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耶和华的大日

2024-01-04 in , /by

西番雅书1:14  耶和华的大日临近，临近而且甚快。乃是耶和华日子的风声，勇士必痛痛的哭号。

读经文: 西番雅书 1:1-18

1当犹大王亚们的儿子约西亚在位的时候，耶和华的话临到希西家的玄孙、亚玛利雅的曾孙、基大利的孙子、古示的儿子西番雅。

2 耶和华说：「我必从地上除灭万类。 3 我必除灭人和牲畜，与空中的鸟、海里的鱼，以及绊脚石和恶人。我必将人从地上剪除。」这是耶和华说的。 4 「我必伸手攻击犹大和耶路撒冷的一切居民，也必从这地方剪除所剩下的巴力，并基玛林的名和祭司，

先知西番雅是希西家王的玄孙，出身显贵。他的曾祖父亚玛利雅是玛拿西王的兄弟，所以他有可能是约西亚王的侄子。在西番雅之前，主前第八世纪的先知有以赛亚、弥迦、阿摩司、何西阿；在主前第七世纪末，西番雅登场，他和哈巴谷、耶利米是同时代的人，显然是三人中最先工作的。

在西番雅出来传信息时，是犹大王亚们的儿子约西亚在位的时候。约西亚八岁作王，在他作王年间有三个复兴的阶段：一是在他作王第八年时，就寻求他祖大卫的神，开始拆除各种偶像和邱坛；二是在作王第十二年时，开始洁净犹大和耶路撒冷，除掉邱坛、木偶…拆毁巴力的坛，砍断坛上高高的日像，又把木偶和雕刻的像、并铸造的像打碎成灰，撒在祭偶像人的坟上，将他们祭司的骸骨烧在坛上…；三是在作王第十八年时，他开始进行修理圣殿、宣读律法、守逾越节、恢复祭祀等等，带领百姓回到神面前（王下22-23/代下34-35）。

From a Deceiver to a Receiver

2024-01-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hosea 12:1-14.  Let’s go!
 
Hosea 12:1-14 (NIV)
1  Ephraim feeds on the wind; he pursues the east wind all day and multiplies lies and violence. He makes a treaty with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt.
2  The LORD has a charge to bring against Judah; he will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds.
3  In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel; as a man he struggled with God.

On verses 1-14:  To appreciate God’s message to the Israelites (and to us) in Hosea 12, you need to know something about Jacob, one of Israel’s forefathers and the man after whom the nation of Israel was named.  Jacob’s life forms the backdrop to a lot of what Hosea 12 is talking about.

You see, Jacob lived much of his life thinking he had to scratch, claw and fight for everything he had.  His approach toward all of life was “transactional”.  Like a merchant, he was constantly striking deals with people, including when it came to finding a wife (v12), and even with God: “I’ll give you this, if you give me that.”

A Father’s Love Like No Other

2024-01-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hosea 11:1-12.  Let’s go!
 
Hosea 11:1-12 (NIV)
1  “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
2  But the more I called Israel, the further they went from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images.
3  It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them.
4  I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them.
5  “Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them because they refuse to repent?

On verses 1-12:  Earlier in Hosea the dominant picture to describe the relationship between God and Israel was that of husband and wife.  Here the view shifts to describing our relationship with God as that between a child and his father.  These are just different angles by which we can see and appreciate God’s love.  In fact, today’s passage, Hosea 11:1-12, contains one of the most tender descriptions of the fatherly heart of God that you will find in the Bible.

耶和华是我的力量

2024-01-03 in , /by

哈巴谷书 3:19  主耶和华是我的力量，祂使我的脚快如母鹿的蹄，又使我稳行在高处。

读经文: 哈巴谷书 3:1-19

1先知哈巴谷的祷告，调用流离歌。

2 耶和华啊，我听见祢的名声就惧怕。耶和华啊，求祢在这些年间复兴祢的作为，在这些年间显明出来，在发怒的时候以怜悯为念。 3 神从提幔而来，圣者从巴兰山临到。（细拉）祂的荣光遮蔽诸天，颂赞充满大地。

哈巴谷从充满疑问不解到豁然开朗，这是一段等待，且充满曲折的心路历程。他也为我们立了一个典范，人生在世难免看到苦难和各样的不平，但是这些都不能使我们与神的爱隔绝。因为神愿意为我们解答，只要我们“抓住”祂，神愿意让我们的心得到满足。

所以哈巴谷写下了脍炙人口的一首短诗：“虽然无花果树不发旺，葡萄树不结果，橄榄树也不效力，田地不出粮食，圈中绝了羊，棚内也没有牛， 然而我要因耶和华欢欣，因救我的神喜乐。 主耶和华是我的力量，祂使我的脚快如母鹿的蹄，又使我稳行在高处。”

当在神面前肃敬静默

2024-01-02 in , /by

哈巴谷书 2:20  唯耶和华在祂的圣殿中，全地的人都当在祂面前肃敬静默。

读经文: 哈巴谷书 2:15-20

15 「给人酒喝，又加上毒物使他喝醉，好看见他下体的有祸了！ 16 你满受羞辱，不得荣耀。你也喝吧！显出是未受割礼的。耶和华右手的杯必传到你那里，你的荣耀就变为大大的羞辱。 17 你向黎巴嫩行强暴与残害惊吓野兽的事，必遮盖你，因你杀人流血，向国内的城并城中一切居民施行强暴。

在哈巴谷的第二章里指出迦勒底人的五个大罪，其中的两个大罪是：第四祸使邻舍醉酒，并行淫乱(2:15)：给人酒喝，又加上毒物使他喝醉，好看见他下体（2:15）。第五祸是雕刻铸造偶像（2:18-19）：对木偶说『醒起！』，对哑巴石像说『起来！』，那人有祸了！

给人酒喝，又加上毒物使他喝醉，以致露对方的下体，指出迦勒底人的淫乱之举。他们以为战胜诸国必大得荣耀，谁知却因他们的强暴淫乱杀人，以及残害惊吓野兽的事，神要使他们的荣耀变为羞辱。这里先知指出一个人未曾看重的事情，就是残害惊吓野兽。坊间有时会传出有人虐待动物的新闻，小至使牠们饿死渴死，大至玩弄伤害牠们。

Sow Righteousness, Reap Unfailing Love

2024-01-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hosea 10:1-15.  Let’s go!
 
Hosea 10:1-15 (NIV)
1  Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself. As his fruit increased, he built more altars; as his land prospered, he adorned his sacred stones.
2  Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will demolish their altars and destroy their sacred stones.
3  Then they will say, “We have no king because we did not revere the LORD. But even if we had a king, what could he do for us?”
4  They make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements; therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.

On verses 1-15:  Here are four lessons I learned from Hosea 10.

1.  Hosea 10 describes Israel’s situation as well as our own.  God made us to live righteously and to obey His commands (“sow righteousness” – v12).  In return, God would give us His unfailing love (“reap unfailing love” – v12) and “shower righteousness” on us (v12).  But we did not live up to our end of the relationship.  Instead of living righteously, we “planted wickedness” (v13), depending on our own strength and worshiping other people, places and things.  We have deceitful motives (v2).  We have made promises we couldn’t keep (“false oaths”) and hurt people in the process (v4), ending up in all kinds of disputes and fighting.

认识耶和华的荣耀

2024-01-01 in , /by

哈巴谷书 2:14   认识耶和华荣耀的知识要充满遍地，好像水充满洋海一般。

读经文: 哈巴谷书 2:9-14

9 为本家积蓄不义之财，在高处搭窝，指望免灾的有祸了！ 10 你图谋剪除多国的民，犯了罪，使你的家蒙羞，自害己命。 11 墙里的石头必呼叫，房内的栋梁必应声。12 以人血建城，以罪孽立邑的有祸了！

哈巴谷向神发出两个问题：第一个问题： 为什么神不惩罚恶人 （1:1-4）？神说，要派迦勒底人来惩罚犹大。哈巴谷对神的回答不满意，又问了第二个问题，想到迦勒底人的凶残和暴虐，他反过来要捍卫犹大子民，反对神透过迦勒底人将带来的严酷审判。但是神回答哈巴谷，不管神的审判是用怎样的方法，全世界的人只有一种保存自己性命的方法，那就是义人因信得生。

哈巴谷从异象中指出了迦勒底人也在神的审判之中，并指出其中的五祸，也可以算是五罪。第一祸是给醉酒的和掠夺的 (2:5)：迦勒底人因酒诡诈、狂傲，不住在家中，扩充心欲好像阴间。他如死不能知足，聚集万国，堆积万民，都归自己。

7 Results of Rebelling Against God

2024-01-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hosea 9:1-17.  Let’s go!
 
Hosea 9:1-17 (NIV)
1  Do not rejoice, O Israel; do not be jubilant like the other nations. For you have been unfaithful to your God; you love the wages of a prostitute at every threshing floor.
2  Threshing floors and winepresses will not feed the people; the new wine will fail them.
3  They will not remain in the LORD’s land; Ephraim will return to Egypt and eat unclean food in Assyria.
4  They will not pour out wine offerings to the LORD, nor will their sacrifices please him. Such sacrifices will be to them like the bread of mourners; all who eat them will be unclean. This food will be for themselves; it will not come into the temple of the LORD.

However, as we hear about over and over in the book of Hosea, the Israelites lived in persistent rebellion against God and repeatedly broke God’s heart.

God’s broken heart is not the only result of the Israelites’ rebellion.  As Pastor Jon Courson wisely notes, Hosea 9 shows us a number of problems that the Israelites would experience as a result of continually rebelling against God.  These are the same problems we experience when we keep ignoring or forgetting about God. 

唯义人因信得生

2023-12-31 in , /by

哈巴谷书 2:4   迦勒底人自高自大，心不正直，唯义人因信得生。

读经文: 哈巴谷书 2:1-8

1我要站在守望所，立在望楼上观看，看耶和华对我说什么话，我可用什么话向他诉冤。 2 他对我说：「将这默示明明地写在版上，使读的人容易读。 3 因为这默示有一定的日期，快要应验，并不虚谎。虽然迟延，还要等候，因为必然临到，不再迟延。

〈哈巴谷书〉虽然只有三章，但是它里面有一些经文都是经常被引用，被人看重的，所以我们要分别来看它们的重要性，好好地理解它们。在今天这段短短的经文里，你猜得到哪一节是中心经节吗？我想你一定猜到了，因为它就是今天的标题：唯义人因信得生。

使徒保罗用这节经文写信给罗马的教会，也写给加拉太的教会；〈希伯来书〉的作者也引用这节经文。〈罗马书〉1:17“因为神的义正在这福音上显明出来，这义是本于信以至于信，如经上所记：‘义人必因信得生’。” 〈加拉太书〉3:11“没有一个人靠着律法在神面前称义，这是明显的，因为经上说：‘义人必因信得生’。” 〈希伯来书〉10:38“只是义人必因信得生；他若退后，我心里就不喜欢他。”

Are You Sowing the Wind?

2023-12-31 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hosea 8:1-14.  Let’s go!
 
Hosea 8:1-14 (NIV)
1  “Put the trumpet to your lips! An eagle is over the house of the LORD because the people have broken my covenant and rebelled against my law.
2  Israel cries out to me, ‘O our God, we acknowledge you!’
3  But Israel has rejected what is good; an enemy will pursue him.
4  They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval. With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves to their own destruction.
On verses 1-14:  In these verses, Hosea gives his people a word of warning for breaking their covenant with God and rebelling against His law (v1).  The images in verse 1 of sounding a trumpet and an eagle hovering over the house of the Lord are meant to communicate a sense of urgency and warning.

What does it mean when verse 7 says, “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind”?  In this case “the wind” represents vain pursuits, anything that doesn’t have any eternal value.  When I sow the wind, it means I’m chasing after vain things that don’t last.  Are you sowing the wind?