旧约的鸟瞰
我们对于圣经中所揭示神的建造，需要有一个鸟瞰。圣经是一本包含成千项目的大书。我们若没有一个鸟瞰，就很容易迷失。我们需要看见圣经中主要的点。神在亚当族类身上作工之后，藉着呼召亚伯拉罕作另一族类－蒙召族类－的父，而有新的起头。神不再在受造族类身上，只在蒙召族类身上作工。亚伯拉罕之后，接著有以撒和雅各。我们若没有一个鸟瞰，就不会懂得神呼召亚伯拉罕的目的，也不懂得祂在以撒和抓夺者雅各身上的目的。雅各逃离他哥哥以扫的时候，作了一个梦。（创二八10-22。）梦醒以后，他说了几句话，那是奇妙的豫言。雅各称那地方为伯特利，甚至将他所枕的石头立作柱子。因此，伯特利不仅是一个地方，也是一根浇了油的柱子。这是圣经中最大的豫言，因为这管治了整本圣经。
雅各说了这豫言之后，就许愿说，“神若与我同在，在我所行的路上保佑我，又给我食物吃，衣服穿，使我平平安安的回到我父亲的家，我就必以耶和华为我的神，我所立为柱子的石头，也必作神的家（殿）。”（创二八20-22。）神是信实的，将他平平安安的带回来。但雅各并没有履行他所许的愿，反而在两个地方定居下来：先在疏割，后在示剑。最终，起了一场风波，雅各失去了安全与平安。就在那个关头，神进来对雅各说，“起来，上伯特利去住在那里。”（创三五1。）雅各在一生中并没有真正的伯特利，他从未见过神的家。直到摩西领以色列人出了埃及，立了帐幕，伯特利才实现在以色列人中间。后来，大卫所豫备，所罗门所建造的圣殿顶替了帐幕，那时伯特利才建立在地上。
但在建造帐幕以前，就有了以色列家，几乎等于神的家，因为在“以色列”这名里，神的名出现了。“以色列”这名的最后两个字母－el－是希伯来文的神字。当以色列繁增为以色列家的时候，含示这家就是神的家。因此，以色列家就是神的家。惟一的不同是以色列家不像帐幕或圣殿那样定形。但只要雅各家成了以色列家，它在神眼中就等于神的家。最终，在以色列家中有了帐幕，接著有了圣殿，二者都是象征以色列家是神的居所。这是伯特利的历史。后来圣殿被巴比伦军队毁坏，以色列人被掳七十年；然后一道重建圣殿的命令颁布下来。（拉一1-3。）因此，旧约从始至终，只有几件主要的事物：雅各、他的家、帐幕、圣殿以及圣殿的重建。这是旧约的鸟瞰。
信息重点：雅各虽然得着神的应许，却曾停留在疏割和示剑；直到神呼召他说：“起来，上伯特利去住在那里。”
应用祷告：主啊，若我停留在你以外的事物中，求你再次呼召我，使我回到伯特利，就是你的家。
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A Bird’s-Eye View of God’s Building in the Bible (4) — Gen. 28:16-19
A Bird’s-Eye View of the Old Testament
Concerning God’s building as revealed in the Bible, we need a bird’s-eye view. The Bible is a large book containing thousands of items. Without a bird’s-eye view, we can easily get lost. We need to see the main points in the Bible. After God worked on the Adamic race, He made a new beginning by calling Abraham to be the father of another race — the called race. God no longer works on the created race; He works only on the called race. After Abraham came Isaac and Jacob. Without a bird’s-eye view, we will not understand the purpose of God’s calling of Abraham, nor His purpose in Isaac and the supplanter Jacob. When Jacob fled from his brother Esau, he had a dream (Gen. 28:10-22). After waking from the dream, he spoke words that were a wonderful prophecy. Jacob named that place Bethel and even set up the stone he had used as a pillow as a pillar. Therefore, Bethel is not merely a place but also an anointed pillar. This is the greatest prophecy in the Bible, for it governs the entire Scripture.
After Jacob uttered this prophecy, he made a vow: “If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the Lord will be my God. This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house” (Gen. 28:20-22). God was faithful and brought him back safely. But Jacob did not fulfill his vow; instead, he settled in two places — first at Succoth, then at Shechem. Finally, trouble arose and Jacob lost his security and peace. At that crucial moment, God came and said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and live there” (Gen. 35:1). Throughout his life, Jacob never had a real Bethel; he never truly saw God’s house. It was not until Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt and erected the tabernacle that Bethel was realized among the Israelites. Later, the temple prepared by David and built by Solomon replaced the tabernacle, and Bethel was then established on earth.
But before the tabernacle was built, there was already the house of Israel, which was nearly equivalent to God’s house, because the name of God appeared within the name “Israel”. The last two letters of “Israel” — el — are the Hebrew word for God. When Israel multiplied into the house of Israel, this implied that the house was God’s house. Therefore, the house of Israel was God’s house. The only difference was that the house of Israel was not as defined in form as the tabernacle or the temple. But once Jacob’s family became the house of Israel, in God’s eyes it was equivalent to God’s house. Eventually, within the house of Israel came the tabernacle and then the temple, both symbolizing that the house of Israel was God’s dwelling place. This is the history of Bethel. Later, the temple was destroyed by the Babylonian army, and the Israelites were taken captive for seventy years; then a decree was issued to rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:1-3). Therefore, from beginning to end, the Old Testament contains only a few major things: Jacob, his family, the tabernacle, the temple, and the rebuilding of the temple. This is the bird’s-eye view of the Old Testament.
Message Focus: Although Jacob received God’s promise, he lingered at Succoth and Shechem. It was not until God called him again, saying, “Arise, go up to Bethel and live there,” that he returned.
Prayer: Lord, if I linger in things apart from You, please call me back again, that I may return to Bethel—Your house.