从水里拉出来的

出埃及记二章10节  孩子渐长,妇人把他带到法老的女儿那里,就做了她的儿子。她给孩子起名叫摩西,意思说:「因我把他从水里拉出来。」

在几千年前的一个炎热的下午,法老美丽的女儿带着几个侍女来到尼罗河边,准备痛快地洗个澡。那时还没有自来水,尼罗河也尚未被污染,在河中洗澡是个非常好的选择。让缓缓流淌的河水洗净一身的热气,加上一点埃及女人用的高级精油,洗完后一身清香。在公主下水前要有一些准备,至少确定四周没人躲著,免得公主危险。

这时公主眼尖,发现河水旁的芦荻里有个东西。芦荻是一种直立的茎秆,有着蓬松的花絮,它的花到了秋天会变成白色,微风吹拂,花絮飘荡就像下了一场雪,故有「秋芦飞雪」的描述。它也是一种良好的防沙、固堤植物。公主叫婢女把芦荻里的东西拿来,原来是个箱子,她好奇地打开来,却突然听到一个婴儿的哭声。婴儿原是安静地躺在箱子里,一看到公主就哭了,让公主好心疼。

聪明的公主立刻明白过来,说:「这是希伯来人的一个孩子。」这时有一个小女孩跑到公主身边, 问她:「我去在希伯来妇人中叫一个奶妈来,为你奶这孩子,可以不可以?」公主同意了。这女孩便去把婴儿的母亲找来,公主答应付这奶妈钱,帮忙养这婴儿,婴儿的母亲便快快乐乐地,光明正大地把自己的婴儿抱回家了。

事情为何如此曲折呢?原来神给亚伯拉罕的应许己经实现了几乎一半。在〈创世记〉15章里,神应许亚伯兰:「你要的确知道,你的后裔必寄居别人的地,又服侍那地的人,那地的人要苦待他们四百年。并且他们所要服侍的那国,我要惩罚,后来他们必带着许多财物从那里出来。」

Welcome to Revelation

Hi GAMErs,

Today we begin the book of Revelation.  Written in approximately 95 A.D., the book of Revelation was written by the apostle John while he was in exile on the island of Patmos for preaching about Jesus.  While on Patmos, John receives multiple visions which he understands to be from Jesus Christ and is told to write them down.  The result is the book of Revelation, a highly significant book that describes what will happen before, during and after the return (second coming) of Jesus Christ.  This book also shows how many Old Testament prophecies will be fulfilled.

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

Revelation 1:1-2 (NIV) 
1  The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
2  who testifies to everything he saw–that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 

On verses 1-2:  Here John makes clear that what he is writing about is not something he himself manufactured.  Rather what John is writing down is “the revelation of Jesus Christ”.  What John is about to share is what was revealed to him as “the word of God” and “the testimony of Jesus Christ”.

如睡一觉

创世记24章26-27节      那人就低头向耶和华下拜, 说:「耶和华我主人亚伯拉罕的神是应当称颂的!因祂不断地以慈爱、诚实待我主人。至于我,耶和华在路上引领我,直走到我主人的兄弟家里。」

摩西说:「祢叫他们如水冲去,他们如睡一觉。早晨他们如生长的草,早晨发芽生长,晚上割下枯干。(诗90:5-6)」他们是指世人,摩西形容人的一生如生长的草,你同意吗?撒拉在127岁时,息了地上的劳苦。最近有两位神重用的仆人都安息主怀了,一个是大卫.鲍森牧师;另一位是拉维.撒迦利亚牧师。前者90岁,后者74岁。所以撒拉活到127岁,在世人的眼中算是很长寿了;那么亚伯拉罕呢?你猜猜看,待会告诉你。

撒拉死时,以撒37岁,未婚。亚伯拉罕终于想到该帮以撒娶个妻子了,以撒的性情可能有点内向,所以也没有出去和当地的迦南女子鬼混。亚伯拉罕希望找个本家的孩子,但是又不想让以撒远行,所以就找了一个老仆人去美索不达米亚,也就是亚伯拉罕的原居地,到了亚伯拉罕的兄弟居住的拿鹤的城。

亚伯拉罕在老仆人临走前嘱咐他,要把女子带回来,不可把以撒带回去。因为,「耶和华天上的主曾带领我离开父家和本族的地,对我说话,向我起誓说:『我要将这地赐给你的后裔。』」,此时亚伯拉罕虽然还没有看到神的话应验,可是他皂信心己经非常坚定。

坚定到一个地步,他向仆人说:『祂必差遣使者在你面前,你就可以从那里为我儿子娶一个妻子。」所以当他的仆人到了拿鹤的城,就开始祷告。

Jesus Makes All The Difference

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Zephaniah 3:1-19.  Let’s go!

Zephaniah 3:1-7 (NIV) 
1  Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled!
2  She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD, she does not draw near to her God.
3  Her officials are roaring lions, her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning…….

On verses 1-7:  Chapter 3 of Zephaniah begins with God expressing His utter displeasure with the city of Jerusalem.  He describes the people of Jerusalem as rebellious and unholy (v1), disobedient and unteachable (v2a), refusing to trust God or draw near to Him (v2b).  He describes Jerusalem’s political and military leaders as lions and wolves (v3), her prophets as arrogant and deceitful (v4), and her priests as hypocrites (v5).  The only One righteous in Jerusalem is the Lord Himself (v5), who “does no wrong” (v5) and who continues to act justly despite the unrighteousness around Him (v5).  In verses 6 and 7, the Lord laments how despite disciplining Jerusalem with hardship, the people of Jerusalem continued to act corruptly.

来吧,我的爱! (Lecha Dodi)

雅歌 6章3节   我属我的良人 ,我的良人也属我 (ani ledodi vedodi li)

来吧,我的爱! ( Lecha Dodi) 这是一首以色列人在安息日唱的歌,也就是迎接安息日的新娘进场歌。是由以色列美角网站的约阿咪所介绍。

「来吧!我的爱!」( L’cha Dodi),这么浪漫的歌,居然是犹太人每周都要唱的歌!谁是那个爱呢?而且是大家一起在会堂里唱这首歌唷!为什么会有这个特别的传统呢?

每周五晚上,就是安息日(Shabbat),犹太人这天会不工作,以纪念安息日,因为神创造天地的时候在第七天就休息了。犹太人会来到会堂一起守安息日,而其中一个很重要的环节就是「迎接」安息日。

因为卡巴拉的传统,安息日就如要迎接一个美丽的新娘,所以这首在夕阳时刻要唱的「来吧!我的爱!」( L’cha Dodi),就是在迎接美丽的安息日。

Plunder Hell, Populate Heaven

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Zephaniah 2:1-15.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-3:  Here Zephaniah implores the people of Judah to seek the Lord and to humble themselves before it is too late, “before the day of the Lord’s wrath comes upon you” (v2).  Later on in this chapter, Zephaniah will introduce the idea of the “remnant”, that is, a group within the people of Judah who continued to seek the Lord and humble themselves before Him despite the widespread sin and rebellion around them.  Zephaniah and other Old Testament prophesy about how the Lord will preserve and rescue this remnant from the destruction He pronounced on the land of Judah.

耶和华以勒

创世记 22章14节 亚伯拉罕给那地方起名叫耶和华以勒,直到今日人还说:「在耶和华的山上必有预备。」

圣经里给我们看到的亚伯拉罕,并不是像一般人想的,一直都是信心满溢。相反地,亚伯拉罕之所以成为信心之父,是经过了许多的考验和失败。神让我们看到亚伯拉罕跟随祂的点点滴滴,让我们明白,祂知道我们不过是人,祂知道我们的软弱和不足,即使我们失败,祂仍然愿意陪伴我们,等待我们,牵着我们的手一直到永恒。所以,明白这事之后,我们若再看到有人没有信心的表现,也就不用太愤怒了,这就是人的本相,神允许我们慢慢成长,我们也要容忍别人的不足,让他们慢慢成长。

在神和亚伯拉罕讨论过所多玛和蛾摩拉的存亡之后,你可能会想,有过与神面对面的经历,这个人应该不会再犯错了。你一定没想到,他真的又说谎了。当他们搬到非利士地的基拉耳时,他又骗人说撒拉是他的妹妹。结果基拉耳王亚比米勒来把撒拉取去,结果全家遭天谴,妇女都不能生育了。亚比米勒知错后向亚伯拉罕道歉,又赔他一笔钱,亚伯拉罕又赚了。神真的很怜悯恩待亚伯拉罕。

在亚伯拉罕一百岁,撒拉九十岁时,以撒出生了。大家都高兴得不得了,撒拉更是欣喜若狂。在以撒断奶后,亚伯拉罕摆设丰盛的筵席之际,撒拉看到以实玛利在逗以撒,中文是写戏笑,英文是mocking /poking fun,两者都有不怀好意的成份在内。因此她即刻要求亚伯拉罕把他们母子赶出去。

Beyond Appearances, God Looks at the Heart

Hi GAMErs,

Today we begin the book of Zephaniah, a short book with a powerful message and part of what is sometimes known as the “Minor Prophets” section of the Old Testament.

Today’s passage is Zephaniah 1:1-19. Let’s go!

Zephaniah 1:1 (NIV)
1 The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:

On verse 1: Who was Zephaniah? According to some scholars, the fact that Zephaniah traces his ancestry back four generations in verse 1 suggests that Zephaniah was a man of high social standing and quite possibly the great grandson of King Hezekiah. Zephaniah received this word from the Lord and wrote this book during the reign of Josiah, who reigned from 640 and 609 B.C.

亚伯拉罕的代祷

创世记 19章29节   当神毁灭平原诸城的时候,祂记念亚伯拉罕,正在倾覆罗得所住之城的时候,就打发罗得从倾覆之中出来。

在旧约里,犹太人有接待陌生人的习俗,据说就是从亚伯拉罕开始的。因为亚伯拉罕接待三个陌生人,却没想到是接待了神和祂的使者,因为大家都希望也有这样的福气,因此这习俗便流传下来了。

神向亚伯拉罕说明,应许之子要从撒拉出生;这次神再来跟他们确定此事:「到明年这时候,我必要回到你这里,你的妻子撒拉必生一个儿子。」我在想,为何神要三番四次地告诉他们?是否因为亚伯拉罕和撒拉在这事里也有当尽的责任?假如他们都没有同房,神又没有预备让耶稣那时降生,那么神岂不为难?所以神是在暗示明示,你们两个不要拖拖拉拉的。

上次听到这个宣告,亚伯拉罕在心里偷笑;这次听到宣告,撒拉在那人身后的帐篷门口偷笑。因为两人都觉得不可能,不合逻辑。不过,这次他们两个人总算明白了神的暗示明示。当他们完成此行的任务要离开时,亚伯拉罕就送他们一程。

Finding Hope Even When Things Aren’t Going Your Way

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Habakkuk 2:1-20.  Let’s go!

Habakkuk 3:1 (NIV) 
1  A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth.
 
On verse 1:  The book of Habakkuk reads like an ongoing dialogue between Habakkuk and the Lord.  In chapter 1 Habakkuk complains about why there is injustice and evil in the world, and the Lord responds.  Then Habakkuk questions how God could use the evil Babylonians as His chosen instrument.  In chapter 2 the Lord responds by saying that He will hold the Babylonians to account for their sin as well. In chapter 3 the book of Habakkuk ends with a song of praise from Habakkuk.  On “shigionoth” is probably a musical instruction for the musicians playing this song.