至好朋友是耶穌

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〈箴言〉18:24    濫交朋友的自取敗壞，但有一朋友比弟兄更親密。。

閱讀經文：箴言18:22-24

22得著賢妻的，是得著好處，也是蒙了耶和華的恩惠。23貧窮人說哀求的話，富足人用威嚇的話回答。24濫交朋友的自取敗壞，但有一朋友比弟兄更親密。

第22節：得著賢妻的，是得著好處，也是蒙了耶和華的恩惠。Find a good spouse, you find a good life— and even more: the favor of God! 《The Message》

箴言19章 14說 :“房屋錢財是祖宗所遺留的，唯有賢惠的妻是耶和華所賜的。”這兩節經文都強調得著賢妻的，是蒙了耶和華的恩惠。換句話說，想娶個好太太，必須向神祈求，而不是靠自己的眼光去選擇。因為起初是神把夏娃帶到亞當面前，所以當人尋求妻子時，也要如此祈求，求神把對象帶到他面前。

“智慧婦人，建立家室；愚妄婦人，親手拆毀” （箴14:1）。選妻子不是挑肥撿瘦，而是要看是不是神所配合的。因為只有神才知道我們真正的需要。人的選擇往往以外表為主觀，很難從短暫的相處去真正認識一個人，加上自己也不是完全人，所以寧可求神替你選。因為在聖經裡是由智慧的女人去建立家室，所以若選了一個缺乏智慧的女人做妻子，會建立起怎樣的家室就很難講了。

這智慧不是指世上的學問或才華，因為“敬畏耶和華是智慧的開端”，所以選擇一個敬畏神的女人，而不是一個風情萬種的女人，你就蒙了耶和華的恩惠了。

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Fear Can Be Contagious, But So Can Courage

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Hi GAMErs!

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

Deuteronomy 20:1-4 (NIV)
1  When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.
2  When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army.
3  He shall say: “Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them.
4  For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”

On verses 1-4:  In Deuteronomy 20:1-9, Moses prepares the Israelites for war against their enemies. His big message to the Israelite army: do not be afraid, for God is with you (v1-4).

Praise God that, similarly, we have every reason to live life with courage. That’s because God is with us. As Moses says, “do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you” (v1).

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Respect People’s Boundaries

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 19:11-21.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 19:11-21 (NIV)
11  But if a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him, assaults and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities,
12  the elders of his town shall send for him, bring him back from the city, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die.
13  Show him no pity. You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, so that it may go well with you.
14  Do not move your neighbor’s boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess.
15  One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
16  If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime,
17  the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time.

On verses 11-21:  Deuteronomy 19:11-13 says that if a person has stood trial and been convicted of murder, that person cannot continue to hide in the city of refuge.  Rather, the convicted murderer must be handed over to the avenger of blood to die (v12).

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生死在舌頭的權下

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〈箴言〉18:21 生死在舌頭的權下，喜愛它的必吃它所結的果子。

閱讀經文：箴言18:19-21

19弟兄結怨，勸他和好比取堅固城還難，這樣的爭競如同堅寨的門閂。 20人口中所結的果子必充滿肚腹，他嘴所出的必使他飽足。 21生死在舌頭的權下，喜愛它的必吃它所結的果子。

第19節：弟兄結怨，勸他和好比取堅固城還難，這樣的爭競如同堅寨的門閂。Do a favor and win a friend forever; nothing can untie that bond. 《The Message》

你可能已經發現中譯和英譯有點不一樣，中譯的比較負面，英譯的比較正面。中譯的講到兄弟結怨，要和好幾乎不可能；《The Message》給了我們一個比較有鼓勵性的翻譯，看在弟兄的份上幫他一個忙，可以贏得一份長遠的友誼，沒有什麼事能破壞這份情誼。

不管從正面或負面去理解，我們都能體會到要建立一份深厚的情誼，就必須付出代價；一旦有了誤會或嫌隙，就很難恢復從前推心置腹的情況了。保羅說，愛是不做害羞的事。這句話我有很深的感受。因為有一兩次我感覺到朋友忽然之間和我生疏了。過了一段時期，才間接得知，原來對方做了一些不好的事，以為我知道，所以就不敢來找我了。

背後說閒話或是做對不起人的事，反而會怕別人對自己不利，即使對方毫無所覺，自己卻先害怕了，所以也無法再做朋友了。感謝神，我有許多可敬愛的朋友，因為大家都敬畏神，所以彼此信任，互相幫助。這是非常難得的福份。所以想要擁有長遠相交的朋友，自己就要先敬畏神，做一個忠實的朋友。

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掣籤能止息爭競

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〈箴言〉18:18 掣籤能止息爭競，也能解散強盛的人。

閱讀經文：箴言18:16-18

16 人的禮物為他開路，引他到高位的人面前。 17 先訴情由的似乎有理，但鄰舍來到，就察出實情。18 掣籤能止息爭競，也能解散強盛的人。

第16節：人的禮物為他開路，引他到高位的人面前。A gift gets attention; it buys the attention of eminent people. 《The Message》

有解經家說，這節經文的Gift 禮物在原文其實是恩賜或技能的意思。假如從一般的禮物去理解，在高位的人會因為怎樣的禮物去注意到送禮物的人？除非是很特別的禮物，所以要用禮物開路。但是因為有恩賜或技能而引起高位的人注意，這種事情就比較常見了。

沒有手和腳的佈道家力克‧胡哲昨天提到，在他這次的佈道旅程中，斯洛文尼亞共和國Slovenia的總統Borut Pahor親自來把他介紹給會眾。為何一個總統會親自來為這個佈道家捧場呢？實在是因為力克的故事感動了成千上萬的人，也鼓勵了許多絕望的人。因著耶穌基督，一個殘障的人竟然成了神國大使，使許多高位的人都願意接見他，並且支持他的事工。

耶和華神是高高在上的造物者，卻以自己的獨生子為禮物，送給世上的人。為了讓世人認識祂，願意“接見”祂！至高的神竟如此謙卑在世人面前，而世人竟敢趾高氣揚地拒絕！可見人的驕傲、自大和無知，到了一個怎樣的地步。神卻不和人計較，依然在尋找，要把祂所愛的帶回家中。有什麼禮物能為我們開路，引我們到至高的神面前呢？

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Safe in Jesus

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 19:1-10.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 19:1-10 (NIV)
1  When the LORD your God has destroyed the nations whose land he is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their towns and houses,
2  then set aside for yourselves three cities centrally located in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess.
3  Build roads to them and divide into three parts the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that anyone who kills a man may flee there.
4  This is the rule concerning the man who kills another and flees there to save his life–one who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought.
5  For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life.
6  Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought.

On verses 1-10:  Here Moses tells the Israelites that when God leads them into the land He has promised them, they are to set aside three cities as “cities of refuge”.  What was a city of refuge?  It was a place where an individual who had killed someone by accident could flee for safety until they were given a fair trial.  By staying in the city of refuge, that individual could not be killed by the “avenger of blood” (v16), that is, the person who was assigned the task of executing anyone who was guilty of murder.

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尊重自己和別人

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〈箴言〉18:14 人有疾病心能忍耐，心靈憂傷，誰能承當呢？

閱讀經文：箴言18:13-15

13未曾聽完先回答的，便是他的愚昧和羞辱。 14人有疾病心能忍耐，心靈憂傷，誰能承當呢？15聰明人的心得知識，智慧人的耳求知識。

第13節：未曾聽完先回答的，便是他的愚昧和羞辱。 Answering before listening is both stupid and rude. 《The Message》

看完這節經文，知道自己有這個壞習慣的人，請舉手。雖然我看不見你，但是聖靈看得見。我也有這樣的壞習慣，雖然知道這是一種禮貌，但是討論到熱烈時，往往就搶著說話了。現在外子和我都會彼此提醒，讓別人把話說完，不要搶話頭。當然，你可能看不見我們在桌子底下踢來踢去。

學習等待，讓人家把話說完，不僅是一種禮貌，也是一種風度，更是一種體貼的心態。但是最常聽到搶話的：“我知道，我知道，我也曾經這樣……”或是“我知道，我知道，你是不是這樣……”。要學習等待，讓人把話說完，這是《聖經》教導我們的，言語上的彼此尊重，要有禮貌，要有風度。因為，我們是神的兒女，是大君王家的公主和王子。所以，尊重別人，就是尊重自己。

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A Healthy Approach to Prophecy

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 18:14-22.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 18:14-22 (NIV)
14  The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.
15  The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.
16  For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”
17  The LORD said to me: “What they say is good.
18  I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.
19  If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.
20  But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death.”
21  You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?”
22  If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.
 
On verses 14-22:  In Deuteronomy 18:14-22, Moses tells the Israelites that they don’t need to resort to things like divination and fortune telling to discern the will of God.  That’s because God has given His people something greater that divination and fortune telling: He has given His people prophets and the gift of prophecy (v14-15).  

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Loving Your Church Staff Well

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 18:1-13.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 18:1-8 (NIV)
1  The priests, who are Levites–indeed the whole tribe of Levi–are to have no allotment or inheritance with Israel. They shall live on the offerings made to the LORD by fire, for that is their inheritance.
2  They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the LORD is their inheritance, as he promised them.
3  This is the share due the priests from the people who sacrifice a bull or a sheep: the shoulder, the jowls and the inner parts.
4  You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine and oil, and the first wool from the shearing of your sheep,
5  for the LORD your God has chosen them and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the LORD’s name always.
6  If a Levite moves from one of your towns anywhere in Israel where he is living, and comes in all earnestness to the place the LORD will choose,
7  he may minister in the name of the LORD his God like all his fellow Levites who serve there in the presence of the LORD.
8  He is to share equally in their benefits, even though he has received money from the sale of family possessions.
 
On verses 1-8:  In Deuteronomy 18:1-8, Moses tells the Israelites to care for the Levites – that is, their priestly leaders and those who dedicated their careers to serving in the house of God.  He tells them to remember that their priestly leaders have a unique responsibility in life (v1), that they don’t get to enjoy all the privileges that the other Israelites enjoy (v2), that they are dependent on the offerings of the people for their livelihood (v3), that God has chosen them to minister to Him in a way that requires all of their working hours (v5) and thus the other Israelites are to treat them well (v6-8). 

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尊榮以前，必有謙卑

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〈箴言〉18:12  敗壞之先，人心驕傲；尊榮以前，必有謙卑。

閱讀經文：箴言18:11-12

11 富足人的財物是他的堅城，在他心想，猶如高牆。 12 敗壞之先，人心驕傲；尊榮以前，必有謙卑。

第11節：富足人的財物是他的堅城，在他心想，猶如高牆。The rich think their wealth protects them;  they imagine themselves safe behind it. 《The Message》

在溫哥華西區有個地區，據說都是大官或很有錢的人居住的，那裡的房子都有很厚的圍牆，很深的院子。我有個朋友曾在那地區買了一棟房子，她邀請我們去參觀。從門口到內室，都裝了閉路電視，每一個去的人都難免要“上鏡頭”。朋友從她的臥室裡就可以看到屋內外的每個地方。這句經文使我聯想到朋友的住家，富人的財物可以為他自己築起堅城和高牆，卻也讓人感受到眾多財富下的不安和驚惶。

當然，這些豪宅不算什麼，在印尼有錢的人不僅有城有牆，還雇了軍人佔崗。表面看很威風，實際上很害怕。財富可以幫人解決不少問題，尤其在可以行賄的地方。所以有人說，錢不是萬能，但沒有錢就萬萬不能。

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