4月26日 攀高

你带着你的儿子……在我所要指示你的山上，把他献为燔祭。（创二十二2）

一个人如何领会神的旨意，乃在于他的个性（参诗十八25-26）。亚伯拉罕对神命令的领会，就是要把儿子杀了。他只好把传统的观念抛在脑后，忍受极度痛苦的考验。神只有用这个方法去炼净他的信心。我们若存诚实的心顺服神，神自然会将我们从传统对他的误解中释放出来。有许多信念是我们要摒弃的，就如：神要把一个孩子取去，因为那母亲太爱他了。这简直是魔鬼的谎话，是嘲弄神的本性。魔鬼会不惜代价阻碍我们踏上登高之路，不让我们除掉对神误解的传统观念。可是，只要我们忠于神，他就会带我们经过考验，使我们从经验中更认识他。

亚伯拉罕对神信心的伟大处，在于他肯为神赴汤蹈火、在所不辞。他只一心听从神，不惜违反任何观念。亚伯拉罕并非一己信念的忠实信徒，否则他就会一意孤行，杀了以撒，说那天使的呼叫是魔鬼的声音了。这只是狂妄者的态度。只要你保持对神的忠诚，神必领你经过一切障碍，进入内室得以认识他；但其中有个关键，就是放弃传统的信念与看法。不要求神试验你，切勿像彼得那样宣称：“我什么都肯做，甚至愿与你同死。”亚伯拉罕并没有作此宣告，他始终对神忠诚，神也就炼净了他的信心。

祈祷◆噢，主啊，我投向你，我所感觉得到的，惟独是你。取去我那些繁赘、夸大和冲动的谎话，让我安静地等候你。

April 26 The Supreme Climb

“Take now thy son . . and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” Genesis 22:2

Character determines how a man interprets God’s will (cf. Psalm 18:25-26). Abraham interpreted God’s command to mean that he had to kill his son, and he could only leave this tradition behind by the pain of a tremendous ordeal. God could purify his faith in no other way. If we obey what God says according to our sincere belief, God will break us from those traditions that misrepresent Him. There are many such beliefs to be got rid of, e.g., that God removes a child because the mother loves him too much – a devil’s lie! and a travesty of the true nature of God. If the devil can hinder us from taking the supreme climb and getting rid of wrong traditions about God, he will do so; but if we keep true to God, God will take us through an ordeal which will bring us out into a better knowledge of Himself.

The great point of Abraham’s faith in God was that he was prepared to do anything for God. He was there to obey God, no matter to what belief he went contrary. Abraham was not a devotee of his convictions, or he would have slain Isaac and said that the voice of the angel was the voice of the devil. That is the attitude of a fanatic. If you will remain true to God, God will lead you straight through every barrier into the inner chamber of the knowledge of Himself; but there is always this point of giving up convictions and traditional beliefs. Don’t ask God to test you. Never declare as Peter did – “I will do anything, I will go to death with Thee.” Abraham did not make any such declaration, he remained true to God, and God purified his faith.