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其实你不懂我的心

2023-12-22 in , /by

弥迦书 6:8  世人哪！耶和华已指示你何为善。祂向你所要的是什么呢？只要你行公义，好怜悯，存谦卑的心，与你的神同行。

读经文: 弥迦书  6:1-8

1 以色列人哪，当听耶和华的话：「要起来，向山岭争辩，使冈陵听你的话！ 2 山岭和地永久的根基啊，要听耶和华争辩的话，因为耶和华要与他的百姓争辩，与以色列争论。 3 我的百姓啊，我向你做了什么呢？我在什么事上使你厌烦？你可以对我证明。

在1988年，有个年轻的台湾歌手及作曲作词家，推出他的第5张个人专辑《其实你不懂我的心》，也是他第一张进入大陆市场的专辑，使他的名字和歌声在一夕之间风靡整个中国。童安格是个基督徒，他可能是有感而作，却也点出了神在这章经文里的心意。神在这章经文里和以色列人辩论，让我们来看看双方的说词。

在第1-5节里，神以山岭和冈陵的稳定及恒久不变，来反讽出以色列人的善变。神说，祂把以色列人从为奴之地的埃及领出来，又差遣摩西、亚伦和米利暗带领他们。这是有连贯性的，因为以色列人在埃及已经住了四百卅年，很多人都接受了埃及的生活方式，以及多神教的信仰。他们不认识耶和华神。所以当神把他们带出埃及后，立刻在西乃山下，让摩西教导他们神的律法，让亚伦做大祭司，教导他们学习敬拜耶和华神，让米利暗带领以色列的女人认识和敬拜神。

10 Clues That You Might Be Worshiping An Idol

2023-12-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hosea 2:1-13.  Let’s go!
 
Hosea 2:1 (NIV)
1 “Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’ and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’ 
 
Verse 1:  This verse fits in more with the contents of chapter 1 than with chapter 2.  At the end of chapter 1 Hosea describes how God will show His people amazing grace and mercy and restore them after they have cheated on Him.  Verse 1 here is part of that restoration.  Hosea’s message is that, just like the names of Hosea’s daughter and second son, God should have called the Israelites “not my people” (“Lo-Ruhamah”) and “not my loved one” (Lo-Ammi) because of their unfaithfulness.  But because of God’s grace and mercy, the Israelites once again became “My people” and “My loved one” in God’s eyes.  
 
Similarly, as sinners we had no right to be called God’s people or God’s beloved.  Yet that is what we are now, all because of the mercy and grace God showed us through Jesus Christ.
 

Find Your Story in the Book of Hosea

2023-12-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today we begin the book of Hosea, a book written by the prophet Hosea in approximately 8th century B.C.  Today’s passage is Hosea 1:1-11.  Let’s go!
 
Hosea 1:1-11 (NIV)
1  The word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel:
2  When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, “Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD.”

On verses 1-11:  Why would God tell Hosea to marry a woman who would be unfaithful to him and raise a family with her?  God was using Hosea’s relationship with Gomer as a real life picture of God’s relationship with the nation of Israel, and ultimately, with us.

By the way, was Gomer already an adulterous woman even before Hosea married her, or did she become adulterous only after Hosea married her?  Modern Bible translations like the New Living Translation describe Gomer as a prostitute (v2), which suggests that Gomer already had a reputation for having extramarital affairs prior to marrying Hosea.  Still, the focus is not on what Gomer did before marrying Hosea but after, as she would later commit adultery while being married to Hosea (see Hosea 3:1).

在伯利恒出生的救主

2023-12-21 in , /by

弥迦书5:2 伯利恒以法他啊，你在犹大诸城中为小，将来必有一位从你那里出来，在以色列中为我做掌权的。祂的根源从亘古，从太初就有。

读经文: 弥迦书  5:1-15

1 成群的民哪，现在你要聚集成队！因为仇敌围攻我们，要用杖击打以色列审判者的脸。

2 「伯利恒以法他啊，你在犹大诸城中为小，将来必有一位从你那里出来，在以色列中为我做掌权的。他的根源从亘古，从太初就有。」 3 耶和华必将以色列人交付敌人，直等那生产的妇人生下子来。那时，掌权者其余的弟兄必归到以色列人那里。

〈弥迦书〉的第四章和第五章都是“希望的信息”，神借着先知弥迦，把将来必有的好信息传给子民。因为在弥迦传信息时，也正是亚述灭了以色列，在攻击犹之际，眼看一座座城池都被亚述所占，百姓的心何等惊慌，所期待的就是神的拯救早日来临。第一节所预言的 “以色列审判者” 是指犹大最后的那位王，也就是西底家，将被巴比伦掳去。

弥迦和以赛亚是同时代的先知，两人都预言弥赛亚救赎者的到来。那时大约是主前七百年，以赛亚做先知的时期比较早，也比较长；弥迦比以赛亚晚出来服事，但早一点结束。以赛亚预言：“主自己要给你们一个兆头，必有童女怀孕生子，给他起名叫以马内利 (赛7:13-14) ”，“因有一婴孩为我们而生；有一子赐给我们。政权必担在祂的肩头上；祂名称为奇妙策士、全能的神、永在的父、和平的君。

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.