349、“供物”表示敬拜。这从犹太教会的代表清楚可知，其中各样祭物，以及地里初熟的果子及其一切出产，并头生的祭物，都被称为构成他们敬拜的“供物”。由于它们都代表天上的事物，都与主有关，所以这些供物表示真正的敬拜，谁都能明显看出这一点。一个代表若没有它所代表的事物，算什么呢？一个没有内在的外在宗教不就是一种偶像和死物吗？外在事物从内在事物，也就是通过内在事物从主获得生命。由此清楚可知，代表性教会的一切供物都表示对主的敬拜。对此，蒙主的神性怜悯，我们将在下文予以详述。
“供物”一般表示敬拜，这从先知书的各个地方明显看出来，如玛拉基书：
祂来的日子，谁受得了呢？祂必坐着，像熬炼和洁净银子的人，必洁净利未人，炼净他们像金银一样，他们就会凭公义献供物给耶和华。那时，犹大和耶路撒冷所献的供物必蒙耶和华悦纳，仿佛永恒之日、往昔之年。（玛拉基书3:2-4）
“凭公义所献的供物”是一种内在供物，就是“利未人”，即虔诚的敬拜者将要献上的。“永恒之日”表示上古教会，“往昔之年”表示古教会。以西结书：
在我的圣山，就是以色列高处的山，以色列全家，那陆地所有的人，都要敬拜我。我要在那里悦纳他们，在那里我要索取你们的供物，以及你们一切神圣行为中包含礼物的初熟果子。（以西结书20:40）
“供物”和“神圣行为中包含礼物的初熟果子”同样是指通过来自主的仁爱而成圣的作为。西番雅书：
敬拜我的，必从埃塞俄比亚河外带来我的供物。（西番雅书3:10）
“埃塞俄比亚”（译注：经上或译古实）表示那些拥有属天事物，也就是爱、仁和仁之作为的人。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]349. The meaning of an offering as worship can be established by the representative practices of the Jewish religion. All its sacrifices, the presentation of the first fruits of the land and of all its produce, and the giving over of the firstborn — these are called offerings and constituted that religion's worship. Since all these offerings represented heavenly things and had to do with the Lord, they symbolized true worship. Anyone can recognize this. What is a representative act without the thing it represents? What is the outer shell without inner contents but some dead, idolatrous thing? It is the inner contents, or the Lord working through the inner contents, that give the outer shell life. Clearly, then, all such offerings in a representative religion symbolize worship of the Lord. The symbolism of the individual types will, with the Lord's divine mercy, be given later.{*1} [2] The general meaning of offerings as worship can be seen in many places in the prophets. In Malachi, for instance:
Who can endure the day of his coming? He will sit smelting and purging silver and will purify the children of Levi and refine them like gold and like silver; and they will be bringing an offering to Jehovah in justice. And the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be sweet to Jehovah, as in the days of old and as in the ancient years. (Malachi 3:2-3, 4)
An offering made in justice is the inner content that the children of Levi (meaning devout worshipers) will bring. The days of old are the very earliest church, and the ancient years are the ancient church. In Ezekiel:
On my holy mountain, on the mountain of Israel's high ground, all the house of Israel — that whole land — will worship me. There I will be appeased by them, and there I will seek your oblations and the first fruits of your offerings in all your consecrations. (Ezekiel 20:40)
The oblations and the first fruits of their offerings in their consecrations are again good deeds that charity from the Lord has consecrated. In Zephaniah:
From the ford of the rivers of Ethiopia, those who adore me will bring my offering. (Zephaniah 3:10)
Ethiopia stands for those who possess heavenly attributes: love, charity, and deeds inspired by charity.
Footnotes:
{*1} On the symbolism of specific types of offerings, see, for example, 923, 2177, 2830, 3880:8-9, 4581, 8080:1, 8088, 9223, 9990-9994, 10042, 10053:1, 10097, 10137. [LHC]
Potts(1905-1910) 349
349. That by an "offering" is meant worship, is evident from the representatives of the Jewish Church, in which, sacrifices of every kind, as well as the first fruits of the earth and of all its produce, and the oblation of the firstborn, were called "offerings" in which their worship consisted. And as they all represented heavenly things, and all had reference to the Lord, it must be obvious to everyone that true worship was signified by these offerings. For what is a representative without the thing it represents? or what is an external religion without an internal but a kind of idol and a thing of death? The external has life from things internal, that is, through these from the Lord. From these considerations it is evident that all the offerings of a representative church signify the worship of the Lord; and concerning these of the Lord's Divine mercy we shall treat in particular in the following pages. That by "offerings" in general is meant worship, is evident in the Prophets throughout, as in Malachi:
Who shall abide the day of His coming? He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, and they shall offer unto Jehovah an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and of Jerusalem be pleasant unto Jehovah, as in the days of eternity, and as in ancient years (Mal. 3:2-4). An "offering in righteousness" is an internal offering, which the "sons of Levi" that is, holy worshipers, will offer. The "days of eternity" signify the Most Ancient Church, and the "ancient years" the Ancient Church. In Ezekiel:
In the mountain of My holiness, in the mountain of the height of Israel, there shall all the house of Israel, all that land, worship Me; there will I accept them, and there will I require your oblations, and the first-fruits of your offerings, in all your sanctifyings (Ezek. 20:40). "Oblations" and the "first fruits of the offerings in the sanctifyings" are likewise works sanctified by charity from the Lord. In Zephaniah: From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My suppliants shall bring Mine offering (Zeph. 3:10). "Ethiopia" denotes those who are in possession of celestial things, which are love, charity, and the works of charity.
Elliott(1983-1999) 349
349. 'A gift' is used to mean worship. This becomes clear from the representative acts in the Jewish Church where, in addition to first-fruits of the earth and of all it yields, and also presentation of the firstborn, sacrifices of every kind are called 'gifts'. It was in these acts that worship consisted. And because they each represented something heavenly and had reference to the Lord, these gifts meant true worship, a fact that anyone is capable of recognizing. For what is any representative without the real thing it represents, and what is anything external without an internal but some idol or object that is dead? That which is external has life from things that are internal, that is, from the Lord through those internal things. From this it is clear that all gifts in the representative Church mean worship of the Lord. Further details on these points will in the Lord's Divine mercy be presented later on.
[2] That 'gifts' in general means worship becomes clear from various places in the Prophets, as in Malachi,
Who endures the day of His coming? He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and purge them like gold, and like silver, and they will be people who present to Jehovah a gift in righteousness. Then the gift of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to Jehovah as in the days of old and as in the former years. Mal 3:2-4.
'A gift in righteousness' means something internal, which 'the sons of Levi', that is, devout worshippers, are going to offer. 'The days of old' means the Most Ancient Church, and 'former years' the Ancient Church. In Ezekiel,
On My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel, all the house of Israel, the whole of that land, will worship Me. There I will be well-disposed towards them, and there I will require your offerings and the first-fruits comprising your gifts in all your holy acts. Ezek 20:40.'Offerings and first-fruits comprising gifts in holy acts' similarly are works that have been made holy through charity from the Lord. In Zephaniah,
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia those who adore Me will bring My gift. Zeph 3:10.
'Ethiopia' stands for people who are in possession of celestial things, namely love, charity, and works stemming from charity.
Latin(1748-1756) 349
349. Quod per 'munus' intelligatur cultus, constare Potest a repraesentativis in Ecclesia Judaica, ubi sacrificia quaecumque, tum primitiae terrae et omnium ejus fructuum, ut et oblatio primogenitorum, vocantur 'munera,' in quibus constabat cultus; et quia omnia repraesentabant caelestia et se referebant ad Dominum, per munera illa significabatur verus cultus, quod unicuivis potest notum esse; nam quid repraesentativum absque re quam repraesentat, et quid externum absque interno, nisi idolum quid et mortuum? externum ab internis, seu per interna a Domino, vivit; inde constat quod munera omnia Ecclesiae repraesentativae significent cultum Domini, de quibus singulis, ex Divina Domini Misericordia, in sequentibus. [2] Quod per 'munera' in genere intelligatur cultus, constare Potest apud Prophetas passim, ut apud Malachiam, Quis sustinet diem adventus Ipsius?... Sedebit conflans et purgans argentum, et purificabit filios Levi, et defecabit eos, sicut aurum, et sicut argentum, et erunt Jehovae offerentes munus in justitia; tum suave erit Jehovae munus Jehudae et Hierosolymae juxta dies aeternitatis, et juxta annos antiquos, iii 2-4. 'Munus in justitia' est internum, quod 'filii Levi' seu sancti cultores offerent; 'dies aeternitatis' est Ecclesia Antiquissima; 'dies antiqui' sunt Ecclesia Antiqua: apud Ezechielem, In monte sanctitatis Meae, in monte altitudinis Israelis, ... colent Me omnis domus Israelis, tota illa terra; ibi propitius ero illis, et ibi quaeram oblationes vestras, et primitias munerum vestrorum in omnibus sanctificationibus vestris, xx 40;'oblationes et primitiae munerum in sanctificationibus' similiter sunt opera per charitatem a Domino sanctificata: apud Zephaniam, A transitu fluminum Aethiopiae adoratores Mei,... adducent munus Meum, iii 10;
'Aethiopia' pro iis qui possident caelestia, quae sunt amor, charitas: et opera charitatis.