約伯力言其憂苦難堪

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〈約伯記〉16:19 現今，在天有我的見證，在上有我的中保。

閱讀經文：〈約伯記〉16章

因為約伯不接受朋友們的控訴，所以第三輪的辯論又開始了。還是由年長的以利法開始。提幔人以利法是以掃的後裔，可以想見的，他是一位非常敬虔的老人。所以在以掃的後裔中也有敬畏上帝之輩，並非全然遠離神。他帶著好意來看約伯，希望能幫助約伯，但是在約伯的悲嘆中，他聽出了約伯要找神理論之意，因而大起反感。人怎麼可以在神面前稱義？人怎能說自己毫無過犯？人怎能批評神的作為？遭災之人豈不當反省悔改嗎？怎麼反而指責神不公不義？以利法開始發“義怒”了。

雅各說：“人的怒氣並不成就神的義”（雅1:20）。神在後來責備以利法和朋友們：“我的怒氣向你和你兩個朋友發作，因為你們議論我，不如我的僕人約伯說的是”（伯42:7）。以利法為了神而發怒，但是神並沒有因而被感動，反而覺得他亂講話。後來約伯還得為以利法和朋友們獻祭祈禱，他們才得赦免。神在聽他們講話，聽他們的辯論。神也聽我們講話，聽我們的議論。因此主耶穌說：“你們不要論斷人，免得你們被論斷”（太7:1）

以利法可能就是他自己說的：“我們這裡有白髮的和年紀老邁的，比你父親還老”的那位，所以他非常不能接受約伯想要和神理論的想法。這裡好像產生了一點代溝的問題。有時候我對時下年輕人的想法也會感到很驚奇。和我同輩的人大多覺得，現代的年輕人不像我們年輕時那樣埋頭苦幹，想要存錢，有一番作為。時下的年輕人比較會享受生活，只要存了一點錢就去旅行，他們比較懂得生活。不像我們以前總是為了將來而活，無法享受到人生的樂趣。因此聆聽和學習去理解是我們都要學習的功課。

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The Fulfillment of Prophecy

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Acts 2:14-21.  Let’s go! 

Acts 2:14-15 (NIV)
14  Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.
15  These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!
 
On verses 14-15:  Before a crowd of thousands, Peter stands up and is about to tell them about Jesus. Peter, who used to be ashamed of his faith and denied Jesus in front of a few people, is now speaking to thousands about the difference Jesus has made in his life.  That’s the power of the Holy Spirit working.  The Holy Spirit gives us courage, strength and wisdom to do what we could not do in our own power.
 
By the way, I find Peter’s statement in verse 15 funny.  “These men are not drunk…It’s only nine in the morning!” as if to say, “Just wait until 12pm.  That’s when we’re more likely to get drunk.”  Of course, I’m pretty sure that’s not what Peter meant.  Instead Peter is wisely addressing the elephant in the room and debunking a misconception that many in the crowd may have had about what was going on.     

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以利法再度責約伯

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〈約伯記〉15:14 人是什麼，竟算為潔淨呢？婦人所生的是什麼，竟算為義呢？

閱讀經文：〈約伯記〉15章

因為約伯不接受朋友們的控訴，所以第三輪的辯論又開始了。還是由年長的以利法開始。提幔人以利法是以掃的後裔，可以想見的，他是一位非常敬虔的老人。所以在以掃的後裔中也有敬畏上帝之輩，並非全然遠離神。他帶著好意來看約伯，希望能幫助約伯，但是在約伯的悲嘆中，他聽出了約伯要找神理論之意，因而大起反感。人怎麼可以在神面前稱義？人怎能說自己毫無過犯？人怎能批評神的作為？遭災之人豈不當反省悔改嗎？怎麼反而指責神不公不義？以利法開始發“義怒”了。

雅各說：“人的怒氣並不成就神的義”（雅1:20）。神在後來責備以利法和朋友們：“我的怒氣向你和你兩個朋友發作，因為你們議論我，不如我的僕人約伯說的是”（伯42:7）。以利法為了神而發怒，但是神並沒有因而被感動，反而覺得他亂講話。後來約伯還得為以利法和朋友們獻祭祈禱，他們才得赦免。神在聽他們講話，聽他們的辯論。神也聽我們講話，聽我們的議論。因此主耶穌說：“你們不要論斷人，免得你們被論斷”（太7:1）

以利法可能就是他自己說的：“我們這裡有白髮的和年紀老邁的，比你父親還老”的那位，所以他非常不能接受約伯想要和神理論的想法。這裡好像產生了一點代溝的問題。有時候我對時下年輕人的想法也會感到很驚奇。和我同輩的人大多覺得，現代的年輕人不像我們年輕時那樣埋頭苦幹，想要存錢，有一番作為。時下的年輕人比較會享受生活，只要存了一點錢就去旅行，他們比較懂得生活。不像我們以前總是為了將來而活，無法享受到人生的樂趣。因此聆聽和學習去理解是我們都要學習的功課。

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Without THIS Moment We Wouldn’t Be Here Today

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Hi GAMErs!

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

Acts 2:1-11 (NIV)
1  When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
2  Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3  They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
4  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5  Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
6  When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
7  Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?
8  Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?
9  Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
10  Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome
11  (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs–we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”

On verses 1-11:  Pentecost, also known as the Feast of Weeks, was one of the big three festivals in the Jewish calendar (the other two being the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Tabernacles – see Leviticus 23).  Happening on the 50th day after the Passover Feast (Pentecost in ancient Greek means “Fiftieth”), Pentecost was a time to thank God for the harvest.  It is fitting that God chose Pentecost to be the day when He would fill His church with the Holy Spirit.  

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人生如花似影

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〈約伯記〉14:7 樹若被砍下，還可指望發芽，嫩枝生長不息。

閱讀經文：〈約伯記〉14 章

約伯感嘆人生日子之短少，以及人出生於污穢的世界裡，怎可能完全無罪？既然如此，約伯求神不要對他要求太高，寧可轉眼不看他的罪，讓他得以歇息，直到人生的盡頭。所以約伯雖然覺得自己有理，沒有做什麼壞事，但是當他想到自己年幼之時可能有的過犯，以及可能附合過與社會中一些作法或思想，他知道自己在神面前無法完全。神若數點人的過犯，誰能完全？但是約伯屢屢提及，人生有限，神若不住手加苦害於他，以後神要再找他就找不到了；等神的憤怒過去再要找約伯時，他已經躺下不再起來，不得復醒了。頗有“你到時不要後悔”的意思在裡面。這就是約伯和神的關係，深到一個地步，約伯知道神很愛他，也必然想念他。

約伯想到人若沒有指望，連兒女的升尊或降卑都無所謂了；“但知身上疼痛，心中悲哀”。身外的人事物都不像肉體的攻擊那樣使人感到挫折。因為人有自尊心，有獨立的需求，很多事我們可以自己做時，不願假他人之手，不然就會很沮喪。例如吃飯、洗澡、走路、梳頭，等等的日常生活瑣事，若還需要人家來餵你，幫你洗澡，會讓人覺得很沒用，一無是處，只是個負擔。疼痛雖是個美好的禮物，可以讓我們知道危險而採取應對，但是有的疼痛會使人使去自理的能力，使人覺得像條蟲，不再有人的尊嚴，而感到十分悲哀。

張文亮教授針對這第十四章寫下了〈上帝之斧〉一文，對植物有精闢之解，會讓大家對本章有更多的理解：我對植物學的認識，大都是來自我在加州大學戴維斯分校（University of California-Davis）的學習。我不知道約伯是在哪裡上過課，他怎麼知道這麼多植物的知識？聽啊！他說：「樹若被砍下，還可以指望發芽，嫩枝生長不息。其根雖然衰老在地裡，樹也死在土中，及到得了水氣，還要發芽，又長枝條，像新栽的樹一樣。」（約伯記14:7-9），距今三仟年多前的約伯，怎麼有這麼精確敘述？

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驚動被風吹的葉子

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〈約伯記〉13:25 你要驚動被風吹的葉子嗎？要追趕枯乾的碎秸嗎？

閱讀經文：〈約伯記〉13 章

約伯在說完世人的成功是由神來決定之後，來了一個高潮：“我真要對全能者說話，我願與神理論”。因為他的眼都見過，耳都聽過。現在有幾個人敢這樣說，我不曉得，但是由於資訊的泛濫及廣濶，實在很難什麼都見過，什麼都聽過。因為人生有限，面對浩瀚的宇宙和地球悠久的歷史，我們所見所聞都只是冰山一角，都只是傳媒送到我們眼前的資料而已。約伯是在跟他的朋友們做比較，免得朋友以為他什麼都不知道。有這個前題，所以他知道他們的建議對他而言都像是無用的醫生。他的問題只有神才能解決。

所以他不管三七廿一，即使神要殺他，他也要和神把話講清楚，才能死得明白。他相信，只有跟神把話說清楚了，他才有得到拯救的可能，因為神是掌管他生命的神。假如朋友要再和他辯論，像是為神遮掩、為神說好話，他就寧願緘默不言，氣絕而亡。所以他要弄清楚，他究竟犯了何罪，以致於落到這樣的境地。所以在約伯心中，也是有同樣的思路，災難是出於神的審判而來。但是他究竟有多少罪孽和罪過，是否連幼年的罪孽也都被數算了？

在苦難中，約伯依然求神不要縮回祂的手，也就是不要不與約伯同在，不要遠離約伯，但不要驚他。約伯說神使他有如被風驚動的葉子，葉子不是一天到晚被風吹著嗎？讓我們來看看張文亮教授寫的，一片葉子寫給約伯的信。

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When Making Tough Decisions

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Acts 1:12-26.  Let’s go! 

Acts 1:12-14 (NIV)
12  Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city.
13  When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
14  They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

On verses 12-14:  After spending time with Jesus post-resurrection and witnessing His ascension into heaven, the disciples, including Jesus’ female followers, Jesus’ mother Mary and Jesus’ brothers, would return to the place where they were staying and join together constantly in prayer.  It was their closest, most natural and most direct way of keeping in contact with their Lord Jesus.  They would pray together, knowing that Jesus heard them.  It was all coming together for them that Jesus truly is all-seeing, all-knowing, all-powerful God.  What can we learn from this?

1.     According to Mark 6:3, while Jesus lived on this earth Jesus had four brothers called James, Joseph, Judas and Simon.  They were his half-brothers in that they were the natural sons of Jesus’ parents Joseph and Mary.  These brothers did not believe that Jesus was who he claimed to be: the Son of God.  That is, until the resurrection.  Jesus’ resurrection was that pivotal moment when his half-brothers who doubted Him started to believe in Him.  James would even become the leader of the church in Jerusalem.   Again, if you want to know if Christianity is valid and worth believing in, start with the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus.

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約伯自言己智不亞於友

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〈約伯記〉12:5 安逸的人心裡藐視災禍，這災禍常常等待滑腳的人。

閱讀經文：〈約伯記〉12 章

當瑣法講得如此精彩，約伯大概無法可說吧。不！約伯回答的更多，並且更精彩。這種高潮迭起的應對，使約伯記像是章回體裁，在每段的末了，總留伏筆，要知後果如何，請看下回分解，瑣法的伏筆，在第三段有著美好的安慰以後，以「但惡人的眼目必要失明。他們無路可逃，他們的指望就是氣絕。」（約伯記11:20），彷彿是一首交響曲，到了終了戰鼓聲又再催揚。

人性的關懷

老將，約伯，只好上場再度應戰，他也將對方來將痛罵一陣：「你們真是子民哪，你們死亡，智慧也就滅沒了。」（約伯記12:2），又說：「但我也有聰明，與你們一樣，並非不及你們。你們所說的，誰不知道呢？」（約伯記12:3），聖經記錄這麼多人在苦難不得安慰時的情緒之言，證明上帝看重「人性」的軟弱，而且上帝的恩惠與救贖是能透過人性的軟弱來彰顯。軟弱的竹子與堅強的鋼結構可以合搭一座橋嗎？偉大的上帝，正在這裡搭建一個極巧妙的藝術工作。

罵了之後，約伯就迅速地切入他的第一個論點，他提出上帝的智慧與人的智慧不同，上帝的知識與人的知識有很大的差距。約伯的朋友都提出災禍是上帝給惡人的審判，富裕是上帝給人的祝福，約伯提出上帝可以用災禍，也可以用富裕來審判人，災禍與富裕都可以使人離開上帝，他用一個極具啟發性的例子，「上帝……，祂把水留住，水便枯乾；祂再發出水來，水就翻地。」（約伯記12:15），這兩種極端不同的狀況，皆是上帝的審判。水的枯乾，如同人逢到苦境，四周遭困；水的發出，如同人的順利發達，卻帶來翻地的後果。

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God’s Power and Purposes for Your Life

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Hi GAMErs!

Today we begin the book of Acts.  Written by Luke in approximately 60 A.D. as a sequel to the Gospel of Luke, Acts is such an important book in that: (1) it gives us a detailed account of what happened to Jesus’ followers after Jesus ascended to heaven; (2) it gives us a historical backdrop for understanding the letters of Paul, which would make up much of the New Testament; (3) it shows us what the early church looked like and the incredible faith, courage and perseverance they displayed in the face of great uncertainty and persecution; and (4) it takes us on a tour from Jerusalem to the various nations where the church spread.  Even more, the book of Acts is filled with powerful lessons for us today. 

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

Acts 1:1 (NIV)
1  In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach
 
On verse 1:  The “former book” Luke is referring to is the Gospel of Luke, which Luke also wrote to Theophilus.  Little is known about Theophilus.  The fact that Luke refers to Theophilus as “most excellent Theophilus” (Luke 1:3) suggests to many scholars that Theophilus may have been a person of wealth and high social status.  The name “Theophilus” literally means “lover of God”, which has led some to believe that “Theophilus” may also have been a code name for addressing Christians or people interested in Jesus generally. 
 
Acts 1:2-4a (NIV)
2  until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.
3  After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
4  On one occasion, while he was eating with them…

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Depending on the Presence of God

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 40:17-38, the final passage of Exodus.  Let’s go! 

Exodus 40:17-35 (NIV)
17  So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year.
18  When Moses set up the tabernacle, he put the bases in place, erected the frames, inserted the crossbars and set up the posts.
19  Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering over the tent, as the LORD commanded him.
20  He took the Testimony and placed it in the ark, attached the poles to the ark and put the atonement cover over it…….

On verses 17-35:  Notice how over and over the words “as the LORD commanded Moses” get repeated when describing how Moses set up the tabernacle.  When Moses had finished the work, a cloud representing the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.  For me it’s a powerful reminder of two things:

First, full obedience ushers in the presence of God.  Moses carefully set up the tabernacle just as the LORD had commanded, and in a similar way Jesus carefully obeyed His Father completely and it is through His perfect obedience that we now have God’s presence in our lives.  Jesus’ perfect obedience ushered the presence of God into our world.

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