God rescues us because He loves us; then He equips us to share His love with others.

上帝拯救我们，因为祂爱我们；祂也装备我们与人分享祂的爱。

I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you. Zechariah 3:4 

我使你脱离罪孽，要给你穿上华美的衣服。-撒迦利亚书3章4节

Scooping up the smallest children, a frantic maid raced out of the flaming house. As she ran, she called loudly to five-year-old Jacky.

焦急的女佣抱着最小的孩子，从着火的房子冲了出来。她一边跑，一边大声呼唤五岁的杰克跟着。

But Jacky didn’t follow. Outside, a bystander reacted quickly, standing on the shoulders of a friend. Reaching into the upstairs window, he pulled Jacky to safety—just before the roof caved in. Little Jacky, said his mother Susanna, was “a brand [stick] plucked from the burning.” You might know that “brand” as the great traveling minister John Wesley (1703–1791).

但杰克没有跟上来。屋外一个围观者赶紧站在朋友的肩上，在屋顶倒塌前的瞬间，从楼上的窗户将杰克救出来。过后，杰克的母亲苏珊娜说他就像“从火中抽出的一根柴”。“这根柴”就是伟大的布道家约翰．卫斯理（1703-1791年）。

Susanna Wesley was quoting Zechariah, a prophet who provides valuable insight into God’s character. Relating a vision he had, the prophet takes us into a courtroom scene where Satan is standing next to Joshua the high priest (3:1). Satan accuses Joshua, but the Lord rebukes the devil and says, “Is this not a brand [burning stick] plucked from the fire?” (v. 2 nkjv). The Lord tells Joshua, “I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you” (v. 4).

苏珊娜．卫斯理其实引述了先知撒迦利亚所说的话，这位先知让我们看见了上帝的属性。在撒迦利亚所见的异象中，有一个法庭的场景，撒但就站在大祭司约书亚的旁边，控告约书亚（3章1节）。但上帝反驳撒但，说：“这不是从火中抽出来的一根柴吗？”（2节）上帝也告诉约书亚：“我使你脱离罪孽，要给你穿上华美的衣服。”（4节）

Then the Lord gave Joshua this challenge—and an opportunity: “If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house” (v. 7).

随后上帝给约书亚一个挑战，也可说是个机会：“你若遵行我的道，谨守我的命令，你就可以管理我的家。”（7节）

What a picture of the gift we receive from God through our faith in Jesus! He snatches us from the fire, cleans us up, and works in us as we follow His Spirit’s leading. You might call us God’s brands plucked from the fire.

这是多么美好的一幅景象，藉着信靠耶稣，你我就能领受上帝所赐的恩典！祂把我们从火中抽出来，洁净我们，并且当我们顺从圣灵的引导时，祂就在我们里面动工。你可以说，我们是上帝的柴，都是从火中被抽出来的。

Father, we give You our thanks for rescuing us and making us right with You. We humbly ask for Your Spirit’s guidance as we serve You today.

天父，我们感谢祢，因祢拯救我们，并使我们能与祢和好。今日我们事奉祢时，愿意谦卑地恳求祢的圣灵来指引我们。

Zechariah 3:1-7    NIV

3 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. 2 The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” 3 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. 4 The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.” 5 Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood by. 6 The angel of the Lord gave this charge to Joshua: 7 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.

撒迦利亚书 3:1-7

3 天使又指给我看，大祭司约书亚站在耶和华的使者面前，撒旦也站在约书亚的右边，与他作对。 2 耶和华向撒旦说：“撒旦哪，耶和华责备你，就是拣选耶路撒冷的耶和华责备你！这不是从火中抽出来的一根柴吗？” 3 约书亚穿着污秽的衣服，站在使者面前。 4 使者吩咐站在面前的说：“你们要脱去他污秽的衣服。”又对约书亚说：“我使你脱离罪孽，要给你穿上华美的衣服。” 5 我说：“要将洁净的冠冕戴在他头上。”他们就把洁净的冠冕戴在他头上，给他穿上华美的衣服。耶和华的使者在旁边站立。6 耶和华的使者告诫约书亚说： 7 “万军之耶和华如此说：你若遵行我的道，谨守我的命令，你就可以管理我的家，看守我的院宇。我也要使你在这些站立的人中间来往。

INSIGHT

灵粮透视

At the end of their Babylonian exile (Jeremiah 29:10), the Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple (2 Chronicles 36:22–23). Only 50,000 returned (Ezra 2:64–65), led by Zerubbabel their governor and Joshua their high priest (Haggai 1:1). Because of opposition (Ezra 4:1–5) and economic hardships, coupled with low morale and spiritual lethargy (Haggai 1:2–11), the temple rebuilding stalled for twenty years (Ezra 4:24). God raised two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, to encourage the returnees to repent and complete the temple rebuilding (6:14–16). Zechariah was both a prophet (Ezra 5:1; Zechariah 1:1) and a priest (Nehemiah 12:16). Through eight visions, Zechariah reminded the Jews that God is faithful and would restore and bless the nation (Zechariah 1:7–6:15). This fourth vision (3:1–10) pictures a court scene involving Joshua, the high priest, signifying God would remove their guilt, cleanse them, and make them ready to serve Him (vv. 1–5).

犹太人被掳到巴比伦七十年之后（耶利米书29章10节），得到允许可以返回耶路撒冷，重建他们的圣殿（历代志下36章22-23节）。当时他们的省长所罗巴伯和大祭司约书亚（哈该书1章1节），率领了大约5万人返回耶路撒冷（以斯拉记2章64-65节）。由于遭遇仇敌的拦阻（以斯拉记4章1-5节）、经济的困难，再加上士气低落和灵性低沉（哈该书1章2-11节），圣殿重建的工作停滞了二十年之久（以斯拉记4章24节）。后来，上帝兴起了哈该和撒迦利亚这两位先知，鼓励返回的民众悔改，并完成重建圣殿的工作（6章14-16节）。撒迦利亚既是先知（以斯拉记5章1节；撒迦利亚书1章1节），也是祭司（尼希米记12章16节）。撒迦利亚藉着八个异象来提醒犹太人，上帝是信实的，祂将复兴并赐福以色列民（撒迦利亚书1章7节-6章15节）。其中的第四个异象（3章1-10节）描绘了一个法庭的场景，大祭司约书亚在上帝的使者面前被洁净，预示上帝会除去以色列民的罪，洁净他们，使他们可以来服事上帝（1-5节）。

整理：于姊妹