Sunday, 6 December 2020
Exodus 20:4-6
Rev. Dr Daniel Poon
Today we will continue to talk about the Ten Commandments. When we mention the Ten Commandments, we tend to feel we are asked not to do this or that, so we need to unlock all the mysteries behind the Ten Commandments. God does not intend to bind and control us. The reason God gave us the Ten Commandments is that He wanted us to cherish the relationship between Him and His children. Relationship is very important. The first commandment of the Ten Commandments is to cherish the relationship with God. The second commandment is about the pure relationship between the Creator and His children.
Deuteronomy 18:9-19 tell the background of the Ten Commandments. If you don’t understand the background, you will misunderstand the Ten Commandments. The Israelites left Egypt where people worshiped many gods, and Pharaoh regarded himself as the son of sun. The Israelites entered the land of Canaan where the people worshipped many idols. In the past 430 years in Egypt, the Israelites knew many gods. They also knew that the LORD God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and saw Him as one of the gods. But the LORD God told them that He is the only God, which was the first commandment.
Now the Israelites were going to enter the Land of Canaan, where they would face many idols. From the past experience in Egypt, Israelites were easily influenced, so God told them to keep a pure relationship with Him, who values the purity of relationships.
- The Danger of Impurity
Exodus 20:4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
We were created in the image of God. This is also what Genesis 1:26 records, “Let us create human beings in our image and in our likeness so that they can manage everything.” Therefore, we were created in the image of God, and only we were created in the image of God.
If we create something else to worship instead of God, that is like having an affair in a marriage relationship. The key to marriage is that the two become one; but when an affair occurs, a lot of things happen, which are not part of this unique relationship. If you are dissatisfied with this relationship, you will create some fake stuff which were not created by God in marriage. This is why singers always asks their fans to buy the original version of their songs in order to keep the relationship pure.
The Canaanites were very clever. They knew that only the God of Israel had no specific image. Other gods had visible images. So, they said to the Israelites that the LORD God was the God of your nation, but Canaanites also had a family god and a personal god. It was not enough to just have your national God, and you also need a family and personal god.
Judges 3:7, the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, forgot the Lord their God, and went to serve the Baal and Asherah. They regarded Baal as the god of the family. When God was talking to Moses on Mount Sinai, the Israelites on the other side of the mountain asked Aaron to make an idol of God to worship. This is our problem. We know God, but we have no relationship with God, and we are not pure in our relationship with God. Our family also have many problems, and we will rely on other things instead of God. We create many things without following the Bible. We don’t think the 66 books of the Bible are enough. Joshua said that he and his family will serve God. But we may say our household is different from theirs, so we have created many things that are different from the Bible. David said in the Psalm that my heart and soul must trust in God. When we feel bored, lost, and dry, we will rely on entertainment, rest, and travelling. But the example of Jesus Christ is that when He was tired, he would go up the mountain alone to pray to the Father. God has showed us what the relationship is like. But we are easily confused by the world and culture.
Jesus came to do the will of the Heavenly Father, but He worked as a servant. I only believe what the Bible tells us. This is why our church commits ourselves to morning prayers, studying chapter after chapter. From the beginning to the end, we must remain pure, otherwise we will be in temptation – once started, it is hard to stop. The world tries to pull us out of our focus on the Bible. The Bible tells us that you have to be careful. If you try to do something to meet your desires, it will become your idol.
How does God treat all idols? In1 Kings 18:19, there are four hundred prophets following idols. Do not think that you are a prophet and you are fine. Prophets are very sensitive in the spiritual realm. In the service of the Fivefold Ministries, the prophets should serve the apostles instead of speaking out whatever they want. They must have words of confirmation and knowledge to help the apostles affirm the way God wants them to go. The prophets are sometimes wrong, so the apostles’ confirmation is necessary.
Therefore, we must understand the word “image”. Image is very important. God created us in His image, but we also create idols in the same way. Idols are not from God. Image=imagination, image has the same root as imagination. When we rely on leisure, entertainment, and shopping instead of our God – then only when the personal gods and family gods cannot help us will we turn to the national God. But God does not allow such things to happen, it is not pure because we belong to Him and He also belongs to us, just like the relationship in a marriage. In the same way, our God wants us to be pure. If we do not remain pure, we would face dangers. Everything created by our imagination is an idol. We must be careful and cautious.
2. The Consequences of Impurity
Exodus 20:5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
The word “jealous”, whose original meaning in the Bible has two aspects: “good jealous” and “bad jealous”. In the original text of the Bible, the “bad” jealousy is to be jealous of people who are richer and better than us, and “good jealousy” is that “I don’t want you to do bad things, I hope you do the right thing, otherwise I will be jealous.” This just like a father loves his child because all parents want their children to do the right things and do things the right way. This is good jealousy, because you want the other person to be good. Therefore, the original Hebrew language of jealousy is the good jealousy, which means I want my children to be good. If we understand this, we will find that the whole meaning might have been translated incorrectly, because God does not need to be jealous of anyone as He is better than everyone.
Why does God say that He is a jealous (wanting His children to be good) God? Why would anyone hate God? People think that the second commandment is not to carve idols, because God is a jealous God, why? He hopes his children to do well. He says that I am the LORD your God, I love My children and I hope My children are good, because I don’t want them to hate me.
Deuteronomy 18:9, just like Chinese and Indians, we will live with our parents for three generations and four generations. In Canaan, if the people wanted to have children, they would take their wives to the temple, and the temple prostitutes would commit adultery with their wives and have children. They dedicated their children to idols. Suppose if you were one of those children, what would your memory be like? How would you think about your parents? Those children would hate the Gods of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob very much for bringing their family out of Egypt to experience all this. That’s why God said I am a jealous God. Exodus 20:5 says “visiting the iniquity of … those who hate Me” – The original text says visiting, i.e., God visited the third and fourth generations who hated God, hoping that their relationship with God could be restored. God values relationships and values your children. He wants your whole family to have a pure relationship with Him, and does not want you to affect your children because of the wrong thing you do. My God will visit my children. He loves us and cares about us. Even if the parents do wrong, maybe the parents’ divorce destroys the children’s faith in marriage, but God will visit those who belong to Him. God is loving and caring. Maybe we don’t believe in God, but God will visit us. Not only that, God also gives us promises and hopes.
Ezekiel 18:14, 17
14 “If, however, he begets a son Who sees all the sins which his father has done, And considers but does not do likewise;
17 Who has withdrawn his hand from the poor And not received usury or increase, But has executed My judgments And walked in My statutes—He shall not die for the iniquity of his father; He shall surely live!
Even now in Israel, the debts of the father should be paid by son. It is a curse. By following God, the curse will be cut off. When following God’s commandment, you will not die because of the sins of your father. God wants to bless us, not to pass down the curses from our ancestors.
3. Blessings of Purity
Exodus 20:6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
The word “showing in the original text of the Bible means that God will try to use all things to pass on His love to us for generations. Our problems will be passed on to three or four generations, but God will try to use all methods to pass on His love for many generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments. Many people say that the Old Testament talks about punishment, but Paul loved the Old Testament very much. He embraced the Old Testament because he knew the true meaning of the Old Testament. We only know the knowledge of the Old Testament, and we have not used the Holy Spirit to unlock the Old Testament to become our spiritual food. In the Old Testament, God talked about relationship. This is what the Ten Commandments mean, why don’t we understand? Because what you pursue is the just words of God, not the Rhema from God.
Deuteronomy 7:9, “Therefore, know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;
John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
God shows that he loves us. Everything Jesus talked about came from God the Father. Today we unlock the second commandment of the Ten Commandments, so God wants us to have a pure relationship with Him, because He wants to bless us, not to hurt us. If we are not in His way, we will take the way of the world, the way of idols, and become farther and farther away from God, just like how the Canaanites had lied to them, “You have the God of a nation, Jehovah, and you can also have a family and a personal god like us. In doing this, you would get triple blessings.”
Many years ago, my marriage encountered big problems. The relationship between me and my wife was very tense. I couldn’t feel love and respect so I began to listen to lies. I lived a double life. An affair made me feel love and respect, but I still kept myself in my marriage covenant. This is the devil’s lie so I did not think it was wrong. The light of God hit me and I suddenly woke up.
Maybe you have no affair in your marriage, maybe you have not lived a double life, but in your relationship with God, is there anything else? Or do you rely on what you imagine to meet your needs instead of relying on God?
Response: God is telling us about purity today. We have been affected a lot by this world. God is not criticising and judging us. He wants to restore His relationship with us. He visits us and restores the blessings He has given us, not curses—brought from our fathers or ancestors. Tell God today, I created some idols from my own imagination, not relying on God, but get comfort from something other than God’s love. Pray to cut off the connection with idols, the connection with idols from our imagination. There is no other god, and nothing else makes my children feel loved and successful. In the name of Jesus, we bind those idols and false gods, and use the sword of the Holy Spirit to cut off the connection between us and the dark power behind those false gods! We declare the freedom for children of God!
2020年12月6日 主日
潘锡安牧师
引言：教会是一个团队，家庭，从来不是个人秀，神非常看着关系，我今天代表教会感谢我们的领袖。我们教会非常珍惜团队合作，我们不会注重一个人，我们唯一高举的是我们的神，若没有神，我们不可能在这里。今天要继续讲十诫，讲十诫时我们通常会讲到，你不可以做这做那。我们需要开启这一切的奥秘，神不是捆绑和控制我们。为什么神给我们十诫，因为他想要让我们珍惜，我们这些儿女与创造主天父的关系。关系是非常重要的，当我越来越了解台湾文化的时候，我就更喜欢关系。台湾的文化非常看重关系，有关系就没关系，没关系就有关系了。所以这就让我珍惜台湾的文化，我觉得也是符合圣经的文化。
十诫的第一诫是珍惜与神的关系。第二个诫命，这是创造主与被造者之间的纯洁的关系。
出埃及记 20:4-6
神如何跟以色列人说话，如果只看这一点，我们不会知道神的目的是什么，看到的就是不可做，觉得神就会像我们的父母一样，控制我们。申18：9-19节，是十诫的背景，不了解背景的话，会误解十诫。以色列人离开了埃及，在埃及他们拜很多神，法老王也说自己是太阳之子。他们进入到迦南之地，这是他们的地方，他们拜很多偶像，430年以色列人认识了很多神，他们也知道耶和华神是亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各的神，是诸神之一。但是耶和华神跟他们说他是唯一的神，这是第一条诫命。第二条诫命，现在你要面对很多偶像，你们要进入的迦南地有很多的偶像，从你们过往的经验看到，你们是很容易被影响的，所以神告诉他们，要在关系中保持纯洁。神重视关系的纯洁。
- 不纯洁的危险
出20:4 – “不可为自己雕刻偶像，也不可做什么形象仿佛上天、下地和地底下、水中的百物。
神在跟以色列人说，你不可自己雕刻偶像。Image，形象，我们必须知道，我们是如何被创造的？歌罗西书1:15，我们是按照神的形象被创造的，这也是创世记说的，创1:26，让我们照着我们的形象，按照我们的样式造人，使他们管理一切。所以，我们是照着神的形象造的，唯有我们是照着神的形象造的，如果我们造一些东西去敬拜他，意思就是说，就像在婚姻关系中，人有外遇一样。婚姻的关键是二人成为一体，但是外遇发生的时候，产生很多东西，不是属于这个独一关系的。你对这个关系不满意，你就造了其他的东西，不是神造的，不是真的，不是根据神的真理创造的，就是用中文说的山寨版，不是对的，是我们自己造出来的，这会影响关系。这就是为什么歌手对粉丝说，如果你喜欢我的歌，你要买正版，是为了关系保持纯洁。迦南人很聪明，他们知道唯有以色列人的神是没有具体的形象的，其他的神都有可见的形象。所以他们对以色列人这么说，耶和华神是你们民族的神，迦南人也有家庭的神个人的神，但是光有民族的神是不够的，你也需要有家庭、个人的神。士师记3:7，以色列人行耶和华眼中看为恶的事，忘记耶和华他们的神，去侍奉诸巴力和亚舍拉。他们把巴力看作是家庭的神。
当神在西奈山跟摩西说话的时候，同时在山的另外一边，以色列人要亚伦做一个神的偶像来敬拜。这是我们人的问题。我们知道神，但是我们跟神没有关系，也没有在跟神的关系中保持纯洁。我和我的家庭有很多问题，我们会依赖很多事情而非倚靠神。我们创造出很多东西，却没有跟随圣经。我们不觉得圣经66卷书是足够的，约书亚说，他和他的全家都要侍奉神。但我们会说，我家和他们的家不一样，所以我们创造了很多东西，是跟圣经不一样的。大卫在诗篇讲到，我的心肠肺腑都要倚靠神。当我们觉得无聊和迷失、干枯的时候，我们就会倚靠娱乐、休息、旅游，但是耶稣基督的榜样是，当他疲惫的时候，他就独自上山去跟天父祷告。神显明给我们看，关系是怎样的。但是我们很容易被世界和文化所混乱。耶稣来就是做天父做的，他要做个仆人的样式。我只相信圣经跟我们说的，这就是为什么我们教会委身于晨祷，一章接着一章讲，从开始到结束，我们要保持纯洁，否则我们就会在试探中。试探是什么，当你开始一个，你就不会停止。世界尝试将我们从对圣经的专注中拔出来，圣经告诉我们说的是你要小心，你尝试做一些东西来满足你的需要，它就会成为你的偶像。神是如何对待所有的偶像的？王上18:19，有四百个先知去跟随偶像，不要觉得自己是先知就没事了。先知对灵界的事情很敏感，在五重执事的服事中，先知要去服侍使徒，不是让你去说你自己想说的事情，要有印证、知识的言语，帮助使徒印证神让他们要走的道路。先知有时候是错的，所以需要使徒的印证和确认。
因此，我们要很明白形象这个词，image很重要，神是照着他的形象造我们，但是我们也是用同样的方式创造偶像，偶像不是从神而来。Image=Imagination，形象跟想象同字根。我们倚靠休闲、娱乐、购物的时候，我们就不去倚靠神了。这就是人的问题 – 如果个人的神、家庭的神无法帮助我们，我们才会去到民族的神那里。但是神不允许这样的事情发生，因为这就不纯洁了，我们是属于他的，他也属于我们的，就像婚姻一样，我们想要拥有对方的一切。我们的神也是一样，保持纯洁。如果我们不保持纯洁，是非常危险的，所有凭着我们的想象创造出来的都是偶像，我们一定要小心、谨慎。
2. 不纯洁的后果
出 20:5 – 不可跪拜那些像，也不可侍奉它，因为我耶和华你的神是忌邪的神。恨我的，我必追讨他的罪，自父及子，直到三四代；
中文圣经这里讲的“忌邪”–英文翻成jealous，圣经原文有“好的嫉妒”和“不好的嫉妒”两个方面。如果嫉妒比自己富有和表现好的人，这是不好的嫉妒。而好的嫉妒是，我不希望你做不好的事情，我希望你是对的，就好像父亲和孩子一样，所有的父母都想孩子做对的事情，以正确的方式做事情，否则我就会嫉妒。这是好的嫉妒，因为你希望对方好。所以，希伯来原文讲的嫉妒，是好的嫉妒，我是希望我的孩子好的。如果我们了解这一点，就发现整个意思就会被错误地翻译了。你会觉得神会嫉妒我？神嫉妒我什么？谁能比神做得更好呢？
为什么神说他是为了他的儿女好（jealous）的神？为什么有人会恨神？人们想到第二诫就是不要雕刻偶像，因为神是为了他的儿女好的神。他希望他的孩子好。我是耶和华你的神，我爱我的孩子，希望我的孩子好，因为我不希望他们恨我。申18:9，就像中国人和印度人一样，我们会跟父母三代四代同堂。在迦南，他们想要有孩子，他们会把妻子带到庙里，庙妓会和妻子行淫生孩子。他们把孩子献给偶像，经过火，如果你是孩子，自己的记忆会是怎样？对父母做的会怎么想？孩子会很恨亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各的神，将我们从埃及带出来让我们全家经历这些，他们会恨神、恨耶和华，这是神把他们带到迦南，这就是为什么神会说我是为了儿女好的神。出20:5“visiting the iniquity of … those who hate Me” – 中文圣经没有翻译出来，圣经原文说visiting，神探访第三四代的人，但是他们恨神。神想要去探访他们，希望他们能够恢复与神的关系，神看重关系，看重你的孩子，他想要你的全家都与神有纯洁的关系，不要因为你做的事情影响你的孩子。我的神会造访我的孩子，他爱我们、关心我们，即便父母做错事，也许父母离婚毁掉了孩子对婚姻的信念。神会造访那些很他的人，神是爱、关心。也许我们不相信神了，但是神会造访我们。不仅如此，神也给我们应许、盼望。
以西结书18:14,17 – 在以色列即便是如今也是父债子还，有其父必有其子，这是咒诅。圣经说这是不对的。单纯跟随神，咒诅就会被砍断，跟随神的诫命，就不因父亲的罪恶死亡，神要给我们祝福，不是要我们祖辈的咒诅传到我们。
3. 纯洁的祝福
出20:6 – 爱我守我诫命的，我必向他们发慈爱，直到千代。
Show，中文圣经中没有翻译，圣经原文是神会尝试做一切的事情，把他的慈爱传递给我们，直到千代万代。我们有问题会到三四代，但是神会尝试用一切方法，向爱他、守他诫命的人，将他的爱传递给千代万代。很多人说旧约讲的是惩罚，但是保罗很爱旧约，他拥抱旧约，因为他知道旧约的意义。我们对旧约只知道是知识，没有用圣灵开启旧约的话语成为我们的灵粮。在旧约神讲的就是关系，他如何创造天地，他就是慈爱。十诫就是这个意思，为什么我们不明白？因为追求的是神的话，不是神的粮。
在2020年以前，神希望我们知道他爱我们。在申7:9，神显明他爱我们。约14:15，你若爱我，就必守我的诫命。唯有父告诉子，子才告诉你们。耶稣讲的一切都是从父神来的。
今天我们开启了十诫的第二诫命，为这么神要我们跟他的关系是纯洁的，因为他要祝福我们，而非伤害我们。如果我们没有在他的道路中，我们就会走世界的道路、偶像的道路，离神越来越远。迦南人骗以色列人说，你们有一个民族的神耶和华，你也可以像我们一样有家庭、个人的神，这样会有三重祝福。很多年前我的婚姻遇到很大的问题，夫妻关系很紧张，我感觉不到爱和尊重，我就开始听谎言，过着双重的生活，外遇让我感觉到爱和尊重，可是我还持守着婚约。这就是魔鬼的谎言，我不觉得是错误的。就像成龙说的，我只是犯了全天下男人都会犯的错。我就是听了这样的谎言，世界也跟我说，这样也ok。神的光照到我，我突然醒过来。
也许你的婚姻没有外遇，也许你没有过双重生活，但是在你跟神的关系中，是否有其他的东西，在你跟神的关系中，是否持守纯洁？还是倚靠你想象中的东西来满足你的需要，而不是倚靠神？孩子，我们今年的应许是兴起发光，是什么影响你？
回应：
神今天跟我们讲纯洁，我们被这个世界影响了很多，神不是批评论断我们，是要恢复与我们的关系、造访我们，恢复给我们的祝福，不是咒诅——从父亲或祖辈带来的。今天跟神说，是的，我从自己的想象中创造了一些的偶像，不是倚靠你，用不是从神来的爱安慰我自己，祷告，想要有这样的自由，砍断与偶像的连接，从我想象中来的偶像的连接。没有别的神，没有其他的事情让我的孩子感觉到被爱和成功，奉耶稣的名，捆绑那偶像、假神与神的儿女的连接，用圣灵的宝剑砍断与假神背后的黑暗权势的连接，宣告神的儿女释放得到自由。