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3 Stages of God’s Work in Our Lives

2023-12-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Joel 2:18-32.  Let’s go!

Joel 2:18-32 (NIV)
18  Then the LORD will be jealous for his land and take pity on his people.
19  The LORD will reply to them: ‘I am sending you grain, new wine and oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.
20  ‘I will drive the northern army far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land, with its front columns going into the eastern sea and those in the rear into the western sea. And its stench will go up; its smell will rise.’ Surely he has done great things.

On verses 18-32:  God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34; 1 Peter 5:5; James 4:6).  We see that here in these verses.  After urging his people to humble themselves through repentance, fasting and praying together (v12-17), Joel now describes what God will do for His people when they humble themselves that way:

– He will have pity on his people (v18)
– He will send them new grain, wine and oil that fully satisfies (v19, v24)
– He will drive out and defeat their enemies (v20)

耶和华的意念

2023-12-20 in , /by

弥迦书4:13 锡安的民哪，起来踹谷吧！我必使你的角成为铁，使你的蹄成为铜。你必打碎多国的民，将他们的财献于耶和华，将他们的货献于普天下的主。

读经文: 弥迦书  4:6-13

6 耶和华说：「到那日，我必聚集瘸腿的，招聚被赶出的和我所惩治的。 7 我必使瘸腿的为余剩之民，使赶到远方的为强盛之民。耶和华要在锡安山做王治理他们，从今直到永远。 8 你这羊群的高台，锡安城的山哪，从前的权柄，就是耶路撒冷民的国权，必归于你。

在第1-5节里，先知让我们看到一幅极美的远景，万民都要流归耶和华的山，不再有战争，各人要坐在自己的葡萄树下和无花果树下，无人惊吓。在这段经文里，神有三个应许：一，神的余民要从哀哭变为掌权；二，从被掳到救赎；三，终极的胜利。神是这样预备子民的心，即使不能不惩罚他们，却也要在他们的心里放下真正的盼望，使他们在受到打击时，依然有支持他们的信心。

但是这一章，这一段话并不是专门给以色列人看的，这个盼望同时也是给万民的。在第一章第一节，在第四章第一节，先知传信息的对象都是万民，而不只是雅各家。所以我们知道这也是神给我们的盼望，要让我们在这纷乱的末世里抓住神的应许，不至于行差踏错。

耶和华的山必被高举

2023-12-19 in , /by

弥迦书 4:5  万民各奉己神的名而行，我们却永永远远奉耶和华我们神的名而行。

读经文: 弥迦书  4:1-5

1末后的日子，耶和华殿的山必坚立超乎诸山，高举过于万岭，万民都要流归这山。 2 必有许多国的民前往，说：「来吧！我们登耶和华的山，奔雅各神的殿。主必将他的道教训我们，我们也要行他的路，因为训诲必出于锡安，耶和华的言语必出于耶路撒冷。」

弥迦书4章1-3节和以赛亚书2章2-4节，经文几乎完全相同，上主把同一件事启示两位先知，因为这启示十分重要。先知弥迦预言：「在将来的日子，圣殿坐落的山冈要矗立在群山之上，被高举，超越万岭。许多民族都要蜂拥而来；万国要聚拢前来，说：来吧，我们一起到上主的山，一起往以色列上帝的圣殿。祂会指引我们该走的道路；我们要在这条路上行走。上主的教诲从耶路撒冷发出；祂的信息从锡安传播。」

本段一开始的「将来的日子」，是指上主藉先知对以色列指责的罪恶，还有所预言的刑罚与悔改后的日子，以及将发生在祂子民的复兴景象。上主的旨意本是慈爱及信实，当百姓受责备而悔改，祂就会实现应许的祝福。将来的日子或末后的日子这个专有词，是指一个新时代，是上主的子民从被掳归回后，才会开始。

Don’t Wait Till Tomorrow to Turn to God

2023-12-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Joel 2:12-17.  Let’s go!

Joel 2:12-17 (NIV)
12  ‘Even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.’
13  Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.

On verses 12-17:  The day of the Lord will be a dreadful day for those who have rejected God.  That is why in verse 12 God is quoted as saying (in the NLT version), “Turn to me now, while there is time.  Give me your hearts.  Come with fasting, weeping and mourning.”

That is also why Joel implores his people to “return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.” (v13) 

第二个“听”！

2023-12-18 in , /by

弥迦书 3: 1  我说：雅各的首领，以色列家的官长啊，你们要听！你们不当知道公平吗？

读经文: 弥迦书  3:1-12 

1我说：雅各的首领，以色列家的官长啊，你们要听！你们不当知道公平吗？ 2 你们恶善好恶，从人身上剥皮，从人骨头上剔肉。 3 吃我民的肉，剥他们的皮，打折他们的骨头，分成块子像要下锅，又像釜中的肉。 4 到了遭灾的时候，这些人必哀求耶和华，他却不应允他们。那时他必照他们所行的恶事，向他们掩面。

在第一章里，先知呼喊：“万民哪，你们都要听！地和其上所有的，也都要侧耳而听！”在第三章里，出现了第二个“听”：“雅各的首领，以色列家的官长啊，你们要听！” 弥迦在此章里公然声明，叫雅各的首领和以色列家的官长来听他的信息。他的信息并不好听。说实在的，他这种信息在任何时代落在首领和官长的耳中，都有遭祸的可能。

因为他的责备不仅严厉，而且入骨：“你们不当知道公平吗？你们恶善好恶，从人身上剥皮，从人骨头上剔肉。吃我民的肉，剥他们的皮，打折他们的骨头，分成块子像要下锅，又像釜中的肉。” 在加拿大，做省长的只要占了任何人一点便宜，被人挖掘出来，就要下台一鞠躬了。但是在世界上很多地方的政治并不如此透明。这句话使我们想到华人社会许多官吏的冷酷无情和对人民的剥削。这种事情对我们并不陌生。

God’s Unstoppable Army

2023-12-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Joel 2:1-11.  Let’s go!

Joel 2:1-11 (NIV)
1  Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand–
2  a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come.

On verses 1-11:  After describing the impact of a recent locust plague on his land in chapter 1, Joel in chapter 2 turns his attention to the future.  He sees the locust plague that his land has experienced as foreshadowing what he and other Old Testament prophets call the “day of the Lord”.  Earlier in Joel 1:15, Joel already made mention of “the day of the Lord”, but only in passing.  Now in these verses, Joel goes into more detail about what the day of the Lord will be like.  The day of the Lord is essentially a day in the future, or a time period in the future, when God will assert His power over all of the earth and bring final judgment against His enemies.  Joel calls it “a day of darkness and gloom” (v2), great and dreadful (v11).  As mentioned previously, New Testament writers like Paul and Peter would equate this day of the Lord with the day that the Lord Jesus returns, not as a suffering servant, but as a conquering king arriving to establish His kingdom.

When You’re Going Through Desperate Times, Fast and Pray

2023-12-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Joel 1:13-20.  Let’s go!

Joel 1:13-14 (NIV)
13  Put on sackcloth, O priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God; for the grain offerings and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.
14  Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.
 
On verses 13-14:  Joel’s nation was facing desperate times.  A famine meant that offerings were withheld from the house of God (v13).  In the midst of these desperate times, Joel calls the priests not only to mourn and wail (v13) but also to declare a fast and call a sacred assembly so that the people could come together in God’s presence with prayer and fasting (v14).

思想带出行为

2023-12-17 in , /by

弥迦书2: 1  祸哉，那些在床上图谋罪孽、造做奸恶的！天一发亮，因手有能力就行出来了。

读经文: 弥迦书 2:1-13

1祸哉，那些在床上图谋罪孽、造做奸恶的！天一发亮，因手有能力就行出来了。 2 他们贪图田地就占据，贪图房屋便夺取。他们欺压人，霸占房屋和产业。 3 所以耶和华如此说：「我筹划灾祸降于这族，这祸在你们的颈项上不能解脱，你们也不能昂首而行，因为这时势是恶的。

在本书的第一章强而有力地形容出一个人的思想如何影响他的一生。有人说：思想会带出话语，所以要小心你说的话，因为言语会变成行动。留意你的行为，它会成为你的习惯；注意你的习惯，它会形成你的性格；不要轻忽你的性格，因为它将决定你的一生。所以在暗室时，在独处时，要留心你的思想，因为它将带动你一生的走向。弥迦告诉我们，在床上时也要很小心，不要尽想不好的事情，因为到了早上，那些思想就会影响你的行为或行动。

你有没有这样的经历：白天有人得罪你，晚上入睡前你就一直在想如何报复，第二天早上起来就按著昨晚所想的方法去行动？或是夜里突然想到有个发财的捷径，第二天一早就着手行动了。圣经里形容得何等传神：“那些在床上图谋…的，天一发亮，因手有能力就行出来了”。当然，图谋什么自己知道，神也知道。

When Things Go From Bad to Worse

2023-12-15 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today we begin the book of Joel.  Not much is known about Joel.  We do know that he was a prophet living in Jerusalem and his name means “Jehovah is his God”.  His dad’s name was Pethuel meaning “vision of God”.  It is not clear when the book of Joel was written.  In fact, there is quite possibly no book in the Bible whose date of composition is more widely debated than the book of Joel, with various scholars proposing dates as early as approximately 900 B.C. to as late as 200 B.C.  As Robert B. Chisholm, Jr. of the Bible Knowledge Commentary writes, given the lack of clear historical clues, “it is impossible to be dogmatic about the date of the writing of Joel”[1].  Though overall preferring a 7th century B.C. date, D.A. Garrett from the New American Commentary also concludes that “[a]ny suggested time frame for the book should be tentative, and the interpretation of the book should not depend upon a hypothetical historical setting.”[2]  That said, Joel is a powerful book with some important lessons for us today. 

Today’s passage is Joel 1:1-12. Let’s go!

无法医治的伤痕

2023-12-15 in , /by

弥迦书  1: 8 先知说：因此我必大声哀号，赤脚露体而行；又要呼号如野狗，哀鸣如鸵鸟。

读经文: 弥迦书 1:5-16

5 这都因雅各的罪过，以色列家的罪恶。雅各的罪过在哪里呢？岂不是在撒马利亚吗？犹大的丘坛在哪里呢？岂不是在耶路撒冷吗？ 6 「所以，我必使撒马利亚变为田野的乱堆，又作为种葡萄之处；也必将她的石头倒在谷中，露出根基来。 7 她一切雕刻的偶像必被打碎，她所得的财物必被火烧，所有的偶像我必毁灭，因为是从妓女雇价所聚来的，后必归为妓女的雇价。」

神从祂的圣殿见证雅各家的不是，神出了祂的居所，所行过的各处，众山都消化，诸谷必崩裂，如蜡化在火中，如水冲下山坡。雅各家究竟犯了何罪，让神如此大作？先知直指罪的根源来自两国的首府，一是撒玛利亚，一是耶路撒冷。因为它们是雅各家罪恶的根源，所以有一天，撒玛利亚要变为田野的乱堆，或种葡萄之处；它那些美丽辉煌的建筑必成乱石，露出根基，人再也看不到它的美丽和辉煌。想像现在美丽的东方之珠香港或大苹果纽约，或台北、北京、上海成为田野的乱堆，倒塌露出根基，是怎样的情况？纽约的双子楼在911事件中倒下时，我们都看到了，那是一个很悲惨的状况。