4. Manna issue 66 - The Christ in the Book of Numbers—Part 4 民數記的基督-第四回
The Rock from which Water Flowed 磐石流出活水
The Christ in the Book of Numbers—Part 4: The Rock from which Water Flowed
Once saved, forever saved? by Shen Chuan Chen
民數記的基督-第四回：磐石流出活水
一次得救，永遠得救？陳勝全 長老
A Bible Study Series based on “The Christ in the Book of Numbers” by Shen Chuan Chen
參照"民數記的基督"的查經系列 陳勝全 長老
1 INTRODUCTION 簡介
After the Israelites departed from Egypt
and entered the arid and inhospitable environment of the wilderness,
the matter of finding water became an immediate and recurring concern.
以色列人離開埃及之後，
進入了乾旱荒涼的荒野環境，
尋找水源這件事，成為一個立即反復出現的擔憂。
Exodus 15:22–26 records their first experience of a water shortage in the Wilderness of Shur.
Having endured three days of thirst after crossing the Red Sea,
the Israelites came to the waters of Marah,
which were found to be bitter and undrinkable.
At this point, tempers flared and the people complained against Moses.
After he cried out for help, God instructed him to cut down a tree and cast it into the waters.
Miraculously, the waters turned sweet.
出埃及記 15 意 22-26 節，記錄了他們在書珥曠野，第一次遇到缺水的情況。
渡過紅海後，忍耐了三天的口渴，
以色列人來到瑪拉水源旁，
他們發現水是苦的，而且不能飲用。
此時，他們脾氣變得暴躁，人們開始抱怨摩西。
在摩西呼救之後，神吩咐他砍了一棵樹，把樹丟到水里去。
很神奇的是，水變甜了。
1.1 The Rock at Rephidim 利非訂的磐石
The second incident is recorded in Exodus 17:1–7.
After leaving the Wilderness of Sin,
the Israelites arrived in Rephidim where they contended again with Moses.
However, this time, the people felt so angry and desperate,
they were ready to stone their leader (Ex 17:4).
At this point, God told Moses to strike the rock to make it issue water.
第二個事件，記錄在出埃及記 17 章 1-7 節。
離開汛的曠野之後，
以色列人來到了利非訂，他們又在那裡與摩西爭吵。
然而這一次，百姓感到非常憤怒和絕望，
他們幾乎要拿石頭打死摩西（出 17：4）。
這時，神吩咐摩西擊打磐石，使它流出水來。
1.2 The Rock at Meribah 米利巴的磐石
Now, after more than thirty years had passed, history appeared to repeat itself.
The people came to the Wilderness of Zin and camped at Kadesh (Num 20:1),
where Miriam died and was buried.
When the congregation found they had no water to drink,
they gathered against an ageing Moses and Aaron to vent their anger.
The complaints were reminiscent of the early days:
the unfairness of apparently being forced to leave Egypt and being left to perish in the wilderness
—a place devoid of grain, figs, vines, pomegranates and water
(Num 20:3–5; cf. 11:1–5).
如今，三十多年過去了，歷史似乎又重演了。
百姓來到尋的曠野，在加低斯安營（民 20：1），
那裡是米利暗死去埋葬的地方。
當會眾發現自已沒有水喝的時候，
他們聚集起來，反對年邁的摩西和亞倫，以發洩他們的憤怒。
這些抱怨讓人聯想起早期的時候：
他們遇到不公平的情況，很明顯被迫離開了埃及，並且被遺棄在曠野中滅亡，
—此處地方沒有穀物、無花果、葡萄樹、石榴和水
（民 20：3-5；參考 11：1-5）。
As the situation worsened, God told Moses,
“Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together.
Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water;
thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock,
and give drink to the congregation and their animals”
(Num 20:8).
隨著情勢惡化，神告訴摩西，
8你拿著杖去，和你的哥哥亞倫招聚會眾，
在他們眼前吩咐磐石發出水來，
水就從磐石流出，
給會眾和他們的牲畜喝。
(民 20：8)
At this point, Moses disobeyed God’s command.
Still raw from the people’s attack,
he railed against them and struck the rock twice with his rod
(Num 20:7–13).
By God’s mercy, the rock yielded water,
but it did not mean that all was well.
On the contrary, God determined that
Moses and Aaron had sinned against Him and needed to be punished.
The outcome was severe:
God forbade them from entering the promised land.
在這一點上，摩西沒有聽從了神的命令。
仍然還不熟悉人民的攻擊，
摩西開始抱怨他們，用自已的杖擊打磐石兩次
（民 20：7-13）。
因著神的憐憫，磐石出水，
但這並不代表一切都很好。
相反的，神決定
摩西和亞倫得罪了祂，需要得到懲罰。
結果很嚴重：
神禁止他們進入應許之地。
1.3 Analysis 分析
From a human perspective, God’s punishment seems disproportionate and even cruel.
We are mindful that Moses had been a constant and faithful servant over the years,
taking care of God’s household.
Besides, both he and Aaron had to endure continual provocation from their brethren.
Was it really fair, then,
that God placed the blame solely upon their shoulders
and did not even give them a chance to present their case?
However, when we view the incident from God’s perspective,
we realize the seriousness of Moses and Aaron’s sin:
as leaders, they failed to believe in God’s word and to honor Him before the Israelites
(Num 20:12).
For that reason God could not overlook the matter.
從人的角度來看，神的懲罰似乎是不成比例的，甚至有些是殘忍的。
我們注意到，多年來摩西一直都是忠實的僕人，
一直照看神的家。
此外，他和亞倫兩個人，都必需忍受弟兄姐妹的持續挑釁。
那麼，真的有公平嗎，
神就把責任完全歸到他們的肩上，
甚至不給他們有申辯案情的機會？
然而，當我們從神的角度來看待這件事的時候，
我們意識到，摩西和亞倫犯罪的嚴重性：
作為領袖，他們沒有相信神說的話，沒有在以色列人面前尊崇神
（民 20：12）。
因此，神不能忽視這件事。
Furthermore, from an allegorical perspective,
Moses and Aaron represented the two aspects of the Old Testament order:
the Law and the priestly system, respectively.
It is noteworthy that both men stopped short of entering Canaan,
the land of rest prepared by God
(Josh 22:4).
In the New Testament Scripture,
we learn the significance behind this point,
which is that no one could be made perfect or saved through obedience to the Law,
including the offering of sacrifices
(Acts 13:39; Heb 10:1).
It was only through the guidance of the next generation’s leader, Joshua
—a type of Christ
—that one could enter into God’s rest.
此外，從寓意的角度來看，
摩西和亞倫代表了舊約秩序兩個方面：
分別代表了律法和祭司制度。
值得注意的是，兩人都沒有進入迦南地，
那神所預備的安息之地
（書 22：4）。
在新約聖經中，
我們才了解到這一點背後的重要性，
也就是說，沒有人可以因為遵守律法，而變得完全或是得到拯救，
包括獻祭
（徒 13：39；來 10：1）。
只有通過下一代領袖約書亞的引導
—預表基督
—人才可以進入神的安息。
Finally, there is another teaching,
which we will expound later in this chapter,
namely that the rock in the wilderness typifies Christ
(1 Cor 10:4).
For this reason, Moses should never have struck the rock a second time at Meribah,
for this would signify the re-crucifixion of Christ
(Heb 6:6).
最後，還有一個教導，
我們會在本章後面進行解釋，
就是曠野的磐石預表基督
（林前 10：4）。
因此，在米利巴摩西不應該第二次擊打磐石，
因為這會代表，將基督重新釘在十字架
（來 6：6）。
2 PREFIGURATION OF CHRIST 基督的預表
The apostle Paul was greatly gifted in interpreting the Old Testament Scriptures.
In his epistle to the church in Corinth,
(1 Cor 10:1–4),
Paul pointed out that the Israelites had been “under the cloud”
—that is, led by the pillar of cloud throughout their journey,
and they had “passed through the sea”
—meaning they had crossed the Red Sea.
使徒保羅大大得到恩賜，可以解釋舊約聖經。
在他寫給哥林多教會的書信中，
（林前 10：1-4），
保羅指出，以色列人一直走在“雲下”
—也就是說，他們整個旅程中，都是由雲柱引導，
他們已經“穿越大海”
—代表他們已經越過紅海。
These events prefigured the grace for Christians in the New Testament era,
namely their right to receive water baptism and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Just as the chosen people were baptized into Moses,
so Christians would be baptized into Jesus Christ.
Furthermore, Paul explained that, in a spiritual sense,
the Rock that followed the Israelites and from which water flowed was Jesus.
Just as the Rock issued water for the people to drink in the wilderness,
so Christ would shed His precious blood for the salvation of mankind.
這些事件預表了，新約時代基督徒的恩典，
就是基督徒，有接受洗禮和聖靈洗禮的權利。
就像選民受洗歸入摩西一樣，
同理基督徒也是受洗歸入耶穌基督。
此外，保羅解釋說，就屬靈的意義來說，
磐石就是耶穌，接著以色列人而來，並且流出活水。
就好像在曠野，磐石流出水來給人飲用，
所以基督因為拯救人類，而流下祂的寶血。
3 THE ROCK IN THE WILDERNESS 曠野的磐石
We can imagine that God, through His mighty power,
could have provided His people with water in any way He wished,
perhaps by commanding water to appear from the ground.
Yet, His will was for Moses to strike the rock at Rephidim and to issue a command at Meribah.
This aspect of God’s plan reveals an important prefiguration
concerning Christ and also gives us a number of teachings.
我們可以想像耶和華真神，通過祂的大能，
能夠以祂希望的任何方式，為祂的子民提供水源，
或許是通過命令水從地上出現。
然而，祂的旨意是要摩西擊打利非訂的磐石，並在米利巴發出命令。
神計劃的這方面，顯示了一個重要的預表，
是關於基督，也給我們一些教導。
3.1 Strike the Rock at Rephidim 擊打利非訂的磐石
The wilderness in which the Israelites sojourned was a challenging and inhospitable place.
Yet, it was in such an environment that God chose to manifest His power, glory and sovereignty.
Indeed, not long after leaving Egypt, when the people camped at Rephidim,
God told Moses to strike the rock so that it would give water
(Ex 17:1–7).
Whilst there were other rocks in the wilderness,
only this rock at Horeb
(Ex 17:6)
provided life-giving water because Moses obeyed God’s command.
以色列人旅居的曠野，是一個充滿困難和環境惡劣的地方。
然而，正是在這樣的環境，神選擇用來彰顯祂的能力、榮耀和掌控權。
果然，離開埃及不久之後，百姓在利非訂安營，
神吩咐摩西擊打磐石，使磐石流出水來
（出 17：1-7）。
雖然曠野中還有其他的磐石，
只有何烈山的這塊磐石
（出 17：6）
因為摩西聽從神的命令，所以流出了生命泉源的活水。
For Christians, this event is significant
because the Bible explains that the rock in the wilderness is Christ
(1 Cor 10:4).
Just as water flowed from the rock when it was struck,
so a fountain opened up from the body of Christ when He was pierced
(Jn 19:34).
This fountain became a source of renewal and life for believers.
Consequently the church has been redeemed through the precious blood of Jesus,
and the members are able to receive life when they partake of His blood through the Holy Communion
(1 Cor 11:25–26; Jn 6:53–56).
對於基督徒來說，這件事情的意義重大，
因為聖經解釋，曠野的磐石就是基督
（林前 10：4）。
就像石頭因為擊打，水流出來，
正如當基督身體被刺穿時，一股活泉從基督的身體湧流而出
（約 19：34）。
這股活泉成為信徒更新和生命的泉源。
接著，教會藉著耶穌的寶血得到救贖，
當信徒藉著聖餐禮同享基督的寶血時，他們就能獲得生命
（林前 11：25-26；約 6：53-56）。
Although these truths were prefigured in the time of Moses and Aaron,
their meaning was hidden.
It was not until the New Testament that
Jesus and the apostle Paul revealed them to the believers.
雖然這些真理，在摩西和亞倫的時代已經完成了預表，
他們代表的含意，還是隱藏的。
直到新約時期，
耶穌和使徒保羅，才將它們啟示給信徒。
During the forty-year wilderness journey,
God’s providential care was evident through the manna
that descended with the dew and the presence of the spiritual rock that accompanied the people
(1 Cor 10:4).
Indeed, the chosen people did not lack any necessities,
and their lives were preserved.
Unfortunately, they did not praise or give thanks to God
—their gratefulness seemed to have disappeared after the crossing of the Red Sea
(Ex 15:1–21).
Instead, their hearts were often filled with discontentment.
在四十年的曠野之旅中，
神的眷顧通過嗎哪顯而易見，
隨著露水降下來，並且屬靈磐石的存在陪伴著百姓
（林 10：4）。
是的，選民並沒有任何缺乏，
他們的生命得以保全。
不幸的是，他們並沒有讚美感謝神，
—渡過紅海之後，他們的感激之情似乎就消失了
（出 15：1-21）。
相反的，他們的心中常常都很不滿。
3.2 Speak to the Rock at Meribah 吩咐米利巴的磐石
When the second and third generation Israelites arrived at the Wilderness of Sin,
the congregation contended once again with the two leaders over lack of water.
On this occasion, God told Moses,
“Take the rod;
you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together.
Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water;
thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock,
and give drink to the congregation and their animals”
(Num 20:8).
當第二三代以色列人到達汛的曠野時，
會眾再次因為缺水問題，而與兩位領袖發生爭執。
這一次，神對摩西說：
“8你拿著杖去，
和你的哥哥亞倫招聚會眾，
在他們眼前吩咐磐石發出水來，
水就從磐石流出，給會眾和他們的牲畜喝。”
（民數記 20：8）。
However, Moses, being extremely provoked by the people,
lifted his rod and struck the rock twice.
Immediately, the Lord rebuked Moses and Aaron:
“ ‘Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel,
therefore you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them’ ”
(Num 20:12).
From these words, we understand that
failing to obey God’s command equates to “not believing”
and “not trusting [Him] enough to honor [Him] as holy”.
然而，摩西完全被人民激怒了，
舉起他的杖，在岩石上敲了兩下。
耶和華立刻斥責摩西和亞倫：
“12因為你們不信我，不在以色列人眼前尊我為聖，
所以你們必不得領這會眾進我所賜給他們的地去。”
（民 20：12）。
從這些話語中，我們了解到，
不遵守神的命令，等於“不信”
而且也等於“不夠信任神，來尊神為聖”。
3.3 The Wrath of God against Moses 神憤怒摩西
What was the nature of Moses and Aaron’s sin?
The Bible indicates that they were guilty on a number of counts:
being arrogant
(Num 20:10);
striking the rock twice
(Num 20:11);
failing to believe in the word of God
(Num 20:12);
rebelling against His command
(Num 27:14);
not hallowing Him
(Num 20:12);
and speaking rashly and angrily
(Ps 106:32–33).
Summing up, the sins fall into three categories:
disbelieving God, disrespecting Him and disobeying Him.
摩西和亞倫罪的本質是什麼呢？
聖經指出，他們犯了以下幾方面的罪：
傲慢自大
（民 20：10）；
擊打磐石兩次
（民 20：11）；
不相信神的吩咐
（民 20：12）；
違背神的命令
（民 27：14）；
沒有尊神為聖
（民 20：12）；
而且氣急敗壞說話
（詩 106：32-33）。
總結起來，這些罪可分為三類：
不信神，不尊重神，不順服神。
In light of this, Moses and Aaron did not commit one small mistake;
they committed three major ones.
Bearing in mind that
God stopped one generation of Israelites from entering Canaan for their acts of disbelief and disobedience
(Num 14:20–37),
we are left in no doubt of His just nature.
Therefore, even though Moses rendered forty years of faithful stewardship
and endured his brethren to the point of unsurpassed humility
(Num 12:3),
God had no option but to punish him and Aaron for their sins,
however painful it was on both sides.
God is impartial and will deal with each person fairly,
be it an ordinary believer or a gifted and trusted servant.
有鑑於此，摩西亞倫沒有犯下任何一個小錯誤。
但是卻犯了三個大錯。
請記住這一點，
神停止了一個世代的以色列人進入迦南地，因為他們有不信不順從的行為
（民 14：20-37），
我們可以不用懷疑，神有公義的特質。
因此，即使摩西付出四十年，忠心管理
而且忍受自已的弟兄姐妹，達到一種無比謙卑的地步
（民 12：3），
沒有其他選擇，只能懲罰他和亞倫的罪，
然而雙方都很痛苦。
神不會偏心，會公平對待每一個人，
無論這個人是普通信徒，還是有恩賜忠心的僕人。
A psalmist in the Old Testament looked back upon this historical incident and commented thus:
“They angered Him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses on account of them;
because they rebelled against His Spirit, so that he spoke rashly with his lips”
(Ps 106:32–33).
He saw the failing of Moses as one of anger stemming from provocation,
a matter for which he had to pay a high price.
The psalmist wrote that “it went ill with Moses”,
meaning that he was excluded from the promised land.
舊約詩人回顧了這個歷史事件，留下這樣評論：
“32他們在米利巴水又叫耶和華發怒，甚至摩西也受了虧損，
33是因他們惹動他的靈，摩西（原文是他）用嘴說了急躁的話。”
（詩 106：32-33）。
他認為摩西的失敗，好像是來自挑釁而引起的憤怒之一，
是他不得不為此付出高昂代價的事件。
詩人寫道：“摩西受了虧損”，
代表著神排除摩西進入應許之地。
The moral teaching is that the mistakes we make in our lives,
such as errors of speech, have the potential to cause irrevocable damage;
therefore we must be careful.
Elder James says:
此處道德思想教育是，我們在生活中所犯的錯誤，
例如言語的過失，有可能造成不可挽回的損害；
因此我們必須很小心。
雅各長老說：
Therefore, my beloved brethren,
let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;
for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness,
and receive with meekness the implanted word,
which is able to save your souls.
(Jas 1:19–21)
19我親愛的弟兄們，這是你們所知道的，
但你們各人要快快的聽，慢慢的說，慢慢的動怒，
20因為人的怒氣並不成就神的義。
21所以，你們要脫去一切的污穢和盈餘的邪惡，
存溫柔的心領受那所栽種的道，
就是能救你們靈魂的道。
(雅 1：19-21)
The lesson from Meribah,
that even the greatest and most devout of God’s servants can exhibit moments of weakness,
serves a sober warning to us all.
米利巴的教訓就是，
即使是最偉大、最虔誠神的僕人，也會表現出軟弱的時刻，
成為我們大家保持清醒的警示。
3.4 Not to Strike the Rock Again 不要重新擊打磐石
It was God’s will for Moses to give a verbal command to the rock at Meribah.
Unfortunately, Moses struck the rock, thereby incurring the wrath of God.
Another lesson is that salvation is achieved through the one time sacrifice of Jesus.
Since the rock represents Christ
(1 Cor 10:4)
and striking the rock signifies His suffering
—specifically, His being nailed to the cross to fulfill salvation for mankind
—we cannot expect Christ to suffer a second time.
For this reason, God did not instruct Moses to strike the rock on the second occasion at Meribah.
摩西可以吩咐米利巴磐石出水，是神的旨意。
不幸的是，摩西卻擊打了磐石，從而招致了神的憤怒。
另一個教訓是，得到救恩是因為耶穌一次性的犧牲。
因為磐石代表基督
（林前 10：4）
擊打磐石表示祂遭受苦難
—具體來說，他被釘在十字架上，為人類完成救贖
—我們不可以想要基督有第二次受難。
因此，在第二次米利巴的地方，神沒有指示摩西擊打磐石。
Paul writes:
“[K]nowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.
Death no longer has dominion over Him.
For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all;
but the life that He lives, He lives to God”
(Rom 6:9–10).
Peter says,
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust,
that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit”
(1 Pet 3:18).
The author of Hebrews also says,
“By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all”
(Heb 10:10).
It was God’s will to reveal these prefigurative meanings in the wilderness,
but Moses failed to do his part.
保羅寫道：
“9因為知道基督既從死裡復活，就不再死，
死也不再作他的主了。
10他死是向罪死了，只有一次；
他活是向神活著。”
（羅 6：9-10）。
彼得說：
“18因基督也曾一次為罪受苦（有古卷作：受死），就是義的代替不義的，
為要引我們到神面前。按著肉體說，他被治死；按著靈性說，他復活了。”
（彼前 3：18）。
希伯來書的作者也說，
“10我們憑這旨意，靠耶穌基督，只一次獻上他的身體，就得以成聖。”
（來 10：10）。
這就是神的旨意，在曠野揭露這些預表的意思，
但摩西沒有盡到他的工作。
For Christians, the incident at Meribah warns us not to continue in sin,
because if we do, we put Christ to shame and crucify Him a second time.
Jesus died to remove our unrighteousness, but this could only happen once.
The author of Hebrews also warns that if those who have tasted the heavenly gift fall away,
they crucify Christ again
(Heb 6:4–6).
對於基督徒來說，米利巴的事件警告我們，不要繼續犯罪，
因為如果我們這樣做，就是讓基督蒙羞，並再次將他釘在十字架上。
耶穌的死亡除去了我們的不義，但是這只會發生一次。
希伯來書的作者也警告說，如果那些嚐過天恩的人墮落了，
他們就是再將基督釘在十字架上
（來 6：4-6）。
It would be tragic if,
after believing in the Savior and being washed clean from the filth of the world,
we fail to treasure His salvation grace.
In such a case, our end would be worse than our beginning
(2 Pet 2:20).
It is vital, then,
that we do not misunderstand that being saved through baptism into Christ equates to being saved forever;
we still have to work out our salvation in fear and trembling
(Phil 2:12).
In addition, we must take care never to slacken in our faith
(Rom 12:11; Heb 6:11–12),
lest we forfeit our right to salvation.
這將是很悲慘的，
假如我們信了救主，並且洗淨了塵世的污穢，
卻沒有珍惜祂的救贖恩典。
在這種情況下，我們的結局將會比開始的時候更糟
（彼後 2：20）。
這是那麼至關重要，
那麼我們就不會有誤解，經由洗禮歸入基督而得救，就是等於永遠會得救；
我們仍然必須恐懼戰兢的完成自已的救贖
（腓 2：12）。
此外，我們必須注意，決不放鬆自已的信仰
（羅 12：11；來 6：11-12），
免得我們喪失得救的權利。
Paul teaches us that Jesus is the Rock from which water flows.
We must therefore be careful not to be like Moses and Aaron
who uttered rash words and disobeyed God by striking the rock a second time.
After receiving the Lord’s salvation grace,
we must live obedient and godly lives and be diligent to serve Him,
so that we do not crucify Him again.
保羅教導我們，耶穌是磐石，有泉水流出。
因此，我們必須小心，不要像摩西和亞倫一樣
他們說話草率，沒有聽從神的命令，第二次擊打磐石。
我們領受了主救贖的恩典之後，
就必須過著順服和敬虔的生活，並努力事奉神，
這樣我們才不會再把他釘死在十字架上。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
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