約櫃TheArk of the Covenant
作者:
Bryan D. Estelle 譯者: Maria Marta
約櫃擁有悠久、高貴、與重要的遺產。出埃及記廿五章20-22節首次記載上帝與人相會的地方的建造說明和解釋。約櫃在聖經裏有二十個以上不同的名稱。這個長方形的皂莢木制櫃子用純金包覆，被兩個雙翼展開，彼此臉對臉的基路伯覆蓋著。翅膀下面是施恩座。大祭司在贖罪日將祭物的血灑在約櫃的上面和前面（參利十六14-15）， 為的是除去罪（贖罪，expiation），和平息上帝的對罪的憤怒（挽回，propitiation）。
約櫃內有三件物件：寫在兩塊石版上的十誡 (出廿五16; 四十40:20; 王上八9)、亞倫的杖 (民十七) 、一碗嗎哪 (出十六33)。因為聖約的字句 (申四13)、約的話 (出卅四28) 、見証 (出廿五16、21；四十20；列下十七15) 都是十誡的替代/備選用語，因此很有可能，放置在約櫃內的兩塊石版包含上帝和以色列立約兩方的盟約條款的複本。
最重要的是，上帝的約櫃象征上帝臨在以色列人中間。約櫃是一種虛擬的聖殿, 置於會幕裡面。
在以色列歷史最早期，約櫃用作守護神------保守以色列百姓安全的神聖物體，特別是在戰爭時期。貫穿舊約，上帝作為代表祂百姓的神聖勇士臨在，並以各種方式程現。有一首戰歌伴隨著它的起行：
「約櫃起行的時候，摩西說：『耶和華阿，你起來，使你的仇敵散去，恨你的人在你面前逃跑。』 約櫃停住的時候，他就說：『耶和華啊，求你歸來，回到以色列的千萬人中。』」 (民十35-36)
這戰歌與耶和華和的約櫃緊密相聯。上帝的百姓與耶利哥城居民和非利士人爭戰期間，約櫃象徵著上帝在他們當中臨在，大衛甚至將約櫃搬到戰場。它也是一個流動避難所。
大衛將約櫃移至耶路撒冷，約櫃的重要性在舊約救贖史上達至頂峰（撒下六12-19; 詩廿四7-10; 132）。 大衛想建造聖殿，將約櫃放在裡面；但這個責任落在他的兒子身上。 所羅門建造聖殿時，將約櫃放置在至聖所（王下八章; 歷下五章）。就在那一刻，聖殿在以色列的儀式中獲得重要的一席之地，約櫃的重要性也隨之降低。
約櫃大約在巴比倫人洗劫耶路撒冷之前或期間消失。 然而，先知耶利米告訴百姓，即使約櫃不能重造，也不要絕望; 相反，耶路撒冷將成為上帝的寶座和臨在的地方，未來將有大批敬拜者和附庸國來到這個新中心，到達他們的君王耶穌基督的腳凳前。
約櫃，尤其是施恩座，是摩西領受上帝話語，和「一切我命令你傳給以色列人」的地方 (廿五22)。它也是摩西代表百姓向上帝禱告的地方(卅三7-11；卅四34；民十二4–8)。撒母耳曾躺臥在耶和華殿中，在約櫃前聆聽上帝說話 (撒上三3)。它也是祈禱的地方 (一9)，大衛可能在約櫃前祈禱，如撒母耳記下 七章18節所記載的。以賽亞甚至可能在約櫃前領受上帝的呼召(以賽亞書六章)。
希伯來人不傾向於用視覺形式代表上帝; 反而，他們用說話來描繪。有什麼更好的方法比得上上帝用祂自己「話語」的見證來表達百姓的神的屬靈肖像呢？因為兩塊石版所「見證」的上帝的倫理品格是百姓所知道的。隨著耶穌基督的到來，這些預表與影兒都消失了。所有這些影兒都被真聖殿取代了（約二19–22）。耶穌，在舊約沒有道成肉身的上帝，（在新約）道成了肉身，住在人類當中（約一14；西二9）。
現在，耶穌，真正的神聖勇士，透過祂的話語有效地代表祂的子民行事(帖前二13)。現在耶穌是我們的光和指引(約八：12)。查閱一位作者所稱謂的「衛城的基督教信仰」 (羅三25)，我們觀察到使徒保羅宣告現在基督已施行了一種轉移-忿怒的祭，為祂的子民的罪作了贖罪祭。預表被原型取代。
本文原刊於Tabletalk雜誌2017年十二月號 。
Dr.
Bryan D. Estelle is associate professor of Old Testament at Westminster
Seminary California in Escondido, California. He is author of Salvation through
Judgment and Mercy: The Gospel According to Jonah.
The
Ark of the Covenant
by
Bryan D. Estelle
he
ark of the covenant has a long, noble, and important heritage. Instructions for
its construction and explanations for a meeting place between God and humans
are given first in Exodus 25:20–22. There are more than twenty different
designations given to the ark in the Bible. This rectangular chest of acacia
wood was gold-plated and capped with two outstretched winged cherubim facing
one another. Under those wings was the mercy seat. On the Day of Atonement, the
high priest sprinkled the blood of sacrifices there for the propitiation and
expiation of sins.
The
ark contained three items: the Ten Commandments written on two tablets (Ex.
25:16; 40:20; 1 Kings 8:9), Aaron’s rod (Num. 17), and a bowl of manna (Ex.
16:33). Since the words and phrases covenant (Deut. 4:13), the words of the
covenant (Ex. 34:28), and testimony (Ex. 25:16, 21; 40:20; 2 Kings 17:15) are
all alternative terminology for the Ten Commandments, it may be that the two
tablets placed in the ark contained duplicate copies of the terms of the covenant
for the two parties: God and Israel.
Most
importantly, the ark of God symbolized the presence of God for the Israelites.
The ark was a kind of virtual temple that was placed in the tabernacle.
In
Israel’s earliest history, the ark served as a palladium—a sacred object
guaranteeing the safety of the people of Israel, especially in war. God’s
presence as a divine warrior on behalf of His people is represented in various
ways throughout the Old Testament. A martial song accompanied its movement:
And
whenever the ark set out, Moses said, “Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be
scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.” And when it rested, he
said, “Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.” (Num.
10:35–36)
This
song closely identifies Yahweh with the ark. The ark symbolized God’s presence
in the midst of His people when they went to battle against the inhabitants of
Jericho and against the Philistines, and the ark was even taken into battle by
David. It also became a mobile sanctuary.
The
climactic importance of the ark in the redemptive history of the Old Testament
came when David brought the ark to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:12–19; Pss. 24:7–10;
132). David wanted to build a temple in which the ark would be placed; however,
that duty fell to his son. When Solomon built the temple, he placed the ark in
the Holy of Holies (1 Kings 8; 2 Chron. 5). At that point, the temple received
pride of place in the rituals of Israel, and the ark receded in its importance.
The
ark presumably disappeared when the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem. However,
Jeremiah the prophet told the people not to despair even though the ark would
not be remade; rather, Jerusalem would become the place of God’s throne and
presence, the new center where a great flow of worshipers and vassals would
come in the future to the footstool of Jesus Christ, their King.
The
ark of the covenant, and more particularly, the mercy seat, was the location
where Moses received God’s word and “all that I [God] will give you in
commandment for the people of Israel” (Ex. 25:22). It was also the place where
Moses could pray to God on behalf of the people (33:7–11; 34:34; Num. 12:4–8).
Samuel heard God’s word when he was lying down in the temple in front of the
ark (1 Sam. 3:3). This was a place of prayer (1:9), and presumably it was
before the ark that David prayed as recorded in 2 Samuel 7:18. It may even have
been in front of the ark that Isaiah received his call (Isa. 6).
The
Hebrews were not inclined to represent God in visual form; rather, they painted
in words. What better way to do this than to represent a spiritual portrait of
their God by His own testimony of “words”? For it was in “testimony” on the
stone tablets that God’s very ethical character was known. When Christ arrived,
these types and shadows passed away. All these shadows gave way to the true
temple (John 2:19–22). Jesus, who was the Word of God without flesh in the Old
Testament, became the Word of God who tabernacles among humans (John 1:14; Col.
2:9).
Now
Jesus, the true Divine Warrior, acts effectively on behalf of His people
through His Word (1 Thess. 2:13). Jesus is now our light and guide (John 8:12).
Turning to what one author has called the “Acropolis of the Christian faith”
(Rom. 3:25), we observe that the Apostle Paul declares that Christ has now
performed a wrath-averting sacrifice, a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of
His people. The type has given way to the antitype.