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降罰的日子臨近了

2023-11-16 in , /by

何西阿書 9:5  在大會的日子，到耶和華的節期，你們怎樣行呢？

閱讀經文:  何西阿書 9:1-16

1以色列啊，不要像外邦人歡喜快樂，因為你行邪淫離棄你的神，在各穀場上如妓女喜愛賞賜。 2 穀場和酒榨都不夠以色列人使用，新酒也必缺乏。 3 他們必不得住耶和華的地，以法蓮卻要歸回埃及，必在亞述吃不潔淨的食物。 4 他們必不得向耶和華奠酒，即便奠酒也不蒙悅納。他們的祭物必如居喪者的食物，凡吃的必被玷汙，因他們的食物只為自己的口腹，必不奉入耶和華的殿。 5 在大會的日子，到耶和華的節期，你們怎樣行呢？ 6 看哪，他們逃避災難，埃及人必收殮他們的屍首，摩弗人必葬埋他們的骸骨。他們用銀子做的美物上必長蒺藜，他們的帳篷中必生荊棘。

七月一日是加拿大的國慶日，在這一天加拿大人慶祝國家的誕生；美國的國慶在七月四日，也有類似的慶祝。世界各國都有自己的國慶日，是特別歡樂的日子。但就是在這樣的日子，在歡樂的時刻，在舉國慶祝的日子裡；何西阿對歡樂的眾人開始他的演講：“以色列阿，不要……歡喜快樂！”（1節）。

這個穀場是一個既作為打穀，又作為慶祝豐收的公開場所。他所講的卻是悲哀的信息： “他們必不得住耶和華的地。（3節）”間接上，他是宣布上帝與這個國家所立的約已經終止。以色列過去曾經從埃及為奴之地出來，被帶到自由和豐收之地。但是現在先知宣布：“以法蓮卻要歸回埃及”那些歡樂地吃豐收的食物的人，不久將要“在亞述吃不潔淨的食物。（3節）”

Your Heart’s Condition Is Your Choice

2023-11-16 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hebrews 3:7-19.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 3:7-12 (NIV)
7  So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice,
8  do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert,
9  where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did.
10  That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’
11  So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.'”
12  See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

On verses 7-12:  There are two crucial lessons I learn as I read these verses today.

First, notice that in verses 7-11 the writer of Hebrews quotes Psalm 95:7-11 and prefaces it was saying, “as the Holy Spirit says”.  In other words, the writer of Hebrews believed the Old Testament is not just people’s words, but the inspired words of the Holy Spirit.  (In chapter 2, the writer of Hebrews credits other parts of the Old Testament to Jesus (see 2:12).  So according to the writer of Hebrews, both Jesus and the Holy Spirit were involved in the writing of Scripture in the Old Testament.) 

Fix Your Thoughts on Jesus and Experience His Peace

2023-11-15 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hebrews 3:1-6.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 3:1 (NIV)
1  Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.

On verse 1:  Could you use more joy, peace, hope, love or perseverance?  Then do what verse 1 tells us to do: fix your thoughts on Jesus.  Don’t just think about Jesus occasionally, but focus your attention on Him.  Fix your gaze on Him.   As the writer of Hebrews will later write: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).  When we spend long extended times looking at and thinking about Jesus, we gain joy, peace, hope, love and perseverance that the world cannot give.

On verses 2-6:   In chapters 1 and 2 we are shown how Jesus is greater than the angels.  Now in the first part of chapter 3 we are shown how Jesus is greater than Moses.  When it comes to great leaders in the Bible, you will be hard pressed to find anyone who played a more significant role in building God’s house, or who served God and His people more faithfully, than Moses.  Both verses 2 and 5 state that “Moses was faithful in all God’s house”.

以色列忘記造他的主

2023-11-15 in , /by

何西阿書8:14  以色列忘記造他的主，建造宮殿，猶大多造堅固城，我卻要降火焚燒他的城邑，燒滅其中的宮殿。

閱讀經文:  何西阿書 8:1-14

1「你用口吹角吧！敵人如鷹來攻打耶和華的家，因為這民違背我的約，干犯我的律法。 2 他們必呼叫我說：『我的神啊，我們以色列認識你了！』 3 以色列丟棄良善，仇敵必追逼他。

有個新聞說，在中國陝西紫陽縣有名王老先生，獨居在一個山上的小村落，生活得困苦，當地的扶貧組織想勸他搬到養老院，有專人照顧，環境也比較好，但他說什麼也不肯，問了他原因，才知道他有個15年音訊全無的兒子，他一直在等著兒子回家。

王老先生原在煤坑、礦場工作，日子非常窮苦，為了兒子他到處借錢，預支薪水，就是捨不得讓兒子吃少穿少了。他的兒子也很爭氣，讀書讀得很好，並且在2003年時告訴父親，他要到西安賺錢，幾年後再回來。從此，王老先生省吃儉用， 花了幾年時間，將之前欠下的債務通通還清，養了豬和羊，請師傅將豬做成臘肉，掛在屋樑上，等兒子回來一起吃。只是兒子這一去，15年來音訊全無，等到臘肉早就發霉了，兒子還是沒有回來。

Two Reasons Jesus Became Like You

2023-11-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hebrews 2:11-18.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 2:11 (NIV)
11  Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.

On verse 11:  Who is “the one who makes men holy”?  Jesus.  Who is “those who are made holy”? You, me and everyone else who is currently living on earth and trusting Jesus as Saviour.  We are being made holy by Jesus, the holy one who makes others holy.  And yet even though Jesus is holy and we are only in the process of being made holy, Jesus humbly still puts himself in the same boat as us, not ashamed to call us his family, his brothers and sisters.  This shows us the amazing humility and love of Jesus for us.

Do you have a tendency to look down on members of your family?  Remember Jesus, that though Jesus is so much holier than us, He is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters, but goes out of His way to love them and serve them.

翻背的弓

2023-11-14 in , /by

何西阿書 7:11  以法蓮好像鴿子愚蠢無知，他們求告埃及，投奔亞述。

閱讀經文:  何西阿書 7:1-15

1「我想醫治以色列的時候，以法蓮的罪孽和撒馬利亞的罪惡就顯露出來。他們行事虛謊，內有賊人入室偷竊，外有強盜成群騷擾。 2 他們心裡並不思想我記念他們的一切惡，他們所行的現在纏繞他們，都在我面前。 3 他們行惡使君王歡喜，說謊使首領喜樂。 4 他們都是行淫的，像火爐被烤餅的燒熱，從摶麵到發麵的時候，暫不使火著旺。

神在暗中察看，知道人的一切心思和詭計。從第3-7節指出當時的政局是何等地混亂。在北國君王耶羅波安去世後，到何細亞登基為最後一位北國君王之前的廿年，發生了六次宮廷政變。強人伺機奪取政權，不擇手段，進行謀殺，因此說：“他們行惡使君王歡喜，說謊使首領喜樂”。他們之間彼此疑嫉妒，沒有真正的信任，互相說謊取悅於人。

王無法看出誰是真正幫助他的，竟與褻慢人拉手。褻慢是指心裡驕傲的人，他們圖謀的，王竟不知道，而與他們聯手，以致於被消滅。他們埋伏的時候，就好像熱著的火爐，一整夜之後，熱情上勝，無法控制；人民也一樣，大家都為了奪權，想法消滅他們的官長和君王。在這樣混亂的政局中，沒有一個人想到要求告神，要尋求公義。都只是為了自己的權益。

Salvation’s Announcer and Agent

2023-11-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

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

Hebrews 2:1-4 (NIV) 
1  We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 
2  For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 
3  how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 
4  God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

On verses 1-4:   Here the writer of Hebrews starts to compare two messages.  The first message is the message of the old covenant, a message that was “spoken by angels” (v2; see also Galatians 3:19) to Moses.  The message of the old covenant is all about God’s law.  The essence of the old covenant message is: “Obey God’s law and be blessed.  Disobey God’s law and die.”   The old covenant message was binding on the Israelites.  Those who disobeyed the law of Moses were punished (v2).

務要認識耶和華

2023-11-13 in , /by

何西阿書6:3  我們務要認識耶和華，竭力追求認識祂。祂出現確如晨光，祂必臨到我們像甘雨，像滋潤田地的春雨。

閱讀經文:  何西阿書 6:1-11

1來吧，我們歸向耶和華！他撕裂我們，也必醫治；他打傷我們，也必纏裹。 2 過兩天他必使我們甦醒，第三天他必使我們興起，我們就在他面前得以存活。 3 我們務要認識耶和華，竭力追求認識他。他出現確如晨光，他必臨到我們像甘雨(winter rains)，像滋潤田地的春雨。

今天神給我們的提醒是：“務要認識耶和華，竭力追求認識祂。祂出現確如晨光，祂必臨到我們像甘雨，像滋潤田地的春雨”。何等美好的鼓勵。“甘雨”在此有時被譯為冬雨。有人形容夏雨急促，冬雨肅殺，但其實因為冬雨徐徐，又多又長，有時以雪的形態出現，最能滲入深層，滋潤根部。冬雨經常可以補足地下水，使乾季時的井不會枯竭。所以有人說瑞雪兆豐年是有原因的。

迦南地是一個非常少雨的地區，春雨前是冬雨，冬雨前是秋雨。該地從六月開始就不下雨，持續四到五個月的乾旱，土地經過幾個月的乾旱，已被太陽曬得變硬。秋雨的來臨，把土地變軟，才能耕犁、下種。冬雨進入土地的深層，春雨接著使土地肥沃，確保農作物的收成。

祂在等待

2023-11-12 in , /by

何西阿書 5:15  我要回到原處，等他們自覺有罪，尋求我面。他們在急難的時候，必切切尋求我。

閱讀經文:  何西阿書 5:1-15

1「眾祭司啊，要聽我的話！以色列家啊，要留心聽！王家啊，要側耳而聽！審判要臨到你們，因你們在米斯巴如網羅，在他泊山如鋪張的網。 2 這些悖逆的人肆行殺戮，罪孽極深，我卻斥責他們眾人。 3 以法蓮為我所知，以色列不能向我隱藏。以法蓮哪，現在你行淫了，以色列被玷汙了。

在這一章裡，神用了三重的呼召：眾祭司、以色列家、王家，加起來就是全部的以色列人的意思。神要審判全部的以色列人，因為他們不只自己拜偶像，也引誘猶大去拜偶像。米斯巴在約旦河的東邊，他泊山在約旦河的西邊，都在猶大的邊境，這兩個地方都設有邱壇和偶像。他們好像打鳥和捕魚的人，張著網羅捕捉猶大人一起去犯罪；也可以說使猶大百姓陷入罪網之中。

以法蓮是約瑟的次子，後來成了以色列一支強大的支派，聖經裡往往用以法蓮來代表以色列。在這裡以法蓮和以色列都是指以色列人。有一句話極為重要，為何他們不能歸向神？因為他們所行的使他們不能歸向神，因有淫心在他們裡面，他們也不認識耶和華(v.4)。

Jesus Is…

2023-11-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today we begin the book of Hebrews.  It contains one of the Bible’s most beautiful, thoughtful and thorough presentations of who Jesus is and what He has done.   Here is some background on the book of Hebrews that you may find helpful:

 –  The book of Hebrews is known as the only truly anonymous book in the New Testament, as the author does not reveal his identity.  Some have suggested that the apostle Paul wrote this book, although many scholars believe this is unlikely.  For reasons that we won’t get into now, it seems that a strong argument can be made that Luke, the one who wrote both the Gospel of Luke and Acts, was the one who authored this book.  Whoever the author was, it is clear that the author knew Paul’s disciple Timothy well (see 13:23).   
 –  Many scholars agree that Hebrews was written in approximately 69 AD before the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed.  Otherwise, the author would likely have mentioned this event when talking about how the old sacrificial system of the Jews had been replaced by a new system ushered by the blood of Jesus.