Jacob’s Prophesying with Blessing (2) 雅各用祝福说预言（二）(Day1)
Samuel Lin
Gen. 49:16-18 Dan will judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan will be a serpent in the way, a viper on the path, that bites the horse’s heels, so that his rider falls backward. I have waited for Your salvation, O Jehovah.
Deut. 33:22 And concerning Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp that leaps forth from Bashan.
Dan was the continuation of Judah, for Judah was a lion and Dan was a young lion. As the continuation of Judah, Dan was successful in gaining more Christ by his victorious life (Deut. 33:22; Josh. 19:47; Judg. 18:27-29).
Because Dan was successful and victorious, he became proud, individualistic, and independent. He cared only for himself, not for others. (Life-study of Genesis, p. 1317)
Today’s Reading
Dan’s apostasy was the setting up of a divisive center of worship (Judg. 18:30-31; 17:9-10; 1 Kings 12:26-31; 2 Kings 10:29)....[Nothing] was more sinful or more damaging to God’s people than Dan’s act of setting up a divisive center of worship. In Deuteronomy 12, 14, 15, and 16 the Lord through Moses charged the children of Israel at least fifteen times not to offer their burnt offerings in the place of their choice. They were commanded to go to the unique place the Lord had chosen for His name and for His habitation...[to keep God’s] people in oneness.
After the children of Israel entered the good land, the tabernacle, the house of God, was in Shiloh (Judg. 18:31). As long as the tabernacle was in Shiloh, Shiloh was the unique center for the worship of God. As the unique center, it should have maintained the unity of God’s people. However, Dan set up another center in the north, which caused the first division among the children of Israel.
Judges 18:30 says, “The children of Dan set up for themselves the graven image” (Heb.). Here we see that the Danites did something for themselves. They did not care for the other tribes. Thus, the source of their apostasy was not caring for their brothers. Not caring for the other parts of the Body is the source of apostasy. This apostasy crept in under the guise of the worship of God. The principle is the same today. Many Christians set up other centers, not for gambling or dancing, but for worshipping God. Although this seems so positive, it is actually done by the self and for the self. Every divisive center is established for someone’s self-interest. Such a practice causes not only division but also competition.
Dan did not care for the other tribes; he cared only for his own tribe. After he won the victory and gained the expansion, the enlargement, he did something for himself. This was the source of his apostasy. According to the Old Testament, the Lord never forgot Dan’s apostasy. In the eyes of God it was the worst sin in His economy....Nothing is more destructive than division among God’s people. Divisive worship centers are often related to idols. Because the devil lurks behind idols, by setting up an idol Dan became a serpent. Whenever you become divisive, no matter how good your reason may be, there will be something behind you—the serpent, the subtle one....Whenever you do not care for others, but only for your interests, doing something merely for yourself, the serpent is at hand. The best way to be safeguarded from falling into apostasy is taking care of others....If Dan had consulted the other tribes, he would have been kept from apostasy.
Dan not only set up a divisive center, but also ordained the hired “priests” (Judg. 18:30; 1 Kings 12:31). To hire the common people to be priests was profane because it destroyed God’s holy ordination. In the downfall of the church, many unsaved ones have been hired to do the service of God. This is apostasy. In God’s New Testament economy, all true believers are made priests of God (1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10). But degraded Christianity has built up a system to ordain some of the believers to do the service of God, making them a clerical hierarchy and leaving the rest of the believers as laymen. This also is a form of apostasy. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 1317-1319, 1322-1323)
Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msg. 102
晨兴喂养
创四九16~18 但必判断他的民，作以色列支派之一。但必作道上的蛇，路中的虺，咬伤马蹄，使骑马的向后坠落。耶和华啊，我向来等候你的救恩。
申三三22 论但说，但为小狮子，从巴珊跳出来。
但乃是犹大的延续，因为犹大是狮子，但是小狮子。但既是犹大的延续，就借着基督得胜的生命，成功地得着更多的基督（申三三22，书十九47，士十八27~29）。
因为但既成功又得胜，就变得骄傲、单独并独立。他只关心自己，不关心别人（创世记生命读经，一五七○页）。
信息选读
但的背道乃是设立分裂的敬拜中心（士十八30~31，十七9~10，王上十二26~31，王下十29）。……没有一件事比但设立分裂的敬拜中心这个行动更有罪、更损害神的百姓。在申命记十二、十四、十五、十六章，神至少十五次借着摩西嘱咐以色列人，不可在他们各自所选择的地方献燔祭。他们奉命要到神为祂的名和祂的居所，所选择唯一的地方去，……〔好〕保守〔神〕的子民在一里。
以色列人进入美地以后，帐幕，就是神的家，是在示罗（士十八31）。只要帐幕在示罗，示罗就是唯一敬拜神的中心。示罗既是唯一的中心，就该维持神子民的合一。然而，但在北方设立了另一个中心，在以色列人中间引起了第一次的分裂。
士师记十八章三十节说，“但人就为自己设立那雕像。”这里我们看见，但人为他们自己作了一些事。他们不关心别的支派。因此，他们背道的源头乃是不关心他们的弟兄。不关心身体其他的部分，乃是背道的源头。这种背道在敬拜神的伪装下偷偷地进来。今天的原则也是这样。许多基督徒设立别的中心，不是为着赌博或跳舞，乃是为着敬拜神。虽然这事似乎很正面，事实上却是凭自己，为自己而作的。每一个分裂的中心，都是为某个人的私利设立的。这样的作法不仅引起分裂，也引起争竞。
但不关心别的支派，只关心自己的支派，他赢得胜利，得了扩张、扩大之后，就为自己作事。这是他背道的源头。按照旧约，主从不忘记但的背道。在神眼中，这是在祂经纶中最败坏的罪。……没有一件事比神子民中间的分裂更有害。分裂的敬拜中心常与偶像有关。因为魔鬼是潜伏在偶像背后，所以但设立偶像，就成为一条蛇。什么时候你变成分裂了，不管你的理由多美好，在你背后必定有个东西—那狡猾者蛇。……每当你不关心别人，只关心自己的利益，只为自己作事，蛇就在近处。防止落到背道中，最好的路是顾到别人。……如果但和别的支派商讨，他就不至于背道了。
但不仅设立了分裂的中心，还任命了雇用的“祭司”（士十八30，王上十二31）。雇用世俗人作祭司是亵渎，因为这破坏了神的神圣命定。召会堕落时，雇用许多没有得救的人事奉神。这是背道。在神新约的经纶中，所有的真信徒都成了神的祭司（彼前二9，启一6，五10）。然而堕落的基督教建立了一个制度，任命一些信徒事奉神，使他们成为圣品阶级，叫其余的信徒作平信徒。这也是一种背道（创世记生命读经，一五七一至一五七三、一五七七至一五七八页）。
参读：创世记生命读经，第一百零二篇。
周 一
壹 关于但背道的预言，指明雅各担心会有分裂敬拜中心的设立—创四九16~18，士十七9~10，十八27~31，王上十二26~31：
一 但作为小狮子，为得更多地土（表征基督）争战，但得胜成功之后，成了虺蛇，骄傲、单独并独立；他骄傲行事，设立偶像和分裂的敬拜中心，并且当神的殿在示罗时，一直在但城任命受雇的祭司—申三三22，书十九47，士十八27~31，参申十二5。
二 但这条蛇咬伤马蹄，使骑马的向后坠落（创四九17），表征但所带进的背道，成了以色列国很大的绊脚石；在召会历史中，许多属灵的人跟随但的榜样，因而拦阻神的子民，使他们不能走神所命定的路；雅各论但的预言，进一步的应验见于列王纪上十二章二十六至三十一节。
三 但背道的源头乃是不关心他的弟兄；不关心基督身体其他的部分，乃是背道的源头，结果引起争竞—31节。
四 分裂不仅是宗派主义，也可能牵涉地方主义和区域主义；甚至在我们个人的经历里，我们也可能从跟从神的正路上岔开，而事实上为着私利行事：
1 防止落到背道中，最好的路是顾到别人，以顾到整个身体，并且顾到主一个工作独一的见证；如果但和别的支派商量，他就不至于背道了—参林前十二20，十五58，十六10，徒十五1~2。
2 我们能从背道得医治，而享受主无穷的爱，乃是借着回转归向主，承认我们得罪祂，蒙祂赦免我们一切的罪孽，寻求祂的面，并追求认识祂，好使我们能在复活里活在祂的同在中—何五13~六3，十四1~8。
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