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耶和華默然愛你

2024-01-07 in , /by

西番雅書3:9  那時，我必使萬民用清潔的言語，好求告我耶和華的名，同心合意地侍奉我。

閱讀經文: 西番雅書3:1-20

1這悖逆、汙穢、欺壓的城有禍了！ 2 她不聽從命令，不領受訓誨，不倚靠耶和華，不親近她的神。 3 她中間的首領是咆哮的獅子，她的審判官是晚上的豺狼，一點食物也不留到早晨。 4 她的先知是虛浮詭詐的人，她的祭司褻瀆聖所，強解律法。 5 耶和華在她中間是公義的，斷不做非義的事，每早晨顯明他的公義，無日不然，只是不義的人不知羞恥。

有時候我們奇怪，為何神那樣生氣猶大人。他們在耶路撒冷從來沒有停止過去聖殿敬拜，也未曾不獻祭，為何神稱自己的子民是“不知羞恥的國民”(2:1)？在這一章裡，神指出他們沒有做的四件事情：一，不聽從神的命令；二，不領受訓誨；三，不倚靠耶和華神；四，不親近耶和華神。

你覺得自己平時會不會有也同樣的問題？除了星期天去教會敬拜，或參加團契、小組，其他時間就與神分別為勝。不是分別為聖，而是把與神分別當作自己的勝利，不讓神管，不親近神，也不倚靠神。神把這些事看得極為重要，因為祂在意我們，要我們行在祂的光明裡。有時候，你會發現平穩時大家都一片詳和，一旦有事情發生，那才能看出你在神的裡面扎根有多深。聖經的知識不能幫助你有成熟的靈命，只有當我們肯親近神，倚靠神，聽從神的命令和訓誨時，我們的靈命才會成長。

God’s Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment

2024-01-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hosea 14:1-9. Let’s go!
 
Hosea 14:1-3 (NIV) 
1 Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God. Your sins have been your downfall!
2 Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips. 
3  Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount war-horses. We will never again say ‘Our gods’ to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion.”
 
On verses 1-3:  Like a mediator between God and Israel, here Hosea suggests words that Israel can speak to God in repentance.  Repentance means to agree with God that His way was the right way after all.  He urges Israel to plead with God for forgiveness (v2).  He also tells the Israelites to acknowledge that all those idols they had previously worshiped cannot save them (v3).  
 
What can we learn from this?  If we want our relationship with God to be restored, we must repent .  Agree with God that His way was the right way after all.  We must recognize that those idols that we had worshiped cannot save us and only God can save and satisfy us.
 

Stay Humble in Victory and Hopeful in Death

2024-01-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hosea 13:1-16.  Let’s go!
 
Hosea 13:1-16 (NIV)
1  When Ephraim spoke, men trembled; he was exalted in Israel. But he became guilty of Baal worship and died.
2  Now they sin more and more; they make idols for themselves from their silver, cleverly fashioned images, all of them the work of craftsmen. It is said of these people, “They offer human sacrifice and kiss the calf-idols.”

On verses 1-9:  At one time Israel (also called Ephraim) had a close relationship with God and stood strong with Him — so much so that “when Ephraim spoke men trembled” (v1).  But this close relationship with God did not last.  Eventually Israel fell headlong into idol worship, including offering human sacrifices (v1b-2).  Israel’s love for God was like the morning mist (see also Hosea 6:4), here one day and gone the next, and Hosea prophesies that his people will be like the morning mist too, here now but gone soon (v3).  Having brought His people out of Egypt, God wanted the people to acknowledge Him and worship Him for who He is, their own true God and Saviour (v4), the one who cared for them in the desert (v5), the one who fed them so that they were satisfied (v6a).  But in their satisfaction, the people became proud and forgot about God (v6b).

當尋求耶和華

2024-01-05 in , /by

西番雅書2:3  世上遵守耶和華典章的謙卑人哪，你們都當尋求耶和華！當尋求公義、謙卑，或者在耶和華發怒的日子，可以隱藏起來。

讀經文: 西番雅書2:1-15

1不知羞恥的國民哪，你們應當聚集！趁命令沒有發出，日子過去如風前的糠， 2 耶和華的烈怒未臨到你們，他發怒的日子未到以先，你們應當聚集前來。 3 世上遵守耶和華典章的謙卑人哪，你們都當尋求耶和華！當尋求公義、謙卑，或者在耶和華發怒的日子，可以隱藏起來。

在今天這章經文裡，先知對猶大、萬民、非利士、摩押、亞捫、古實和亞述發出預言。你可能會覺得奇怪，為什麼同樣的話，神說了又說，不覺得煩嗎？事實上，這些先知書卷並不是在同一個時期寫作的，它們都是相隔幾十年，甚至幾百年，只是因為現在被一起放在聖經裡，我們又是一卷一卷地查考，所以會覺得同樣的信息不停地重覆。其實是神在不同的時代對不同的人所發出的警告。上一代的人可能聽過，下一代的人什麼都不知道。好像在出埃及記和申命記的子民是不一樣的，在出埃及記那一代超過廿歲的人在走曠野四十年後大多死了，在申命記的是在曠野出生和長大的新一代，所以摩西必須重申神的話語。

耶和華的大日

2024-01-04 in , /by

西番雅書1:14  耶和華的大日臨近，臨近而且甚快。乃是耶和華日子的風聲，勇士必痛痛的哭號。

讀經文: 西番雅書 1:1-18

1當猶大王亞們的兒子約西亞在位的時候，耶和華的話臨到希西家的玄孫、亞瑪利雅的曾孫、基大利的孫子、古示的兒子西番雅。

2 耶和華說：「我必從地上除滅萬類。 3 我必除滅人和牲畜，與空中的鳥、海裡的魚，以及絆腳石和惡人。我必將人從地上剪除。」這是耶和華說的。 4 「我必伸手攻擊猶大和耶路撒冷的一切居民，也必從這地方剪除所剩下的巴力，並基瑪林的名和祭司，

先知西番雅是希西家王的玄孫，出身顯貴。他的曾祖父亞瑪利雅是瑪拿西王的兄弟，所以他有可能是約西亞王的侄子。在西番雅之前，主前第八世紀的先知有以賽亞、彌迦、阿摩司、何西阿；在主前第七世紀末，西番雅登場，他和哈巴谷、耶利米是同時代的人，顯然是三人中最先工作的。

在西番雅出來傳信息時，是猶大王亞們的兒子約西亞在位的時候。約西亞八歲作王，在他作王年間有三個復興的階段：一是在他作王第八年時，就尋求他祖大衛的神，開始拆除各種偶像和邱壇；二是在作王第十二年時，開始潔淨猶大和耶路撒冷，除掉邱壇、木偶…拆毀巴力的壇，砍斷壇上高高的日像，又把木偶和雕刻的像、並鑄造的像打碎成灰，撒在祭偶像人的墳上，將他們祭司的骸骨燒在壇上…；三是在作王第十八年時，他開始進行修理聖殿、宣讀律法、守逾越節、恢復祭祀等等，帶領百姓回到神面前（王下22-23/代下34-35）。

From a Deceiver to a Receiver

2024-01-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hosea 12:1-14.  Let’s go!
 
Hosea 12:1-14 (NIV)
1  Ephraim feeds on the wind; he pursues the east wind all day and multiplies lies and violence. He makes a treaty with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt.
2  The LORD has a charge to bring against Judah; he will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds.
3  In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel; as a man he struggled with God.

On verses 1-14:  To appreciate God’s message to the Israelites (and to us) in Hosea 12, you need to know something about Jacob, one of Israel’s forefathers and the man after whom the nation of Israel was named.  Jacob’s life forms the backdrop to a lot of what Hosea 12 is talking about.

You see, Jacob lived much of his life thinking he had to scratch, claw and fight for everything he had.  His approach toward all of life was “transactional”.  Like a merchant, he was constantly striking deals with people, including when it came to finding a wife (v12), and even with God: “I’ll give you this, if you give me that.”

A Father’s Love Like No Other

2024-01-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hosea 11:1-12.  Let’s go!
 
Hosea 11:1-12 (NIV)
1  “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
2  But the more I called Israel, the further they went from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images.
3  It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them.
4  I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them.
5  “Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them because they refuse to repent?

On verses 1-12:  Earlier in Hosea the dominant picture to describe the relationship between God and Israel was that of husband and wife.  Here the view shifts to describing our relationship with God as that between a child and his father.  These are just different angles by which we can see and appreciate God’s love.  In fact, today’s passage, Hosea 11:1-12, contains one of the most tender descriptions of the fatherly heart of God that you will find in the Bible.

耶和華是我的力量

2024-01-03 in , /by

哈巴谷書 3:19  主耶和華是我的力量，祂使我的腳快如母鹿的蹄，又使我穩行在高處。

讀經文: 哈巴谷書 3:1-19

1先知哈巴谷的禱告，調用流離歌。

2 耶和華啊，我聽見祢的名聲就懼怕。耶和華啊，求祢在這些年間復興祢的作為，在這些年間顯明出來，在發怒的時候以憐憫為念。 3 神從提幔而來，聖者從巴蘭山臨到。（細拉）祂的榮光遮蔽諸天，頌讚充滿大地。

哈巴谷從充滿疑問不解到豁然開朗，這是一段等待，且充滿曲折的心路歷程。他也為我們立了一個典範，人生在世難免看到苦難和各樣的不平，但是這些都不能使我們與神的愛隔絕。因為神願意為我們解答，只要我們“抓住”祂，神願意讓我們的心得到滿足。

所以哈巴谷寫下了膾炙人口的一首短詩：“雖然無花果樹不發旺，葡萄樹不結果，橄欖樹也不效力，田地不出糧食，圈中絕了羊，棚內也沒有牛， 然而我要因耶和華歡欣，因救我的神喜樂。 主耶和華是我的力量，祂使我的腳快如母鹿的蹄，又使我穩行在高處。”

當在神面前肅敬靜默

2024-01-02 in , /by

哈巴谷書 2:20  唯耶和華在祂的聖殿中，全地的人都當在祂面前肅敬靜默。

讀經文: 哈巴谷書 2:15-20

15 「給人酒喝，又加上毒物使他喝醉，好看見他下體的有禍了！ 16 你滿受羞辱，不得榮耀。你也喝吧！顯出是未受割禮的。耶和華右手的杯必傳到你那裡，你的榮耀就變為大大的羞辱。 17 你向黎巴嫩行強暴與殘害驚嚇野獸的事，必遮蓋你，因你殺人流血，向國內的城並城中一切居民施行強暴。

在哈巴谷的第二章裡指出迦勒底人的五個大罪，其中的兩個大罪是：第四禍使鄰舍醉酒，並行淫亂(2:15)：給人酒喝，又加上毒物使他喝醉，好看見他下體（2:15）。第五禍是雕刻鑄造偶像（2:18-19）：對木偶說『醒起！』，對啞巴石像說『起來！』，那人有禍了！

給人酒喝，又加上毒物使他喝醉，以致露對方的下體，指出迦勒底人的淫亂之舉。他們以為戰勝諸國必大得榮耀，誰知卻因他們的強暴淫亂殺人，以及殘害驚嚇野獸的事，神要使他們的榮耀變為羞辱。這裡先知指出一個人未曾看重的事情，就是殘害驚嚇野獸。坊間有時會傳出有人虐待動物的新聞，小至使牠們餓死渴死，大至玩弄傷害牠們。

Sow Righteousness, Reap Unfailing Love

2024-01-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hosea 10:1-15.  Let’s go!
 
Hosea 10:1-15 (NIV)
1  Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself. As his fruit increased, he built more altars; as his land prospered, he adorned his sacred stones.
2  Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will demolish their altars and destroy their sacred stones.
3  Then they will say, “We have no king because we did not revere the LORD. But even if we had a king, what could he do for us?”
4  They make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements; therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.

On verses 1-15:  Here are four lessons I learned from Hosea 10.

1.  Hosea 10 describes Israel’s situation as well as our own.  God made us to live righteously and to obey His commands (“sow righteousness” – v12).  In return, God would give us His unfailing love (“reap unfailing love” – v12) and “shower righteousness” on us (v12).  But we did not live up to our end of the relationship.  Instead of living righteously, we “planted wickedness” (v13), depending on our own strength and worshiping other people, places and things.  We have deceitful motives (v2).  We have made promises we couldn’t keep (“false oaths”) and hurt people in the process (v4), ending up in all kinds of disputes and fighting.