A God Who Never Gives Up On His People

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Amos 9:1-15.  Let’s go!

Amos 9:1-4 (NIV) 
1  I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said: “Strike the tops of the pillars so that the thresholds shake. Bring them down on the heads of all the people; those who are left I will kill with the sword. Not one will get away, none will escape. 
2  Though they dig down to the depths of the grave, from there my hand will take them. Though they climb up to the heavens, from there I will bring them down. 
3  Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, there I will hunt them down and seize them. Though they hide from me at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent to bite them. 
4  Though they are driven into exile by their enemies, there I will command the sword to slay them. I will fix my eyes upon them for evil and not for good.”
 
On verses 1-4:  You can’t escape God’s wrath, unless God in His mercy decides to let you escape.  Aren’t you glad and aren’t we fortunate that God in His mercy decided to let sinners like us escape His wrath by placing His wrath on His Son Jesus instead?
 

耶穌在耶路撒冷_盜賣與捉拿

馬可福音4章36節   他說:「阿爸,父啊!在祢凡事都能,求祢將這杯撤去!然而,不要從我的意思,只要從祢的意思。」

當耶穌帶著門徒離開馬可樓,吃最後晚餐的地方時,祂說:「看哪,時候將到,且是已經到了,你們要分散,各歸自己的地方去,留下我獨自一人;其實我不是獨自一人,因為有父與我同在。」這時,直到耶穌在客西馬尼園禱告時,祂都深切明白天父與祂同在。

耶穌帶著門徒越過汲淪溪,到了橄欖山下的一個客西馬尼園(Garden of Gethsemane),這名字就是醡各種油的地方。祂帶著三個最親近的門徒去禱告,他們卻都因為困倦睡著了。耶穌心甚憂傷,使我們知道祂是以全人的身份來面對苦難,因此祂也禱告,若神許可,求神挪去這杯,但是不要從祂的意思,只要從神的意思。憂傷至此,耶穌卻不覺得孤單,因為有父與祂同在。甚至到猶大帶著官兵來捉耶穌時,帶祂到大祭司該亞法的家裡,耶穌也不覺孤單,因為父與祂同在。

今天是週二,按傳統的說法,最後的晚餐是週四晚上,週五上十字架。可是這樣一來,怎樣也算不出從死亡到復活的三天三夜。但是耶穌說過,約拿三日三夜在大魚肚腹中,人子也要這樣三日三夜在地裡頭 (太12:40)。耶穌的話不能打折,所以假如耶穌沒有錯,那麼就是其他人的錯。

王明道弟兄做了一番查考,認為耶穌最後晚餐是星期二晚上,也就是星期二夜裡被捕,是期三釘十字架。現在有更多人認同他的說法,以色列美角網站列出了這個圖表。讓我們看得更清楚。

God’s Word = Your Most Important Food

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Amos 8:1-14.  Let’s go!

Amos 8:1-3 (NIV) 
1  This is what the Sovereign LORD showed me: a basket of ripe fruit.
2  “What do you see, Amos?” he asked. “A basket of ripe fruit,” I answered. Then the LORD said to me, “The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.
3  “In that day,” declares the Sovereign LORD, “the songs in the temple will turn to wailing. Many, many bodies–flung everywhere! Silence!”

On verses 1-3:  Amos sees a vision of a ripe fruit basket signifying that the time is ripe for God to judge the nation of Israel.  Verse 3 is, according to Amos, what the wrath of God against sin sounds like.  Although verse 3 reads like a line that could be spoken by a villain in a Marvel comic book, remember who the real bad guys are in this story: it’s us, the ones who turned our backs on God despite all the ways He has been kind, patient and merciful toward us.

耶穌在耶路撒冷_耶穌的應許

約翰福音14章34節   我賜給你們一條新命令,乃是叫你們彼此相愛,我怎樣愛你們,你們也要怎樣相愛。

在耶穌和門徒最後的晚餐裡,最令我感動的就是在猶大離開後,耶穌和門徒說的一番肺腑之言。耶穌非常明白門徒心裡的憂愁,也非常明白門徒的需要。所以當我們再讀耶穌這些分手之前的教導時,很像就是在對我們說的。兩千年前和兩千年後的人性其實沒有相差太多。

耶穌說:「如今人子得了榮耀,神在人子身上也得了榮耀。 神要因自己榮耀人子,並且要快快地榮耀祂。」災難當前,耶穌竟然說祂得了榮耀。就像英國首相現在染上了新冠狀病毒,在重症加護病房裡為性命掙扎,他會不會說這是他得榮耀的時候呢?好像大陸的王怡牧師被關進去監獄時,有沒有人會說那是得榮耀的事呢?但是耶穌不同,祂知道祂來世上的目的。一個人若明白神在他身上的旨意,那麼即使受苦,他也明白神要在他的身上得榮耀。

耶穌說:「我賜給你們一條新命令,乃是叫你們彼此相愛,我怎樣愛你們,你們也要怎樣相愛。你們若有彼此相愛的心,眾人因此就認出你們是我的門徒了。」這是命令,不是請求。耶穌不是說,拜託你們彼此相愛,不再吵吵鬧鬧了,你們這樣不聽話,人家看了要怎麼評論你們啊?耶穌說這是命令。唯有彼此相愛,才能成為耶穌門徒的標記。我們常說要傳福音,用口傳是不夠的,人要怎樣看出我們是主的門徒,有這特徵,才有說服力。

最感動我的是耶穌說:「你們心裡不要憂愁,你們信神,也當信我。  在我父的家裡有許多住處,若是沒有,我就早已告訴你們了,我去原是為你們預備地方去。我若去為你們預備了地方,就必再來接你們到我那裡去,我在哪裡,叫你們也在哪裡。」這句話成為我們最大的安慰,耶穌如今升天坐在祂的寶座上,但祂並沒有丟棄我們,將來無論祂在哪裡,我們也要和祂在一起,永遠的以馬內利。所以我們坦然無懼,不怕死亡的毒鉤,因為耶穌己經為我們預備了住處,一個更美麗的家鄉。

When Jesus Stood in the Gap

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Amos 7:1-17.  Let’s go!

Amos 7:1-6 (NIV) 
1  This is what the Sovereign LORD showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the second crop was coming up. 
2  When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, “Sovereign LORD, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!” 
3  So the LORD relented. “This will not happen,” the LORD said. 
4  This is what the Sovereign LORD showed me: The Sovereign LORD was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. 
5  Then I cried out, “Sovereign LORD, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!” 
6  So the LORD relented. “This will not happen either,” the Sovereign LORD said.
 
On verses 1-6:  Amos sees two visions.  The first is of the Lord preparing to destroy Israel with a locust plague (v1-2).  The second is of the Lord preparing to destroy Israel with a fire (v4).  Upon seeing each vision Amos stands in the gap and cries out to God to have mercy on Israel (called Jacob), and God hears Amos’ prayer — “so the Lord relented” (v3, 6).  It’s a similar scene to when Abraham pleads for the city of Sodom in Genesis 18:16-33.

耶穌在耶路撒冷_猶大賣主

路加福音22章22節      人子固然要照所預定的去世,但賣人子的人有禍了!

在耶穌和門徒吃最後的晚餐時,耶穌突然說了一句話,讓門徒們都非常吃驚。耶穌說:「我實在告訴你們:你們中間有一個人要賣我了。」他們聽了就很憂愁,一個個輪流問:「是我嗎? 」

耶穌說:「同我蘸手在盤子裏的」。蘸手是什麼意思呢?猶太人的逾越節大餐,是大家團聚坐在一起,共享羊肉、無酵餅、苦菜等食物;其中有一盤是用水果、醋等熬成的調味醬,各人拿一小塊餅(或夾肉)蘸(沾)著盤裏的調味醬吃。賣耶穌的猶大問祂說:「拉比,是我嗎?」耶穌說:「你說的是。」耶穌就蘸了一點餅,遞給猶大,然後對他說:「你所做的,快做吧!」猶大受了餅,立刻就出去。

這個場景跟我們想像的不一樣,被出賣的跟出賣人的居然可以彼此把事情都講透了。彷彿是耶穌早就知道猶大的盤算,也願意這事發生。這就是「時候到了」的意思。在神的計劃裡沒有偶然,都在神的定意裡。有幾次耶穌的鄉人和法利賽人想抓祂,但是祂都從他們中間直接走掉了。是時間到了,祂才放下自己的權能。而祂放得如此甘心。

有人為猶大不滿喊冤,覺得若沒有他,耶穌就無法完成救贖大功。但是在這裡我們看到耶穌不斷地在提醒他:「人子固然要照所預定的去世,但賣人子的人有禍了!」猶大不回頭,最後上吊死了。他有最好的老師,有令人羨慕的機遇,他是蒙恩的猶大,卻不知感恩。當他發現自己所行的甚是愚蠢時,他把錢丟回給祭司長,卻沒有人敢接了。

2 Clues That You Struggle with Pride

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Amos 6:1-14.  Let’s go!

Amos 6:1 (NIV) 
1  Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come! 

On verse 1:  Amos addresses the complacent and prideful leaders of two kingdoms: the southern kingdom of Judah (referred to here as “Zion”) and the northern kingdom of Israel (referred to here as “Mount Samaria” since Samaria was the capital city of Israel).  The leaders of Israel in particular had a lot of pride, seeing themselves as the greatest men of the greatest nation (“notable men of the foremost nation” (v1)).  What can we learn from this?  When you are in a position of influence or affluence, you must be especially careful not to let pride poison your perspective.
 
Amos 6:2 (NIV) 
2  Go to Calneh and look at it; go from there to great Hamath, and then go down to Gath in Philistia. Are they better off than your two kingdoms? Is their land larger than yours?

過清明節迎棕樹節

今天是華人傳統的清明節,明天是記念主耶穌在肉身時,最後一次進耶路撒冷的棕樹節,所以我們兩個日子一起過吧!

清明節期對基督徒猶如屬靈戰場,不知如何面對祭祖、拿香、傳統儀式等,又不想被家人認為基督信仰不孝敬長輩。事實上,聖經裡早有應對方式。

「孝順」在華人社會尤為重要,然而在聖經十誡提到相同觀念:當孝敬父母,使你的日子在耶和華─你神所賜你的地上得以長久。(出埃及記20:12)父母是生命的源頭,孝敬父母也是尊重我們的源頭,而所有一切全來自於神。因著習俗與傳統,而不知不覺將孝敬與祭拜劃上等號,因此將原來不相關的二件事結合在一起。

靈糧神學院院長謝宏忠牧師曾提到,祭祖含有宗教性與倫理性之成分。「宗教性」是把祭祖當作「亡靈的崇拜」,認為祖先會賜福庇佑後代,若不祭拜,他們會變成孤魂野鬼,帶給陽間人厄運。

約伯記7章10到11節提到,雲彩怎樣消散逝去,照樣,人下陰間也不再上來。他不再回自己的家,故鄉再也不認識他。此段經文指出,人死後到陰間去,不會成為鬼再回到人間,更不會在人間有任何的活動,毋須拜死去的人。中國人重孝道,講求慎終追遠,表現於行動上的便是祭拜祖先。一個作法一旦成為傳統,就容易使人心受到禁錮,以傳統取代了原本美好的德行,而失去原意。

真正的慎終追遠,應是父母還在時,好好尊重、對待他們。「磕頭跟鞠躬」在傳統文化裡面,代表對長輩的尊敬,比較是屬於「倫理」層面的意義,而不屬於宗教性,因此是可以的。

Give God More Than A Song or a Sacrifice

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Amos 5:18-27.  Let’s go!

Amos 5:18-20 (NIV) 
18  Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? That day will be darkness, not light. 
19  It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him. 
20  Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light– pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?

On verses 18-20:  Many people in Amos’ day were giving God regular offerings and sacrifices, but would carry on lifestyles of sin in other ways.  They would talk about the “day of the Lord” (i.e. the day when God comes to His people and establishes His kingdom) as a happy time for them.  According to some scholars, verse 18 is the earliest reference in the Bible to “the day of the Lord”.  Amos clarifies that the Israelites should not look forward to the day of the Lord. For that day will “be darkness, not light” (v18, 20), a day when you think you have escaped the trials of this world, only to be destroyed by the greatest trial of all.  This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, rather than in the Lord. 

耶穌在耶路撒冷_設立聖餐

路加福音22章19節    這是我的身體,為你們捨的。你們也應當如此行,為的是記念我。

寫有關聖餐的文章很多,但是讓我印象最深的是班德醫生的解釋。他說,有一次維羅巿流行麻疹,他的兩個女兒也被傳染上,病得很重。大女兒抵抗力比較好,沒有生命危險;但是小女兒還是個嬰兒,有可能喪生。小兒科醫生告訴他,小女兒需要注射血清。維羅巿立刻到處傳言:“班德醫生需要得勝者的血",實際上他需要的是一個患過麻疹已康復之人的血,只有他的血清裡的抗體可以保護班德醫生的小女兒。有了“借用的"抗體,他的小女兒的身體便有充份的時間來製造抗體。她的痊癒不是因為自己的能力,而是因為別人曾經打過勝仗的關係。班德醫生對此有極深刻的體會,他說:“神對付惡,不是消除它,而是藉惡成就更大的善。祂勝過惡的方法很特別,是吸收它,讓自己先受其害,然後赦免它,勝過它。"

在最後的晚餐裡,我們看到耶穌對門徒的自大不予責備,反而跪下為他們洗腳;對出賣祂的猶大,祂再給一次的提醒和悔改的機會。面對殘忍的敵人,耶穌以一貫的仁慈包容。而我們面對不友善或讓自己失望的人,總是以責備、抱怨、怒罵來反擊,因此耶穌得到完全的勝利,我們得到完全的失敗和人際關係的破裂。