詩篇124:8 我們得幫助，是在乎倚靠造天地之耶和華的名。
閱讀經文: 詩篇124篇–踏上第四級台階-得著幫助
124:1 （大衛上行之詩。）以色列人要說：若不是耶和華幫助我們，
124:2 若不是耶和華幫助我們，當人起來攻擊我們、
124:3 向我們發怒的時候，就把我們活活地吞了。
詩人在這首感恩詩裏，思想耶和華過往怎樣在以色列人危難的時候幫助他們（1-5），述說神的拯救（6-7）和重申他對耶和華的信靠（8）。
詩人踏上第四級台階，形容仇敵給他們的威脅有如被水淹沒的危險，又如鳥被困在網羅當中；但是，詩人在第一、二節特別重複「若不是耶和華幫助我們」兩次，強調神沒有讓他們在仇敵的洪水波濤中被吞吃，且幫助他們從仇敵的陷阱網羅裡逃脫出來。
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Zechariah 9:9-17. 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!
Zechariah 9:9 (NIV)
9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
On verse 9: Here the LORD has a message for Jerusalem. Through Zechariah the LORD tells Jerusalem to rejoice and shout. Why? It’s because their king comes to them. Who is this king? The king being referred to here is the Messiah, the saviour king that the Jews had been waiting for. Verse 9 describes this king as “righteous”, “having salvation”, “gentle and riding on a donkey”. Jesus would fulfill this prophecy 500 years later. Righteous, gentle, and armed with salvation, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey in approximately 33 A.D. (Matthew 21:1-5).
Why a donkey? Scholars say that back in the ancient Near East, when a king was getting ready for war, he would enter a city on a war horse (as did Alexander the Great). But if the king came in peace, he would enter on a donkey.
詩篇123:2 看哪，僕人的眼睛怎樣望主人的手，使女的眼睛怎樣望主母的手，我們的眼睛也照樣望耶和華─我們的神，直到祂憐憫我們。
閱讀經文: 詩篇123篇–踏上第三級台階-期盼憐憫
123:1 （上行之詩。）坐在天上的主啊，我向你舉目。
123:2 看哪，僕人的眼睛怎樣望主人的手，使女的眼睛怎樣望主母的手，我們的眼睛也照樣望耶和華─我們的神，直到祂憐憫我們。
123:3 耶和華啊，求你憐憫我們，憐憫我們！因為我們被藐視，已到極處。
123:4 我們被那些安逸人的譏誚和驕傲人的藐視，已到極處。
「坐在天上的主」：原文沒有「主」，而是「坐在天上的啊」。
詩篇第123篇讓我們體會以色列人從巴比倫跋涉歸回的情景，他們遙望耶路撒冷的聖山，歡欣鼓舞地期盼重回聖城、聖殿，然而迎接他們的卻是敵人的攻擊、藐視和譏誚。儘管回歸故土，他們卻貧苦無依，受盡外邦人的欺辱；他們面對來自安逸人的譏誚和驕傲人的藐視。安逸人和驕傲人指的是狂傲、自以為義的人，這些人倚靠自己的聰明和人的力量，不把神放在眼裡，他們看不起受苦、貧乏卻倚靠神的人。
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Zechariah 9:1-8. 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 Zechariah 9:1-8, Zechariah receives a prophetic message from the Lord. The message is that a number of famous cities surrounding Judah would be destroyed, while Judah itself would be protected and preserved. About 150 years after Zechariah wrote down this prophecy, Alexander the Great in 332 B.C. would march through the region, destroying many of the cities mentioned in these verses, but sparing Judah. It goes to show that God’s Word is reliable and God’s protection is real.
Zechariah 9:1 (NIV)
1 The word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach and will rest upon Damascus– for the eyes of men and all the tribes of Israel are on the LORD–
On verse 1: Damascus was the capital of Aram, which is modern day Syria.
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Zechariah 8:14-23. 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!
Zechariah 8:14-15 (NIV)
14 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Just as I had determined to bring disaster upon you and showed no pity when your fathers angered me,” says the LORD Almighty,
15 “so now I have determined to do good again to Jerusalem and Judah. Do not be afraid.
On verses 14-15: Here God continues to give words of reassurance to the people of Judah. Notice how the word “determined” shows up twice in these verses. In His justice God determined (or purposed, decided, made plans) to bring disaster upon the people of Judah for their sins (v14) and now in His mercy He has determined to do good to these people again (v15).
詩篇122:9 因耶和華─我們神殿的緣故，我要為你求福！
閱讀經文: 詩篇122篇–踏上第二級台階-享有平安
122:1 （大衛上行之詩。）人對我說：我們往耶和華的殿去，我就歡喜。
122:2 耶路撒冷啊，我們的腳站在你的門內。
122:3 耶路撒冷被建造，如同連絡整齊的一座城。
依照猶太人的律例，他們一切的男丁要在除酵節、七七節、住棚節，一年三次，來到耶路撒冷聖殿朝見神（出23:14-17，申16:16），稱頌耶和華的名。
耶路撒冷依照希伯來文的解釋，「耶路」意為「根基」，「撒冷」意即「平安」，「耶路撒冷」便是「以平安為根基的城市」，也就是「和平之城」。因它坐落在錫安山上，又被稱為錫安城。
「平安」是我們日常生活中常用的詞，希伯來文Shalom代表著許多的含意：數字上的完全，身體上的安康、健全，人際關係的和睦、友好，與神關係的和好，戰爭中的和平，還有安靜、平靜、滿足、繁榮、興旺的意思。
詩篇121:8 你出你入，耶和華要保護你，從今時直到永遠。
閱讀經文: 詩篇121篇–踏上第一級台階-尋求保護
121:1 （上行之詩。）我要向山舉目；我的幫助從何而來？
121:2 我的幫助從造天地的耶和華而來。
121:3 他必不叫你的腳搖動；保護你的必不打盹！
你知道台灣政府有多少全國諮詢及救援服務專線？除了常見的110和119報案電話外，尚有安心專線、生命線、張老師、113保護專線、社福專線、老朋友專線、男性關懷專線、反詐騙諮詢專線、戒毒成功專線、長照專線、失智症關懷專線、戒菸專線…，零零總總有24條專線。台灣這樣的彈丸之地都需要如此多的專線來提供幫助，更何況其他國家？
尋求幫助、尋求保護是我們生活中、生命裡的不時需要，然而，再多的專線、再多的關懷、再多的扶助…，卻始終無法平息我們生活風浪中的焦慮不安，也不能滿足我們生命深處裡的空乏無助。
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Zechariah 8:1-13. 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!
Zechariah 8:1-2 (NIV)
1 Again the word of the LORD Almighty came to me.
2 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.”
On verses 1-2: What does it mean when the Bible says that God is a jealous God? It means that God is passionate about us. He’s jealous for our love and devotion. He will not tolerate any rivals for our love. So when we are more devoted to other things than to God, it grieves Him.
God knows, and hopefully we know too, that we were made for a life with Him at the very centre. When God is not at the centre of our lives, God is grieved and our lives are not as joyful, peaceful, or full as God intended it to be. Remember today: God is jealous for you. So give Him your attention and full devotion.
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Zechariah 7:1-14. 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!
Zechariah 7:1-7 (NIV)
1 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev.
2 The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melech, together with their men, to entreat the LORD
3 by asking the priests of the house of the LORD Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”
4 Then the word of the LORD Almighty came to me:
On verses 1-7: Almost 2 years after Zechariah saw those 8 visions described in Zechariah 1-6, the Lord speaks to Zechariah again. This time God speaks in response to a question that the people of Bethel were asking. The people of Bethel asked the priests and prophets whether they should continue to mourn and fast as they usually do every year (v4). God responds by questioning the people’s real motivations for their past fasting and feasting — “Was it really for me that you fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?” (v5-6) This is not to say that fasting is not important to God, but that if you fast or do anything “religious” with the wrong attitude, it becomes meaningless and vain.
詩篇120:1 我在急難中求告耶和華，祂就應允我。
閱讀經文: 詩篇120篇
120:1 （上行（或作登階）之詩。）我在急難中求告耶和華，祂就應允我。
120:2 耶和華啊，求祢救我脫離說謊的嘴唇和詭詐的舌頭！
120:3 詭詐的舌頭啊，要給你甚麼呢？要拿甚麼加給你呢？
詩篇第120至134篇被稱為「上行之詩」，傳統上認為是猶太人往聖殿朝聖時所唱的詩歌。耶路撒冷是在一個山丘上，聖殿更是在山丘上，因此要去聖殿朝聖，都是要「上行」。從聖殿的婦女院上到以色列院的尼肯諾門，一共有十四級臺階。這十五篇是利未人站在地面和每級臺階上所唱的詩，所以也被稱為「登階之詩」。
以色列人一年三次登山前往耶路撒冷守節的時候，一路吟唱這些詩，所以也被稱為「朝聖之詩」。以色列人從遠方回國、從被擄之地歸回時，在途中可能也吟唱這些上行之詩。
無論是上行、登階或朝聖，都述說神的百姓從遠離神的地方，一步步上行到耶路撒冷，最後住在神的殿裡，稱頌神的名。這十五篇的作者不同、年代不同，其中第122、124、131、133篇被稱為大衛上行之詩，第127篇則為所羅門上行之詩。
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