It’s All In His Hands

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 12:1-12.  Let’s go!
 
Job 12:1-3 (NIV) 
1  Then Job replied: 
2  “Doubtless you are the people, and wisdom will die with you! 
3  But I have a mind as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know all these things?
 
On verses 1-3:  By not hesitating to judge Job and rebuke Job based on false assumptions, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar came across as arrogant, condescending know-it-alls. What can we learn from this?  When you don’t take the time to understand the person and their situation before you rebuke them, you just end up hurting them and yourself.  You put the other person on the defensive rather than making them feel like you are on their side.
 
Job 12:4-6 (NIV) 
4  “I have become a laughingstock to my friends, though I called upon God and he answered– a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless! 

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詩篇一百卅一篇

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大衛上行之詩。

1 耶和華啊，我的心不狂傲，我的眼不高大，重大和測不透的事，我也不敢行。
2 我的心平穩安靜，好像斷過奶的孩子在他母親的懷中，我的心在我裡面真像斷過奶的孩子。
3 以色列啊，你當仰望耶和華，從今時直到永遠。

現代中文譯本

131:1     上主啊，我不敢再狂傲，也不敢再妄自尊大。我不敢再有大企圖，也不敢再做力所不及的事。
131:2     我安適滿足。像斷奶的嬰兒倚偎在母親懷裏，我的心寧靜。
131:3     以色列啊，要信靠上主，從現在直到永遠。

詩篇131篇是一首很短的詩篇，因為它很短，若是能背下來，又變成你的寶藏之一了。這首詩篇一開始，是詩人對上帝的祈禱，並且是認罪的祈禱。有一些版本的譯文沒有將詩人的心境很清楚的表達出來，若我們看現代中文譯本的翻譯，就能夠比較清楚的體會詩人的心境。多一個“再”字讓詩人的意思更清楚。

他說：「上主啊，我不敢再狂傲，也不敢再妄自尊大。我不敢再有大企圖，也不敢再做艱難的事。」（詩131：1）在《聖經》裡並不是只有做錯事才是罪或得罪神，有時人以為正面的事，在神的眼中也是罪。例如當大衛迎約櫃回耶路撒冷時，米甲因為大衛跳舞露出下體而看輕大衛。對米甲而言，她是一個公主，對皇家禮儀甚為重視，她認為大衛做王也該有同樣的認知，在神眼中卻完全相反，她對皇室禮儀的看重只是出於心裡驕傲或優越感，而大衛忘記身份的舉止卻蒙神悅納。

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詩篇一百卅篇

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上行之詩。

1 耶和華啊，我從深處向祢求告。
2 主啊，求祢聽我的聲音！願祢側耳聽我懇求的聲音！
3 主耶和華啊，祢若究察罪孽，誰能站得住呢？
4 但在祢有赦免之恩，要叫人敬畏祢。
5 我等候耶和華，我的心等候，我也仰望祂的話。
6 我的心等候主，勝於守夜的等候天亮，勝於守夜的等候天亮。
7 以色列啊，你當仰望耶和華，因祂有慈愛，有豐盛的救恩。
8 祂必救贖以色列脫離一切的罪孽。

詩人從深處向神求告，深處是指什麼或是哪裡？你可曾在深處向神求告過？深處讓我想到舊約裡的先知約拿在魚腹中的處境，當約拿被魚吞進肚子時，他的處境十分危險。人的胃裡有胃酸，胃酸是一種強酸，通常情況下對人體不會造成傷害，因為胃內的表面的黏液細胞可以分泌一種黏液，使其成為弱酸性；但若是分泌過多就會將粘膜或肌肉“燒破”，以致傷到胃壁、十二指腸，等等。約拿若是到了大魚的胃裡，魚的胃酸足以把他腐蝕致死，實在驚險萬分。

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T.H.I.N.K. before you speak

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 11:13-20.  Let’s go!

Job 11:14-15 (NIV) 
14  if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,
15  then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear.

On verses 13-20:  When you look at Zophar’s entire speech in chapter 11, a good portion of what Zophar has said is technically correct.  For example, yesterday in our look at verses 1 to 13 we identified numerous points that Zophar correctly made.  Now what was wrong with what Zophar said?  The problem is that Zophar’s guiding assumption was incorrect:  like Eliphaz and Bildad before him, Zophar falsely assumed that Job’s sin was the cause of his suffering (v14).  Thus, no matter how technically true Zophar’s statements were, virtually all of what Zophar had to say was not helpful or relevant for Job to hear.  Zophar was trying to sell something to Job that Job did not need and that would not help Job’s situation.

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The Two Sides of Wisdom

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 11:1-12.  Let’s go!
 
Job 11:7 (NIV) 
7  “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
 
On verses 1-12:  Here Zophar the Naamathite, Job’s third friend, chimes in.  Like Eliphaz and Bildad before him, Zophar’s first words are heavy in judgment and light on grace.  To paraphrase Zophar’s words to Job, “Will no one rebut your idle talk and rebuke your self-proclaimed innocence (v2-4)?  I wish God would speak right now and shut you up, because the fact is God is punishing you less than you deserve (v5-6).  God is so much bigger than you.  Don’t even try to measure His dimensions (v7-9).  If He tries you in His court, you wouldn’t stand a chance (v10).  He sees right through deceitful men and takes note of what evil people do (v11).  But stupid people will become wise about the same time that donkeys give birth to humans (v12).”

What can we learn from this?  Here we must separate the wheat from the chaff in what Zophar says.

Zophar is correct in saying that:

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詩篇一百廿九篇

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上行之詩。

1 以色列當說：「從我幼年以來，敵人屢次苦害我。
2 從我幼年以來，敵人屢次苦害我，卻沒有勝了我。
3 如同扶犁的在我背上扶犁而耕，耕的犁溝甚長。」
4 耶和華是公義的，祂砍斷了惡人的繩索。
5 願恨惡錫安的都蒙羞退後！
6 願他們像房頂上的草，未長成而枯乾，
7 收割的不夠一把，捆禾的也不滿懷，
8 過路的也不說：「願耶和華所賜的福歸於你們，我們奉耶和華的名給你們祝福！」

讀了幾首上行之詩很有感慨，感受到以色列人去敬拜神的時候，一路仰望著遠高處的耶路撒冷，一面思想神的恩典和神的關係。不像我們現在去教會，大多是忙著找停車的位置，忙著和人打招呼，一心都是忙，思想的都不是和神有關的事情。

當以色列人朝拜神時，前塵往事都上心頭，一件件在心裡湧現，所有的壓力和苦情，和天父每一次的拯救，交織成了他們的生命。從歷史來看，以色列人從出埃及後就不斷面臨爭戰，撒旦藉著無數敵人想要消滅神的選民。

當他們倚靠神時，神就成為他們的力量，戰無不勝，攻無不克；但是當他們轉去拜偶像，情假意地敬拜神時，就失去力量，被敵所制。他們屢次轉回，神就拯救他們，因此他們才能說：「敵人屢次苦害我，卻沒有勝了我」，但是留在他們背上有如犁溝的傷痕，卻是他們遠離神被敵人苦待的見證。

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It Matters How You Question God

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 10:1-22.  Let’s go!
 
Job 10:1-2 (NIV) 
1  “I loathe my very life; therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul. 
2  I will say to God: Do not condemn me, but tell me what charges you have against me.
 
On verses 1-2:  Because Job hated his life, he had no problems complaining, being bitter and questioning God.  When a person is constantly complaining and bitter, you know there is something unhealthy going on in their heart.  As Jesus says, “out of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).  What comes out of one’s mouth is a reflection of what’s going on inside their heart.  So if you want to change your speech, it starts with letting God change your heart.
 

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詩篇一百廿八篇

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上行之詩。

1 凡敬畏耶和華、遵行祂道的人便為有福！
2 你要吃勞碌得來的，你要享福，事情順利。
3 你妻子在你的內室，好像多結果子的葡萄樹；你兒女圍繞你的桌子，好像橄欖栽子。
4 看哪，敬畏耶和華的人，必要這樣蒙福。
5 願耶和華從錫安賜福給你！願你一生一世看見耶路撒冷的好處，
6 願你看見你兒女的兒女！願平安歸於以色列！

2020年的春節快到了，巿面上的〈福〉也大行其道。人人都渴望有福，拜佛的人爭著去廟裡拿頭香，甚至還有人去，幫忙佔位賣黃牛票，因為他們相信這頭香可以帶來一年的好運和平安，這好運主要是指財運。

世人渴求福氣，聖經也講福氣。但是真正的福氣是什麼？人所追求的福氣和神所說的福氣是否一樣？在中國古書上記載了五福：一曰壽、二曰富、三曰康寧、四曰修好德、五曰考的終命（《書經洪范》）。 ‘長壽’是指命不夭折而且福壽綿長；‘富貴’是錢財富足而且地位尊貴；‘康寧’是身體健康而且心靈安寧；‘好德’是生性仁善而且寬厚寧靜；‘善終’是能預先知道自己的死期。臨命終時，沒有遭遇橫禍，身體沒有病痛，心裡沒有掛慮和煩惱，安詳且自在地離開人間。

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詩篇一百廿七篇

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所羅門上行之詩。

1 若不是耶和華建造房屋，建造的人就枉然勞力；若不是耶和華看守城池，看守的人就枉然警醒。
2 你們清晨早起，夜晚安歇，吃勞碌得來的飯，本是枉然；唯有耶和華所親愛的，必叫他安然睡覺。
3 兒女是耶和華所賜的產業，所懷的胎是祂所給的賞賜。
4 少年時所生的兒女，好像勇士手中的箭。
5 箭袋充滿的人便為有福！他們在城門口和仇敵說話的時候，必不至於羞愧。

記得有人在作見證時，提及在家裡做謝飯禱告時，尚未信主的父親非常生氣，為什麼他辛苦賺錢養家，孩子有飯吃卻在感謝耶穌？也有朋友說，他們一生勤奮，所得財富都是自己一汗一血換來的，為什麼要感謝那看也看不見的神？

去年我們家附近興蓋一間老人院，眼看就要建成，突然在一夜之間被燒得精光。溫哥華六層樓以下的建築多是木頭，所以一起火便燒得很快。我們看電影時，也經常看到放哨的人被殺掉，因為敵人來得不知不覺。

有很多行業的人在開張或開始時，都要拜拜，他們相信他們的工作和平安都需要鬼神的保護，尤其是電影界的，他們希望不要受到鬼神的打擾，希望一切順利。假如不信神的人都相信靈界有力量影響他們要做的事情，那麼相信有真神的人，豈不更應明白神在我們的工作上之主權和重要性？

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Your Story Spoiler Alert

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Hi GAMErs,

Job 9:25-26 (NIV) 
25  “My days are swifter than a runner; they fly away without a glimpse of joy.
26  They skim past like boats of papyrus, like eagles swooping down on their prey.

On verses 25-26:  For a lot of people, when they are in pain, time moves very slowly – minutes feel like hours, days feel like months, and months feel like years. So why is it that Job, who is in great pain, says, “My days are swifter than a runner; they fly away” (v25).  I believe that is because Job has gone from the prime of his life to nearing his death so quickly.  For Job, it’s as if decades have passed in just a few days.

Job 9:27-28 (NIV) 
27  If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will change my expression, and smile,’
28  I still dread all my sufferings, for I know you will not hold me innocent.

On verses 27-28:  For Job, trying to cheer himself up and choosing to be joyful is little use when he believes that in the end, God is going to punish him for his sin (v27-28).

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