#24──太陽的升起和落下──Rising and Setting of the Sun
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第三部分:創造的體系
第二十四章 太陽的升起和落下
「從日出之地、到日落之處、耶和華的名是應當讚美的。」341 縱觀人類整個歷史,人們觀察到太陽早上升起、晚上落下,以色列的曆法也以太陽來測量,因為耶和華是這麼設置的:在創世記1:5「神稱光為『晝』、稱暗為『夜』.有晚上、有早晨、這是頭一日。」342──在整段經文裡,祂都按這模式而行──太陽落下,新的一天開始了;那日從日出起,直到一天的結束,上帝的名字是應當讚美的,哈利路亞!343
太陽從東方升起、西方下落──你永遠無法把這兩個方向給連接起來,這是不可能的──「東離西有多遠、他叫我們的過犯、離我們也有多遠。」344 聖經堅定地宣稱,太陽在我們眼前從東邊升起,又從西邊消失(落下)。民數記清楚地闡明,太陽是從東邊升起:「在東邊向日出之地、照著軍隊安營的是猶大營的纛.有亞米拿達的兒子拿順、作猶大人的首領。」345 以及「… 在耶和華的殿門口、廊子和祭壇中間、約有二十五個人、背向耶和華的殿、面向東方、拜日頭。」 346
日從西方下落,在自然界中也是可以辨別的,而且在聖言中也可以找到:「你們要準備攻擊他、起來罷、我們可以趁午時上去。哀哉、日已漸斜、晚影拖長了。」347 又說:「又轉向西到亞斯納他泊、從那裡通到戶割、南邊到西布倫、西邊到亞設、又向日出之地、達到約但河那裡的猶大.」348 以及:「 如此、人從日落之處、必敬畏耶和華的名.從日出之地、也必敬畏他的榮耀.因為仇敵好像急流的河水沖來、是耶和華之氣所驅逐的。」 349
所以,正如耶和華所吩咐的那樣,東方和西方掌握著太陽的方向──它升起、橫穿、落下──「從日出之地到日落之處、使人都知道除了我以外、沒有別神、我是耶和華、在我以外並沒有別神。」350 根據聖經,太陽從未偏離過它的模式、未「轉變」過它的路徑,也未違背過它最初原有的計劃。它以順服開始,如今順服,也將以順服終結。正如詩篇19:6中所說:「它從天這邊出來、繞到天那邊.沒有一物被隱藏不得它的熱氣。」或更確切地說,按JPS Tanakh 1917 翻譯本的說法:「它從天的盡頭出發,一直繞到天那邊的盡頭;沒有什麼能躲避它的熱度」──太陽在繞,從不停止。
從聖經宇宙學的上下文,整個背景是非常有趣的,我們不能跳過這一節之前的兩節經文。同樣是來自詩篇19:4-6:
「它的量帶通遍天下、
它的言語傳到地極。
神在其間為太陽安設帳幕.
太陽如同新郎出洞房、
又如勇士歡然奔路。
它從天這邊出來、
繞到天那邊.
沒有一物被隱藏不得它的熱氣。」
在這些經文中,太陽被說成是以其熱氣去到世界的邊端──它有自己的住所、它歡喜發光、它在天上(繞圈)行走──根據這些經文,太陽不可能往任何的方向去,只能永遠地從東到西直到末時,直到耶和華 (YHVH) 改換所有的創造成了新天新地之後,太陽就不再有了。 351
有關太陽的事,可以講很多,而在這些記錄裡面,你會明白我對太陽這主題所燃起的渴望:古老太陽 (Old Shemesh) 和我的愛情關係持續了一生。我希望在離開本章之前分享最後一點信息,儘管它已經被討論過──就是太陽往後退以及靜止不動(如果你留意經文上的話,它們會成了你的祝福)──太陽從不由東到西行走的例子只有這兩個,這也是歷史上有史以來最偉大的兩個奇蹟,無人能明白或解釋這事,只能說這是上帝的手,為要顯明給人看,且是為祂子民的需要而成就的事。
按照時間的順序,第一個是當約書亞大聲呼求主,求祂幫助他脫離敵人的手時,太陽就為他靜止不動──關於「約書亞的長日」(“Joshua’s Long Day”) 已經討論多時了,將來還會有更多的討論,但要知道,許多人錯過了一些令人難以置信的事實。
註
341 詩篇113:3
342 和合本
343 利未記22:6-7,23:5-6,32;尼希米記13:19;路加福音23:54;馬可福音16:1-2;以及約翰福音20:1
344 詩篇103:12
345 民數記2:3
346 以西結書8:16 下
347 耶利米書 6:4
348 約書亞記 19:34
349 以賽亞書59:19
350 以賽亞書 45:6
351 以賽亞書13:10,約伯記9:7,約伯記3:9,約珥書2:10,阿摩司書8:9,傳道書12:2,以西結書32:7,約珥書3:15,馬太福音24:29,馬可福音13:24,約珥書2:31,使徒行傳2:20,啟示錄6:12,路加福音23:45,以西結書32:8,路加福音21:25
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Part Three : The System of Creation
Chapter 24: Rising and Setting of the Sun
“From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!”1 All through human history, men have observed the Sun coming up in the morning and going down in the evening. The Israelite calendar was measured by the Sun because YHVH set it up that way. Explore Genesis 1:5 “God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.”2 He did this as a pattern all through scripture.3 The Sun sets, and the new day begins. From the rising of the Sun on that day, until the end of that day, the name of God shall be praised. Hallelujah!
The Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. You can never connect the two directions, it is impossible. “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”4 The Bible firmly declares that the sun moves up into our view from the east and goes away (down) in the west. Numbers clearly states that the sun rises in the east. “The encampment of Judah is to settle east toward the sunrise under their standard. The leader of Judah is to be Amminadab’s son Nahshon.”5 And “…between the portico and the altar, with their backs to the LORD’s temple and their faces turned to the east. They were bowing to the east in worship of the sun.”6
The western sunset, also, is discernible in nature, and it is also found in the Holy Word. “Prepare war against her; Arise, and let us attack at noon. Woe to us, for the day declines, For the shadows of the evening lengthen!”7 Also, “And then the coast turneth westward to Aznothtabor, and goeth out from thence to Hukkok, and reacheth to Zebulun on the south side, and reacheth to Asher on the west side, and to Judah upon Jordan toward the sun-rising.”8 As well as: “They will fear the name of Yahweh in the west and His glory in the east; for He will come like a rushing stream driven by the wind of the LORD.”9
So, the East and West hold the direction of the Sun. It comes up, moves across, and goes down, just as YHVH commanded. “That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other,”10 According to scripture, there has never been a time where the sun moved away from its pattern. Never has there been a “shift” in its path nor has it ever disobeyed its original plan. It started in obedience, is obedient now, and will end in obedience. As the Good News Translation puts it in Psalm 19:6 “It starts at one end of the sky and goes across to the other. Nothing can hide from its heat.” Or more exactly, from the JPS Tanakh 1917: “His going forth is from the end of the heaven, And his circuit unto the ends of it; And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.” The sun makes the circuit, without fail.
The entire context is so interesting, in the context of Biblical Cosmology, that we cannot skip over the two verses preceding this one. Again, from the JPS Tanakh 1917, Psalm 19:5-7:
“Their line is gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
In them hath He set a tent for the sun,
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoiceth as a strong man to run his course.
His going forth is from the end of the heaven,
And his circuit unto the ends of it;
And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.”
In these verses, the sun is said to reach the end of the borders of the world with its heat, it has its own dwelling, it rejoices to shine, and it moves around (in a circle) in the heaven. According to these verses, there is no way that the Sun can go any direction other than east to west in perpetuity, until the end of time, where YHVH will change all of creation to a new heaven and a new earth and the sun will be no more.11
Much can be said about the sun, and inside these pages you will come to understand the burning desire that I have for the subject of the sun. Old Shemesh and I have a love relationship that has lasted my whole life. I hope to share one last bit of information before I leave this chapter, though it has already been covered. It is the movement of the sun going backwards as well as the sun standing still. If you pay attention to the words of the scriptures, they can be a blessing to you. There are only two instances of the sun not going from east to west and these are two of the greatest miracles ever recorded in history. No man can understand them nor can they explain them except that they are God’s hand shown evident to man, to accomplish a thing for His people, in their time of need.
The first (chronologically) is that of the sun standing still for Joshua, when he cried aloud to the Lord for help to deliver him out of the hand of the enemy. Much has been discussed about “Joshua’s Long Day” and much will be discussed in the future, but let it be known that many people miss some incredible facts about it.
Footnotes
1 Psalm 113:3, ESV
2 NLT
3 Leviticus 22:6-7, 23:5-6,32; Nehemiah 13:19; Luke 23:54; Mark
16:1-2; and John 20:1
4 Psalm 103:12 ESV
5 Numbers 2:3 ISV
6 Ezekiel 8:16b CSB
7 Jeremiah 6:4 ESV
8 Joshua 19:34 KJV
9 Isaiah 59:19 HCSB
10 Isaiah 45:6 NASB
11 Isaiah 13:10, Job 9:7, Job 3:9, Joel 2:10, Amos 8:9, Ecclesiastes 12:2, Ezekiel 32:7, Joel 3:15, Matthew 24:29, Mark 13:24, Joel 2:31, Acts 2:20, Revelation 6:12, Luke 23:45, Ezekiel 32:8, Luke 21:25
──Biblical Cosmology by Pauly Hart
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Buy the book online: Biblical Cosmology Paperback
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