by 鍾卓權牧師
耶和華在出埃及記 19:4 節說：「我向埃及人所行的事、你們都看見了、且看見我如鷹將你們背在翅膀上、帶來歸我」。神的選民在耶和華帶領之下，腳踏乾地過紅海，早晚有嗎哪和鵪鶉作食物，有水從石頭流出來止渴，又幫助他們擊敗了亞瑪力人，耶和華猶如鷹一樣，將以色列子民背在祂的翅膀上歸回到祂的懷中。 這樣真實的經歷，使以色列百姓都同聲回答說、「凡耶和華所說的、我們都要遵行。摩西就將百姓的話回覆耶和華」(19:8) 。
耶和華又對摩西說、你往百姓那裏去、給他們兩個簡潔的命令。 首先，他們要洗衣服自潔、其次「不可上山、也不可摸山的邊界，凡摸這山的、必要治死他」(19:12) 。 摩西下山往百姓那裏去轉告 神所吩咐他們的這兩項命令。三天之後耶和華再次召摩西上山頂對他說：「你下去囑咐百姓、不可闖過來到我面前觀看、...」(19:21)。摩西坦率地回應耶和華，說、他已經將耶和華囑咐百姓不可上山的事告訴了他們。此時候摩西已經上下山數次了，所以他覺得並不需要重複耶和華的囑咐，但是耶和華仍然要他下山去重述祂的命令，這是為什麼？
我相信耶和華知道以色列人的信心不足會遇到誘惑也會好奇，這些原是人的本性，不僅孩童如此，成年人也是一樣，我們豈沒有做過別人告訴我們不要做的事嗎？ 倘若我們繼續讀出埃及記的記載，之後，就會讀到耶和華所頒佈的一系列誡命要讓以色列人遵守，出埃及記 32:1節就這樣說：「百姓見摩西遲延不下山、就大家聚集到亞倫那裏、對他說、起來、為我們作神像、可以在我們前面引路、因為領我們出埃及地的那個摩西、我們不知道他遭了甚麼事」。於是就忘記了耶和華的囑咐而鑄了一隻金牛犢。
親愛的弟兄姊妹妹們，讓我們珍惜耶和華神的囑咐，就是先要自潔，洗除過去的不義，更不可越過 神所定的範疇去試探祂，不可上山也不可摸山的邊界。讓我們静思今天上帝所要我們遵循祂的囑咐是什麼？願主賜憐憫使我們能牢記祂的話語。
Translation:
God says in Exodus 19:4, “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” Under the Lord’s guidance, the children of Israel walked on dry ground through the Red Sea. In the morning and evening, there was manna and quail for food. Water came out of the stone to quench their thirst, and God also helped them defeated the Amalekites. The Lord was like an eagle that carried the Israelites on His wings and brought them back to Him. With these life experiences, “the people all responded together, ‘We will do everything the Lord has said.’ So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord” (Exodus 19:8 NIV).
The Lord asked Moses to go to his people with two simple commands. First, they must consecrate themselves and clean their clothes. Second, “put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death’” (Exodus 29:12). Moses went down to the people to tell them these two orders. Three days later the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain and said to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the Lord and many of them perish” (Exodus 19:21).
Moses responded frankly to the Lord by saying that he had already told the people that they do not approach the mountain. Meanwhile, Moses had gone up and down the mountain several times, so he felt that he did not need to go down the mountain again to repeat the Lord’s directives. However, The Lord still asked him to go and reiterate His commands to the people. Why?
I believe Jehovah sees the temptations that the Israelites will have to face. Being rebellious is not exclusive to the psychological nature of children. Haven’t we often done things against the admonition of others as adults? As we read further into the next few chapters of Exodus, we will find that Jehovah issued a series of commandments for Israelites to obey. Exodus 32:1 says: “When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, ‘Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’” Knowingly, the Israelites abandoned the Lord and cast a golden calf as their idol.
Could we still disobey God as the Israelites did after receiving so much blessings from Him? Do we need constant reminders from God to follow Him? Let us cherish and revere the commands of The Lord. We must first cleanse ourselves and get rid of past unrighteousness. “Do not approach the mountain and touch it” if that’s the command God has given to us. Do not disobey God to test His patience. Dear Brothers and Sisters, what commands has God asked you to follow today? May the Lord have mercy on us all.
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