Saved by the Power of God’s Love

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 14:15-31.  Let’s go!

Exodus 14:15-22 (NIV)
15  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.
16  Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.
17  I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.
18  The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”
19  Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them,
20  coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.
21  Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided,
22  and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

On verses 15-22:  In arguably the most incredible scene in all the Old Testament, God parts the seas so that the Israelites can walk right through to safety on the other side, with a wall of water on their right and left.  Get ready for THRIVE Church online today (www.thrivechurch.ca/online) as we take a close look at this passage together.  You don’t want to miss this powerful message!

巴比倫亡

〈但以理書〉5:22伯沙撒啊,你是他的兒子,你雖知道這一切,你心仍不自卑。

閱讀經文:〈但以理書〉5:1-31

尼布甲尼撒曾經希望巴比倫能夠永永遠遠地堅立,可惜事與人違,才88年就結束了。在尼王死後,他的兒子以未米羅達於西元562年繼位,兩年後在叛變中被殺;由尼王的女婿尼甲沙利薛繼位,在位四年就去世。尼甲沙利薛的兒子拉巴施瑪度做王九個月被殺。尼王的另一個女婿拿波尼度被擁立為王,他做王後將阿拉伯沙漠北部的提瑪城當成是巴比倫國的第二首都,長期住在提瑪城,指派長子伯沙撒在巴比倫城幫他管理政務,所以伯沙撒在主前553年左右跟其父親同時攝政。相傳伯沙撒的母親是尼布甲尼撒王的女兒,也是拿波尼度的妻子。但以理說伯沙撒是尼王的兒子,原文有小字指是祖父或先祖之意。

大凡一個政權敗落都不是沒有原因的,就好像以色列北國和猶大南國的滅亡,都是因為離棄耶和華神,拜偶像,行敗壞的事,以致於被神管教。所以神說:“亞述是我怒氣的棍,手中拿我惱恨的杖。(賽10:5)”又說:“以色列是打散的羊,是被獅子趕出的。首先是亞述王將他吞滅,末後是巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒將他的骨頭折斷。 (耶50:17) ”但是這些國家因為行惡太甚,所以也嚐到了被神刑罰的後果。

巴比倫在尼王統治期間的國勢最為強大,巴比倫城的人口達到十多萬,且因地處交通要衝,世界各國的商 人都到這裡來,是當時亞洲西部著名的商業和文化中心,被稱為“上天的門戶”。但是在強盛的背後卻有許多可見的危機,其一是被征服的外族人對巴比倫奴隸主的仇恨和反抗不斷發生,本族的貧民和農民因破産淪為奴隸,加劇了國內的階級矛盾。其二是源於巴比倫的宗教信仰。據希臘學者希羅多德記載,在每個巴比倫婦女的一生中,都要到阿芙洛蒂忒神廟裡做廟妓,與陌生男子性交。但她們不算是妓女,而是阿芙洛蒂忒神的替身。

The One Who Fights For You

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 14:1-14.  Let’s go!

Exodus 14:1-4 (NIV)
1  Then the LORD said to Moses,
2  “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon.
3  Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’
4  And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.” So the Israelites did this.

On verses 1-4:  At first the fleeing Israelites were heading southeast (according to some historians), and now Moses’ GPS (the LORD) tells Moses to lead the Israelites in a new direction, which is north toward the sea.  Knowing that Moses and the Israelites would question this move, God tells Moses the reason why: He was making the Israelites look like they were lost and confused in order to bait Pharaoh to go out and pursue them (v3-4a).  God reassures Moses, “I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.”

《聖經中各種審判》16 — 對以色列的審判

在上帝主權統管下的意志

  聖經說:「我要使法老的心剛硬」,我們怎麼理解?上帝的主權超越人的意志,人心能否順從都在神主權的統管下。聖經說:「耶和華說:『我要顯我一切的恩慈,在你面前經過,宣告我的名。我要恩待誰就恩待誰;要憐憫誰就憐憫誰。』」(出 33:19)一個人的生命要敗壞下去,不是他決定就可以,也要上帝的許可。

有關上帝的主權與旨意,我分成四大階層:一、上帝計劃中的旨意,二、上帝許可中的自由,三、上帝引導人的轉變,四、上帝任憑人的滅亡,這四樣都在神的主權之下。你說:「我自己決定,所以我有這樣的地步」,你沒有想到你所打的主意有上帝的主權在你身上的彰顯,如果你能好,是因為上帝施恩給你,如果你不好,是上帝任憑你硬著你的心,因著上帝的主權與施恩決定一個人能領受多少恩典,如果上帝沒有施恩,我們只能抵擋上帝,剛硬著心。聖經說:「我要使法老的心剛硬」,這不是指硬心是上帝的決定,而是說這其中有上帝的許可,甚至是上帝的任憑。人自己本意的敗壞是上帝的任憑,不讓你悔改,繼續硬心下去。人以為他的抵擋連上帝都束手無策,把上帝的干涉當作是對自己的攪擾,在蒙蔽之中不知道自己犯了什麼錯,不知道如果上帝不施恩,他也無法悔改。

聖經說:「我使法老的心剛硬,要在他身上顯出我的榮耀」,因為法老的剛硬,人看見上帝憑己意行萬事 ,上帝行事使祂的百姓得恩典,祂施行審判使祂的仇敵受災殃。

十災顯明埃及諸神非真神

  上帝降下十災最大的目的只有一個:顯明埃及人所敬拜的是假神,不能造福人群,解救百姓。在降災的事上,術士可以模仿先知所做的事 ,無論是杖變蛇或水變血,假先知所做的事情與神的僕人好像一樣,但在結局上,你看見法老的術士只能降災,顯明邪惡的能力無法施行拯救,這是聖經記載正邪之間真正的分別。