末底改得尊榮

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〈以斯帖記〉6:13 你在末底改面前始而敗落，他如果是猶大人，你必不能勝他，終必在他面前敗落。

閱讀經文：〈以斯帖記〉6

很奇妙的，當哈曼在家裡做了一個五丈高的木架，準備第二天上早朝時，求王讓他把末底改掛到木架上的那個晚上，王睡不著覺。哪一天都睡得著，偏偏那晚睡不著。小孩子要聽故事才睡得著，大人則換成聽歷史才睡得著。所以王就叫人取歷史來唸給他聽。正好那天晚上唸到有兩個守門的想要加害於王，被末底改知道了，他就去報告王后，王后又去通知王，因而保住了王的性命。聽到這裡，王就問，那當時有沒有賜給末底改什麼尊榮爵位啊？伺候王的臣僕回答沒有。

有時候我們做了好事，卻得不到任何的獎賞或鼓勵時，不要難過。因為我們在天父的手中，神的每一個安排計劃都是為我們設計好的，我們不用著急。本來做好事是應當的，可是因為做壞事的人太多了，所以感覺上做了好事就該有獎賞。但是信主的人不要因為一時得不到獎賞而灰心喪志，因為到了時候，我們就會發現原來神的計劃是那樣的完美。

哈曼本來預定第二天上早朝時才去求王的，但是做完木架之後，他迫不及待地跑去求王了。本來在深夜裡去見王，也沒有什麼急事，是一種對人的騷擾，也不合一般的禮節，但是因為太興奮了，哈曼竟然不顧一切在深夜裡去見王了。但是他並不知道，此時的王在想什麼。

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The Raging Bull

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 21:26-36.  Let’s go!

Exodus 21:26-36 (NIV)
26  “If a man hits a manservant or maidservant in the eye and destroys it, he must let the servant go free to compensate for the eye.
27  And if he knocks out the tooth of a manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free to compensate for the tooth.
28  “If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull must be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible.
29  If, however, the bull has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept it penned up and it kills a man or woman, the bull must be stoned and the owner also must be put to death…….

Verses 28 – 32 concerns various scenarios involving an ox. First, If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall surely be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall go unpunished. Here was a situation where an animal (specifically an ox) kills (gores) a person (man or woman). As judgment, only the ox is killed, but the owner is not punished. The owner is not considered liable for the deed of his animal. However, once the animal is proven to be dangerous to human life, that animal must be killed, in order to prevent additional damage to humans.

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哈曼立木架要殺末底改

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〈以斯帖記〉5:2 王見王后以斯帖站在院內，就施恩於她，向她伸出手中的金杖，以斯帖便向前摸杖頭。

閱讀經文：〈以斯帖記〉5

經過了三天三夜的禁食，以斯帖穿上朝服，也就是正式的皇后服，進到王宮的內院，對殿站立。她沒有直入王宮，她只是站在內院，正好可以看到坐在寶座上，對著殿門的王，王也看得見她的地方。王看見了以斯帖，就向她伸出手中的金杖，以斯帖就上前摸杖頭。這是一個很動人的畫面，王向以斯帖表明他的恩竉和接納，而以斯帖也以摸杖頭表示接受王的恩竉。王對以斯帖說，她就是要國的一半，也必賜給她，表示以斯帖仍然擁有王的寵幸。

以斯帖很有智慧，她並沒有立刻把問題說出來，只是要求王帶著哈曼去赴她所準備的筵席。這件事和國的一半相比，實在是很小兒科，王樂得做順水人情，立刻答應，叫哈曼速速照行。在筵席上，王知道以斯帖必有所求，因此再一次重覆他的應許。以斯帖承認自己有所求，但要第二天請王再帶著哈曼赴她的筵席時再說明。

以斯帖這個計劃很週全。因為她必須把哈曼套住，讓他無法逃走才行。假如她太早透露自己是猶大人的身份，那樣會有什麼後果？很可能哈曼又有說詞，讓王無法更改所下的命令。很可能王聽了以後，只會保住她一個人的性命。

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Do What Is Just and Fair

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 21:12-25. Let’s go!

Exodus 21:12-14 (NIV)
12 “Anyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death.
13 However, if he does not do it intentionally, but God lets it happen, he is to flee to a place I will designate.
14 But if a man schemes and kills another man deliberately, take him away from my altar and put him to death.

On verses 12-14: Here God continues to give to the Israelites through Moses laws that would help them begin to run as a free nation. Verses 12-14 talk about what happens when a person kills another. If the killing was intentional and deliberate, the law demanded that the killer be put to death. If the killing was not intentional, God would designate places (which later would be called cities of refuge) where the killer could flee to safety until the killer was given a fair trial.

Exodus 21:15-17 (NIV)
15 “Anyone who attacks his father or his mother must be put to death.
16 “Anyone who kidnaps another and either sells him or still has him when he is caught must be put to death.
17 “Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.

On verses 15-17: Notice that God places cursing one’s parents on the same level as murder, at least as it relates to the required punishment! It goes to show how seriously God looks at how children treat their parents.

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When Staying A Slave Is Better Than Going Free

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Hi GAMErs!  

Today’s passage is Exodus 21:1-11.  Let’s go!

Exodus 21:1-11 (NIV)
1  “These are the laws you are to set before them:
2  “If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything.
3  If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him.
4  If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free…….

On verses 1-11:  In the Bible, 7 is a special number that often symbolizes that something is complete. We see many references to it in the Bible:
– God rested on the 7th day (Genesis 2:2-3)
– God commanded His people to rest from their work every 7th day (Exodus 20:9)
– God commanded His people to let even their fields rest from being used or plowed in the 7th year (Exodus 23:11, Leviticus 25:4).

Similarly, we see here in Exodus 21:1-11 that God institutes a system where after 6 years of service a servant working for an Israelite would be freed in the 7th year.

In our day whenever we think of servants or slaves, we might think of the barbaric practices of more recent Western slave trading, where people are kidnapped, treated inhumanely and forced to work as slaves for little or no compensation.

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王后的位分

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〈以斯帖記〉4:17 此時你若閉口不言，猶大人必從別處得解脫蒙拯救，你和你父家必致滅亡。焉知你得了王后的位分，不是為現今的機會嗎？

閱讀經文：〈以斯帖記〉4

當哈曼的壞主意在各地宣告之後，全書珊城的猶大人都驚慌了。書珊城是波斯帝國的首都，書珊本意即百合花，在這個充滿百合花的美麗城巿，卻有見不得人的一場血腥的殺戮即將發生。想想看，假如在你移民去的國家裡，政府宣佈某年某月某日，所有非華人的民族，都可以去殺華人搶華人，那會造成華人多大的恐慌？2014的五月，新聞報導，由於中越在南海的爭議引發的示威持續，越南3個省發生反華抗議，平陽省工業區百多家台資、港資工廠亦遭殃，辦公室被破壞、貨物被搶、倉庫被放火墳燒。暴徒見有中文字的店舖、工廠、汽車就打、就砸，你擋他，他就打你，嚇得當地的土生華人也都盡量不出門了。印尼也有好幾次排華，1965年幾十萬華僑被屠殺，躲都沒地方躲。都是很可怕的回憶。

猶大人被擄到巴比倫，以攔的書珊城也是巴比倫的國土，那裡也聚集了很多猶大人。猶大人到了那裡就開始做生意生根，哪會想到有一天要這樣被人公然搶劫和殺死？誰沒有父母和子女，想到一家人的下場如此悽慘，怎能不撕裂衣服，穿麻衣，蒙灰塵，痛哭哀號？撕裂衣服，穿麻衣，蒙灰塵，痛哭哀號是猶大人在神面前一種痛悔的姿態，因為到了滅亡的時刻，人只能祈求神的憐憫。好像尼尼微的王一聽到約拿的宣告就披上麻布，坐在灰中，並通告全城的人和動物禁食,認罪悔改，希望求得神的憐憫。

穿麻衣不能進朝門，因為朝門是進王宮覲見王的地方，穿著麻衣等於是在哀悼，一般認為是很不吉利的，不可以把不吉利的東西帶進王宮。所以末底改也不可以穿著麻衣去向王申訴。王的諭旨所到的各省各處，猶大人大大悲哀，禁食、哭泣、哀號，穿麻衣躺在灰中的甚多。因為恐懼和絕望抓住了他們。

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From Fear To Love

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 20:18-26.  Let’s go!

Exodus 20:18-21 (NIV)
18  When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance
19  and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”
20  Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
21  The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

On verses 18-21:  After hearing the voice of God directly for the first time, together with thunder, lightning, a trumpet blast and a mountain on fire, the Israelites are freaking out in fear.  They stay at a distance from God.  They tell Moses that instead of hearing God’s voice directly they would prefer that Moses hear from God directly and then tell the Israelites what the LORD is saying.  Moses reassures the Israelites that this encounter was a test (v20), so that they would fear God and not sin against Him.  

This passage marked the first time in the Old Testament a large group of people got to hear the voice of God directly.  In the New Testament, the first time a large group of people get to hear the voice of God directly, it’s when Jesus the Son of God is speaking to them.  The contrast is stark: in Exodus 20:18-26, God comes with terrifying thunder.  In the New Testament, God comes as a baby.  In Exodus 20:18-26, God motivates with fear.  In the New Testament, God motivates with love.  It’s the same God, but Jesus Christ changes everything, extinguishing the wrath of God with his blood shed on the cross, emphasizing God’s love and compassion for sinners, and expressing the power of God with his resurrection.  In Exodus 20:18-26, the atmosphere is dominated by overwhelming fear.  In the New Testament and in heaven today, because of Jesus, the atmosphere is dominated by overwhelming love.

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哈曼謀滅猶太人

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〈以斯帖記〉3:5 哈曼見末底改不跪不拜，他就怒氣填胸。

閱讀經文：〈以斯帖記〉3

因此耶和華神曾經下令要滅絕亞瑪力人，從天下塗抹他們的名號，但是掃羅並沒有按著神的心意去做。這個哈曼在朝庭中得勢了，王抬舉他，使他高升，吩咐一切臣僕都跪拜哈曼。唯有末底改不跪也不拜。當哈曼知道原來末底改是猶大人時，他就開始有了壞心眼。他不僅要對付末底改一人，更要消滅整個猶大民族，以雪被滅族的仇恨。

為何末底改不肯跪拜哈曼呢？因為他是猶大人，猶大人己經從亡國學到功課，開始明白除了耶和華神，誰都不能拜。這又是一個很有趣的對照。在猶大尚未亡國之時，君王和百姓都不肯停止拜假神和偶像。但是亡國之後，猶大魂就顯現了。猶大魂就是代表猶大人的民族精神。但以理和他的朋友在巴比倫的表現可圈可點，尤其是他的三個朋友寧可被丟進火窯中，也不肯跪拜尼布甲尼撒做的金像；現在末底改也不肯跪拜哈曼。神對猶大人的管教總算有了一點成果。但願我們不必受管教，就離棄偶像和假神。

“普珥”是一個亞述文字，意思是“籤”；掣普珥就是掣籤，用來決定何月何日為吉。不管是巴比倫王或波斯王都有這種迷信的習俗。在巴比倫王要進攻亞捫或猶大之前，他也曾經拿犧牲的肝去占卜，決定要攻打的國家（結21:21）。在波斯的王室裡也用掣籤來選擇何時是做事的最好時日。那時是正月，掣籤出來是十二月。掣籤之後，哈曼對王進讒言，用一萬他連得銀子買到了亞哈隨魯王（以下簡稱：亞王）的同意。在這裡，亞王並沒有問清楚他想滅絕什麼人，有何原因。可能因為已經打敗了太多國家，太多民族，對亞王而言，少一個民族算得了什麼？亞王不要銀子，只要哈曼高興，真是一個糊塗之君。真正的明君實在不多。

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The Ten Commandments and Jesus

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 20:1-17.  Let’s go!

Exodus 20:1-2 (NIV)
1  And God spoke all these words:
2  “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

On verse 1:  For the first time the Israelites are hear God’s voice directly.  God’s first words to the Israelites are a declaration of who He is — “I am the LORD your God” – and what He has done “who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”  Before God came to the Israelites as a lawgiver, God first came to the Israelites as a lifegiver, a Saviour.  Similarly, when it comes to all of humanity, God’s first item of business is to save us and give us life.  Once He has done that, His second item of business is to teach us how to live now that we are saved.

Exodus 20:3-5a (NIV)
3  “You shall have no other gods before me.
4  “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
5  You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…

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盼望何處尋

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我們處在嚴峻的時期，此刻我正在我的家中，位於劍橋北部的地方，因為英國政府抗疫剛頒布的限制令，你也知道英國是這場瘟疫的重災區，當然全世界的人都陷於這場災難中。這病毒在全世界帶來間接性的傷害非常嚴重，經濟困境使許多人失去他們的工作。我的預感是，在你的國家，貧窮的人是在這場瘟疫中深受傷害的，我們要紀念在這期間所有受苦的人。

盼望短缺的世界

我非常感恩有機會參加這個非常鼓舞人心的研討大會，我要講「訴說我們心中盼望的緣由」，盼望是最切身的題目。對世界各地許多人來說，或許包括一些正在聆聽這個講座的人，我們正在面對盼望的短缺，我們生活中熟悉的事都被搖動了，在這非常時期內是非常容易失去盼望的，例如：這個新冠病毒以一個非常新穎又強大的方式攻擊我們，甚至帶來死亡的威脅。我們都知道我們都會死去，但是這與我們目前所面對的，是完全不同的，因為突然間，我們發現死亡可以突然來臨，而且令人非常痛苦。所以我們要問，「哪裡可以尋見盼望？」

彼得在他的一封書信告訴我們，那封信是寫給那些在逼迫當中跟隨耶穌的門徒，彼得說：「我們若是基督徒，我們已經藉著耶穌基督從死裡復活，被重生，有活潑的盼望」，緊接著這句話，他提醒讀者這並不表示他們不會受苦，這是我們要注意的非常重要的一點，基督徒並不免於受苦。

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