Entries by

牧者寻见牧者

2024-12-22 in , /by

路加福音 2:1-20
8 在伯利恒之野地里有牧羊的人，夜间按著更次看守羊群。 9 有主的使者站在他们旁边，主的荣光四面照着他们，牧羊的人就甚惧怕。 10 那天使对他们说：「不要惧怕，我报给你们大喜的信息，是关乎万民的。 11 因今天在大卫的城里，为你们生了救主，就是主基督。 12 你们要看见一个婴孩，包著布，卧在马槽里，那就是记号了。」 13 忽然有一大队天兵，同那天使赞美神说： 14 「在至高之处荣耀归于神！在地上平安归于祂所喜悦的人！」

谁来探访耶稣？路加福音2:1-20记载，居里扭作叙利亚巡抚时，约瑟带着接近预产期的马利亚从加利利拿撒勒城去伯利恒，然后孩子在伯利恒出生了。

耶稣出生时，伯利恒野地有牧羊人看见天使显现，报给他们大喜的信息，要他们寻见「婴孩卧在马槽里」为记号；接着，一大队天兵同天使赞美神说：「在至高之处荣耀归与神！在地上平安归与祂所喜悦的人（有古卷：喜悦归与人）！」他们急忙往伯利恒去，就寻见马利亚和约瑟，又有那婴孩卧在马槽里。

伯利恒邻近耶路撒冷，当时圣殿献祭所需的牲畜，都饲养在伯利恒附近的野地里。野地里，夜间轮班看守羊群的牧羊人，肩负著照顾、保护羊群的责任，他们寻见「婴孩卧在马槽里」的记号，也听见「荣耀归与神！喜悦归与人！」的赞美。牧羊人既然看见，就把天使论这孩子的话传开了，也因所听见所看见的一切事，就归荣耀与神，赞美祂。（2:20）

God Is Reaching For You

2024-12-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 14:1-20.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Samuel 14:1-20 (NIV)
1  Joab son of Zeruiah knew that the king’s heart longed for Absalom.
2  So Joab sent someone to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought from there. He said to her, “Pretend you are in mourning. Dress in mourning clothes, and don’t use any cosmetic lotions. Act like a woman who has spent many days grieving for the dead.

On verses 1-20:  David’s military commander Joab notices how David’s heart longs for his exiled son Absalom, and yet David refuses to bring Absalom back (v1).   So Joab decides to do something about it.   Joab hires a talented actress from Tekoa to enter David’s presence.  She pretends that she is a widow grieving because her only two sons got into a fight, one killed the other, and now her whole clan demands that her remaining son be executed. 

Time Doesn’t Heal All Hurts, But Jesus Can

2024-12-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 13:23-39.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

2 Samuel 13:23-35 (NIV)
23  Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king’s sons to come there.
24  Absalom went to the king and said, “Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his officials please join me?”
25  “No, my son,” the king replied. “All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you.” Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go, but gave him his blessing.
26  Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon come with us.” The king asked him, “Why should he go with you?”

On verses 23-35:  Sometimes you’ll hear people say, “Time heals all wounds.”  It doesn’t.  We see that in Absalom’s case.  Two years had passed since Amnon raped Absalom’s sister Tamar.  During those two years, Absalom’s bitterness toward Amnon did not subside; rather Absalom held onto the grudge which eventually led him to mastermind Amnon’s murder. 

王者畏见王者

2024-12-20 in , /by

马太福音 2:1-12
希律王听见了，就心里不安，耶路撒冷合城的人也都不安。 4 他就召齐了祭司长和民间的文士，问他们说：「基督当生在何处？」 5 他们回答说：「在犹太的伯利恒。因为有先知记着说： 6 『犹大地的伯利恒啊，你在犹大诸城中并不是最小的，因为将来有一位君王要从你那里出来，牧养我以色列民。』」 7 当下，希律暗暗地召了博士来，细问那星是什么时候出现的， 8 就差他们往伯利恒去，说：「你们去仔细寻访那小孩子，寻到了就来报信，我也好去拜他。」

谁来探访耶稣？马太福音2:1-16记载，大希律作犹太人的王时，来自东方的几个博士（智者）寻访当时落脚伯利恒的小孩子耶稣和他母亲马利亚。

希律王听闻此事，心里不安，经询问祭司长和文士得知，有先知记载（弥迦书5:2）说：「犹大地的伯利恒啊，你在犹大诸城中并不是最小的；因为将来有一位君王要从你那里出来，牧养我以色列民。」于是，希律王暗地召来智者，要他们去伯利恒寻访小孩子，寻得后回来报信。

智者循着东方所见之星前行，寻得且俯伏拜见耶稣，揭开宝盒，献上礼物，最后就回本地去了。希律见自己被智者愚弄，就大大发怒，差人将伯利恒城里并四境所有的男孩，凡两岁以内的，都杀尽了（2:16）。

伯利恒意为面包（粮食）之家，是大卫的出生地（撒母耳记上17:12）。大卫是以色列历史中有为的君主，他是一位专心倚靠神的人，并且是优秀的战士、音乐家和诗人。耶稣肉身的母亲马利亚，和马利亚的丈夫约瑟都是大卫的后裔。

The Difference Between Love and Lust

2024-12-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 13:1-22.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

2 Samuel 13:1 (NIV)
1 In the course of time, Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom son of David. 

On verse 1:  Verse 1 says that David’s son Amnon fell in love with her beautiful half sister Tamar.  But make no mistake about it.  What Amnon had for Tamar was not love but lust.  We’ll see the difference between love and lust clearly through this passage.

智者拜见智者

2024-12-19 in , /by

马太福音 2:1-12 当希律王的时候，耶稣生在犹太的伯利恒。有几个博士从东方来到耶路撒冷，说： 2 「那生下来做犹太人之王的在哪里？我们在东方看见他的星，特来拜他。」 3 希律王听见了，就心里不安，耶路撒冷合城的人也都不安。 4 他就召齐了祭司长和民间的文士，问他们说：「基督当生在何处？」 5 他们回答说：「在犹太的伯利恒。因为有先知记着说： 6 『犹大地的伯利恒啊，你在犹大诸城中并不是最小的，因为将来有一位君王要从你那里出来，牧养我以色列民。』」

谁来探访耶稣？马太福音2:1-12记载，当希律王的时候，耶稣生在犹太的伯利恒。有几个博士（可译为智者、或星象家）从东方来到耶路撒冷，说：「那生下来作犹太人之王的在哪里？我们在东方看见他的星，特来拜他。」

希律王听见了，心里不安，询问祭司长和文士：「基督当生在何处？」他们回答有先知记载（弥迦书5:2）说：「犹大地的伯利恒啊，你在犹大诸城中并不是最小的；因为将来有一位君王要从你那里出来，牧养我以色列民。」于是，希律王暗地召来智者，细问那星何时出现，要他们去伯利恒寻访小孩子，寻得后回来报信。

根据学者考证，耶稣出生于西元前6至4年间，几个智者来到耶路撒冷的时候，耶稣约两岁。路加福音2:1-20记载牧羊人寻见耶稣，是用婴儿来形容耶稣，但是马太福音2:1-12记载智者寻访耶稣，是以小孩子来形容耶稣。

Surrendering to God Sets You Free

2024-12-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 12:15-31.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Samuel 12:15 (NIV)
15 After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill.

On verse 15:  Whenever a person has a miscarriage, or a child gets sick and dies prematurely, does that mean that God is actively giving the baby a sickness and punishing a child for their parent’s sins?  No.  Remember that in the Old Testament, the mindset of people was that everything — both good and bad — comes from God.  In a way they’re correct insofar as without God there wouldn’t be anything.  But when you read the New Testament, rather than emphasizing that everything good and bad comes directly from God, Jesus and the New Testament writers make a couple distinctions.  First, everything good is from God (James 1:17).  Second, when it comes to things that we consider bad, like sickness, sin, the death of a baby, an evil spirit or someone going to hell, these are not things that God wants. 

犹太的伯利恒

2024-12-18 in , /by

马太福音 2:5-6 他们回答说：「在犹太的伯利恒。因为有先知记着说：  『犹大地的伯利恒啊，你在犹大诸城中并不是最小的，因为将来有一位君王要从你那里出来，牧养我以色列民。』」

根据台湾圣光神学院的资料，圣经中至少有两个伯利恒：其一是位于拿撒勒西北方约11公里、现代名为Beit Lahm之处。这村镇在约书亚分地时，是在西布伦境内（书19:15）。这地很可能是士师以比赞（Ibzan）的家乡（士12:8, 10）。其二就是大家所熟知、耶稣诞生之处的伯利恒。这市镇位于分水岭路偏东、在耶路撒冷以南8公里，海拔约762公尺之处。

伯利恒这名的「伯」字，源于希伯来文的bayit，意思是house（家或庙宇）。至于「利恒」的lehem，据说是由于在远古时代，这里曾供奉著米所波大米的两位与农业有关的神明、名叫Lahmu和Lahamu。

在「七十士译本」中，雅各把伯利恒列在分为犹大土地中的第九区，并说迦勒从第二任的妻子以法他所生的孙子萨玛（Selma）被称为「伯利恒之祖」（代上2:51）。

伯利恒有几个小故事，一是士师记记载的，有一位利未人在伯利恒寄居。「这人离开犹大伯利恒城，要找一个可住的地方；行路的时候到了以法莲山地，走到米迦的家…」（士17:7-9）。其二，伯利恒又是以法莲山地那边的一位利未人之妾的家乡。由于这个人的妾之被基比亚人凌辱至死而引起的一场支派战争，使得便雅悯支派险些被灭绝（士19-20）。其三，伯利恒原是以利米勒和拿俄米的家乡，他们曾因伯利恒地遭遇饥荒而移居摩押地。

God Is For You, Not Against You

2024-12-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 12:1-14.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Samuel 12:1 (NIV)
1 The LORD sent Nathan to David…

On verse 1a:  Nathan the prophet was David’s friend and pastor.  Previously it was through Nathan that God spoke some powerful and encouraging promises to David about his future (2 Samuel 7:4-17).  Now Nathan was to confront David to speak the truth in love regarding David’s adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband. 

I like what Pastor Jon Courson puts it:
“God didn’t send an enemy of David to talk to him about his sin. He sent a friend. This is most often the way of the Lord. When He has a word of correction to bring us, inevitably it will be by someone who has a heart for us. Conversely, unless your heart is filled with compassion for the person you are about to correct, it is probably not your responsibility to correct him.” [1]

希律的恐惧

2024-12-17 in , /by

马太福音 2:3 希律王听见了，就心里不安，耶路撒冷合城的人也都不安。

一个在当时最有权势的希律王，竟然因为一个小小婴孩的降生而心生恐惧。他害怕什么呢？

不能不说，大希律是一个很有才华的人，他是很著名的建筑师，他扩建了第二圣殿，修建了希律宫，又盖了马赛大，等等，都是非常巨大的工程。希律的父亲是己皈依犹太人的以东人，母亲是犹太人，因此希律从小就被当作犹太人抚育成长。

因希律的父亲和罗马皇帝凯撒关系很好，因此希律被委任为加利利省长，后来又被封王。在罗马的帮助之下，又打败了想夺位的安提柯二世，结束了哈斯蒙尼王朝(马加比王朝)，犹大地再度成为罗马附属国。希律也被任命为犹太人的王, 大希律。他统治犹大地共33 年。

虽然位在万人之上，希律却有无法克服的疑心，总是害怕被人谋杀篡位。他的妻子和儿子都成为他疑心的犠牲品，被他杀了。所以史书有「当希律王的猪比当他的儿子更好」的说法。现在听到有个万王之王要降生了，他怎能不害怕？又有人要来抢他的位置了吗？即使只是个婴儿，他也害怕不己。有很多人和希律有类似的恐惧，他们要做自己的王，不愿意有人来取代。所以耶路撒冷合城的人也都不安，他们以为又要有政变了。生活在政局动荡不安的人们，实在很值得同情，太没有安全感了。