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12 Ways that God Loves You

2023-12-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hosea 2:14-23.  Let’s go!

After describing in previous verses how God wanted to punish Israel for their unfaithfulness to Him, in verses 14-23 Hosea goes on to describe the amazing, forgiving, second-chance-giving love that God extends to Israel.  It’s the picture of a husband forgiving, restoring and receiving back his wife who had been unfaithful to him.
 
From these verses we can learn 12 ways that God loves you and me.  Let’s look at each one specifically.
 
Hosea 2:14 (NIV)
14 “Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her.

On verse 14:  God’s love takes initiative.  God is a leader and, like a good leader, God takes the initiative.  God will not force Himself upon you, but He does take the first step and waits for you to respond.  He stands at the door and knocks.

可惡的小升斗

2023-12-24 in , /by

彌迦書6:11  我若用不公道的天平和囊中詭詐的法碼，豈可算為清潔呢？

讀經文: 彌迦書  6:9-16

9 耶和華向這城呼叫，智慧人必敬畏祂的名。「你們當聽是誰派定刑杖的懲罰。 10 惡人家中不仍有非義之財和可惡的小升斗嗎？ 11 我若用不公道的天平和囊中詭詐的法碼，豈可算為清潔呢？ 12 城裡的富戶滿行強暴，其中的居民也說謊言，口中的舌頭是詭詐的。 13 因此我擊打你，使你的傷痕甚重，使你因你的罪惡荒涼。

曾經有一間餐館，在我們朋友之間，它的名聲相當不好，大家都“立志”不再去那裡吃飯。為何大家都去了，去了之後又說以後都不去呢？這當中有個原因，因為他們的店裡用的是可惡的小升斗。這幾個朋友都有類似的經歷，被該店的廣告吸引，但是點了皇帝蟹之後，他們拿出來給客人看時都是很漂亮的蟹，煮熟後端出來的卻總是缺手少腳，份量不一樣。有一位朋友帶他媽媽去做生日，店員說那個皇帝蟹有18磅，他不相信，要店員當面秤給他看，才只有10磅。真是太離譜了！這樣的店誰還會去呢？

其實你不懂我的心

2023-12-22 in , /by

彌迦書 6:8  世人哪！耶和華已指示你何為善。祂向你所要的是什麼呢？只要你行公義，好憐憫，存謙卑的心，與你的神同行。

讀經文: 彌迦書  6:1-8

1 以色列人哪，當聽耶和華的話：「要起來，向山嶺爭辯，使岡陵聽你的話！ 2 山嶺和地永久的根基啊，要聽耶和華爭辯的話，因為耶和華要與他的百姓爭辯，與以色列爭論。 3 我的百姓啊，我向你做了什麼呢？我在什麼事上使你厭煩？你可以對我證明。

在1988年，有個年輕的台灣歌手及作曲作詞家，推出他的第5張個人專輯《其實你不懂我的心》，也是他第一張進入大陸市場的專輯，使他的名字和歌聲在一夕之間風靡整個中國。童安格是個基督徒，他可能是有感而作，卻也點出了神在這章經文裡的心意。神在這章經文裡和以色列人辯論，讓我們來看看雙方的說詞。

在第1-5節裡，神以山嶺和岡陵的穩定及恒久不變，來反諷出以色列人的善變。神說，祂把以色列人從為奴之地的埃及領出來，又差遣摩西、亞倫和米利暗帶領他們。這是有連貫性的，因為以色列人在埃及已經住了四百卅年，很多人都接受了埃及的生活方式，以及多神教的信仰。他們不認識耶和華神。所以當神把他們帶出埃及後，立刻在西乃山下，讓摩西教導他們神的律法，讓亞倫做大祭司，教導他們學習敬拜耶和華神，讓米利暗帶領以色列的女人認識和敬拜神。

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

彌迦書5:2 伯利恆以法他啊，你在猶大諸城中為小，將來必有一位從你那裡出來，在以色列中為我做掌權的。祂的根源從亙古，從太初就有。

讀經文: 彌迦書  5:1-15

1 成群的民哪，現在你要聚集成隊！因為仇敵圍攻我們，要用杖擊打以色列審判者的臉。

2 「伯利恆以法他啊，你在猶大諸城中為小，將來必有一位從你那裡出來，在以色列中為我做掌權的。他的根源從亙古，從太初就有。」 3 耶和華必將以色列人交付敵人，直等那生產的婦人生下子來。那時，掌權者其餘的弟兄必歸到以色列人那裡。

〈彌迦書〉的第四章和第五章都是“希望的信息”，神藉著先知彌迦，把將來必有的好信息傳給子民。因為在彌迦傳信息時，也正是亞述滅了以色列，在攻擊猶之際，眼看一座座城池都被亞述所佔，百姓的心何等驚慌，所期待的就是神的拯救早日來臨。第一節所預言的 “以色列審判者” 是指猶大最後的那位王，也就是西底家，將被巴比倫擄去。

彌迦和以賽亞是同時代的先知，兩人都預言彌賽亞救贖者的到來。那時大約是主前七百年，以賽亞做先知的時期比較早，也比較長；彌迦比以賽亞晚出來服事，但早一點結束。以賽亞預言：“主自己要給你們一個兆頭，必有童女懷孕生子，給他起名叫以馬內利 (賽7:13-14) ”，“因有一嬰孩為我們而生；有一子賜給我們。政權必擔在祂的肩頭上；祂名稱為奇妙策士、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)

耶和華的意念

2023-12-20 in , /by

彌迦書4:13 錫安的民哪，起來踹穀吧！我必使你的角成為鐵，使你的蹄成為銅。你必打碎多國的民，將他們的財獻於耶和華，將他們的貨獻於普天下的主。

讀經文: 彌迦書  4:6-13

6 耶和華說：「到那日，我必聚集瘸腿的，招聚被趕出的和我所懲治的。 7 我必使瘸腿的為餘剩之民，使趕到遠方的為強盛之民。耶和華要在錫安山做王治理他們，從今直到永遠。 8 你這羊群的高臺，錫安城的山哪，從前的權柄，就是耶路撒冷民的國權，必歸於你。

在第1-5節裡，先知讓我們看到一幅極美的遠景，萬民都要流歸耶和華的山，不再有戰爭，各人要坐在自己的葡萄樹下和無花果樹下，無人驚嚇。在這段經文裡，神有三個應許：一，神的餘民要從哀哭變為掌權；二，從被擄到救贖；三，終極的勝利。神是這樣預備子民的心，即使不能不懲罰他們，卻也要在他們的心裡放下真正的盼望，使他們在受到打擊時，依然有支持他們的信心。

但是這一章，這一段話並不是專門給以色列人看的，這個盼望同時也是給萬民的。在第一章第一節，在第四章第一節，先知傳信息的對象都是萬民，而不只是雅各家。所以我們知道這也是神給我們的盼望，要讓我們在這紛亂的末世裡抓住神的應許，不至於行差踏錯。

耶和華的山必被高舉

2023-12-19 in , /by

彌迦書 4:5  萬民各奉己神的名而行，我們卻永永遠遠奉耶和華我們神的名而行。

讀經文: 彌迦書  4:1-5

1末後的日子，耶和華殿的山必堅立超乎諸山，高舉過於萬嶺，萬民都要流歸這山。 2 必有許多國的民前往，說：「來吧！我們登耶和華的山，奔雅各神的殿。主必將他的道教訓我們，我們也要行他的路，因為訓誨必出於錫安，耶和華的言語必出於耶路撒冷。」

彌迦書4章1-3節和以賽亞書2章2-4節，經文幾乎完全相同，上主把同一件事啟示兩位先知，因為這啟示十分重要。先知彌迦預言：「在將來的日子，聖殿坐落的山岡要矗立在群山之上，被高舉，超越萬嶺。許多民族都要蜂擁而來；萬國要聚攏前來，說：來吧，我們一起到上主的山，一起往以色列上帝的聖殿。祂會指引我們該走的道路；我們要在這條路上行走。上主的教誨從耶路撒冷發出；祂的信息從錫安傳播。」

本段一開始的「將來的日子」，是指上主藉先知對以色列指責的罪惡，還有所預言的刑罰與悔改後的日子，以及將發生在祂子民的復興景象。上主的旨意本是慈愛及信實，當百姓受責備而悔改，祂就會實現應許的祝福。將來的日子或末後的日子這個專有詞，是指一個新時代，是上主的子民從被擄歸回後，才會開始。

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)