Jealous For You

Hi GAMErs,

Today we begin the book of Nahum.   Let’s go!

Nahum 1:1 (NIV) 
1  An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

On verse 1:  Here is some background info on the book of Nahum that you may find helpful:
According to many scholars, the book of Nahum was written between approximately 663 and 612 B.C. 
Not much is known about Nahum.  Nahum was a prophet who came from the village of Elkosh.  The whereabouts of the village of Elkosh are not known, although some scholars suggest that it is actually in Capernaum where Jesus would begin his ministry.  Capernaum literally means village of Nahum”.   

Nahum’s name means “comforter”.  This may seem odd given the doomy and gloomy message Nahum has here for the city of Nineveh.  That said, the book of Nahum also contains important words of comfort for Nahum’s own people of Judah.

亚伯兰的第四步

创世记13章14-17节   罗得离别亚伯兰以后,耶和华对亚伯兰说:「从你所在的地方,你举目向东西南北观看,凡你所看见的一切地,我都要赐给你和你的后裔,直到永远。我也要使你的后裔如同地上的尘沙那样多,人若能数算地上的尘沙,才能数算你的后裔。你起来,纵横走遍这地,因为我必把这地赐给你。」

昨天的纽约每日新闻报导,说有位下班了的警员在长岛的家外面和一位从小一起长大的好朋友发生争执,开了五枪,把对方杀死了。从小一起长大,这样的友谊不能说不坚固了,可是让坚固的情谊受到挑战的因素很多,其中有一个很大的因素便是利益冲突。

就像亚伯兰和罗得这对伯侄,他们也可以说在一起很久了,罗得才会离开父亲,跟着亚伯兰伯伯出吾珥,又跟着他到迦南。他们一起下埃及,又一起出埃及,在这样数年的时间里,罗得也逐渐成长,独当一面。他们各有自己的财产和仆人,各有自己的牲畜和需求。

当他们从埃及回到迦南地后,大家住在一起,伯侄相安,仆人却时有争执。同在一地共饮一井,谁的牲畜先喝水,谁的牛羊先到哪块草地上吃草,大家都要抢先机,免得吃亏。日子一久,这些争执就传到了两个伯侄的耳中。

The Spirit-Empowered Life

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Jude 1:17-24.  Let’s go!
 
Jude 1:17-18 (NIV) 
17  But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 
18  They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.”
 
On verses 17-18:  In the face of false teachers, Jude tells his Christian readers to remember how the apostles had warned them that false teachers would come.  What can we learn from this?
When false teachers try to lead you away from the truth we have in Jesus, don’t be surprised.  This is something Jesus Himself warned about (for example, see Matthew 7:15; Matthew 24:11, 24).  This is also something the apostles warned about (for example, see Acts 20:29; 2 Corinthians 11:13; Colossians 2:18). 

亚伯兰的第三步

创世记12章17节  耶和华因亚伯兰妻子撒莱的缘故,降大灾于法老和他的全家。

我常常在想,耶和华神是何等有怜悯的神;若不是有丰盛的怜悯和慈爱,有谁能站在祂面前呢?若不是祂知道人的本性,怜悯我们的软弱,我们早就被消灭了。因为我们是如此地不完全。

好像亚伯兰,一个头脑如此清楚,在众人皆睡我独醒的情况下,可以分析出真神假神,以确定自己信仰的人,在面临问题时,也不免按着人的思路去解决。有饥荒,就去找水草丰盛之地;有生命危险,宁可出卖别人,也不惜说谎来保全自己。

为什么神允许祂所拣选的亚伯兰在南地碰上饥荒呢?祂难道不保护他,不赐福给他了吗?在这里,我们看到饥荒是世情的必然,而爱美是人的天性。在南地的饥荒,神有没有办法解决呢?不请神解决,而自行下埃及,好像羊入虎口,带着美丽的妻子太引人注意,甚至可能遭来杀身之祸。亚伯兰都知道,所以想了个保命之法,说谎。希望自己不死,至于妻子会遭到何事,他就不管那么多了。

亚伯兰的失败,在于不仰望神,自寻出路,所以失去心里的平安,只好选择说谎来保护自己。他带着妻子撒莱下埃及,要求妻子说是他的妹妹,所以他的妻子就被送到法老那里。但是神降大灾于法老和他的全家,法老因而送回撒莱,责备亚伯兰,还送他很多礼物。

5 Ways You Can Unwittingly Put Your Foot in Your Mouth

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Jude 1:8-16.  In the following passage, Jude will describe five ways that you can put your foot in your mouth – that is, five ways that you can do damage (especially to yourself) with your words.  The first one is in verse 8, the other four are in verse 16.  Let’s go!

Your words are powerful.  Here Jude describes five ways that you can put your foot in your mouth – that is, five ways that you can do damage (especially to yourself) with your words.

Jude 1:8-10 (NIV) 
8  In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. 
9  But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 
10  Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals–these are the very things that destroy them.

亚伯兰的第二步

创世记12章7节   耶和华向亚伯兰显现,说:「我要把这地赐给你的后裔。」

吾珥Ur,现在叫做乌尔法Urfa,是三教圣城,也称为先知之城,只因为那是亚伯兰的出生地。旧约圣经里用了十五章的篇幅来讲述亚伯兰(亚伯拉罕)的生平,新约里也有多处提及他的事蹟。他是基督教、回教和犹太教公认的先知,是犹太人和阿拉伯人的共同祖先,也是所有相信耶稣基督者的信心之父。神在世人最败坏的时候,看见了挪亚,拣选了挪亚,拯救了挪亚和他的一家;在一个敬拜偶像的世代中,神看见了亚伯兰,一个非常清楚偶像之虚假和不可靠的人,神拣选他,并且要祝福他和他的后裔。

在古兰经和犹太人的经典里,记载着挪亚曾孙宁录,于大洪水之后,建造了巴比伦和巴别塔,并且开始多神偶像的崇拜。当亚伯兰出生时,宁录的星相家预言亚伯兰将砸碎所有的偶像,与宁录对抗。于是宁录下令杀死所有男婴,以免预言应验。亚伯兰的父亲为了救他,把他藏在某个山洞里,直到七岁。亚伯兰长大后,果然砸碎所有的偶像。宁录王很生气,便把他关在一个城堡里,用骡子运木材运了三个月,将木材起火后,又用巨大的石孥要把他丢到火里烧死。没想到熊熊烈火化为清水,木柴变成鲤鱼,而亚伯兰则掉到玫瑰花丛里。另一传说,因为亚伯兰长得很俊美,被选上为祭物要献给月神。亚伯兰因而逃到哈兰。宁录王追杀亚伯兰时燃起大火,但天神来救亚伯兰,烈火化为清水,木柴变成鲤鱼。所以现在吾珥的清真寺里的鲤鱼是圣鱼,只可喂食,不可捕钓;那里的鲤鱼因食料过多而不断繁殖,也没有人敢吃圣鱼,清真寺的水池只好不停地扩建。

Called, Loved and Kept By Jesus

Hi GAMErs,

Today we begin the book of Jude, one of the shortest books in the Bible, written by a Christian called Jude to Jewish Christians probably between 67 AD and 80 AD. 

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

Jude 1:1-2 (NIV) 
1  Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ: 
2  Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.

On verses 1-2:  Who is Jude?  The fact that Jude calls himself “a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James” (v1) suggests to scholars that Jude had a very unique background: Jude was Jesus’ half-brother.  In other words, after the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus, Mary and her husband Joseph had natural children of their own, including Jude and James.  Imagine growing up with Jesus as your older brother!  Although Jude grew up with Jesus, Jude and his siblings at first did not believe that their brother was actually the Son of God (John 7:4-5). 

亚伯兰的第一步

创世记第12章 1-3节耶和华对亚伯兰说:「你要离 开本地、本族、父家,往我所要指示你的地去。 我必叫你成为大国,我必赐福给你,叫你的名为大,你也要叫别人得福。 为你祝福的,我必赐福于他;那咒诅你的,我必咒诅他。地上的万族都要因你得福。」

在思想神的应许时,我往往会想起亚伯拉罕。亚伯拉罕的原名是亚伯兰,他当时住在迦勒底的吾珥城,今天它的遗址位于伊拉克的内地,属伊拉克济加尔省。在那个时代,就像许多传说中提到的,人们因为生活的丰富而逐渐地自大起来,忘记了神的恩典,不再敬拜神,所以受到神的惩罚。但是洪水之后,巴别塔的分裂之后,人自大的心性是否有改变呢?根据犹太人的传说,人并没有归向神,反而开始为自己制造偶像,拜偶像,而亚伯兰的父亲他拉,就是以制造和贩卖偶像为生。当他拉必须出门时,会要求亚伯兰为他看店。亚伯兰是一个好的推销员吗?今天要跟您介绍一些亚伯兰的小故事。

根据阿卡族及苏美族泥版记载,“迦勒底的吾珥”在公元前廿世纪已是一个富丽、忙碌又拜多神的都城,主要是拜日、月和女神。有个传说提到,为何神会拣选亚伯兰这个人。有一个夜晚,亚伯兰睡不着就外出散步,他看到夜空中星光闪烁,甚为美丽,因此兴起拜星星的念头。可是再看月亮,月亮比星星更好看,要拜星星倒不如拜月亮;这么一想,却又想起日出时太阳的万丈光芒,那么更应该拜太阳。但是接下来,他想到阴天时遮住太阳的云,那么云是否比太阳厉害?但是风又会把云吹走?难道该拜风吗?是谁造了日月星辰和大自然的一切?他忽然之间想通了,那位创造了这一切的造物主,才是他要敬拜的对象。从此他就决定只要敬拜那位创造万物的真神。

Who Is Like You?

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Micah 7:14-20.  Let’s go!

Micah 7:14-20 (NIV) 
14  Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, which lives by itself in a forest, in fertile pasturelands. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in days long ago.

On verse 14:  Previously Micah focused on the rod of God’s discipline (Micah 6:9), but now Micah ends his book by talking about the staff of God’s tender leadership.  Here Micah prays and invites God to shepherd His people.  He describes God’s people as a flock living “by itself in a forest, in fertile pasturelands”, meaning that God has assigned a special and exclusive place for His people filled with blessings.  The glory that His sheep will enjoy will be like in Israel’s most glorious days of old.

What can we learn from this?  God is a shepherd who disciplines with His rod and who tenderly leads with His staff.  When we follow our Shepherd, He leads us to an ancient place of blessing that we could never get to ourselves.  You’re always best off following your Shepherd.