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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。

耶和華的日子臨近了！

2023-11-23 in , /by

約珥書1:15  哀哉，耶和華的日子臨近了！這日來到，好像毀滅從全能者來到。

閱讀經文: 約珥書 1:1-20

1耶和華的話臨到毗土珥的兒子約珥。

2 老年人哪，當聽我的話！國中的居民哪，都要側耳而聽！在你們的日子，或你們列祖的日子，曾有這樣的事嗎？ 3 你們要將這事傳於子，子傳於孫，孫傳於後代。 4 剪蟲剩下的，蝗蟲來吃；蝗蟲剩下的，蝻子來吃；蝻子剩下的，螞蚱來吃。

在張文亮教授〈有誰知道蝗蟲的飛航路線？〉一文裡，對蝗蟲有極為精闢的介紹：“早期的中國，認為對農作物最大的蟲害，是蝗蟲成群前來，因為是「最大」的蟲害，所以在虫字邊加上「皇」字。早期的希臘人，看蝗蟲善於跳躍，故稱其locust，locust這字有跳躍的意思。蝗蟲移動的主要方式是跳躍，但是在六月，在乾旱、炎熱的地方，熱氣自地表上騰，蝗蟲張翅一躍，可以躍入上騰的熱氣之中，甚至能夠上騰到2000公尺以上的高空，隨著風向遷移。加上蝗蟲在空中也能飛翔，其飛行的速度每小時約4.4公里。隨著風速，在歐洲，能夠一天之內由北非的摩洛哥到西歐的葡萄牙，或由沙烏地阿拉伯橫越亞丁灣到衣索匹亞或蘇丹。

Who is Melchizedek?

2023-11-23 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hebrews 7:1-10.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 7:1-4 (NIV)
1  This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him,
2  and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.”
3  Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.
4  Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!

On verses 1-4:  A few times already the writer of Hebrews has mentioned Melchizedek, saying that Jesus is a priest “in the order of Melchizedek” (for example, Hebrews 5:10; 6:20).  Now who is Melchizedek?  Melchizedek is a mysterious figure who is first mentioned in Genesis 14 where Abram has just returned from victoriously battling a number of kings.  All of a sudden, Melchizedek king of Salem appears, bringing bread and wine (Genesis 14:18).  In addition to being a king, Melchizedek is also called “priest of God Most High” (Genesis 14:18) and blesses Abram (Genesis 14:19).