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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.”

强盛的变为软弱

2023-11-29 in , /by

阿摩司书 2:14 快跑的不能逃脱，有力的不能用力，刚勇的也不能自救。

阅读经文: 阿摩司书2:1-16

1耶和华如此说：「摩押三番四次地犯罪，我必不免去他的刑罚，因为他将以东王的骸骨焚烧成灰。 2 我却要降火在摩押，烧灭加略的宫殿，摩押必在哄嚷呐喊吹角之中死亡。 3 我必剪除摩押中的审判者，将其中的一切首领和他一同杀戮。」这是耶和华说的。

一、神在外邦掌权──审判列国 (2:1-3)

第一章我们看到神在审判列国，是根据他们对以色列的态度，所以列国都被神审判。第二章的1-3节却说摩押跟以东之间的问题，严格来说跟以色列并没有关系，是列国之间的问题。但神是以色列的神，也是列国的神。谁对以色列不好，神会审判，但是列国之间彼此有问题，祂也审判。

摩押被神兴起来管教以东，最后却是景况最惨的一个。以东用刀追赶他的兄弟以色列毫无怜悯(参1:10)，所以遭到审判。之前列国欺负以色列和犹大，神从列国中兴起强盛的摩押来管教以东，但是管教过甚，竟然连以东王的骸骨也翻出来烧成灰，这是刑罚太过了。（在此并非说是不可火葬，而是因为把死人挖出来再烧，是对敌人的一种侮辱。有如鞭尸一般。）摩押本来是强盛的，是管教人的，但他出手太重，他的下场比列国更惨。所以我们做领袖的要小心，我们管教人时要有恩典，也要有真理。你出手太重，神反而对你更忿怒。本来神用摩押管教列国，但最后他的下场比列国更惨，由最强盛变为软弱。

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).

神对列国的刑罚

2023-11-28 in , /by

阿摩司书 1:6 耶和华如此说：加沙（加萨）三番四次地犯罪，我必不免去他的刑罚，因为他掳掠众民交给以东。

阅读经文: 阿摩司书1:6-15

6 耶和华如此说：「加沙（加萨）三番四次地犯罪，我必不免去他的刑罚，因为他掳掠众民交给以东。 7 我却要降火在加沙的城内，烧灭其中的宫殿。 8 我必剪除亚实突的居民和亚实基伦掌权的，也必反手攻击以革伦，非利士人所余剩的必都灭亡。」这是主耶和华说的。

正值哈玛斯从加萨突击以色列不久之际，这段经文更让人有贴心之震撼。这一段经文记载神对四个国家的审判。神的预言都在事情发生之前，一是为了希望有人听了可以有悔改的机会；二是让人知道一个真正的神才能知道世局未来的发展和走向；三，神愿意万人得救，不愿一人沉沦。可惜，愿意放下骄傲来相信神的人不多。即使再多证据摆在他们面前，他们还是要偏行已路。 加沙，也译作加萨，曾经是非利士人最重要的城巿，接近埃及的边界。非利士人从以色列人进迦南后就不停地与他们为敌。从士师的时代到大卫的时代都不停有争战，奇妙的是，有时也有作朋友，互相利用的时候。在这里，神指出非利士人的大罪，是掳掠以色列人后，把他们交给以东。可能因为以东有很多铜矿，需要大批工人。从非利士转运来的奴隶，变成他们的廉价劳工。

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).  

一个蒙召的牧羊人

2023-11-27 in , /by

阿摩司书1:2 他说：耶和华必从锡安吼叫，从耶路撒冷发声，牧人的草场要悲哀，迦密的山顶要枯干。

阅读经文: 阿摩司书1:1-5

1当犹大王乌西雅、以色列王约阿施的儿子耶罗波安在位的时候，大地震前二年，提哥亚牧人中的阿摩司得默示论以色列。

2 他说：耶和华必从锡安吼叫，从耶路撒冷发声，牧人的草场要悲哀，迦密的山顶要枯干。

阿摩司是一个蒙召的牧羊人。牧羊人在犹太人的社会中是属于下层阶级的工作者。但是我们看到，当神要使用人时，不管什么身份，不管什么地位，祂都可以使用。祂使用大学者如以赛亚，新鲜出炉的祭司以西结，年轻的耶利米；鲁莽的彼得，火爆的约翰，没有信心的多马，还有饱学之士的保罗，等等。

更有意思的是， 圣经里有许多神的仆人，神都让他们先去牧羊，再为神作工。例如摩西、雅各、大卫。我相信从牧羊的工作里，可以明白神对人的心意。阿摩司是犹大南国的一个牧羊人，住在耶路撒冷以南的提哥亚村，他不仅牧羊，有时也修理桑树。

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. 

耶路撒冷必成为圣

2023-11-26 in , /by

约珥书 3:20   但犹大必存到永远，耶路撒冷必存到万代。

阅读经文: 约珥书3:1-21

1「到那日，我使犹大和耶路撒冷被掳之人归回的时候， 2 我要聚集万民，带他们下到约沙法谷Judgment Valley，在那里施行审判。因为他们将我的百姓，就是我的产业以色列，分散在列国中，又分取我的地土， 3 且为我的百姓，将童子换妓女，卖童女买酒喝。 4 推罗、西顿和非利士四境的人哪，你们与我何干？你们要报复我吗？若报复我，我必使报应速速归到你们的头上。

〈约珥书〉很短，才三章。好像刚刚开始，就要结束了。但是它虽然很短，作者也不知是谁，却是很重要的书卷，因为它的内容包括了从主前606年到千年国的人类历史的预言。在第一章里我们看到有四种蝗虫起来侵害犹大。假如我们还记得〈但以理书〉里，尼布甲尼撒王梦到的大像，从金头到银胸银臂，再到铜腰腹，以及铁腿泥脚，还有那块非人手凿出来的石头；以及神让但以理看到的四个大兽异象，从有翅膀的狮子，到口齿内衔著三根肋骨的熊；又有一兽如豹，背上有鸟的四个翅膀，还有四个头；还有一只有大铁牙的怪兽。这些异象都是在说两约之间历史变迁的四个时代。

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. 

从危机到转机

2023-11-24 in , /by

约珥书2:32 a   到那时候，凡求告耶和华名的，就必得救。

阅读经文: 约珥书2:1-32

1「你们要在锡安吹角，在我圣山吹出大声！国中的居民都要发颤，因为耶和华的日子将到，已经临近。 2 那日是黑暗、幽冥、密云、乌黑的日子。好像晨光铺满山岭，有一队蝗虫又大又强，从来没有这样的，以后直到万代也必没有。 3 牠们前面如火烧灭，后面如火焰烧尽。未到以前，地如伊甸园，过去以后，成了荒凉的旷野，没有一样能躲避牠们的。

十二先知书中有六位先知提到“耶和华的日子”。西番雅说：“耶和华的大日子临近了，临近了，飞快而来”，阿摩司说“耶和华的日子会是黑暗的日子，所以他们应当预备面对他们的上帝了”，俄巴底亚警告：“耶和华打击列国的日子临近了” ，玛拉基则警告。“耶和华可畏的大日子”很快就会来到。这便是约珥书的主题。

但是约珥虽然提到“耶和华的日子”已经临近，那日是黑暗、幽冥、密云、乌黑的日子，却是光明前的黑暗，是带着希望的黑暗。那黑暗是难以想像的。好像晨光铺满山岭（原文的标点符号有问题），是指一队又大又强的蝗虫来临，在牠们来临之前，地如伊甸园；牠们过去之后，成了荒凉的旷野。有如野火焚烧，吞噬一切。