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敬畏神

2024-02-05 in , /by

玛拉基书4: 6   他必使父亲的心转向儿女，儿女的心转向父亲，免得我来咒诅遍地。

阅读经文: 玛拉基书 3:1-18

1万军之耶和华说：「那日临近，势如烧着的火炉，凡狂傲的和行恶的必如碎秸，在那日必被烧尽，根本、枝条一无存留。 2 但向你们敬畏我名的人，必有公义的日头出现，其光线有医治之能。你们必出来，跳跃如圈里的肥犊。 3 你们必践踏恶人，在我所定的日子，他们必如灰尘在你们脚掌之下。这是万军之耶和华说的。

在〈玛拉基书〉里，我们一直看到以色列人对神的顶撞： 祢在何事上爱我们呢？（1:2）／我们在何事上藐视祢的名呢？(1:6) ／这是为什么呢？（2:14）／我们在何事上烦琐祂呢？（2:17）／凡行恶的，耶和华眼看为善，并且祂喜悦他们／公义的神在哪里呢？？（2:17）。当神把他们从被掳之地带回，又重建了圣殿和耶路撒冷的城墙，使他们能够重享在家园的自由生活时，他们不但没有感恩之心，反而更加嚣张狂妄。

这一点让我们明白，为什么在这之后神就停止了祂的默示四百年，直到主耶稣降生。在这旧约的最后一章里，神再次提醒他们“那日临近”。对于他们所有的挑衅和指责，神表明了祂的主权和公义，神有祂的时间表和计划。

Jesus: My Prophet, Priest and King

2024-02-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Zechariah 6:1-15.  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 6:1-8 (NIV)
1  I looked up again–and there before me were four chariots coming out from between two mountains–mountains of bronze!
2  The first chariot had red horses, the second black,
3  the third white, and the fourth dappled–all of them powerful.
4  I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these, my lord?”

On verses 1-8:  Zechariah is shown an eighth vision.  It’s a vision of four chariots coming out from between two bronze mountains.  The first chariot is pulled by red horses, the second by black horses, the third by white horses and the fourth by spotted horses.  When Zechariah asks what these chariots and horses represent, the angel speaking to Zechariah explains that the four chariots represent the “four spirits (or winds) of heaven” (v4).  Zechariah notices that all these powerful horses are “straining” (v7) — that is, they’re eager to get going.  When the angel gives the command, “Go throughout the earth!” they do exactly that.  Then the angel tells Zechariah that the black ones going toward the north country have given his Spirit rest in the north country (v8).

神要敞开天上的窗户

2024-02-04 in , /by

玛拉基书3:10   万军之耶和华说：「你们要将当纳的十分之一全然送入仓库，使我家有粮，以此试试我，是否为你们敞开天上的窗户倾福于你们，甚至无处可容。」

阅读经文: 玛拉基书 3:1-18

1万军之耶和华说：「我要差遣我的使者在我前面预备道路。你们所寻求的主必忽然进入他的殿，立约的使者，就是你们所仰慕的，快要来到。2 「祂来的日子，谁能当得起呢？他显现的时候，谁能立得住呢？因为祂如炼金之人的火，如漂布之人的碱。 3 祂必坐下如炼净银子的，必洁净利未人，熬炼他们像金银一样，他们就凭公义献供物给耶和华。

读第三章时要从第二章的最后一节开始：“你们用言语烦琐耶和华，你们还说：我们在何事上烦琐他呢？因为你们说：凡行恶的，耶和华眼看为善，并且他喜悦他们；或说：公义的神在哪里呢？”经过了亡国和七十年的被掳时期，终于回到了家园，这就是以色列人对神的回应。他们看不见在整件事上，神的主权，神的带领，神完全的爱和包容。所以他们议论神，顶撞神，不以神为神。假如我们经历了人生许多的功课，却还不能学到一点东西，看不见神的带领和保守之爱，那样的人生便是全然浪费了。

但是在这一章里，先知依然传给他们一个充满盼望的信息。虽然此时的以色列人已经败坏到人觉得无法挽回的地步，但是神还是不放弃他们，神依然要借着先知唤醒他们归回，转向神。

Sin and Evil Cannot Stand in the Presence of Holiness

2024-02-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Zechariah 5:1-11.  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!
 
Zechariah 5:1-3 (NIV)
1  I looked again–and there before me was a flying scroll!
2  He asked me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a flying scroll, thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide.”
3  And he said to me, “This is the curse that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thief will be banished, and according to what it says on the other, everyone who swears falsely will be banished.

On verses 1-3:  In a sixth vision, Zechariah sees a large flying scroll.  He learns that the flying scroll represents a curse, or a judgment, from God over the whole land (probably meaning Judah).  The curse is that every thief and liar must be banished (v3).    

谨守你们的心

2024-02-02 in , /by

玛拉基书 2:15 虽然神有灵的余力能造多人，他不是单造一人吗？为何只造一人呢？乃是他愿人得虔诚的后裔。所以当谨守你们的心，谁也不可以诡诈待幼年所娶的妻。

阅读经文: 玛拉基书 2:10-17

10 我们岂不都是一位父吗？岂不是一位神所造的吗？我们各人怎么以诡诈待弟兄，背弃了神与我们列祖所立的约呢？ 11 犹大人行事诡诈，并且在以色列和耶路撒冷中行一件可憎的事，因为犹大人亵渎耶和华所喜爱的圣洁，娶侍奉外邦神的女子为妻。 12 凡行这事的，无论何人，就是献供物给万军之耶和华，耶和华也必从雅各的帐篷中剪除他。

在我们的网站上有个﹝问题答疑﹞的信箱，本来是为了信仰的问题而设立的，没想到有不少人为了感情的事而来信。特别让我感到难过的是，有一些挂著基督徒之名的弟兄，在感情上却没有办法做一个有原则有承担的人，不但不能带领女友信主，反而因自己的言行使人受害，并使主名不得荣耀。

我想这也是为什么当年Bill McCartney成立Promise Keepers(诺言守护者)的主要原因，因为有许多男性，包括教会的弟兄都没办法守住婚约的承诺，以致于像玛拉基说的，“使前妻叹息哭泣的眼泪遮盖耶和华的坛，以致耶和华不再看顾那供物，也不乐意从你们手中收纳”。

玛拉基提到在尼希米的时代，以色列人抛弃发妻，娶侍奉外邦神的女子为妻。在神的眼中，抛弃发妻已是“亵渎耶和华所喜爱的圣洁”，更何况学所罗门娶外女去拜他们的假神，真是败坏之极。

Moving Mountains by the Power of God’s Spirit

2024-02-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Zechariah 4:1-14.  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 4:1-6 (NLT2)
1  Then the angel who had been talking with me returned and woke me, as though I had been asleep.
2  “What do you see now?” he asked. I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl of oil on top of it. Around the bowl are seven lamps, each having seven spouts with wicks.
3  And I see two olive trees, one on each side of the bowl.”
4  Then I asked the angel, “What are these, my lord? What do they mean?”
5  “Don’t you know?” the angel asked. “No, my lord,” I replied.
6  Then he said to me, “This is what the LORD says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
 
On verses 1-6:  The same angel that spoke to Zechariah earlier wakes Zechariah from his slumber (v1) and Zechariah sees a fifth vision.  In this fifth vision, Zechariah sees a golden lampstand.  Usually to keep a lampstand burning, priests would have to keep coming back to that lampstand to fill it with oil.  However, what Zechariah sees is a lampstand that keeps burning without stopping and without needing people to refill it with oil. 

Because of Jesus You Can Serve God Without Shame

2024-02-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Zechariah 3:1-10.  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 3:1-5 (NIV)
1  Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him.
2  The LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”
3  Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel.
4  The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you.”
5  Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the LORD stood by.

On verses 1-5:  Here Zechariah describes a fourth vision that he sees.  It’s a picture of Joshua the high priest dressed in filthy clothes and standing before the angel of the Lord.  Satan is at Joshua’s right side accusing Joshua of all the sins Joshua has committed. 

生命和平安的约

2024-02-01 in , /by

玛拉基书 2:5  我曾与他立生命和平安的约，我将这两样赐给他，使他存敬畏的心，他就敬畏我，惧怕我的名。

阅读经文: 玛拉基书 2:1-9

1「众祭司啊，这诫命是传给你们的。 2 万军之耶和华说：你们若不听从，也不放在心上，将荣耀归于我的名，我就使咒诅临到你们，使你们的福分变为咒诅。因你们不把诫命放在心上，我已经咒诅你们了。 3 我必斥责你们的种子，又把你们牺牲的粪抹在你们的脸上，你们要与粪一同除掉。

神拣选利未人，使以色列人可以借着他们与神沟通（相交）；也借着利未人，使以色列人的罪过可以得赦免，并蒙悦纳。这个制度建立在神的能力和圣洁之上。也因为利未人是神所拣选的仆人，他们必须放弃拥有地土和财产的权利，只能在会幕（或圣殿）里工作，因为神就是他们的一切。神也要求以色列其他支派要负起供应利未人的责任和义务。

所以当利未人里作祭司的不再相信有神，不相信神爱他们，随随便便地应付献祭的事时，整个以色列人的根基就倒塌了。祭司污染祭坛，偏离正道，在律法上瞻徇情面，以致于他们被众人藐视，看为下贱。当一个人不尊重自己时，也很难得到别人的尊重；一个祭司不尊重自己的身份和事工时，人也不会尊重他和他的工作。

在〈彼得前书〉二章9节里，他说：“惟有你们是被拣选的族类，是有君尊的祭司，是圣洁的国度，是属神的子民。要叫你们宣扬那召你们出黑暗入奇妙光明者的美德”。你们，指的便是信徒，这就是“信徒皆祭司”的由来。

尊祂为大

2024-01-31 in , /by

玛拉基书1:11 万军之耶和华说：从日出之地到日落之处，我的名在外邦中必尊为大。在各处人必奉我的名烧香，献洁净的供物，因为我的名在外邦中必尊为大。

阅读经文: 玛拉基书1:1-14

1耶和华藉玛拉基传给以色列的默示。

2 耶和华说：「我曾爱你们，你们却说：『你在何事上爱我们呢？』」耶和华说：「以扫不是雅各的哥哥吗？我却爱雅各， 3 恶以扫，使他的山岭荒凉，把他的地业交给旷野的野狗。 4 以东人说：『我们现在虽被毁坏，却要重建荒废之处。』万军之耶和华如此说：任他们建造，我必拆毁。人必称他们的地为罪恶之境，称他们的民为耶和华永远恼怒之民。

〈玛拉基书〉是旧约最后一卷书，〈玛拉基〉的意思是“我的使者”，原文是 ‘我要差遣玛拉基’＝‘我要差遣我的使者’之意。没人知道那是一个人名或只是书名。在〈玛拉基书〉成书后，神就静默，不再有预言，直到耶稣降生，这之间就是沉默的四百年。

〈玛拉基书〉成书时，被掳的以色列人在所罗巴伯、以斯拉和尼希米的带领下已有三次归回（主前536/457/444年），至少有五万人已回到耶路撒冷。那时大约是主前400年，圣殿已经重建完成，以色列人恢复献祭，做生意和嫁娶，也没有亡国之前被外邦压迫的威胁。

Jesus is the Wall of Fire Around You and the Glory Within You

2024-01-31 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Zechariah 2:1-13.  There are so many rich and powerful lessons we can learn from this passage.  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!
 
Today’s passage is Zechariah 2:1-13.  Let’s go!
 
Zechariah 2:1-5 (NIV)
1  Then I looked up–and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand!
2  I asked, “Where are you going?” He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is.”
3  Then the angel who was speaking to me left, and another angel came to meet him
4  and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of men and livestock in it.
5  And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will be its glory within.’

On verses 1-5:  Here Zechariah sees a third vision.  It’s of a man with a measuring line (like a measuring tape) who is trying to measure how wide and long is the city of Jerusalem (v1-2).  The angel who was earlier helping Zechariah to interpret the visions (1:19-21) leaves and is met by another angel who tells the interpreter angel a message to give to “that young man” (v3-4a).