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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).

上行之诗系列–诗篇第122篇

2024-02-08 in , /by

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。

上行之诗系列–诗篇第121篇

2024-02-07 in , /by

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。

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.

上行之诗系列–诗篇第120篇

2024-02-06 in , /by

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。

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).