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Don’t Underestimate the Unsung

2023-07-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 3:12-31.  Let’s go!

Judges 3:12-15 (NIV)
12  Once again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and because they did this evil the LORD gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel.
13  Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms.
14  The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.
15  Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and he gave them a deliverer–Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.
 
On verses 12-15:  Consistent with the pattern that we’ll see repeatedly in Judges, the Israelites forsake the LORD (v12) and are subjected to another nation for many years (in this case, Moab with the help of the Ammonites and Amelekites) (v12-14).  The Israelites cry out to the LORD for help (v15), and God sends them a deliverer who, in this case, is Ehud (v15).  Ehud is from the tribe of Benjamin (which literally means “son at my right hand”) and yet, ironically, Ehud is left-handed (v15). 

权力的争夺

2023-07-23 in , /by

耶利米书 41:3   以实玛利又杀了在米斯巴基大利那里的一切犹大人和所遇见的迦勒底兵丁。

阅读经文:  41:1-18

1七月间，王的大臣宗室以利沙玛的孙子、尼探雅的儿子以实玛利带着十个人，来到米斯巴见亚希甘的儿子基大利，他们在米斯巴一同吃饭。 2 尼探雅的儿子以实玛利和同他来的那十个人起来，用刀杀了沙番的孙子、亚希甘的儿子基大利，就是巴比伦王所立为全地省长的。 3 以实玛利又杀了在米斯巴基大利那里的一切犹大人和所遇见的迦勒底兵丁。

《耶利米书》第四十一章主要教导我们两件事，第一是被神惩罚以后，人心仍然没有觉醒，不愿受教；第二是人仍然不听神的话，以致神没有言语。

一、 基大利因独断而遭害 (41:1-3)

「七月间，王的大臣宗室以利沙玛的孙子、尼探雅的儿子以实玛利带着十个人，来到米斯巴见亚希甘的儿子基大利。他们……用刀杀了沙番的孙子亚希甘的儿子基大利，……又杀了在米斯巴、基大利那里的一切犹大人和所遇见的迦勒底兵丁。」(41:1-3)

耶路撒冷被毁，其中有很多人被掳被杀，房屋都被拆毁，这是神对犹大的惩罚，然而都是由外邦人出手，但这里却是犹大人自相残杀。基大利听从神的话，愿意服事巴比伦。巴比伦王拣选他作犹大省长，他若能一直管治下去，相信犹大仍有盼望；然而以实玛利却把基大利和一切在那里的犹大人、迦勒底兵丁都杀掉，以致毁了服事巴比伦王的选择。

God Is Training You For Battle

2023-07-23 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 3:1-11.  Let’s go!

Judges 3:1-4 (NIV)
1  These are the nations the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan
2  (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience):
3  the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath.
4  They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the LORD’s commands, which he had given their forefathers through Moses.
 
On verses 1-4:  Though the Israelites broke God’s original command to drive out the idol worshiping nations from Canaan, God in His sovereignty still found a way to accomplish a good purpose through the Israelites’ failure to obey.  These verses tell us that God used this situation to (1) teach the younger Israelites who did not have previous battle experience how to fight (v2); and (2) see if this younger generation would obey the LORD’s commands (v4).

Jesus Broke The Cycle

2023-07-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 2:11-23.  Let’s go!

Judges 2:11-19 (NIV)
11  Then the Israeites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals.
12  They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the LORD to anger
13  because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.

On verses 11-19:  These verses summarize a pattern that you’ll see happening over and over again in the book of Judges: the Israelites forsake God; the Israelites are attacked, plundered and abused by other nations; the Israelites cry out to God; God sends a deliverer (a judge) to save them; the Israelites serve God for a time while under the deliverer’s leadership, but when that deliverer dies, the Israelites go back to forsaking God all over again, and the cycle repeats itself.

耶利米的选择

2023-07-21 in , /by

耶利米书 40:6    耶利米就到米斯巴见亚希甘的儿子基大利，在他那里住在境内剩下的民中。

阅读经文:  40:1-16

1耶利米锁在耶路撒冷和犹大被掳到巴比伦的人中，护卫长尼布撒拉旦将他从拉玛释放以后，耶和华的话临到耶利米。 2 护卫长将耶利米叫来，对他说：「耶和华你的神曾说要降这祸于此地， 3 耶和华使这祸临到，照他所说的行了。因为你们得罪耶和华，没有听从他的话，所以这事临到你们。 4 现在，我解开你手上的链子。你若看与我同往巴比伦去好，就可以去，我必厚待你。你若看与我同往巴比伦去不好，就不必去。看哪，全地在你面前，你以为哪里美好，哪里合宜，只管上那里去吧。」

《耶利米书》第四十章，记述耶路撒冷被毁后的过渡时期。这是一个动荡、人心不稳定的时期，然而留在耶路撒冷的人面对一个新的局势，他们要作出选择。

一、 耶利米的选择 (40:1-6)

「护卫长将耶利米叫来，对他说：耶和华你的神曾说要降这祸与此地。耶和华使这祸临到，照他所说的行了；因为你们得罪耶和华，没有听从他的话，所以这事临到你们。」(40:2-3)

这一段提到耶路撒冷被毁，其中最特别之处，是从巴比伦的护卫长口中说犹大被灭是因他们不听神的话，所以耶和华神要降祸不降福。当国家被灭，耶利米就被释放出来，他最终是自由的，由此显出他是一位真先知，因为他的预言成就了，抵挡他的人却全都被掳、被杀。他不但得着自由，更得着巴比伦王的善待和保护；相对而言，犹大只剩下残砾败瓦，政局也非常动荡，耶利米应该如何选择？若我是耶利米的话，我必会选择往巴比伦去。因为耶利米曾预言顺服巴比伦便可蒙福，反而留在犹大的都会灭亡。若他选择巴比伦必有好的生活，最重要是他从巴比伦王得着自由、礼物、保护，无论何人都会把他看作卖国贼；然而他没有选择巴比伦，却仍然选择留在犹大，并到基大利那里。

The Difference Leadership Makes

2023-07-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 2:1-10.  Let’s go!

Judges 2:1 (NIV)
1  The angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I swore to give to your forefathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you,
 
On verse 1:  I know I’m stopping the passage in mid-sentence to say this, but it’s worth saying:  God is faithful to His promises.  That’s the message of verse 1.  What God swore He would do, He did.  He swore to bring the Israelites out of Egypt and into the promised land, and He did.  God never breaks His promises.  God is forever faithful, dependable and trustworthy.

人生没有后悔药

2023-07-20 in , /by

耶利米书 39:18  我定要搭救你，你不致倒在刀下，却要以自己的命为掠物，因你倚靠我。这是耶和华说的。

阅读经文:  39:1-18

1犹大王西底家第九年十月，巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒率领全军来围困耶路撒冷。 2 西底家十一年四月初九日，城被攻破。 3 耶路撒冷被攻取的时候，巴比伦王的首领尼甲沙利薛、三甲尼波、撒西金、拉撒力、尼甲沙利薛、拉墨并巴比伦王其余的一切首领，都来坐在中门。

4 犹大王西底家和一切兵丁看见他们，就在夜间从靠近王园两城中间的门出城逃跑，往亚拉巴逃去。 5 迦勒底的军队追赶他们，在耶利哥的平原追上西底家，将他拿住，带到哈马地的利比拉巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒那里，尼布甲尼撒就审判他。 6 巴比伦王在利比拉，西底家眼前杀了他的众子，又杀了犹大的一切贵胄。 7 并且剜西底家的眼睛，用铜链锁着他，要带到巴比伦去。

从巴比伦围攻耶路撒冷到攻陷一共十八个月，在这十八个月之间耶利米把神的信息很清楚地传给了西底家。但是西底家要到城被攻陷的前一夜才接受自己无能反攻，也没有办法保护他的子民的现实，所以漏夜逃走了。但是神命定的事岂能不成全？所以他被抓了，并且下场非常凄凉。巴比伦军先在他眼前杀了他的众子和贵冑，然后剜掉他的眼睛，再用铜链锁着他，带到巴比伦。

耶利米的话言尤在耳，神岂不是给了他一条平安的生路吗？可是他犹疑不决，优柔寡断，终于落个国破家亡的绝境里。人生没有后悔药。

You Gotta Drive Them Out

2023-07-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 1:27-36.  Let’s go!

Judges 1:27-36 (NIV)
27  But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land.
28  When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely.
29  Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, but the Canaanites continued to live there among them.
30  Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, who remained among them; but they did subject them to forced labor.
31  Nor did Asher drive out those living in Acco or Sidon or Ahlab or Aczib or Helbah or Aphek or Rehob,
32  and because of this the people of Asher lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land.

On verses 27-36:  In the first 26 verses of Judges 1 we already see hints of Israel’s tribes not going all the way in fully occupying the Promised Land, but rather compromising and allowing other nations to occupy it. This happened in verse 19 where the tribe of Judah did not fully take over the plains.  This happened in verse 21 where the tribe of Benjamin did not oust the Jebusites out of Jerusalem.  We see this happening even more in verses 27-36: the tribes of Manasseh (v27), Ephraim (v29), Zebulun (v30), Asher (v31), Naphtali (v33), Dan (v34), and Joseph (v35) all fail to drive out the Canaanites from the land. 

耶利米被捕下狱

2023-07-19 in , /by

耶利米书 38:3  耶和华如此说：这城必要交在巴比伦王军队的手中，他必攻取这城。

阅读经文:  38:1-28

1玛坦的儿子示法提雅、巴施户珥的儿子基大利、示利米雅的儿子犹甲、玛基雅的儿子巴示户珥，听见耶利米对众人所说的话说： 2 「耶和华如此说：住在这城里的必遭刀剑、饥荒、瘟疫而死，但出去归降迦勒底人的必得存活，就是以自己命为掠物的，必得存活。 3 耶和华如此说：这城必要交在巴比伦王军队的手中，他必攻取这城。」 4 于是，首领对王说：「求你将这人治死，因他向城里剩下的兵丁和众民说这样的话，使他们的手发软。这人不是求这百姓得平安，乃是叫他们受灾祸。」 5 西底家王说：「他在你们手中，无论何事，王也不能与你们反对。」 6 他们就拿住耶利米，下在哈米勒的儿子玛基雅的牢狱里。那牢狱在护卫兵的院中，他们用绳子将耶利米系下去。牢狱里没有水，只有淤泥，耶利米就陷在淤泥中。

对耶利米而言，这真是一个恐怖的经历。很可能您也读过许多中国早期传道人的经历，那时没有人信耶稣，民间信仰不是儒家，就是佛与道。很多人听到有人传讲耶稣，觉得是洋人的东西，有的向传道人泼大粪，有的把碎玻璃混著泥揉进传道人的眼睛，种种可怕的暴力事件，都只是因为有人传讲耶稣，神的福音，神的话语。耶利米没有做什么恶事，他的罪状，就是传讲神要他说的话。

When You’re In The Valley, Keep the Mountaintop in View

2023-07-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 1:16-26.  Let’s go!

Judges 1:16-18 (NIV)
16  The descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, went up from the City of Palms with the men of Judah to live among the people of the Desert of Judah in the Negev near Arad.
17  Then the men of Judah went with the Simeonites their brothers and attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and they totally destroyed the city. Therefore it was called Hormah [which means Destruction].
18  The men of Judah also took Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron–each city with its territory.
 
On verses 16-18:  Let’s address the elephant in the room:  How could God endorse the destruction by Israel of other nations?  Skeptics may object, “Isn’t this just another example of how the Christian God is a cruel, bigoted, and racist, choosing one nation while destroying other nations?”  Keep in mind what the Bible teaches: that God is a perfect, just and holy God who cannot stand wickedness, evil and injustice.  For centuries God had tolerated the evil, idolatrous and immoral behaviour of the nations that occupied the Promised Land.  Despite giving these nations centuries to repent, these nations deliberately sinned against God over and over again without repenting and had tested God’s patience long enough.