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God Is Speaking. Are You Listening?

2024-10-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 3:1-21.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 
 
1 Samuel 3:1 (NIV)
1 The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions. 
 
On verse 1:   Why was God so rarely heard (or seen) during this time?  Is it because God was not speaking or because the people were not listening?  I believe it was the latter.  This was a time when hardly anyone truly feared God.  As Judges 21:25 tells us, instead of listening to God, “everyone did as he saw fit.” Moreover, the first chapters of 1 Samuel show us that the spiritual leaders of the nation were so set in their ways and so engrossed in their sinful practices that they did not hear God’s voice or have any perspective or insight into what God wanted to do.  There was no room for God in them.  But God was still speaking and waiting for someone to tune in.  The question is not so much: “Is God speaking?”  The question is “Are we listening?”

The Effects of Poor Parenting

2024-10-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 2:27-36.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

1 Samuel 2:27-29 (NIV)
27  Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your father’s house when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh?
28  I chose your father out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your father’s house all the offerings made with fire by the Israelites.
29  Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’

On verses 27-29:  Eli had warned and rebuked his sons for their wicked behaviour, including how they kept taking for themselves the fat parts of the offerings that were meant for the Lord (v. 16-17).  Yet beyond giving them a warning and a rebuke (v 22-25), Eli did nothing to stop his sons.  Given his sons’ corrupt and unrepentant behaviour (sleeping with the servant girls, stealing offerings, and as verse 28 says taking for granted the honour and benefits of being priests in God’s house), Eli should have removed his sons from office. 

在我敵人面前，祢為我擺設筵席

2024-10-01 in , /by

撒母耳記上 27:1-12

1大衛心裡說：「必有一日我死在掃羅手裡，不如逃奔非利士地去。掃羅見我不在以色列的境內，就必絕望，不再尋索我。這樣我可以脫離他的手。」 2 於是大衛起身，和跟隨他的六百人投奔迦特王瑪俄的兒子亞吉去了。 3 大衛和他的兩個妻，就是耶斯列人亞希暖和做過拿八妻的迦密人亞比該，並跟隨他的人，連各人的眷屬，都住在迦特亞吉那裡。 4 有人告訴掃羅說，大衛逃到迦特，掃羅就不再尋索他了。

大衛躲避掃羅的追殺，四處逃亡，最後他選擇了逃奔非利士地去，投靠迦特王亞吉，在洗革拉住了一年零四個月。掃羅知道大衛逃到非利士人那裏，就不再尋索他了（撒上27:1-12）。

這是一個聰明，也是困難的決定。大衛殺死的歌利亞是迦特人，他應該是迦特王亞吉和他的臣僕的死敵，大衛躲避掃羅，初次逃至迦特時，他藉著假裝瘋癲，被逐出亞吉家而免遭殺害（撒上21:10-15）。再次投靠迦特王亞吉，大衛需要向亞吉顯示效忠，他攻擊基述人、基色人、亞瑪力人之地，且不留活口，讓亞吉相信自己搶掠了猶大人，取得亞吉王的信賴（撒上27:1-12），甚至被立為亞吉的護衛長（撒上28:1-2）。

Living All For One Name, Even When Others Around You Don’t

2024-09-30 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 2:12-26.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 
 
In 1 Samuel 2:12-26 we see the stark contrast between Samuel and the sons of Eli.  All of them were priests serving in the same place of worship, but they were worlds apart in terms of character.  As a result, though you could find them in the same place, they were moving in opposite directions.  It’s your character, not your surroundings, that matters most.  Let’s take a look in more detail.

1 Samuel 2:12-17 (NIV)
12  Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD.
13  Now it was the practice of the priests with the people that whenever anyone offered a sacrifice and while the meat was being boiled, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand.
14  He would plunge it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot, and the priest would take for himself whatever the fork brought up. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh.

將冤屈交給神

2024-09-30 in , /by

撒母耳記上 24:8-15

8 隨後大衛也起來，從洞裡出去，呼叫掃羅說：「我主！我王！」掃羅回頭觀看，大衛就屈身，臉伏於地下拜。 9 大衛對掃羅說：「你為何聽信人的讒言，說大衛想要害你呢？ 10 今日你親眼看見在洞中，耶和華將你交在我手裡。有人叫我殺你，我卻愛惜你，說：『我不敢伸手害我的主，因為他是耶和華的受膏者。』

丹佐華盛頓2004年在他主演的「火線救援」影片中，對綁匪和從中得利、或姑息縱容綁票案發生的人，展開一連串的報復行動；他在片中的一段對白，令我印象深刻，他說：「上帝審判惡人，我負責帶惡人到上帝那裡。」影片中，他殺了所有的惡人。但是，大衛有不一樣的想法…

掃羅挑選三千精兵，率領他們往隱基底的曠野，尋索大衛和跟隨他的人。掃羅在路旁羊圈的洞大解，藏在洞裡深處的大衛並未殺害掃羅，僅悄悄地割下掃羅外袍的衣襟。大衛對跟隨他的人說：「我的主乃是耶和華的受膏者，我在耶和華面前萬不敢伸手害他，因他是耶和華的受膏者。」，不容他們起來害掃羅（撒上24:1-7）。甚至，大衛還為割下掃羅的衣襟而自責（撒上24:5）。大衛對掃羅說：「…願耶和華在你我中間判斷是非，在你身上為我伸冤，我卻不親手加害於你。…願耶和華在你我中間施行審判，斷定是非，並且鑒察，為我伸冤，救我脫離你的手。」（撒上24:8-15）

在神裡面經歷淬鍊和更新

2024-09-29 in , /by

在神裡面經歷淬鍊和更新

掃羅懼怕大衛，尋索殺害他，大衛就開始流離失所的四處逃難：

大衛首先逃到撒母耳那裡，和撒母耳往拿約去居住（撒上19:18）。
冒險逃回向約拿單求救，兩人在田野間痛哭而別（撒上20:1-42）。
大衛奔逃到挪伯大祭司亞希米勒那裡，因爲飢餓吃了聖餅，帶走先前殺歌利亞時使用的刀（撒上21:1-9）。
逃到迦特王亞吉那裡（歌利亞是迦特人），假裝瘋癲（撒上21:10-15）。
大衛走投無路，只好逃進亞杜蘭洞棲身，聚集他的家人，跟隨他的約有四百人（撒上22:1-2）。亞杜蘭洞正是當初他擊殺歌利亞時兩軍對敵的地方，靠近大衛少年時代放羊的故鄉伯利恆。
大衛奔逃轉到了摩押的米斯巴山寨（撒上22:3-4）。
大衛逃遷猶大地，住進了哈列的樹林（撒上22:5）。
大衛擊敗非利士人，救了基伊拉的居民（撒上23:1-5）。
大衛躲避掃羅攻打基伊拉城，潛逃到西弗曠野的山地（撒上23:10-14）；約拿單去見大衛，安慰鼓勵他（撒上23:15-18），此後，兩位摯友再也未能相聚。
西弗人向掃羅告密，大衛轉逃到瑪雲曠野南邊的亞拉巴（撒上23:19-29）。
大衛躲到隱基底的山寨藏身，在這個地方，大衛以德報怨，並未傷害大解中的掃羅（撒上24:1-22）。
大衛南下到荒涼的巴蘭高原（撒上25:1），經歷拿八事件，娶了亞比該爲妻（撒上25:2-42）。
返回到西弗和隱基底附近的哈基拉山（撒上26:1），掃羅繼續追殺大衛，但是大衛再次放過沉睡中的掃羅，掃羅受到感動，帶領他的軍兵離開（撒上26:1-25）。
大衛恐怕掃羅再來追逼，又去投奔非利士人迦特王亞吉，在洗革拉住了一年零四個月。掃羅知道大衛逃到非利士人那裏，就不再尋索他了（撒上27:1-7）。

The Humble Will Be Exalted

2024-09-29 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 2:1-11.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

1 Samuel 2:1-2 (NIV)
1  Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.
2  “There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

On verses 1-2:  As Hannah surrenders her son Samuel to the Lord, it must have been a difficult and complicated moment for her.  Yet instead of worrying, she worships.  She says, “My heart rejoices in the Lord…There is no rock like our God”.  And while she worships, Hannah prays a prayer that contains so much insight into who God is and what He does.

Praise God that in our most difficult and complicated moments, we have the Lord — His presence, His promises and His faithfulness — to rejoice in and worship.  Hannah’s example shows us that when we choose to worship instead of worry, God gives us a peace that sustains us, a joy that will overflow, and deeper insight into who He is.

The Blessing That Comes From Keeping Your Word

2024-09-27 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

 I’ve got some powerful lessons to share with you from 1 Samuel 1:19-28.  

1 Samuel 1:19-20 (NIV)
19 Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the LORD and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her.
20 So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the LORD for him.” 

On verses 19-20:  The Lord honours Hannah’s prayer for a son.  Hannah names him “Samuel”, which means “the name [of God] is El”, a name which speaks to God’s power. Hannah picked a name for her son that would remind herself and others that Samuel was the result of God’s power at work.

與神同行，遠離懼怕

2024-09-27 in , /by

撒母耳記上 16:15-23    

掃羅的臣僕對他說：「現在有惡魔從神那裡來擾亂你。 16 我們的主可以吩咐面前的臣僕，找一個善於彈琴的來，等神那裡來的惡魔臨到你身上的時候，使他用手彈琴，你就好了。」 17 掃羅對臣僕說：「你們可以為我找一個善於彈琴的，帶到我這裡來。」 18 其中有一個少年人說：「我曾見伯利恆城耶西的一個兒子善於彈琴，是大有勇敢的戰士，說話合宜，容貌俊美，耶和華也與他同在。」 19 於是掃羅差遣使者去見耶西，說：「請你打發你放羊的兒子大衛到我這裡來。」

與神同行，遠離懼怕

被惡魔攪擾的掃羅找著善於彈琴的大衛，侍立在他面前，大衛作了掃羅拿兵器的人，且用手彈琴，讓惡魔離開掃羅（撒上16:15-23）。

大衛殺死歌利亞，以色列人大大戰勝非利士人，不僅掃羅的兒子約拿單與大衛惺惺相惜，互相結盟（撒上18:1-4），眾人歡迎掃羅得勝歸來時，眾婦女舞蹈唱和說：「掃羅殺死千千，大衛殺死萬萬。」從這日起，掃羅就怒視大衛（撒上18:6-9）。

惡魔降在掃羅身上，他在家中胡言亂語，也試圖掄槍刺殺正在為他彈琴的大衛（撒上18:10-11）。掃羅懼怕大衛，立他為千夫長，出外作戰，毀約不將大女兒米拉給大衛為妻；又以殺非利士人為聘禮，答應大衛娶次女米甲，想藉非利士人的手害他（撒上18:17-27）。掃羅見耶和華與大衛同在，又知道女兒米甲愛大衛，就更怕大衛，常作大衛的仇敵（撒上18:28-29）。

讓神的靈保守我們的心

2024-09-26 in , /by

撒母耳記上 10:1    撒母耳拿瓶膏油倒在掃羅的頭上，與他親嘴，說：「這不是耶和華膏你做他產業的君嗎？

撒母耳記上 11

亞捫人的王拿轄上來，對著基列雅比安營。雅比眾人對拿轄說：「你與我們立約，我們就服侍你。」 2 亞捫人拿轄說：「你們若由我剜出你們各人的右眼，以此凌辱以色列眾人，我就與你們立約。」 3 雅比的長老對他說：「求你寬容我們七日，等我們打發人往以色列的全境去。若沒有人救我們，我們就出來歸順你。」 4 使者到了掃羅住的基比亞，將這話說給百姓聽，百姓就都放聲而哭。 5 掃羅正從田間趕牛回來，問說：「百姓為什麼哭呢？」眾人將雅比人的話告訴他。

讓神的靈保守我們的心

神差遣撒母耳膏抹掃羅成為以色列第一個王（撒上10:1），掃羅是便雅憫人基士的兒子，又健壯、又俊美，在以色列人中沒有一個能比他的；身體比眾民高過一頭（撒上9:1-2）。神賜給掃羅一個新心，變為新人，神的靈大大感動他，他就在先知中受感說話（撒上10:6-10）；神的靈又大大感動他，招集以色列人擊殺亞捫人，眾百姓到吉甲擁護掃羅，在耶和華面前立他為王（撒上11:1-15）。

掃羅面對多如海沙般的非利士人，等不及撒母耳來到，沒有遵行神的命令，就自行獻祭（撒上13:1-14）；掃羅和百姓擊打亞瑪力人，卻憐惜亞甲，也愛惜上好的牛羊，並一切美物，不肯滅絕，推托給百姓，說要獻給神（撒上15:1-21）。