诗篇124:8 我们得帮助，是在乎倚靠造天地之耶和华的名。
阅读经文: 诗篇124篇–踏上第四级台阶-得着帮助
124:1 （大卫上行之诗。）以色列人要说：若不是耶和华帮助我们，
124:2 若不是耶和华帮助我们，当人起来攻击我们、
124:3 向我们发怒的时候，就把我们活活地吞了。
诗人在这首感恩诗里，思想耶和华过往怎样在以色列人危难的时候帮助他们（1-5），述说神的拯救（6-7）和重申他对耶和华的信靠（8）。
诗人踏上第四级台阶，形容仇敌给他们的威胁有如被水淹没的危险，又如鸟被困在网罗当中；但是，诗人在第一、二节特别重复「若不是耶和华帮助我们」两次，强调神没有让他们在仇敌的洪水波涛中被吞吃，且帮助他们从仇敌的陷阱网罗里逃脱出来。
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.
诗篇123:2 看哪，仆人的眼睛怎样望主人的手，使女的眼睛怎样望主母的手，我们的眼睛也照样望耶和华─我们的神，直到祂怜悯我们。
阅读经文: 诗篇123篇–踏上第三级台阶-期盼怜悯
123:1 （上行之诗。）坐在天上的主啊，我向你举目。
123:2 看哪，仆人的眼睛怎样望主人的手，使女的眼睛怎样望主母的手，我们的眼睛也照样望耶和华─我们的神，直到祂怜悯我们。
123:3 耶和华啊，求你怜悯我们，怜悯我们！因为我们被藐视，已到极处。
123:4 我们被那些安逸人的讥诮和骄傲人的藐视，已到极处。
「坐在天上的主」：原文没有「主」，而是「坐在天上的啊」。
诗篇第123篇让我们体会以色列人从巴比伦跋涉归回的情景，他们遥望耶路撒冷的圣山，欢欣鼓舞地期盼重回圣城、圣殿，然而迎接他们的却是敌人的攻击、藐视和讥诮。尽管回归故土，他们却贫苦无依，受尽外邦人的欺辱；他们面对来自安逸人的讥诮和骄傲人的藐视。安逸人和骄傲人指的是狂傲、自以为义的人，这些人倚靠自己的聪明和人的力量，不把神放在眼里，他们看不起受苦、贫乏却倚靠神的人。
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).
诗篇122:9 因耶和华─我们神殿的缘故，我要为你求福！
阅读经文: 诗篇122篇–踏上第二级台阶-享有平安
122:1 （大卫上行之诗。）人对我说：我们往耶和华的殿去，我就欢喜。
122:2 耶路撒冷啊，我们的脚站在你的门内。
122:3 耶路撒冷被建造，如同连络整齐的一座城。
依照犹太人的律例，他们一切的男丁要在除酵节、七七节、住棚节，一年三次，来到耶路撒冷圣殿朝见神（出23:14-17，申16:16），称颂耶和华的名。
耶路撒冷依照希伯来文的解释，「耶路」意为「根基」，「撒冷」意即「平安」，「耶路撒冷」便是「以平安为根基的城市」，也就是「和平之城」。因它坐落在锡安山上，又被称为锡安城。
「平安」是我们日常生活中常用的词，希伯来文Shalom代表着许多的含意：数字上的完全，身体上的安康、健全，人际关系的和睦、友好，与神关系的和好，战争中的和平，还有安静、平静、满足、繁荣、兴旺的意思。
诗篇121:8 你出你入，耶和华要保护你，从今时直到永远。
阅读经文: 诗篇121篇–踏上第一级台阶-寻求保护
121:1 （上行之诗。）我要向山举目；我的帮助从何而来？
121:2 我的帮助从造天地的耶和华而来。
121:3 他必不叫你的脚摇动；保护你的必不打盹！
你知道台湾政府有多少全国咨询及救援服务专线？除了常见的110和119报案电话外，尚有安心专线、生命线、张老师、113保护专线、社福专线、老朋友专线、男性关怀专线、反诈骗咨询专线、戒毒成功专线、长照专线、失智症关怀专线、戒菸专线…，零零总总有24条专线。台湾这样的弹丸之地都需要如此多的专线来提供帮助，更何况其他国家？
寻求帮助、寻求保护是我们生活中、生命里的不时需要，然而，再多的专线、再多的关怀、再多的扶助…，却始终无法平息我们生活风浪中的焦虑不安，也不能满足我们生命深处里的空乏无助。
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.
诗篇120:1 我在急难中求告耶和华，祂就应允我。
阅读经文: 诗篇120篇
120:1 （上行（或作登阶）之诗。）我在急难中求告耶和华，祂就应允我。
120:2 耶和华啊，求祢救我脱离说谎的嘴唇和诡诈的舌头！
120:3 诡诈的舌头啊，要给你甚么呢？要拿甚么加给你呢？
诗篇第120至134篇被称为「上行之诗」，传统上认为是犹太人往圣殿朝圣时所唱的诗歌。耶路撒冷是在一个山丘上，圣殿更是在山丘上，因此要去圣殿朝圣，都是要「上行」。从圣殿的妇女院上到以色列院的尼肯诺门，一共有十四级台阶。这十五篇是利未人站在地面和每级台阶上所唱的诗，所以也被称为「登阶之诗」。
以色列人一年三次登山前往耶路撒冷守节的时候，一路吟唱这些诗，所以也被称为「朝圣之诗」。以色列人从远方回国、从被掳之地归回时，在途中可能也吟唱这些上行之诗。
无论是上行、登阶或朝圣，都述说神的百姓从远离神的地方，一步步上行到耶路撒冷，最后住在神的殿里，称颂神的名。这十五篇的作者不同、年代不同，其中第122、124、131、133篇被称为大卫上行之诗，第127篇则为所罗门上行之诗。
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