出埃及記19:9-15

 

19:9 耶和華對摩西說：「我要在密雲中臨到你那裡，叫百姓在我與你說話的時候可以聽見，也可以永遠信你了。」於是，摩西將百姓的話奏告耶和華。
19:10 耶和華又對摩西說：「你往百姓那裡去，叫他們今天明天自潔，又叫他們洗衣服。
19:11 到第三天要預備好了，因為第三天耶和華要在眾百姓眼前降臨在西奈山上。
19:12 你要在山的四圍給百姓定界限，說：『你們當謹慎，不可上山去，也不可摸山的邊界；凡摸這山的，必要治死他。
19:13 不可用手摸他，必用石頭打死，或用箭射透；無論是人是牲畜，都不得活。到角聲拖長的時候，他們才可到山根來。』」
19:14 摩西下山往百姓那裡去，叫他們自潔，他們就洗衣服。
19:15 他對百姓說：「到第三天要預備好了。不可親近女人。」

 ⁹ The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.

¹⁰ And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes ¹¹ and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. ¹² 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. ¹³ They are to be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on them. No person or animal shall be permitted to live.’ Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”

¹⁴ After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes. ¹⁵ Then he said to the people, “Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain from sexual relations.”

 

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    上帝透過摩西向百姓宣告要如何來面對上帝的臨在：「叫他們今天明天自潔，又叫他們洗衣服。」

 

    這裡的「自潔」英文用「consecrate」，希伯來文是וְקִדַּשְׁתָּם (qadash)，意思是把某物或某人分別為聖歸給主。為什麼上帝要人分別為聖呢？原因只有一個，就是上帝是聖潔的。

 

    而「consecrate」除了自潔或分別為聖，還有「奉獻」的意思，就是為上帝而活的意義。他們是靠著洗衣服來表明要聖潔，而我們必須靠主耶穌才能成為聖潔，才能真正屬乎上帝。我們只能求主耶穌寶些遮蓋，才能為上帝所接納。

 

    因此，透過這段經文也讓我們思考如何分別為聖來歸給上帝，靠主耶穌的救恩蒙上帝的喜悅，使我們的生命發揮意義！