染疾之宅洁净之例

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利未记 14: 34 -36    你们到了我赐给你们为业的迦南地，我若使你们所得为业之地的房屋中有大痲疯的灾病，房主就要去告诉祭司说：『据我看，房屋中似乎有灾病。』祭司还没有进去察看灾病以前，就要吩咐人把房子腾空，免得房子里所有的都成了不洁净；然后祭司要进去察看房子。

这一段经文是神给以色列人的预备，让他们知道进了迦南地之后，若是碰到屋子有问题时，应该如何处理。因为以色列人在旷野住帐蓬，到迦南地居住的情况就会不一样。因为在旷野里经常有太阳在晒，帐蓬里十分干燥，而且经常移动，比较不会有发霉的问题；但是屋子不一样，屋子住久了就会有问题，因为屋子是不移动的，例如浴室或卫生间若是一直很潮湿，墙壁和天花板缝隙便会逐渐产生霉菌，影响到居住者的健康。有人说，霉菌和潮湿的墙壁是孪生兄弟，因此神把处理房子的一些问题事先教导他们，免得他们的健康受影响。

但是神既然带领以色列人进迦南，又应允他们所得为业之地房屋，为何会领他们到发霉的屋子里去住呢？在〈申命记〉六章10-11节，摩西说：「耶和华你的神领你进祂向你列祖亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各起誓应许给你的地，那里有城邑，又大又美，非你所建造的；有房屋，装满各样美物，非你所装满的；有凿成的水井，非你所凿成的；还有葡萄园、橄榄园，非你所栽种的，你吃了，而且饱足。」就像以色列人出埃及时，神让埃及人因为惧怕，而把所有的美物都给了以色列人；神也应许，不仅把迦南地赐给以色列人，就连迦南人的房屋和美物也都要赐给以色列人。

因此当以色列人战胜赶走一些迦南人之后，便顺理成章住进迦南人的房屋里，但是神知道那些房屋有的有问题 ，可能连迦南人住了生病，自己都不知道是怎么一回事。有许多洁净的概念和作法都是从《圣经》最先开始的，例如洗手再吃东西的概念。

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Your Scarlet Cord + When Making Big Decisions

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 2:14-24.  Let’s go!

Joshua 2:14-21 (NIV) 
14  “Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the LORD gives us the land.” 
15  So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. 
16  Now she had said to them, “Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way.” ……

On verses 14-21:  So that the Israelite army would know which house to spare, the Israelite spies tell Rahab to tie a scarlet cord to her window.  That way when the Israelites were attacking the city of Jericho, they would see the scarlet cord in Rahab’s window and know to leave that house alone.

This reminds me of an earlier incident in Exodus 12, where Moses instructs each Israelite family to take the blood of a lamb and put the blood on the doorframe of their house.  That way, when God was going through the land, He would see the blood of the lamb, pass over that house and spare the family inside.

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Is it Okay to Lie?

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 2:1-13.  Let’s go!

Joshua 2:1a (NIV) 
1  Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.”…

On verse 1: Before commanding his troops to enter the land they are planning to conquer, Joshua first sends two spies to look over the land. 

What can we learn from this?  Before making a big decision, do your due diligence first.  Whether it’s a relationship, a financial decision, a job opportunity, or something else that will involve a major investment of your time, heart, energy and resources, look before you leap.  Know what you’re getting into before getting into it.

Joshua 2:1b-7 (NIV)
1…So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there. 
2  The king of Jericho was told, “Look! Some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” 
3  So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.” 

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长大痲疯得洁净的日子

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利未记14章8-9节     求洁净的人当洗衣服，剃去毛发，用水洗澡，就洁净了；然后可以进营，只是要在自己的帐棚外居住七天。第七天，再把头上所有的头发与胡须、眉毛，并全身的毛，都剃了；又要洗衣服，用水洗身，就洁净了。

《圣经》里的大痲疯包括了不同种类的皮肤病，因此当我们读到「长大痲疯得洁净的日子」时，就明白有的皮肤病会因为自身抵抗力或免疫力的增强而痊愈；但是真正的大痲疯（韩森氏病Hansen’s Disease）因为是由麻风杆菌引起，则必须接受治疗才会痊愈。根据维基百科，目前确诊痳疯病在吃药的一周内就有99%的病菌能被消除，并切断传染性，持续吃药两年，病情能基本治愈。那么在没有药物治疗，又没有神蹟的情况下，患者怎么能够得到洁净呢？

一般的疾病得到医治后，我们称之为痊愈。但是长大痲疯的人被称为不洁，若有人不小心与之接触到，那人也会变为不洁，需要隔离观察一段时间，确定没有被感染。因此若有长大痲疯（会传染的皮肤病）的人痊愈，《圣经》称之为洁净了，就需要让祭司检查，才能回到社区生活。

在检查痲疯病时有一种现象，「全身的肉若长满了大痲疯，就要定那患灾病的为洁净，全身都变为白，他乃洁净了。但红肉几时显在他的身上，就几时不洁净。」以前希腊的医学家把这种现象称为痲疯的鳞状皮肤疾病（lepra for the scaly skin disease），现代人称之为银屑病（psoriasis），华人称为干癣。

银屑病（干癣）是一种自体免疫系统失调，并不是传染病，是一种常见的慢性皮肤病。临床表现为边界清楚的隆起红色斑块，表面有层状银白色鳞屑。皮损好发于头皮和四肢伸侧，尤其在肘和膝关节附近。局部盖有多层银白色鳞屑的丘疹或斑片，刮去鳞屑及下面发亮薄膜后有点状出血，感觉痒，夏季常减轻或自愈，冬季又恶化复发（节录自维基百科）。

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不洁净了！不洁净了！

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利未记 13:9人有了大痲疯的灾病，就要将他带到祭司面前。

当祭司很不容易，除了要学习怎样维持圣所的供奉，献祭时宰牛宰羊，还要学习诊断大痲疯，真是十八般武艺样样都要会。但是真正的大痲疯和《圣经》里讲的大痲疯不大一样，真正的大痲疯是「韩生氏病Hansen’s Disease」，由癞杆菌（又称痲疯杆菌）所引起，主要侵犯人体的皮肤、粘膜以及周围末梢神经，有时也侵犯人体器官，若不治疗会造成知觉麻木，最后 丧失肌肉控制力和手脚残障。但是癞杆菌一遇到空气极易死亡，到目前尚无法在实验室培养，且95%的人都有自然的免疫力，因此并不像人们传言的那么恐怖。

《圣经》里所讲的大痲疯，包括了许多种皮肤病，例如癣、疖和白斑；就如中国的传统医书也把疠、癞、大风、痲疯、天刑等，都称为癞病（即痲疯病）。真正的大痲疯虽不易传染，但有很多种皮肤病都会传染。古代没有什么公共卫生的知识，若不把会传染的皮肤病加以隔离，那必然很难控制疾病的蔓延。因此皮肤若有异样，隔离一段时间，加以观察，再确定是否留在社群中或予以隔离，不但可以保护健康的百姓，也可以保护有病的患者，让他们有足够的时间和空间去疗养和康复。神定的「七天」，正是大部份病毒或病菌发展的时间，也是看看患者是否能自己产生抵抗力而自行痊愈的一段时间。

一旦人被祭司诊断身上有长大痲疯灾病，他要撕裂衣服，也要蓬头散发，蒙着上唇，喊叫说：「不洁净了！不洁净了！」然后要独居营外。这是患者最可怜之处，想想看一个人要高声大叫自己不洁净，免得被别人不小心碰到，那种羞耻感会何等地深；而独居营外不仅是肉体的孤独，更是灵魂上的孤单，仿佛被这个世界遗弃了。家人不能再跟你拥抱，朋友不能再找你一起做事，没有人要你靠近，你变成这世界上没有人要的「孤魂野鬼」。

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What a Great Team Looks Like

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 1:10-18.  Let’s go!

Joshua 1:10-15 (NIV) 
10  So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: 
11  “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own.'” 
12  But to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, 
13  “Remember the command that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: ‘The LORD your God is giving you rest and has granted you this land.’ ……

On verses 10-15:  Joshua is leading the Israelites toward Canaan, also known as the promised land.  To get there, Joshua and the Israelites would need to go west and cross the Jordan River.  However, the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, though they were part of the Israelites, had an agreement with Moses, Joshua’s predecessor, that instead of settling in the promised land west of the Jordan River, they could settle in the land just east of the Jordan.  Joshua respects and upholds this agreement, telling the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh that their wives, children and livestock may stay in the land just east of the Jordan, but that the men from Reuben, Gad and Manasseh must still cross the Jordan River with the rest of the Israelites and help the rest of the Israelites fight and take over the promised land. 

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The Key to Finding Courage

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Hi GAMErs,

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

Joshua 1:1-5 (NIV) 
1  After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 
2  “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them–to the Israelites. 
3  I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 
4  Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates–all the Hittite country–to the Great Sea on the west. 
5  No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

On verses 1-5:  The book of Joshua begins with God giving Joshua the charge to get ready to cross the Jordan with his people into the land of Canaan. God gives Joshua an encouraging vision of what the future would be for him and his nation (v3-4).  God also gives Joshua His promise that He will always be with Joshua (v5) and will give Joshua success (v3).

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不洁的源头

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利未记 12:6满了洁净的日子，无论是为男孩是为女孩，她要把一岁的羊羔为燔祭，一只雏鸽或是一只斑鸠为赎罪祭，带到会幕门口交给祭司。

当我们思考洁净不洁净的动物时，有的人会从实际的情况去理解神的条例。例如，有人研究分蹄的动物不洁，是因为蹄一旦分开比较容易有病毒或病菌进去动物的身体；也有人认为因为某些动物专吃死尸或腐肉，人若没有把牠的肉煮熟，就会被那些病毒或寄生虫所害。但是从犹太人的眼光来看，这不洁还不止是指作为食物，即使连妇人怀孕时也要避免看不洁净的动物，免得胎儿受到影响。犹太人认为人的灵魂是洁净的，因为是神赐下的灵，所以每个人出生时都是纯洁的。

〈利未记〉12:1-8耶和华对摩西说：「你晓谕以色列人说：若有妇人怀孕生男孩，她就不洁净七天，像在月经污秽的日子不洁净一样。第八天，要给婴孩行割礼。妇人在产血不洁之中，要家居三十三天。她洁净的日子未满，不可摸圣物，也不可进入圣所。她若生女孩，就不洁净两个七天，像污秽的时候一样。要在产血不洁之中，家居六十六天。」

但是从这段经文里，我们看到《圣经》指出人类生命源头的不洁。根据犹太人的说法，产妇不洁的日数是从生产时见到第一滴血，或是感到即将分娩时开始算起，直到洁净，这称为niddah的阶段。女人产后流血需要一段时间才会洁净，所以在这不洁净的日子里，她需要休息，使身体各方面都能恢复。

根据犹太拉比的解释，男孩子生下来第八天受了割礼，就可以正式成为以色列人，神的选民；在割礼之前，他不能算是以色列人。受了割礼，他就是从原来的罪中之民，因着神的恩典，跨过罪的横沟，成为神的选民，所以他和母亲的原罪没有相连，因此母亲只需要洁净40天(7+33)。但是女孩不必受割礼，她和母亲的原罪没有割礼的洗濯，各需要(7+33) 40天的洁净，因此加起来要(14+66) 80天的洁净。

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你心灵的眼睛看见什么？

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马太福音6章22-23节  「眼睛就是身上的灯。你的眼睛若了亮，全身就光明；你的眼睛若昏花，全身就黑暗。你里头的光若黑暗了，那黑暗是何等大呢！」

一个人意念的趋向，在于他受什么价值观影响

　　我们要把这两段串联起来，耶稣先提到钱财与我们的心的关系，接着看外面的光与里面的光的关系。一个人注重什么，与他里面的看法无法分开；一个人心里所注重的，他就在外竭力追求。我们有一个生命的方向是无法与里面的意念分开的。一个人意念的方向决定于我们看重什么，这个趋向受你的价值观影响。

　　中国人用「耳聪目明」（编按：形容脑筋灵敏，听觉既好，视力也强），形容一个人听得明白、看得准确。一个聪明的人是否照着自然本能发展下去？不一定，有的人小时候耳聪目明，大了却怎么听也听不懂，看也看不明白。圣经说有一群妇女终久学道，却不明白（参：提后3:6-7）。

　　教会有些人终久听道，却不明白，耳不聪、目不明，这种人很难被改正，因为他自以为懂。保罗不断追求却不认为他已经得着了，这是一种谦卑的态度——学无止尽，虚怀若谷。骄傲的人则反之。同样做基督徒，你看一些基督徒永远停在那个阶段，没有进一步的灵性，他所知道的、所祷告的，与几十年前一样。永不止息追求认识真理，会使我们明白这真理是超越人所想、超越人所知的。

成功的布道，在于使对方产生正向的心理变化

　　有一次我在美国对硕博士讲道，一位姊妹把物理学博士带来聚会，你一看就知道他很不愿意来，看起来他是为了陪太太不得不参加聚会的，我很敏感发现这应该是一个很聪明，却不一定对基督教有好感的人。

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A Luke at Jesus (Finale)

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 24:44-53. Let’s go!

Luke 24:44-48 (NIV) 
44  He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” 
45  Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 
46  He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 
47  and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 
48  You are witnesses of these things.

On verses 44-48: Here Jesus once again affirms to his disciples that the Old Testament (“the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms”) speak about him.  In verses 46-47 Jesus is providing his summary of the message of the Old Testament, that “the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem”. The disciples not only got to read about Jesus in their Old Testament scriptures. Even more they got to see Jesus and what is written about him actually unfold in real life – “You are witnesses of these things” (v48).

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