耶和华军队的元帅

【书五13-14】约书亚靠近耶利哥的时候，举目观看，不料，有一个人手里有拔出来的刀，对面站立。约书亚到祂那里，问祂说：『祢是帮助我们呢？是帮助我们敌人呢？ 』祂回答说：『不是的，我来是要作耶和华军队的元帅。 』约书亚就俯伏在地下拜，说：『我主有什么话吩咐仆人。 』耶和华军队的元帅对约书亚说：『把你脚上的鞋脱下来，因为你所站的地方是圣的。 』约书亚就照着行了。 约书亚是以色列卓越的将领。正月初十日，以色列人过了约但河，在吉甲安营，给所有的男丁行了割礼；十四日晚上，在耶利哥的平原守了逾越节（书五：2-12）。欢庆的节日过后，早晨起来，约书亚靠近城门紧闭的耶利哥城，去观察那里的地理形势，筹画怎样进攻。他不知沉思了多久，抬起头来的时候，“不料，有一个人，手里有拔出来的刀，对面站立。”在这样的情况下，忽然出现了这么一个人，自然谁都会很为紧张。但约书亚并没有卤莽的动手；他推想，这人非敌即友，而且希望他可以作朋友，所以走上前去问说：“你是帮助我们呢？是帮助我们敌人呢？” 回答说：“不是的，我来，是要作耶和华军队的元帅。”约书亚就俯伏在地下拜说：“我主有什么话吩咐仆人？”耶和华军队的元帅对约书亚说：“把你脚上的鞋脱下来，因为你所站的地方是圣的。”约书亚就照着行了。（书五：13-15） 这里记载的语句，和摩西在何烈山荆棘火的经验相同，而神的要求也是一样：“把你脚上的鞋脱下来，因为你所站之地是圣地。”（出三：5）“圣地”不是个特定的地理名词，而是神所在的地方。蒙召作神的工作，是圣的工作，必须有神的同在；有神同在所到就是圣地，神总是先让蒙召的人认识祂同在的圣洁，然后才差遣我们（赛六1-8；结一27-28；路一28；太十七1-5）。 根据圣经和合本、圣经综合解读编辑整理

Crossing the Jordan River

The story of Moses leading the Israelites across the Red Sea on dry ground has long been ridiculed by skeptical scholars and experts. With the construction of the Suez Canal, the entire Red Sea and its marshlands have been completely altered, making it difficult to visualize the scene of the crossing from Exodus Chapter 14. […]

The Cups of the Passover Seder

The Bible records that the twelve tribes of Israel lived in Egypt for 430 years and were enslaved. Their cries of distress reached God, and through Moses, God sent nine plagues, but Pharaoh still refused to let the Israelites go. Finally, the day came when Moses instructed the people to prepare to leave Egypt. Before […]

Washing the Disciples’ Feet

John 13 records that before the final Passover Jesus spent on Earth, He knew that His time had come to leave this world and return to the Father. Knowing that the Father had put everything under His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God, Jesus got up from the […]

The Book of Joshua: Background and Introduction

The first five books of the Old Testament are the Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Book of Joshua is the sixth. The Hebrew name for the book is “ספר יהושע,” and its English name, “Joshua,” comes from the Greek name “Jesus Ἰησοῦς” in the Septuagint. This book records the history of Moses’ […]

Classification of the Prophetic Books in the Hebrew Bible

The Prophets (Hebrew: נְבִיאִים, Nəḇî’îm) are the second of the three main divisions of the Hebrew Bible, positioned between the Law and the Writings. (The first division is the Torah, or the Pentateuch; the third is the Ketuvim, or “Writings.”) Prophets were special figures in Israelite history, chosen by God to deliver His messages. In […]

In the Name of Jesus

Christians often conclude their prayers by saying, “In the name of Jesus, Amen.” Jesus told His disciples, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” Some mistakenly believe that simply adding “in […]

The Seven “I Am” Sayings of Jesus

1）”I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. I am the bread of life. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give […]

The Parable of the Talents

Matthew 25:15 – “To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went away.” The original Greek word translated as “ability” or “talent” in this verse refers to a person’s capacity to do a task. However, the parable isn’t about people’s natural abilities […]

The Parable of the Wicked

The Synoptic Gospels all record Jesus’ parable of the vineyard tenants. A landowner built a vineyard and leased it to some tenants. When it was time for the harvest, he sent his servants to collect the fruit. However, the tenants mistreated, beat, and even killed many of the servants the landowner sent. Finally, they killed […]