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God Turns Your Mourning into Dancing

2024-02-08 in /by

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).

上行之詩系列–詩篇第122篇

2024-02-08 in , /by

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。

上行之詩系列–詩篇第121篇

2024-02-07 in , /by

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。

God Is Jealous For You

2024-02-07 in /by

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.

Having a Heart for God Means Having a Heart for People

2024-02-06 in /by

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.

上行之詩系列–詩篇第120篇

2024-02-06 in , /by

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。

敬畏神

2024-02-05 in , /by

瑪拉基書4: 6   他必使父親的心轉向兒女，兒女的心轉向父親，免得我來咒詛遍地。

閱讀經文: 瑪拉基書 3:1-18

1萬軍之耶和華說：「那日臨近，勢如燒著的火爐，凡狂傲的和行惡的必如碎秸，在那日必被燒盡，根本、枝條一無存留。 2 但向你們敬畏我名的人，必有公義的日頭出現，其光線有醫治之能。你們必出來，跳躍如圈裡的肥犢。 3 你們必踐踏惡人，在我所定的日子，他們必如灰塵在你們腳掌之下。這是萬軍之耶和華說的。

在〈瑪拉基書〉裡，我們一直看到以色列人對神的頂撞： 祢在何事上愛我們呢？（1:2）／我們在何事上藐視祢的名呢？(1:6) ／這是為什麼呢？（2:14）／我們在何事上煩瑣祂呢？（2:17）／凡行惡的，耶和華眼看為善，並且祂喜悅他們／公義的神在哪裡呢？？（2:17）。當神把他們從被擄之地帶回，又重建了聖殿和耶路撒冷的城牆，使他們能夠重享在家園的自由生活時，他們不但沒有感恩之心，反而更加囂張狂妄。

這一點讓我們明白，為什麼在這之後神就停止了祂的默示四百年，直到主耶穌降生。在這舊約的最後一章裡，神再次提醒他們“那日臨近”。對於他們所有的挑釁和指責，神表明了祂的主權和公義，神有祂的時間表和計劃。

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).

神要敞開天上的窗戶

2024-02-04 in , /by

瑪拉基書3:10   萬軍之耶和華說：「你們要將當納的十分之一全然送入倉庫，使我家有糧，以此試試我，是否為你們敞開天上的窗戶傾福於你們，甚至無處可容。」

閱讀經文: 瑪拉基書 3:1-18

1萬軍之耶和華說：「我要差遣我的使者在我前面預備道路。你們所尋求的主必忽然進入他的殿，立約的使者，就是你們所仰慕的，快要來到。2 「祂來的日子，誰能當得起呢？他顯現的時候，誰能立得住呢？因為祂如煉金之人的火，如漂布之人的鹼。 3 祂必坐下如煉淨銀子的，必潔淨利未人，熬煉他們像金銀一樣，他們就憑公義獻供物給耶和華。

讀第三章時要從第二章的最後一節開始：“你們用言語煩瑣耶和華，你們還說：我們在何事上煩瑣他呢？因為你們說：凡行惡的，耶和華眼看為善，並且他喜悅他們；或說：公義的神在哪裏呢？”經過了亡國和七十年的被擄時期，終於回到了家園，這就是以色列人對神的回應。他們看不見在整件事上，神的主權，神的帶領，神完全的愛和包容。所以他們議論神，頂撞神，不以神為神。假如我們經歷了人生許多的功課，卻還不能學到一點東西，看不見神的帶領和保守之愛，那樣的人生便是全然浪費了。

但是在這一章裡，先知依然傳給他們一個充滿盼望的信息。雖然此時的以色列人已經敗壞到人覺得無法挽回的地步，但是神還是不放棄他們，神依然要藉著先知喚醒他們歸回，轉向神。

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).