance at the side of the gate to the sacred rooms facing north, which belonged to the priests, and showed me a place at the western end. |
He said to me, "This is the place where the priests will cook the guilt offering and the sin offering and bake the grain offering, to avoid bringing them into the outer court and consecrating the people." |
He then brought me to the outer court and led me around to its four corners, and I saw in each corner another court. |
In the four corners of the outer court were enclosed courts, forty cubits long and thirty cubits wide; each of the courts in the four corners was the same size. |
Around the inside of each of the four courts was a ledge of stone, with places for fire built all around under the ledge. |
He said to me, "These are the kitchens where those who minister at the temple will cook the sacrifices of the people." |
以西结书第四十六章
第 46 章
结 46:1-15> 从献祭的条例中,你看到哪些持点?
46:1-15 以西结继续描写日常敬拜的不同层面。神允许有不同的敬拜方式,但规定了敬拜的秩序和连续性。这连续性可使百姓的属灵生命保持健康的节奏。──《灵修版圣经注释》
以西结书第四十六章
在最小的事上忠心(四十六 1 ~ 24 )
.君王的献祭( 1 ~ 8 )──在四十五 17 神已提过王献祭的本分是“在节期、月朔(新月)、安息日,就是以色列家一切的节期,奉上燔祭、素祭、奠祭”,“豫备赎罪祭、素祭、燔祭,和平安祭,为以色列家赎罪。”现在又再说明王献祭时的规例。在这里我们看到崇拜、奉献和事奉不可流于空泛,要有实践的计划和具体行动的重要性。信心和爱心没有行为是死的!
.平民的献祭( 9 ~ 15 )──君王代表人民献祭赎罪的观念,在 9 ~ 10 节那生动的描写中表明。实际情况可能是:在特别的节期,圣殿必定人头涌涌,水泄不通,惟有秩序整然的安排才能避免混乱。因此王就带领人群自北门入而由南门出,或朝相反方向进出圣殿献祭。这里我们看到的亮光是,不论是献祭、崇拜、事奉,都不能派代表。基督徒不可以说:“已经有牧师和教友代祷,我就不用代祷;有其他教友担任圣工,我就不用有事奉的生活。”
另一方面,信仰生活是活泼、息息常新的。基督徒不能说:“我从前很熟圣经和热心事奉,今天生活很忙,不用灵修、崇拜和事奉了。”“每早晨”( 14 ~ 15 );且崇拜时所献上的应该是没有瑕疵的祭品。因此基督徒的崇拜和奉献也不能够是次于完美的。
.土地政策( 16 ~ 18 )──神所颁布的土地分配精神是各得其分,以免君、臣与平民间因地和产业引起纠纷,而致影响国家的太平,因小失大。在信徒生活中,我们必须警惕从产业物质而来的诱惑。
思想 每一刻都是祷告,每一处都是祭坛。神啊,叫我知道:在山中,在云中,在风中,在水中。在街道中,在办公室,在家庭中。 ──《新旧约辅读》
以西结书第四十六章
关于敬拜的定例(四十六 1-15 )
这位先知继续叙述圣殿敬拜的各种条例,并论到敬拜者的行为,和必备的条件。
(一)安息日与月朔( 1-8 节)。在圣殿里面,敬拜与献祭固然是以每日为基础,安息日和每一个新月的第一日(‘新月’,为阴历的制度),乃是特别敬拜的时间。圣殿内院的东门,整个星期都要关闭,但每一个安息日和月朔却开启。全体百姓必须在外院敬拜;他们从东门可以看见内院的祭坛,不过他们不能进入,只有王能穿过东门的走廊,他却不能直接走进内院,只许站在内院门柱的旁边,观察祭司献祭。下面接是安息日敬拜的各种祭物的一张列表,这是王一定要在安息日和月朔和百姓一起献的( 4-7 节)。
(二)节期中的敬拜( 9-12 节)。在以色列人的‘教会年历’中所强调的伟大节期,全国各地有许多人前来圣殿守节。随那么多人的到达,实际在圣殿中进行的敬拜,立时即变为毫无秩序,一片混乱;除非事前严加豫防,保证大众都遵守秩序。这个定例特别说明,在守节期间,大众应当如何走过圣殿地区(特别是外院),有许多人排列成一行,经北门进入外院,慢慢走过外院,再从南门而出。同时另外也有许多朝圣的信徒,排列成一行,由南门进入,再从北门而出。两队在外院中,彼此交叉经过;国王要伴随敬拜的队伍,或许带领一队或两队。凭这种方式,秩序一定可以维持,而且每一位朝圣者,都会喜欢这种走过伟大圣殿周围的特殊享受。接讲论节期献祭的性质( 11 节),王要依照程序和定例,甘心献上燔祭。
(三)每日的献祭( 13-15 节)。结束的这一段经文,特别说明王豫备每日的献祭。因为敬拜的伟大时刻,乃是安息日和节日,没有一日不是在适当敬拜上帝的行动中渡过。
这些在殿中敬拜的定例,乃是以色列人各类敬拜的一种提示。每日在圣殿中都要敬拜。每第七日都有特别的敬拜,为记念上帝的创造和救赎。在每年的特定日子,有大的节日,高举上帝对祂的百姓的救赎行动。在这位先知所见的异象里面,维持周期性的敬拜,乃是重建圣殿的主要事情,对于上帝子民灵性生活的健全,必定大有帮助。正如过去的情形一样,我们必须维持周期性的敬拜,日常行为的简化,与伟大节日的灿烂,几乎并无二致。如果要使里面的人健康强壮,不论是圣诞佳节,或是二月份的一个礼拜二,敬拜的生活都应该继续。
王的产业(四十六 16-18 )
随敬拜定例的这个定例非常简短,对于王产的处理,初看起来,好像并不适当。但上下文非常清楚;在已经复兴的圣地的那一部分,已经进行土地分配(四十五 1-18 ),这个主题将在四十八章重新讲述。这几节经文只论到王,和王地的处理。从王所拥有的土地中,他完全有权分给别人。可以将土地赐给他的儿子,作为继承的礼物;如果没有儿女,他可以依照契约方式,租给他的奴仆。承租土地的奴仆,在约定的时期内,可以随意使用,但租约期满之后,必须归还王室。所有的租约,都要在‘自由之年’终止( 17 节),大概是在第五十年或禧年(参阅利廿五 8-17 )。因此,对于一位忠心的奴仆来说,租约的恩赐,可能是一种非常有价值的东西,但是最后王室的土地,都必归还国王。
十八节提供一个线索,这一条简单的定例非常重要,而且含有更深的意义。就广泛的意义而论,以色列的社会结构,都是基于土地的拥有组成。对于每一个支派来说,土地都是抽签的;他们所得的土地,不但要养生,而且要作奉献敬拜的物品和圣殿的维护。在重建的以色列地,国王也是一个主要的地主。过去贪婪的王,利用可怕的权力去征收,获得新的土地;他们增强自己的地位,使各支派变成贫弱,而导致国家的基础──社会结构崩溃。在这几节经文中所叙述的定例,不惟长期保护王的土地安全,而且可以暗中阻止一位缺乏土地的王,贪图别人的土地。
包含在这条例中的,是对腐败和滥用权柄的认知,依照以西结的见解,在新的土地上,需要一位王,但是王的权柄,总是隐伏危险性,这种律法承认王的地位合理,却用一种方式管辖他们,以期减少他们滥用权势的诱惑。
殿内煮祭牲的房子(四十六 19-24 )
现在这个异象又恢复叙事的特性;这位先知被引至圣殿内院,祭司室旁边。他被带去检查祭司室西边,那些煮祭牲的房子,有些献祭的肉,要在那里煮;谷类要在那里烘烤。煮祭牲的房子,位于圣殿的内院,因为厨房的活动,虽是俗务,但在献祭的过程中,却是重要的一环,为此必须与外院分开。有许多参加敬拜的人,一次又一次的聚集在那里。在外院的四个 X 角上,又有四个小院,作为煮祭牲之所。在这四个厨房里面,殿内利未人的奴仆,在那里煮祭牲,就是全礼敬拜的人要献的。
这个定例所发出奇异的特质,是作为一种提示:殿内的敬拜,必须包括这一类吃喝的活动。在敬拜中献给上帝,其中也有一部分,是为祭司和百姓的食物而豫备的。参加敬拜不但象征与上帝与人的团契,同时上帝为人所供给的,固然是极简单,但最重要者,就是食物。我们也得到提醒,敬拜并不限于静默严肃,或发出言语,也包括吃喝的活动,团契和分享食物。──《每日研经丛书》
以西结书
注释
四十五 10 至四十六 15
以色列人要使用准确的秤。这里也记下了祭物的分量和祭牲的数目,并祭司、君王和百姓在圣日、节期中的规矩。
四十六 16-18
君王只能把他自己的土地赐给后裔。
第 19-24 节这里描述了祭司煮食的地方和厨房。
以西结书
以西结书第四十六章
46:17 “自由之年”:指旧约时代的禧年(利25:13-15)。
46:19-24 本段结束献祭之例。圣屋应与煮肉之地分开。