基立心山,以巴路山,示劍

約書亞對所有的人做了一件事，是摩西特別交代約書亞，當他們進入迦南地以後，第一件該做的事。 在申命記27、28章把這件事的細節講得很清楚，摩西要約書亞用非常慎重的方式，把上帝的祝福和咒詛向百姓說出來。 這是一個很重要的時間點，如同剛開始上學的孩子，他們要學的第一個事情就是守規矩，除非守規矩，否則不能在教室中學習到各種的知識。 按照摩西所交待的，約書亞宣讀律法以前，在以巴路山上逐一座壇獻祭，這座壇在把1983年的時候，被一位以色列考古學家發現了，就如同聖經所描述的，這是一個使用沒有經過加工的石頭造出來的祭壇。 約書亞在這座壇上獻了燔祭和平安祭，在舊約律法中有關獻祭的規定，這兩種祭跟人犯罪後所獻的祭無關，燔祭用來表達對上帝的尊崇，平安祭是人彼此分享恩典的祭。以色列人沒有帶著任何罪咎向神獻祭，他們在一個新開始的起點。 約書亞把12個支派的以色列人分成兩邊，每邊各有六個支派的百姓， 6個支派的人靠著基立心山站著，另外6個支派的人靠以巴路山站，兩邊的人面對面，約書亞和祭司在中間， 祭司一半對著基立心山，一半對著以巴路山。這兩座山的距離很近，山頂之間的直線距離大約只有三公里， 山腳最近的距離不到五百公尺，但這兩座山完全不一樣。 基立心山上長滿了茂密的樹木，以巴路山是不毛之地，整座山像一塊大岩石，兩座山在視覺上給人帶來很強烈的對比。 以色列人在兩山之間，他們看到了樣子完全不同的兩座山，他們聽到的內容也是兩種完全不同的宣告，一種宣告是上帝會在哪些情況下咒詛人，另一種宣的內容是上帝要如何祝福人。當他們聽到上帝的咒詛時，同時看著光禿禿的以巴路山，給他們很強烈的提醒，為被上帝心意後，將會一無所有，但聽到上帝祝福內容的同時，他們也看到長滿青翠樹木的基立心山，使他們嚮往擁有豐盛的生命，這種生命必須遵守上帝的律法才能夠得到。 舊約律法的目的可以用一句話來表達，「遵守就必蒙祝福，違背就必受咒詛」，這是上帝在舊約時代所定的屬靈定律，這一個定律在新約時代並沒有改變，甚至我們可以說，這不單單是給基督徒的屬靈定律，同時也是給所有人的屬靈定律。 ---------------- Mount Ebal以巴路山3084 feet (940 meters)194 feet (59 meters) higher than Mount Gerizim. 基利心山(Mount Gerizim) 2849 feet (881 m)。 雖然基利心山約莫比以巴路山低60米（200英尺），但在山頂仍能將四周景色盡收眼底: 向北能看到黑門山白雪皚皚的峰頂，向東能看到約旦河肥沃的河谷，向南能看到以法蓮境內的山脈，向西能看到沙崙平原和蔚藍的地中海。 那布魯斯城（Nablus）的兩座山之中，較為靠南面的一座基利心山。 那布魯斯位於示劍西北4公里，距撒瑪利亞城東南約16公里，海拔880餘米，與北方的以巴路山遙遙相對。 地名原意：「荒地Waste land」、「多岩石Rocky」、「割下者The cutters off」，亞拉伯話稱這座山為「托爾山」（Jebel et]-Tor）。 舊約記載，摩西將耶和華神的話吩咐以色列百姓，要將祝福的話陳明在基利心山上（申11:29-30）。 在這山上，以色列人曾經舉行過嚴肅會，以色列民眾站在約櫃兩旁， 西緬、利未、猶大、以薩迦、約瑟、便雅憫六個支派面對基利心山為百姓祝福， 流便、迦得、亞設、西布倫、但、拿弗他利六個支派則面對以巴路山宣佈詛咒(申27:11-13)。 約書亞並在會中宣稱福氣要臨到順服神的人（書8:30-35）。所以，基利心山曾經被稱為「祝福的山」。 半山上有一塊突出的岩石，通常被稱為「約坦的講壇」。士師時期，基甸的兒子約坦曾經在這裏向示劍人演說（士9:7）。 山頂有一屬第五世紀的基督教堂的遺蹟。更早期的時候，這裏有一座猶皮得（Jupiter）的神廟。 從那布魯斯城發掘出來的古錢幣，我們可以曉得這座廟前築有一道樓梯，共有300級。 據撒瑪利亞人的傳統，基利心山就是摩利亞山（創22:2），它就是神揀選為立祂名的地方（申12:5）。 因此，撒瑪利亞人在波斯王的批准下，於主前四世紀在基利心山建造了撒瑪利亞人的聖殿。 在約主前128年，當約翰許爾堪（John Hyrcanus）攻佔示劍及鄰近一帶的時候，就將這殿拆毀。 即使如此，撒瑪利亞人依然視基利心山為「聖山」，因為他們世世代代「在這山上敬拜」（約4:20），登山守逾越節、五旬節和住棚節。 ------------------ Blessings for Obedience: Deuteronomy 28.1-14 As stated above, obedience to the Lord is rewarded by blessings, and the Lord will set the Israelites "high above all the nations of the earth." "Blessed shall be" blessings (Deut. 28.3-6) Four specific blessings are offered in exchange for obedience (Deut. 28.3-6): "Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field" [a blessing that suggests the Israelites will be blessed everywhere] "Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your livestock, both the increase of your cattle and the issue of your flock" [a blessing of prosperity, and "nature's" bounty] "Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl" [a blessing of material goods] "Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out" [a temporal blessing that likewise suggests ubiquitous coverage] "The Lord will" blessings (Deut. 28.7-14) These blessings are succeeded by a second, more general section of blessings. These terms are not written in the same blessing formula. Here the formula is "The Lord will..." The terms of the contract are now related in a different way. The repetitions and different style indicates that these blessings may come from a different source than the ones that precede them. Israel's enemies will be defeated by the Lord: "They shall come out against you one way, and flee before you seven ways." Barns and manual tasks, are blessed. The people will be blessed. The Lord will establish the Israelites as his "holy" separate people, but only if they obey him. All the people of the earth, seeing Israel's relationship with the Lord, will fear the people. A second blessing of prosperity is bestowed on the fruits of womb, livestock, ground. A metaphor: "The Lord will open for you his rich storehouse, the heavens, to give the rain of your land in its season and to bless all your undertakings. You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow." Israel will be the head, not the tail; the top, not the bottom. All this will come only if the Israelites obey the commandments of the Lord their God. Warnings Against Disobedience Deuteronomy 28.15-29.1 If Israel does not heed God, it will be cursed. "Cursed shall be" curses (Deut. 28.15-19) The first set of curses (Deut. 28.16-19) is written in a negative form of the first set of blessings (Deut. 28.3-6) [e.g. Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field]. The point-counterpoint style indicates that these two are very highly probably part of some tradition that includes parallel blessings and curses. The matching of blessing and curse offers an aesthetic symmetry to the Lord's commands - and keeps them easy to remember. "The Lord will" curses (Deut. 28.20-28) The next section of curses serves as a negative rewriting of the second section of blessings above. As with that section, these terms are parallel in form, all beginning with the same formula: "The Lord will." Though some passages are scattered throughout, this section is not a term-by-term parallel with the blessing section. The Lord will send disaster, panic, and frustration on everything the Israelites try to do, until they are destroyed. They will be afflicted by pestilence, illness, mildew. "The sky over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you iron" - suggesting the Lord's wrath is hard, impenetrable, impersonal, militant. Rain will turn to dust. The Israelites will be defeated, and the Israelites will be an object of horror, their corpses food for birds and animals, with no one to frighten them away. The Lord will actively afflict the Israelites with physical and mental illness. Curses of helplessness (Deut. 28.29-34) Next comes a section of curses that do not employ the formula "the Lord will." All are concerned with a feeling of utter helplessness that will result if the Israelites do not obey the Lord. The Israelites will grope about, unable to find their way. They will be abused and robbed, without anyone to help. They shall be married, but their wife will be raped; build a house, but not live in it; plant a vineyard, but not enjoy its fruit. Their ox will be butchered and they will not receive food, their donkey stolen and not returned, their sheep given to their enemies. Their sons and daughters will be taken. Foreign people will eat the fruit of their labors. More "The Lord will" curses (Deut. 28.35-37) This is just more of the same. More curses of helplessness (Deut. 28.38-46) This is also more of the same. The Lord retaliates (Deut. 28.47-52) This section demonstrates the retaliation of the Lord on Israel, and the reversal of Israel's fortune. The Israelites will serve their enemies with an iron yoke [metaphorical] the Lord puts on them. The Lord will sponsor another, completely different nation to destroy the Israelites, one that speaks a different language, does not respect the old or favor the young. And then things will become desperate and the people will begin to starve. Desperate straits (Deut. 28.53-57) The situation gets so bad in the siege of this foreign people that "you will eat the fruit of your womb, the sons and daughters whom the Lord your God has given you" (Deut. 28.53). This phrasing makes a grotesque image even more revolting. Not only will the Israelites eat their children, they will eat their children that the Lord has given them. They have fallen so far from the Lord that they take away the most physical representation of what the Lord has granted them. The biblical author goes into greater detail. Even the most refined man will begrudge the flesh of his son to his closest brother. Even the woman will begrudge even the afterbirth of her newborn children to her husband and son and daughter. The Israelites will be reduced to eating placentas - and will be in such desperate straits that they will not share it. And then... (Deut. 28.58-29.1) The Lord will reverse the fortunes of the Israelites. The diseases of Egypt will return. The promise of progeny will be reversed. Just as the Lord took delight in helping the people prosper, he will take delight in taking that prosperity away. The people will be scattered and serve other gods. Their eyes trembling, eyes failing, spirit languishing, they will never rest. In the morning they will wish it was evening. In the evening they will wish it was morning. Finally, "The Lord will bring you back in ships to Egypt, by a route that I promised you would never see again; and there you shall offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer" (Deut. 28.68). The reversal of fortune is not only complete, but the situation is made even more dire. The Israelites will again be slaves, but this time they will be slaves that no one even wants. As for the "ships" part of the curse, the reference is vague, and might or might not point to a (probably pretty epic) tradition in which the Israelites escaped Egypt by ship. ("Hey Dan Brown, I have a new book for you.") In any case, these are the words of the covenant, an additional covenant besides the one the Lord made with Israel at Horeb. Sounds like a good thing to obey.