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Jesus’ Death Made Your Inheritance Possible

2023-11-29 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hebrews 9:15-28.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 9:15-22 (NIV)
15  For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance–now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
16  In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it,
17  because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.

On verses 15-22:  During my time practicing law, clients would often ask me to help them write their will.  A will is a legal document where a person spells out what they want to do with their assets and whom they want to gift those assets to as an inheritance when they die.   The person making the will signs it in the presence of witnesses.  All the gifts described in the will do not take effect until that person dies.  That’s why a will is often called a person’s “last will and testament”.  As verse 17 says, “a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.”

強盛的變為軟弱

2023-11-29 in , /by

阿摩司書 2:14 快跑的不能逃脫，有力的不能用力，剛勇的也不能自救。

閱讀經文: 阿摩司書2:1-16

1耶和華如此說：「摩押三番四次地犯罪，我必不免去他的刑罰，因為他將以東王的骸骨焚燒成灰。 2 我卻要降火在摩押，燒滅加略的宮殿，摩押必在鬨嚷呐喊吹角之中死亡。 3 我必剪除摩押中的審判者，將其中的一切首領和他一同殺戮。」這是耶和華說的。

一、神在外邦掌權──審判列國 (2:1-3)

第一章我們看到神在審判列國，是根據他們對以色列的態度，所以列國都被神審判。第二章的1-3節卻說摩押跟以東之間的問題，嚴格來說跟以色列並沒有關係，是列國之間的問題。但神是以色列的神，也是列國的神。誰對以色列不好，神會審判，但是列國之間彼此有問題，祂也審判。

摩押被神興起來管教以東，最後卻是景況最慘的一個。以東用刀追趕他的兄弟以色列毫無憐憫(參1:10)，所以遭到審判。之前列國欺負以色列和猶大，神從列國中興起強盛的摩押來管教以東，但是管教過甚，竟然連以東王的骸骨也翻出來燒成灰，這是刑罰太過了。（在此並非說是不可火葬，而是因為把死人挖出來再燒，是對敵人的一種侮辱。有如鞭屍一般。）摩押本來是強盛的，是管教人的，但他出手太重，他的下場比列國更慘。所以我們做領袖的要小心，我們管教人時要有恩典，也要有真理。你出手太重，神反而對你更忿怒。本來神用摩押管教列國，但最後他的下場比列國更慘，由最強盛變為軟弱。

Jesus’ Blood – Your Key to a Clean Conscience

2023-11-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hebrews 9:1-14.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 9:1-14 (NIV)
1  Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary.
2  A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place.
3  Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,
4  which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.

On verses 1-14: Verses 1-7 give us a good visual of what worshiping at the tabernacle in the Old Testament looked like. Only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, an inner room representing God’s presence. There he would offer the blood of bulls and goats as a sacrifice for his sins and the people’s sins (v7).

As detailed, ornate, and organized as this Old Testament system was, the writer of Hebrews points out an important fact: there was a curtain that separated the people from the Most Holy Place (v3).

神對列國的刑罰

2023-11-28 in , /by

阿摩司書 1:6 耶和華如此說：加沙（加薩）三番四次地犯罪，我必不免去他的刑罰，因為他擄掠眾民交給以東。

閱讀經文: 阿摩司書1:6-15

6 耶和華如此說：「加沙（加薩）三番四次地犯罪，我必不免去他的刑罰，因為他擄掠眾民交給以東。 7 我卻要降火在加沙的城內，燒滅其中的宮殿。 8 我必剪除亞實突的居民和亞實基倫掌權的，也必反手攻擊以革倫，非利士人所餘剩的必都滅亡。」這是主耶和華說的。

正值哈瑪斯從加薩突擊以色列不久之際，這段經文更讓人有貼心之震撼。這一段經文記載神對四個國家的審判。神的預言都在事情發生之前，一是為了希望有人聽了可以有悔改的機會；二是讓人知道一個真正的神才能知道世局未來的發展和走向；三，神願意萬人得救，不願一人沉淪。可惜，願意放下驕傲來相信神的人不多。即使再多證據擺在他們面前，他們還是要偏行已路。 加沙，也譯作加薩，曾經是非利士人最重要的城巿，接近埃及的邊界。非利士人從以色列人進迦南後就不停地與他們為敵。從士師的時代到大衛的時代都不停有爭戰，奇妙的是，有時也有作朋友，互相利用的時候。在這裡，神指出非利士人的大罪，是擄掠以色列人後，把他們交給以東。可能因為以東有很多銅礦，需要大批工人。從非利士轉運來的奴隸，變成他們的廉價勞工。

4 Reasons Why Jesus’ New Covenant is Better than Moses’ Old Covenant

2023-11-27 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hebrews 8:1-13.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 8:1-5 (NIV)
1  The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,
2  and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.
3  Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer.
4  If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.
5  They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

On verses 1-5:  Here the writer of Hebrews notes that the location where Jesus now serves as our high priest is in heaven (v1-2), while priests who are appointed by the law of Moses serve on earth (v4).  The sanctuary and tabernacle where these earthly priests would serve are an imperfect “copy and shadow of what is in heaven”, while the heavenly sanctuary where Jesus serves is the real thing, “the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not man” (v2).  

一個蒙召的牧羊人

2023-11-27 in , /by

阿摩司書1:2 他說：耶和華必從錫安吼叫，從耶路撒冷發聲，牧人的草場要悲哀，迦密的山頂要枯乾。

閱讀經文: 阿摩司書1:1-5

1當猶大王烏西雅、以色列王約阿施的兒子耶羅波安在位的時候，大地震前二年，提哥亞牧人中的阿摩司得默示論以色列。

2 他說：耶和華必從錫安吼叫，從耶路撒冷發聲，牧人的草場要悲哀，迦密的山頂要枯乾。

阿摩司是一個蒙召的牧羊人。牧羊人在猶太人的社會中是屬於下層階級的工作者。但是我們看到，當神要使用人時，不管什麼身份，不管什麼地位，祂都可以使用。祂使用大學者如以賽亞，新鮮出爐的祭司以西結，年輕的耶利米；魯莽的彼得，火爆的約翰，沒有信心的多馬，還有飽學之士的保羅，等等。

更有意思的是， 聖經裡有許多神的僕人，神都讓他們先去牧羊，再為神作工。例如摩西、雅各、大衛。我相信從牧羊的工作裡，可以明白神對人的心意。阿摩司是猶大南國的一個牧羊人，住在耶路撒冷以南的提哥亞村，他不僅牧羊，有時也修理桑樹。

Jesus, Priest Like No Other

2023-11-26 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hebrews 7:20-28.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 7:20-21 (NIV)
20  And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath,
21  but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever.'”

On verses 20-21:  In a court of law, before a witness takes the stand, the witness makes a solemn promise, swearing to tell the truth.  This is called an oath.  The oath is meant to show that the person speaking is completely serious and sincere about the words he or she is about to speak and that those who hear can count on what he or she is saying. Likewise, when God spoke words to appoint Jesus as a priest, God swore an oath to show how serious and sincere He was about the pronouncement He was making. 

耶路撒冷必成為聖

2023-11-26 in , /by

約珥書 3:20   但猶大必存到永遠，耶路撒冷必存到萬代。

閱讀經文: 約珥書3:1-21

1「到那日，我使猶大和耶路撒冷被擄之人歸回的時候， 2 我要聚集萬民，帶他們下到約沙法谷Judgment Valley，在那裡施行審判。因為他們將我的百姓，就是我的產業以色列，分散在列國中，又分取我的地土， 3 且為我的百姓，將童子換妓女，賣童女買酒喝。 4 推羅、西頓和非利士四境的人哪，你們與我何干？你們要報復我嗎？若報復我，我必使報應速速歸到你們的頭上。

〈約珥書〉很短，才三章。好像剛剛開始，就要結束了。但是它雖然很短，作者也不知是誰，卻是很重要的書卷，因為它的內容包括了從主前606年到千年國的人類歷史的預言。在第一章裡我們看到有四種蝗蟲起來侵害猶大。假如我們還記得〈但以理書〉裡，尼布甲尼撒王夢到的大像，從金頭到銀胸銀臂，再到銅腰腹，以及鐵腿泥腳，還有那塊非人手鑿出來的石頭；以及神讓但以理看到的四個大獸異象，從有翅膀的獅子，到口齒內銜著三根肋骨的熊；又有一獸如豹，背上有鳥的四個翅膀，還有四個頭；還有一隻有大鐵牙的怪獸。這些異象都是在說兩約之間歷史變遷的四個時代。

A Better Hope Through Jesus

2023-11-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hebrews 7:11-19.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 7:11-19 (NIV)
11  If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come–one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron?
12  For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law.

On verses 11-19:  Moses was the one who wrote down and introduced the Jewish law to govern the people of Israel.  These laws are found in the first five books of the Old Testament, also known as the Pentateuch, and are sometimes called the law of Moses, or simply “the law”.  The law of Moses stipulated that Israel’s priests, beginning with the first high priest Aaron, must come from the tribe of Levi. 

從危機到轉機

2023-11-24 in , /by

約珥書2:32 a   到那時候，凡求告耶和華名的，就必得救。

閱讀經文: 約珥書2:1-32

1「你們要在錫安吹角，在我聖山吹出大聲！國中的居民都要發顫，因為耶和華的日子將到，已經臨近。 2 那日是黑暗、幽冥、密雲、烏黑的日子。好像晨光鋪滿山嶺，有一隊蝗蟲又大又強，從來沒有這樣的，以後直到萬代也必沒有。 3 牠們前面如火燒滅，後面如火焰燒盡。未到以前，地如伊甸園，過去以後，成了荒涼的曠野，沒有一樣能躲避牠們的。

十二先知書中有六位先知提到“耶和華的日子”。西番雅說：“耶和華的大日子臨近了，臨近了，飛快而來”，阿摩司說“耶和華的日子會是黑暗的日子，所以他們應當預備面對他們的上帝了”，俄巴底亞警告：“耶和華打擊列國的日子臨近了” ，瑪拉基則警告。“耶和華可畏的大日子”很快就會來到。這便是約珥書的主題。

但是約珥雖然提到“耶和華的日子”已經臨近，那日是黑暗、幽冥、密雲、烏黑的日子，卻是光明前的黑暗，是帶著希望的黑暗。那黑暗是難以想像的。好像晨光鋪滿山嶺（原文的標點符號有問題），是指一隊又大又強的蝗蟲來臨，在牠們來臨之前，地如伊甸園；牠們過去之後，成了荒涼的曠野。有如野火焚燒，吞噬一切。