第一週・週二
晨興餧養
創十二1 『耶和華對亞伯蘭說，你要離開本地、親族、父家，往我所要指示你的地去。』
羅八28『還有，我們曉得萬有都互相効力，叫愛神的人得益處，就是按祂旨意被召的人。』
創世記啓示一個團體人生命之三階段裏完整的三一神。創世記沒有把亞伯拉罕、以撒、雅各看作三個分開的人，而是把他們看作一個有三階段的完整的團體人。
我們的神乃是三個特別人物的神，就是亞伯拉罕的神，以撒的神，雅各的神。…創世記包括神選民中的四個人—亞伯拉罕、以撒、雅各、約瑟，但聖經沒有把約瑟看作是單獨的人。他的生平實際上乃是雅各生平的繼續和終結。耶和華是亞伯拉罕、以撒、雅各的神，就是三一神。(李常受文集一九九一至一九九二年第四冊，一七七至一七八頁。)
信息選讀
雅各是三個人中的最後一位，但神用他表徴父愛人並揀選人的這一面。瑪拉基一章二節說，神愛雅各；羅馬九章十至十三節說，神揀選了雅各，甚至。雅各出生以前，就揀選了他。
在亞伯拉罕的階段裏，我們看見父神呼召人、稱義人、裝備人，使人憑信而活，且活在與祂的交通裏。…創世記十二章一節給我們看見父的呼召，十五章六節啓示祂的稱義。十七章給我們看見神如何裝備亞伯拉罕，使他過憑信的生活。然後十八章啓示神如何使亞伯拉罕活在與祂交通的生活裏。這是神與祂的人間朋友亞伯拉罕之間交通的一章。
以撒的階段代表子神，就是三一神的第二者，祂賜福與人，使人承受祂一切的豐富，過享受祂豐盈的生活，並在平安中過生活。(二五5，二六3〜4，12〜33。)
在雅各同約瑟生平的階段裏，我們看見靈神在萬有裏作工，叫愛祂的人得益處。這是根據羅馬八章二十八節。…這裏的益處不是指物質的人、事、物；乃是指我們更多得著基督作到我們裏面，使我們有新陳代謝的變化，至終模成祂這神長子的形像，(29，)也就是將我們帶進完滿的兒子名分裏。
我們必須看見，事實上乃是那靈在萬有裏作工。…那靈能指揮我們環境中的每一件事，並在一切的人、事、物上作工，叫這些人、事、物互相效力，使我們得益處，為使我們得變化，並模成神長子的形像。
在雅各同約瑟的生平裏，我們看見，那靈變化人，並使人在神聖的生命裏成熟，好叫人能給萬民祝福，管理全地，並以子神作為生命的供應滿足萬民。…沒有約瑟，雅各的生平就無法成為完整。約瑟的生平是他父親生平的完成。雅各乃是在年老的時候，給所有的人祝福，而他年紀老邁的時候，正是他兒子約瑟掌權的時候。…雅各同約瑟生平的末了，給我們看見，藉着靈神的工作，而在神聖生命裏成熟。
在亞伯拉罕、以撒、雅各同約瑟這團體之人的生平裏，我們可以看見一個蒙神所愛、所揀選、所呼召、所稱義，並得以享受基督一切豐富的人。這一位也被命定要過掙扎的生活，受苦的生活。最後，藉着這一切苦難，這一位就被那靈變化，而在神聖生命裏成熟。他在年邁時，只知道給人祝福，為神掌權，並將神當作生命的供應分配給人（李常受文集一九九一至一九九二年第四冊，一七八至一八一頁）。
參讀：神在祂與人聯結中的歷史，第十章。
WEEK 1 — DAY 2
Morning Nourishment
Gen. 12:1 Now Jehovah said to Abram, Go from your land and from your relatives and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
Rom. 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
The book of Genesis reveals the complete Triune God of the three sections of the life of a corporate person. Genesis does not consider Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as three separate persons but as one complete corporate person with three sections.
Our God is the God of three particular persons—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob…Among the elect of God, four persons are covered in Genesis—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, but the Bible does not consider Joseph as a separate person. His life was actually the continuation and consummation of Jacob’s life. Jehovah is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Triune God. (CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 4, “The History of God in His Union with Man,” p. 135)
Todays Reading
Jacob is the last of the three, yet he is used by God to signify the Father in His loving and choosing man. Malachi 1:2 says that God loved Jacob, and Romans 9:10-13 says that God selected Jacob, choosing him even before he was born.
In the section of Abraham, we see God the Father who calls man, justifies man, and equips man to live by faith and live in fellowship with Him… Genesis 12:1 shows us the Father’s calling, and 15:6 reveals His justification. Chapter 17 shows us how God equipped Abraham to live a life by faith. Then chapter 18 reveals how God made Abraham to live a life in fellowship with Him. It is a chapter of fellowship between God and His human friend, Abraham.
The section of Isaac represents God the Son, the second of the Triune God, who blesses man with the inheritance of all His riches, with a life of the enjoyment of His abundance, and with a life in peace (25:5; 26:3-4, 12-33).
In the section of the life of Jacob with Joseph, we see God the Spirit who works in all things for the good of His lovers. This is based upon Romans 8:28…The good here is not related to physical persons, matters, or things. It refers to our gaining more of Christ, to our having Him wrought into our being so that we may be transformed metabolically and may eventually be conformed to His image, the image of the firstborn Son of God (v. 29), that is, that we may be brought into the full sonship.
We need to see that it is actually the Spirit who works in all things…The Spirit can direct anything in our environment and work in all persons, all matters, and all things to cause them to work together for good to us so that we may be transformed and conformed to the image of the firstborn Son of God.
In the life of Jacob with Joseph, we see that the Spirit transforms man and makes man mature in the divine life so that man may be able to bless all the people, to rule over all the earth, and to satisfy all the people with God the Son as the life supply…Without Joseph the life of Jacob could have never been completed. The life of Joseph was the completion of the life of his father. It was in his old age that Jacob blessed all the people, and his old age was at the time when his son Joseph was ruling in power…The end of Jacob’s life with Joseph shows us the maturity in the divine life through the working of God the Spirit.
In the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as a corporate person, we can see someone who was loved, chosen, called, and justified by God and made to enjoy all the riches of Christ. Also, this one was destined to live a struggling life, a suffering life. Last, through all these sufferings this one was transformed by the Spirit and matured in the divine life. When he was old, he knew only to bless people, to reign for God, and to distribute God as the life supply. (CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 4, “The History of God in His Union with
Man,” pp. 135-137)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 4, “The History of God in His Union with Man,” ch. 10
