教会与旧约的以色列 TheChurch and Israel in the Old Testament
作者：Iain Duguid 翻譯: 駱鴻銘
起初，神创造亚当和夏娃，让他们成为一个敬拜的团体：祂要做他们的神，他们要做祂的子民。然而，他们彼此之间以及与上帝的团契交通被人类犯罪堕落所粉碎；该隐杀了他的兄弟，使得他们当中的裂痕在下一代中也越来越深。这条由该隐的谱系所开启的背离上帝的轨迹，终结于敬拜偶像的巴别社群（创十一章）。与此同时，一条由真正的敬拜者所组成的谱系，从塞特开始，一路延伸至亚伯兰（亚伯拉罕）。上帝应许亚伯拉罕，他必成为大国，并且应许，地上的万族，都要因他得福（创十二1-3）。
In
the beginning, God created Adam and Eve to be a worshipping community: He would
be their God and they would be His people. The fall, however, shattered their
fellowship with one another as well as with God, a division that was deepened
even further in the next generation when Cain murdered his brother. The
trajectory away from God begun by Cain’s line ended with a counterfeit
worshipping community in Babel (Gen. 11). At the same time, a line of true
worshippers ran through Seth to Abram—Abraham—whom God promised to make a great
nation and through whom He promised to bless all nations of the earth (Gen.
12:1–3).
上帝应许亚伯拉罕的孙子雅各，祂会塑造他的十二个儿子，使他们成为一个和谐敬拜的「多族」（新译本译为「大族」。字面直译是：万国的社群，community of nations, ESV译为company of peoples），而这个群体会有一个新的名字：「以色列」。很有意义的是，这里用来表示「社群」的希伯来字是qāhāl，旧约的希腊文译本通常译为ekklēsia，也就是「教会」。当以色列百姓离开埃及，来到西乃山，这个敬拜社群的目的就达成了。上帝在西乃山宣告，以色列人是祂所珍贵的产业，一个祭司的国度，圣洁的国民（出十九5-6）。上主应许，祂要住在以色列人当中，作他们的神（出廿九45）。但是以色列百姓在委身于这个圣约的关系之后，过没有多久，就离弃了上主。当摩西还在西乃山山顶领受从上主而来的命令时，在山脚下的以色列百姓，就为自己造了偶像。从一开始就很清楚，这个「圣洁的国度」完全没有能力活出他们的呼召。
God
promised Abraham’s grandson Jacob that He would make his twelve sons into a
harmonious worshipping “community of nations” (Gen. 28:3) that would be known
by his new name, “Israel.” Significantly, the Hebrew word used here for
“community” is qāhāl, which the Greek translation of the Old Testament often
renders as ekklēsia, “church.” This goal of a worshipping community was reached
after the exodus from Egypt when the people came to Mount Sinai. There God
declared the Israelites to be His treasured possession, a kingdom of priests
and a holy nation (Ex. 19:5–6). The Lord promised to dwell among them as their
God (Ex. 29:45). But the people had no sooner committed themselves to this
covenant relationship with the Lord than they abandoned Him. While Moses was at
the top of the mountain receiving instruction from the Lord, the people were at
the bottom fashioning false gods. It was clear from the outset that the “holy
nation” had no power to live up to its calling.
先知为我们展现了以色列其余的历史：虽然上帝对他们是信实的，他们却是败坏而悖逆的儿女（赛一2），一个淫乱的妻子（何一～三章）。这个不忠的传统是由北国和南国所均分共享的：以色列和犹大是来自同一个家庭的一对乖僻的姐妹（结十六、廿三章），他们都要面对灭亡和被掳的惩罚（结四4-6）。上主无法住在此等不洁的民当中。祂离弃了祂所拣选的位于耶路撒冷的居所，把祂的百姓交在巴比伦敌人的手中（结八～十一）。
The
prophets unfold for us the rest of Israel’s history: in spite of God’s
faithfulness to them, they were corrupt and rebellious children (Isa. 1:2) and
an adulterous wife (Hos. 1–3). This heritage of unfaithfulness belonged equally
to the northern and southern kingdoms: Israel and Judah were two twisted
sisters from the same family (Ezek. 16; 23) who would each face the punishment
of destruction and exile (Ezek. 4:4–6). The Lord could not dwell in the midst
of such an unholy people. He abandoned His chosen dwelling place in Jerusalem,
leaving His people at the mercy of their Babylonian enemies (Ezek. 8–11).
不过，以色列在被掳中被毁，并不是这个故事的结局。因为上主已经把自己的名和以色列绑在一起，祂必要恢复这个国家，以免祂的圣名在列国当中被亵渎（结廿14）。在西乃山所作的应许必要得着应验（耶三三20-21），因此，上主会恢复以色列和犹大这两个国家，使它们重新合为一体，由以色列各支派所组成（耶三一1），由一个王来治理（结三七16-22）。而最重要的应许是以色列会有一个属灵的转变，在新约之下，靠着上帝浇灌祂的圣灵（结三六22-28），上帝会使他们成为一群新的百姓。他们原本冷漠无情的心会被改变，成为一个新的心（耶三一31-33）。这个新以色列会成为上帝的仆人，外邦人的光，为列国带来医治（赛四二6，10）。然而，这个字以赛亚书四十～四十八章所描绘的新以色列仍然是一群有挣扎和软弱的百姓，他们需要不断的劝诫，去追求顺服，也需要鼓励，信靠上帝对他们的信实的爱。要成就上帝的目的，需要另一个、更好的以色列。这个仆人会取代以色列的地位，完成旧以色列所无法成就的，成全她把光带到列国的呼召（赛四九6）。
Yet
the destruction of Israel in the exile could not be the end of the story.
Because the Lord had attached His name to Israel, the nation would have to be
restored lest His holy name be profaned among the nations (Ezek. 20:14). The
promises made at Mount Sinai had to be fulfilled (Jer. 33:20–21), so the two
nations of Israel and Judah would be restored by the Lord into a single,
reunited body made up of all of the clans of Israel (Jer. 31:1) under a single
king (Ezek. 37:16–22). The most important promise was the spiritual transformation
of Israel into a new people whose unresponsive hearts would be changed into new
hearts under a new covenant (Jer. 31:31–33) by an outpouring of God’s Spirit
(Ezek. 36:22–28). The new Israel would become the Lord’s servant, a light for
the Gentiles, bringing healing to all nations (Isa. 42:6, 10). However, the new
Israel depicted in Isaiah 40–48 continued to be a struggling and weak people
who needed constant exhortation to pursue obedience as well as encouragement to
trust in God’s faithful love for them. To fulfill God’s purposes, another,
better Israel would be required, a servant who would take Israel’s place, doing
what Israel was unable to do, fulfilling her calling to bring light to the
nations (Isa. 49:6).
这个仆人「以色列」，在耶稣基督的位格上具体化为人形。从祂出生的一刻起，祂就在「重演」以色列的历史。祂下到埃及，好成为上帝从埃及呼召出来的真正的儿子（太二15，引用何十一1）。正如以色列经过红海，耶稣也通过洗礼的水（太三）。然后，祂在圣灵的引导下，进入旷野，面对以色列曾经经历的、却未能坚忍到底的同样的试探（太四）。在祂传道工作的一开始，耶稣颂读了以赛亚书六十一章1-2节，宣告圣经已经应验在听众的耳中了（路四18-19）：祂就是那位应许的仆人，神的灵在祂身上。作为新以色列，耶稣完美地成全了律法的命令。祂的血设立了耶利米所翘首期盼的「新约」（路廿二20）。耶稣成全了上帝原初为人类的圣洁所作的设计，亲身体现了先知所寻找的新以色列。
This
servant “Israel” took flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. From the moment of
His birth, He reenacted Israel’s history, going down to Egypt so that He could
be the true son whom God called out of Egypt (Matt. 2:15, quoting Hos. 11:1).
Just as Israel passed through the Red Sea, Jesus passed through the waters of
baptism (Matt. 3) before being led out into the wilderness, where He
successfully faced the same temptations that Israel had failed to endure (Matt.
4). At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus read aloud Isaiah 61:1–2, declaring
that the Scripture had been fulfilled in His hearers’ presence (Luke 4:18–19):
He was Himself the promised Servant upon whom God’s Spirit rested. As the new
Israel, Jesus perfectly fulfilled the demands of the law. The new covenant that
Jeremiah anticipated was established in His blood (Luke 22:20). Jesus fulfilled
God’s original design for human holiness, thereby personally embodying the new
Israel for which the prophets looked.
既然耶稣基督自己是新以色列，所有因信与祂联合的人也会被并入这个「神的以色列」（加六16）。祂是真葡萄树（旧约给以色列的典型图像），我们是祂的枝子（约十五）。因为基督是上帝的殿的房角石，与祂联合的人就成为这个殿的活石（彼前二4-5）。我们可以用旧约里形容以色列相同的语词来形容：在基督里，我们是「被拣选的族类，君尊的祭司，圣洁的国度」（彼前二9-10）。
Since
Jesus Christ is Himself the new Israel, all those united to Him by faith are
also incorporated into the Israel of God (Gal. 6:16). He is the true vine, the
classic Old Testament image for Israel, and we are His branches (John 15).
Because Christ is the living cornerstone of God’s house, those who are joined
to Him become living stones in that house (1 Peter 2:4–5) and can be described
by the same terminology that described Israel in the Old Testament: in Christ,
we are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9–10).
如此，成为这个新的约的以色列，其要件不是亚伯拉罕肉身的后裔，而是分享亚伯拉罕的悔改与信心的人（路三8）。这群新的上帝的百姓，同时包括了犹太人和外邦人（加三28），都要被嫁接到新的橄榄树——基督/以色列身上（罗十一17-24）。这不是说上帝已经忘了祂对亚伯拉罕肉身的后裔的应许（罗十一1）。断乎不是！但不是所有从以色列生的，都是这个新以色列的一部分（罗九6）。当福音传到耶路撒冷和犹大（南国），撒马利亚（北国），和地极时，先知书里所应许的以色列的恢复，就完成了，而这个被恢复的以色列，最终也会把上帝的光带给外邦人（徒一8）。
Being
part of this new covenant Israel is, thus, not a matter of physical descent
from Abraham, but rather sharing Abraham’s repentance and faith (Luke 3:8). The
new people of God includes Jews and Gentiles together (Gal 3:28), as both are
grafted into the new olive tree, Christ/ Israel (Rom. 11:17–24). That does not
mean that God has forgotten His promises to those physically descended from
Abraham (Rom. 11:1). Certainly not. But not everyone who is descended
physically from Israel is part of the new Israel (Rom. 9:6). The restoration of
Israel promised in the prophets is accomplished as the gospel is preached to
Jerusalem and Judea (the southern kingdom), Samaria (the northern kingdom), and
to the ends of the earth, thereby finally bringing God’s light to the Gentiles
(Acts 1:8).
在启示录里，约翰听见上帝的百姓被形容为是由以色列十二个支派所组成的、一个有十四万四千人的群体（启七4-8）。不过，当他再次观看，他发现到这同一个有无数人群的群体是从各族、各民而来的（启七9-12）。上主的新妇（旧约给以色列的图像），就是教会，如今不会再被她的罪所玷污，而是装饰整齐，等候丈夫（启廿一2）。到那日，上帝给以色列原始的目的和计划——祂要拥有一群合一的、圣洁的、属祂的百姓——最后会在基督与祂的教会的婚礼中得着应验。
In
the book of Revelation, John heard God’s people described as a group of 144,000
made up of the twelve tribes of Israel (Rev. 7:4–8). Yet when he looked again,
he discovered that the same group was an innumerable crowd from every tribe and
nation (Rev. 7:9–12). The Lord’s bride, the image used in the Old Testament for
Israel, is the church and will one day be defiled by her sin no longer but
beautifully adorned for her husband (Rev. 21:2). In that day, God’s original
purpose and plan for Israel—to have a united, holy people belonging to
Himself—will finally be fulfilled in the marriage of Christ and His church.
