论以色列周边列国的预言

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耶利米书 49:38 我要在以拦设立我的宝座，从那里除灭君王和首领。这是耶和华说的。

阅读经文:  49:23-39

23论大马士革。「哈马和亚珥拔蒙羞，因他们听见凶恶的信息就消化了。海上有忧愁，不得平静。 24 大马士革发软，转身逃跑。战兢将她捉住，痛苦忧愁将她抓住如产难的妇人一样。 25 我所喜乐、可称赞的城，为何被撇弃了呢？ 26 她的少年人必仆倒在街上，当那日一切兵丁必默默无声。」这是万军之耶和华说的。 27 「我必在大马士革城中使火著起，烧灭便哈达的宫殿。」

这是耶利米先知对列国所发的第六个预言，有关大马士革的预言。大马士革，又译为大马色，是亚兰族，也是叙利亚国的首都。哈马和亚珥拔是大马色以北的两个城。大马士革位于于两条主要贸易通道的交汇处：一，海路从埃及向北沿着地中海海岸线，经米吉多和加利利海，穿过巴勒斯坦北部。二，陆路大道是穿越沙漠，从阿拉伯和以东向北经过外约旦地区。这两条路线在大马十革会合，然后穿过沙漠到达美索不达米亚。作为交通中心，大马士革自古以来就是军事、商业、宗教要地。江水和运河使国土比较肥沃，其领土也要比以色列的其他周边国家宽广。

此预言论及当巴比伦大军进入哈马、亚珥拔时，消息传到大马色，居民惊惶失色，未作任何抵抗即弃城而逃，以及大军过后，城市被毁的凄凉景况。“海上有忧愁，不得平静”，意指巴比伦军的入侵如海浪般波涛澎湃，使人因恐慌而无法平静。“少年人必仆倒在街上”，少年人本是指国中精壮有力气，国之倚靠的，但是他们却都跌倒，爬不起来，表示亚兰无力与巴比伦抵抗。

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Forever Faithful, Always Encouraging

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 7:13-25.  But let’s start at verse 8 so that we get some context.  Let’s go!

Judges 7:8-15 (NIV)
8  So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others. Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley.
9  During that night the LORD said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands.
10  If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah
11  and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp.

On verses 8-15:  At night the LORD told Gideon in verse 9 to get up and go down into the valley against the Midianite camp.  But just in case Gideon was still afraid to go, to give Gideon some extra assurance, the LORD tells Gideon to take his servant Purah and first go down to the Midian camp and listen to what the Midianites are saying (v10-11).  When Gideon and Purah go down to the massive Midianite camp, Gideon happens to overhear one man confessing to his friend a dream he had that a big round loaf of barley bread tumbled into the Midianite camp and destroyed it.  Both the man’s friend (v14) and Gideon (v15) interpret this dream to mean that the God had given the Midianites into the Israelites’ hands.

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论以东

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耶利米书 49:11  你撇下孤儿，我必保全他们的命，你的寡妇可以倚靠我。

阅读经文:  49:7-22

7 论以东。万军之耶和华如此说：「提幔中再没有智慧吗？明哲人不再有谋略吗？他们的智慧尽归无有吗？ 8 底但的居民哪，要转身逃跑，住在深密处！因为我向以扫追讨的时候，必使灾殃临到他。 9 摘葡萄的若来到他那里，岂不剩下些葡萄呢？盗贼若夜间而来，岂不毁坏直到够了呢？ 10 我却使以扫赤露，显出他的隐密处，他不能自藏。他的后裔、弟兄、邻舍尽都灭绝，他也归于无有。 11 你撇下孤儿，我必保全他们的命，你的寡妇可以倚靠我。」

以扫是以撒的长子，亚伯拉罕的孙子。以东是以扫的别名，也是“红”之意，因为以扫出生时身体发红，浑身有毛。以扫是雅各的哥哥，因为吃了雅各的红汤，卖了长子的名份；又被雅各欺骗，夺去了父亲对长子的祝福。因此这两兄弟之间说有“深仇大恨”也不为过；不过后来兄弟和好，各住一边，在世时也不再有争执；反而是其后裔不断为敌。

以东的居地地势很高，因此神说：“住在山穴中据守山顶的啊，论到你的威吓，你因心中的狂傲自欺；你虽如大鹰高高搭窝，我却从那里拉下你来。” 波斯拉是以东北方的一个小镇，以“不能靠近之城”而得名，虽然地势甚高，但是神必让她的仇敌像狮子从约但河边的丛林上来；又如大鹰飞起，展开翅膀攻击波斯拉。以东如大鹰高高搭窝，神却用如大鹰的仇敌把它拉下来。不管人自以为多么有保障，神都可以摧毁。

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When You Have Limited Resources, Remember This

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 7:1-12.  Let’s go!

Judges 7:1-8 (NIV)
1  Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.
2  The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her,
3  announce now to the people, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.'” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.
4  But the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”

On verses 1-8:  God intentionally whittles down the Israelite army from 32,000 to 300.  Why?  God explains it Himself in verse 2: “In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her”.  God wanted the Israelites to know that it was not their own strength that rescued them but God.  So when you are faced with limited resources and wonder why God does not give you more for the moment, remember that God loves to show His power through our limitations.  God loves to take those who are in the minority and do something powerful with them.

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论亚扪

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耶利米书  49:2b  先前得以色列地为业的，此时以色列倒要得他们的地为业。

阅读经文:  49:1-6

1 论亚扪人。耶和华如此说：「以色列没有儿子吗？没有后嗣吗？玛勒堪为何得迦得之地为业呢？属他的民为何住其中的城邑呢？」 2 耶和华说：「日子将到，我必使人听见打仗的喊声，是攻击亚扪人拉巴的喊声。拉巴要成为乱堆，属她的乡村要被火焚烧。先前得以色列地为业的，此时以色列倒要得他们的地为业。」这是耶和华说的。

亚扪是罗得酒醉后和小女儿生下的后裔。在〈申命记〉2章19节，神对预备进入迦南地的以色列人说：“走近亚扪人之地，不可扰害他们，也不可与他们争战。亚扪人的地，我不赐给你们为业，因我已将那地赐给罗得的子孙为业。”亚扪人住的地原是利乏音人住的。利乏音人身材高大，人又多，但是耶和华神帮助亚扪人得了他们的地，给他们居住。可惜亚扪人对耶和华神并无感激之情，自己去找了一个玛勒堪为神，有时也和摩押人一起拜摩洛或基抹等假神。

利乏音人这块土地位于约旦河南端以东，一度跟摩押人在死海东面高原的领土接壤。以色列人进入迦南以前，亚扪人的一些土地被亚摩利人夺走，他们被迫退到北面和东面去，本来跟摩押人接壤的边界也断开了。此后，亚扪人领土的边界从蜿蜒曲折的雅博溪谷上游起，一直往东伸延至荒漠地带，他们的王城设于雅博溪谷上游附近的拉巴（即现代的安曼）。考古学家在这一带发现了古代亚扪人的一些遗址和边防营垒。

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God’s Strength Is Greater Than Your Weakness

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 6:28-40.  Let’s go!

Judges 6:28-31 (NIV)
28  In the morning when the men of the town got up, there was Baal’s altar, demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar!
29  They asked each other, “Who did this?” When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.”
30  The men of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”
31  But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.”
 
On verses 28-31:  Gideon obeys God’s command to tear down the altar of Baal and the Asherah pole that were erected on his house. The townspeople take exception to Gideon’s actions, saying that he must die.  Gideon’s father Joash comes to his son’s defense.  Joash basically makes two points. 

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