以利亞遁至何烈山

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〈列王紀〉上 19:18 但我在以色列人中為自己留下七千人，是未曾向巴力屈膝的，未曾與巴力親嘴的。

閱讀經文：〈列王紀〉上19:1-21

想到在風雨中奔跑在亞哈馬車前的以利亞，和狂奔到別是巴的以利亞，兩者之間的心境實在有天壤之別。奔跑在亞哈馬車前的以利亞，剛剛完成了極大的使命，在迦密山上勝過450個巴力的先知，讓以色列眾民曉得耶和華是神，並且神按著所應許的下雨了。神的靈與他同在，使他的生命充滿了能力。這時的以利亞彷彿站在信心之顛。但是耶洗別送來了一句話：“明日約在這時候，我若不使你的性命像那些人的性命一樣，願神明重重地降罰於我！”

以利亞頓時好像被刺破了一個洞的氣球，咻的一下子就變扁了。他所有的勇氣和信心在一剎那之間消失殆盡，他又開始跑了。但是這次的跑法跟上次不同，上次跑得意氣風發，非常豪邁；這次跑起來有點像被獵人追的野狗，抱頭鼠竄。從以色列北國的撒馬利亞，跑到南國猶大的最南邊別是巴才停下來。還感到不夠安全，又在曠野走了一天，坐到一棵羅騰樹下，在那裡向神求死：“耶和華啊，罷了！求祢取我的性命，因為我不勝於我的列祖”。說完就累得睡著了。

偉大如以利亞都曾經絕望得想自殺，從信心的最高峰跌下去，一直掉到絕望的深淵裡，爬不出來，只想一死了之。有很多神的僕人都有類似的經歷。跟隨神的旅程，不會永遠站在信心的顛峰，有時環境會把我們逼上絕路。以利亞怕死了，惡婦耶洗別要他的命。他顯然不怕亞哈，可是卻怕耶洗別怕到這樣的程度。可能因為耶洗別太惡名昭彰了。所以我們永遠不要說自己倚靠神就不會跌倒，魔鬼知道我們心中最軟弱的那個部份，只要一按下去，我們就變成一個紙娃娃了。這也就是主所說的：“離了我，你們就不能做什麼”（約15:5）。主對我們的理解何等深切。

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The Dangers of an Attitude of Entitlement

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Leviticus 18:19-30.  Let’s go!

Leviticus 18:19-30 (NIV)
19  “‘Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period.
20  “‘Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife and defile yourself with her.
21  “‘Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
22  “‘Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.
23  “‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion…….

On verses 19-30:  Here we learn one of the reasons why God was ousting out the nations that occupied Canaan and bringing the Israelites to occupy Canaan in their place, which is that these other nations had, in God’s eyes, become defiled by their idol worship (which included sacrificing their children to the god Molech) (v21) and sexual practices which displeased God (v19-20, 22-23).  Rather than seeing themselves as subject to God’s commands, these other nations carried on life with an attitude of entitlement, thinking, “It’s my life and my body and I can do whatever I want with it.”  In carrying on these practices, verses 24b and 27 say that these other nations defiled themselves, defiled the land that they lived in, and thus were cut off and vomited out of the land.  The Israelites are told not to make the same mistakes as these other nations as they get ready to occupy that same land.

What can we learn from this?  When we live with an attitude of entitlement, thinking, “It’s my life and my body and I can do whatever I want with it”, we make ourselves the centre of our own universe and push God to the wayside.  We think that living this way is the key to our happiness, when in fact living with an attitude of entitlement eventually brings us misery, causing us eventually to be cut off from God’s presence and God’s blessings. 

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You Need to Belong to a Local Church

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Leviticus 17:1-16.  Let’s go!

Leviticus 17:1-9 (NIV)
1  The LORD said to Moses,
2  “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘This is what the LORD has commanded:
3  Any Israelite who sacrifices an ox, a lamb or a goat in the camp or outside of it
4  instead of bringing it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to present it as an offering to the LORD in front of the tabernacle of the LORD–that man shall be considered guilty of bloodshed; he has shed blood and must be cut off from his people.
5  This is so the Israelites will bring to the LORD the sacrifices they are now making in the open fields. They must bring them to the priest, that is, to the LORD, at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and sacrifice them as fellowship offerings…….

On verses 1-9:  In Leviticus 17, some of the Israelites were no longer going to worship with their Israelite brothers and sisters at the Tent of Meeting.  Instead of bringing their worship sacrifices to the Tent of Meeting where they could worship together with other believers and priests, some Israelites may have thought, “Well, isn’t God everywhere?  Let’s just do all of our sacrifices here in the open fields from now on (See Leviticus 17:1-4).  Who needs to go to the Tent of Meeting to worship?  Aren’t we all God’s people?”

Likewise, today from time to time you might meet someone who says, “I am a Christian, but I don’t belong to any local congregation.  I am part of God’s universal Church, so there’s no need for me to belong to any particular local church.  I can just worship God in my own home or at a park or by the beach if I want to”.

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《聖經中各種審判》8 — 對埃及的審判 之二

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出埃及記  7-11章

「君權神授」的觀念

　　以色列人在患難之日等候上帝的拯救。以色列人原初在埃及所領受的，是非常榮耀的日子，但當不認識約瑟的法老繼位，逼迫就來到了，正如世界不認識上帝的旨意與上帝的兒子，不認識上帝的子民原有的榮耀以及對世界的貢獻。以色列人在埃及所受的痛苦，是世上的政權抵擋上帝的權柄的一個寫照。我在我的《神權、人權、政權》神學講座一書提到神權高過人權，人權高過政權。政權從哪裡來？從過去的歷史，我們看見君權神授的金科玉律，古代的政府都認為他們的權柄是上帝特別給的，中國人的皇帝被尊為天子，日本人的皇帝被尊為天皇，無論東西方都有同樣的觀念：君權神授──人在地上作王的權柄，是天上的上帝所賜與的。羅馬也認為凱撒是天神在地上的代表，這些權柄是不可挑戰、抵擋，凡是順從君王權柄的人，就可以看順利活在世上，凡是不遵守天所賜的王權，一定要被殺害，君王有生殺之權，在地上代表天上的上帝，施行他們的獨裁。

劃時代的王權約束力──英國的《大憲章》

　　君權神授在歷史上的發展，直到1215年時，英國《大憲章》（The Great Charter）的制定，以法律限制君王的權利，人權不應在君王的獨裁統治下被侵犯，君王不應當隨意生殺百姓。在人類漫長的歷史洪流中，人對自身人權的覺悟並不是件容易的事，是歷經了幾千年才感到應當挑戰君王的權柄，君權被挑戰的君王對此相當不滿，因而產生君權與人權的相抗，人在王位上的把握越來越減少。不到二百年，英國的《大憲章》產生人類第一次最可怕的反應，就是把他們的王殺死。1215年《大憲章》的訂定，是對人權尊重的歷史轉捩點。為什麼《大憲章》有這麼大的影響力？因為這是上帝的干預，因此上帝許可《大憲章》的訂定。大憲章的拉丁文是 Magna Carta，就是偉大的憲章的意思，它告訴我們無論哪一個人統治世界，都有約束他的法律。當法律限制君王的權柄，人民因此得以抬頭。

　　英國《大憲章》所表彰的精神，是與當時的政治形勢相違背的，也帶來英國的崛起。英國在羅馬帝國以後大約五百年左右崛起，成為超越羅馬帝國的最大政權。羅馬帝國在主前27建立，東羅馬帝國在主後330遷都到君士坦丁堡，於1453年被回教消滅，當時最大的帝國就此告別歷史的舞台。回教徒原先計畫消滅東羅馬帝國後便向西挺進，控制基督徒的世界，使回教遍滿全地。當時教會的大主教，一個個到穆罕默德二世（II. Mehmed, 1432-1481）面前求饒，這是基督教的奇恥大辱，也是歷史很可怕的轉捩點，從此回教徒按照基督教禮拜堂洋蔥式圓頂的格式，作為建造回教堂屋頂的格式。回教在君士坦丁堡得勝後，無法繼續向西挺進。回教軍隊在732年，由西班牙深入歐洲，攻擊高盧（今天的法國），遭歐洲聯軍擊退；回教軍隊在1683年，進逼維也納，卻打不進去。如果那次回教再勝過維也納，西歐就完了。

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God is Holy and Jesus is Your Scapegoat

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Leviticus 16:1-34.  Let’s go!

Leviticus 16:1-19 (NIV)
1  The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the LORD.
2  The LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.
3  “This is how Aaron is to enter the sanctuary area: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
4  He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on…….

On verses 1-19:  In the tabernacle where the Israelites would gather to worship and give their sacrifices to God, there was, curtained off and closed to the public, a smaller room called the “Most Holy Place”.  In the Most Holy Place would be the ark of the covenant, which was an ornate gold-covered box that contained the stone tablets bearing the 10 commandments.  The Most Holy Place and the ark represented God’s presence among the people of Israel.  For more on the Most Holy Place, the ark and the tabernacle, see Exodus 25 and 26.

In these verses we learn that Aaron the high priest of Israel could not enter the Most Holy Place whenever he wanted (v2).  Rather he could only enter the Most Holy Place once a year and to do so had to offer a number of specific sacrifices to make atonement for the Israelites, for himself, and even for the things like the place where they gather to worship and the equipment they used.  

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迦密山上見真神

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列王紀上 18:38 於是，耶和華降下火來，燒盡燔祭、木柴、石頭、塵土，又燒乾溝裡的水。

閱讀經文：〈列王紀〉上18:25-46

迦密山在希伯來文的意思是「上帝的葡萄園」，在古時候山上也是種滿了葡萄。看圖便知道它的山脊十分平坦廣濶，正適合許多人聚集。以利亞要求亞哈召集450個巴力的先知和400個亞舍拉的先知到迦密山上比賽，看看誰敬拜的是真神。亞哈立刻就答應了。可見在亞哈心中，他也覺得巴力真的是神。所以他敢讓巴力的先知和以利亞擺陣。以前非利士人搶走約櫃，把約櫃放在基抹的廟裡，結果他們拜的基抹斷手斷腳斷頭，並且俯伏在約櫃面前，看了這樣的基抹，非利士人從此就不拜基抹了。但是即使巴力的神不靈驗，亞哈的心會回轉嗎？

比賽的內容是雙方各自準備一隻獻祭的牛犢，切成塊子，放在木柴上面，但是不可點火。若是真神，讓祂親自來引火，收取祭牲。以利亞先讓巴力的先知求火，他們在壇旁踴跳、狂呼亂叫，從早上到獻晚祭時，又用刀槍自割自刺，直到身體流血。但是牛犢依然躺在那裡，沒有絲毫動靜。巴力沒有出現，巴力不來，或是去遠遊了，趕不回來？這些人，真的相信巴力是一個活的神嗎？還是以巴力為他們利用的公仔？

以利亞叫以色列人到他那邊，他就重修已經毀壞的耶和華的壇，又按以色列支派取了十二塊石頭，築一座壇，在壇旁挖溝，這個溝可以放進二細亞的穀種，也就是約14.6公升或3.7加侖的水。以利亞叫人擺好柴，再用四個桶的水，倒在潘祭和柴上。一共倒了三次，直到水流在壇的四圍，溝裡也滿了水。對巴力先知來說，巴不得乾柴烈水就自己點著了，哪裡還敢加水？豈不是難上加難？但是以利亞胸有成竹，他不是為了要表演魔術，讓人覺得自己很厲害，有能力。他的目的只有一個，就是要讓以色列人知道耶和華是真神，希望以色列人的心回轉；而他以利亞是神的僕人。

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迦密山上試真神

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列王紀上 18: 21   以利亞前來對眾民說：「你們心持兩意要到幾時呢？若耶和華是神，就當順從耶和華；若巴力是神，就當順從巴力。」

閱讀經文：〈列王紀〉上18:1-46

溫哥華三個月不下雨，大家都已經開始著急，何況三年不下雨。有些地方碰到這種情形，就會開始求雨，好像澳洲土著、俄羅斯的先民、北美的印第安人都有求雨舞；在中國古代有的君王，例如明太祖朱元璋就曾經為了祈雨跪了三天。可見一旦沒有雨，人就懂得要向上天求雨，因為雨是從天上降下來的，不向上天求，向誰求呢？可見人的心裡有“天”，人相信這“天”能懂得人的祈求。這“天”是有意識的，是活的，是有能力的，換句話說就是人相信天上有“神”。人平時很驕傲，說沒有神；但是只要幾個月不下雨，他都會開始求神了。那時就知道人是何等有限，神是何等恩慈。

亞哈很驕傲，他不要神，不要創造宇宙、帶領以色列先祖出埃及的真神。但是三年沒有雨，他就頂不住了，再不下雨，他連王都做不成了。百姓都餓死了渴死了，沒有百姓，他怎麼做王呢？他拜的金牛犢、巴力、亞舍拉通通不能幫他，他急得到處找以利亞。因為只有以利亞的神可以解決這個問題，耶和華神若說不下雨，連魔鬼都沒辦法。

亞哈和他的家宰俄巴底去找青草，因為他的牲畜再沒草吃就都會死了。家宰是指管理王的家之事務的高官；俄巴底的名字之意是「耶和華的僕人」。果然，這個俄巴底沒有辜負為他取名字的人，他雖然在亞哈的家裡做事，卻暗中保護耶和華的先知。在最黑暗的地方，仍然有神的僕人在那裡做光做鹽。這也是為何主教導我們不要論斷或批評別人，因為有許多事是我們不知道的，只有神知道，所以只有神才有資格審判每一個人。

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Made Clean With A Touch

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Leviticus 15:16-33.  Let’s go!

Leviticus 15:16-24 (NIV)
16  “‘When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean till evening.
17  Any clothing or leather that has semen on it must be washed with water, and it will be unclean till evening.
18  When a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen, both must bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
19  “‘When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening.
20  “‘Anything she lies on during her period will be unclean, and anything she sits on will be unclean…….

On verses 16-24:  Why is it that a man’s emission of semen (v16-18) would cause a man and the woman he lay with to be ceremonially unclean?  Why is it that a woman’s period (v19-24) or a woman bleeding outside of her regular period (v25-27) would cause the woman and anything the woman sits on to be ceremonially unclean?  Are these bodily discharges sinful in God’s eyes?  No.  Remember that “sinful” and “unclean” are not the same thing.  To be ceremonially unclean meant that you could not enter the sanctuary where the Israelites worshipped for the period of the uncleanness.

Why would God impose such a rule on the Israelites?  Many scholars say that the main purpose of these regulations was to set the Israelites apart from other nations who regularly practiced cult prostitution and engaged in fertility rituals within the temples where they would worship their gods.  

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Washing the Most Private Areas of Our Lives

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Hi GAMErs,

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

Leviticus 15:1-15 (NIV)
1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When any man has a bodily discharge, the discharge is unclean.
3 Whether it continues flowing from his body or is blocked, it will make him unclean. This is how his discharge will bring about uncleanness:
4 “‘Any bed the man with a discharge lies on will be unclean, and anything he sits on will be unclean.
5 Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.
6 Whoever sits on anything that the man with a discharge sat on must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening…….

On verses 1-15: What discharge is Leviticus 15:1-15 talking about? Many scholars believe that the discharge is probably gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted disease. The fact that God’s Word would touch on such an issue shows that God is concerned about the private areas of our lives, those parts of our lives which no one else would know about unless we told them. When we experience hurt or discomfort in a secret area of our lives, God does not turn a blind eye; rather, His heart is for you to experience healing, cleansing, and restoration.

Speaking of cleansing, it was not until the 1800s with the revolutionary work of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis that Western medicine realized the importance of washing with water when treating patients. Yet notice how much these verses emphasize washing with water. (The idea of washing or bathing with water comes up no less than 9 times in these verses.) In this respect the Bible was thousands of years ahead of the medical industry — just one more example of how God’s Word is ahead of its time.

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以利亞預言旱荒

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列王紀上 17:24   婦人對以利亞說：「現在我知道你是神人，耶和華藉你口所說的話是真的。」

閱讀經文：

〈列王紀〉上17:1-24

這是一個讓人津津樂道的故事。從主日學到現在，我聽這故事不下百遍了，可是到現在還是喜歡它。以前喜歡的是以利亞行的神蹟，現在可以從這些神蹟裡去認識神，越讀越有意思。以前讀的時候覺得不降露不下雨與我無關，不癢不痛。有一年回台灣省親時，正好碰上台灣缺雨少水，水庫的水位一直下降，人心惶惶，政府一直呼籲大家節約用水。回到溫哥華，也碰上了難得的幾個月都天晴，沒想到從一級禁水令一直升到三級禁水令。水庫的水一點一點地減少，天上一滴水也沒掉下來。草地已經枯黃，樹葉也垂頭喪氣，泳池不可注水，家裡不可洗車。正在這緊要關頭，下雨了。每個人都歡欣鼓舞。

至於不降露有何嚴重性呢？幾年前我去過非洲的野生動物園，那裡的地也乾旱得很。但是導遊說，因為清早一些枝葉上有甘露，所以動物們只要吃了露水，就夠一天的水份了。所以沒下雨動物還能存活。所以若是沒有露水，不僅動物活不了，連植物都活不了。神為何要用乾旱來處罰以色列人呢？說實在的，在等待下雨的日子裡，我有時候會想到，是不是最近有人做了一些事情得罪神，以致神懲罰我們？甘露時雨都是上天所賜，當上天不再賜下甘露恩雨時，人就要好好地反省了。

所以當以利亞對亞哈王說：“我指著所侍奉永生耶和華以色列的神起誓：這幾年我若不禱告，必不降露不下雨”。是神藉著以利亞來使亞哈思想，並不是以利亞本身有能力做此事。神總是喜歡讓人與祂同工，使人自覺有價值。以利亞對亞哈王預言之後，神就叫以利亞住到基立溪旁，喝溪裡的水，等待烏鴉的供養。烏鴉早晚給他叼餅和肉來，這些和餅從哪裡來呢？沒人知道。會不會有的大戶人家每天都覺得少了一點肉和幾片餅，但是查來查去都察不出是誰偷吃的？過了些日子，溪水就乾了，是不是被以利亞喝乾了？當然不是，因為沒有下雨，太陽天天曬，把這條溪都曬到見底了。於是神叫以利亞去西頓的撒勒法。去那裡做什麼？去找一個寡婦。

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