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God’s Strength Is Greater Than Your Weakness

2023-08-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 6:28-40.  Let’s go!

Judges 6:28-31 (NIV)
28  In the morning when the men of the town got up, there was Baal’s altar, demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar!
29  They asked each other, “Who did this?” When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.”
30  The men of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”
31  But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.”
 
On verses 28-31:  Gideon obeys God’s command to tear down the altar of Baal and the Asherah pole that were erected on his house. The townspeople take exception to Gideon’s actions, saying that he must die.  Gideon’s father Joash comes to his son’s defense.  Joash basically makes two points. 

God Calls Us In Spite Of Us

2023-07-31 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 6:11-27.  Let’s go!

Judges 6:11-16 (NIV)
11  The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.
12  When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
13  “But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.”

On verses 13-16:  God did not directly answer Gideon’s questions and doubts about why God seemed uninvolved and unconcerned when all this oppression was happening to his people (v13).  God could easily have pointed to all the ways that Gideon’s people had broken their covenant with God and how patient God had been with the Israelites up to this point.  But instead of focusing on that, instead of explaining anything, God gives Gideon a mission to save Israel from the hand of Midian (v14).

摩押的三大罪状

2023-07-31 in , /by

耶利米书  48:29     我们听说摩押人骄傲，是极其骄傲；听说她自高自傲，并且狂妄，居心自大。

阅读经文:  48:1-47

1 论摩押。万军之耶和华以色列的神如此说：「尼波有祸了，因变为荒场。基列亭蒙羞被攻取，米斯迦蒙羞被毁坏。 2 摩押不再被称赞，有人在希实本设计谋害她说：『来吧！我们将她剪除，不再成国。』玛得缅哪，你也必默默无声，刀剑必追赶你。 3 从何罗念有喊荒凉大毁灭的哀声。 4 摩押毁灭了，她的孩童[a]发哀声，使人听见。 5 人上鲁希坡随走随哭，因为在何罗念的下坡听见毁灭的哀声。 6 你们要奔逃，自救性命，独自居住，好像旷野的杜松。

罗得是亚伯拉罕的侄子，他跟着亚伯拉罕离开吾珥，到了迦南地，选择了水草丰富的平原，一直迁移，直到住进所多玛城。所多玛罪恶召彰，当神命天使毁灭所多玛城时，祂记念罗得，差遣天使用手拉着罗得一家，把他们强行带离所多玛。罗得的妻子在半路上回头观望，变成一根盐柱，只有罗得和两个女儿逃到了一座在山上的小城。他们住在一个山洞里，与世隔绝。为了从父亲得到后裔，两个女儿相继灌醉父亲，从他怀了孩子。大女儿生下摩押，二女儿生下亚扪。

在〈申命记〉2章9节里，在以色列人要进迦南地之前，神吩咐以色列人不可扰害摩押人，因祂已将亚珥赐给罗得的子孙摩押人为业（申），所以他们绕道而行。但是摩押人在以色列人进入迦南地时，不但不给予方便，反而雇术士巴兰咒诅他们。 因此神说：“亚扪人或是摩押人不可入耶和华的会；他们的子孙虽过十代，也永不可入耶和华的会”（申23:3）。

The Mercy and Compassion of God

2023-07-30 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 6:1-10.  Let’s go!

Judges 6:1-6 (NIV)
1  Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites.
2  Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds.
3  Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country.
4  They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys.
5  They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it.
6  Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help.
 
On verses 1-6:  Once again the Israelites reject God and become subject to the Midianites.  Experiencing oppression and impoverishment that they cannot get up from under, the Israelites cry out to God again.  Likewise, sin oppresses and impoverishes us, and we have no power by ourselves to get up from under it.  Our only hope is to cry out to God for help.  Praise God that He hears our cry and acts in response.

非利士人的存亡

2023-07-30 in , /by

耶利米书 47:4b  原来耶和华必毁灭非利士人，就是迦斐托海岛余剩的人。

阅读经文:  47:1-7

1 法老攻击加沙（迦萨）之先，有耶和华论非利士人的话临到先知耶利米。

2 耶和华如此说：「有水从北方发起，成为涨溢的河，要涨过遍地和其中所有的，并城和其中所住的。人必呼喊，境内的居民都必哀号。

从神的角度来看以色列的这两个隣居，实在是各有千秋。埃及，表面上是以色列的盟友，却是很不忠实的盟友，经常向以色列揩油，东拿一点，西抢一些；表面上好像是在帮助以色列，却又总是向她施威作福。非利士人更是以色列长期的敌人，从士师记开始，非利士人就不停地捣乱。在参孙、撒母耳、扫罗和大卫的时期都曾和非利士人发生大小的冲突，在扫罗的末期，以色列地几乎被非利士人全部占去，后来大卫王将之一一夺回，把非利士人赶回原来居住的沿海城镇。以色列人和非利士人之间几乎始终处于战争的状态。

在〈阿摩司书〉中，说到非利士人起源于迦斐托：「耶和华说，以色列人哪，我岂不看你们如古实人么？我岂不是领以色列人从埃及地上来，领非利士人从迦斐托出来，领亚兰人从吉珥出来么？」。后来，在前7世纪，〈耶利米书〉47章4节也说到他们与迦斐托的联系：「原来耶和华必毁灭非利士人，就是迦斐托海岛余剩的人。」学者们认为迦斐托是赛普勒斯、克里特岛或地中海东部的其他地点。

勇士的哀歌

2023-07-28 in , /by

耶利米书 46:24   埃及的民必然蒙羞，必交在北方人的手中。

阅读经文:  46:1-28

1 耶和华论列国的话临到先知耶利米。2 论到关乎埃及王法老尼哥的军队，这军队安营在幼发拉底河边的迦基米施，是巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒在犹大王约西亚的儿子约雅敬第四年所打败的：

3 「你们要预备大小盾牌，往前上阵！ 4 你们套上车，骑上马！顶盔站立，磨枪贯甲！

在耶利米书里有些经文的编辑并没有按著时间上的顺序，有时记述的是约雅敬年代发生的事情，有时记载的是西底家年代发生的事情。好像在这一章里记载的便是描写埃及军队在迦基米施被击败的情形(主前605)，其时正当耶利米中年时期(1-12)。耶利米预言尼布甲尼撒王将进攻埃及(13-26)，这预言是43章8-13节的引伸。

正如其他几个大先知专论外邦列国的信息，也是插在给选民的信息中间(参赛十三-廿三；结廿五-卅二)， 表明旧约一个重要的主题：耶和华不仅是以色列的神，也是统管列国的君王，外邦人的命运同样操在以色列的神手中，而巴比伦乃是神用来对付列国的鞭子。

迦基米施，在当年是个贸易重镇，位于幼发拉底河上游西岸的一处浅滩上。有一条重要的贸易路线从尼尼微上到哈兰，然后在迦基米施渡过幼发拉底河，再延伸到黎巴嫩山的奥龙特斯河谷，其他贸易路线再从这里通往地中海或巴勒斯坦以南和埃及。经过迦基米施的商队需要缴纳税款，所以这城看来收入不错，相当富足。由于迦基米施的地点在商业上和军事上都处于关键位置，所以在很早的时候，向外扩张的各国就力图控制这城。

True Hope vs. False Hope

2023-07-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 5:14-31.  Let’s go!

Judges 5:14-18 (NIV)
14  Some came from Ephraim, whose roots were in Amalek; Benjamin was with the people who followed you. From Makir captains came down, from Zebulun those who bear a commander’s staff.
15  The princes of Issachar were with Deborah; yes, Issachar was with Barak, rushing after him into the valley. In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart.
16  Why did you stay among the campfires to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart.
17  Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan. And Dan, why did he linger by the ships? Asher remained on the coast and stayed in his coves.
18  The people of Zebulun risked their very lives; so did Naphtali on the heights of the field.
 
On verses 14-18:  The biggest theme of Deborah’s song in verses 2-13 was celebrating the willingness of the Israelites to go out and fight for their nation.  This theme continues as Deborah praises the willing tribes of Ephraim, Benjamin, Zebulun and “Makir”, which scholars believe is a poetic reference to the tribe of Manasseh (v14).  Deborah also praises Issachar (v15a), Zebulun and Naphtali (v18).  However, Deborah calls out the tribe of Reuben for not going to fight and instead pictures them comforting themselves by a fire, having second thoughts (v15b-16).    Deborah also calls out “Gilead”, which probably is a reference to the tribe of Gad, as well as Dan and Asher (v17) for not participating.

不要为自己图谋大事

2023-07-27 in , /by

耶利米书 45:5a   你为自己图谋大事吗？不要图谋！

阅读经文:  45:1-5

1 犹大王约西亚的儿子约雅敬第四年，尼利亚的儿子巴录将先知耶利米口中所说的话写在书上。耶利米说： 2 「巴录啊，耶和华以色列的神说： 3 巴录曾说：『哀哉！耶和华将忧愁加在我的痛苦上，我因唉哼而困乏，不得安歇。』

巴录虽然只是辅助耶利米，为耶利米记录神所传的信息，神也记念。这是神给我们每一个服事之人的鼓励，不论工作大小，神都看见，神也记念。巴录这名字的意思是“蒙福之人”，他在当时的世代做文士的工作。当时的文士还不像在耶稣那时，尚未结党成派。文士是一种必须受过教育的人才能担当的工作，可见巴录在当时算是一个受过比较好的教育阶级。有这样的背景，若是肯顺乎潮流，很可能就会受到赏识和提拔，官位节节高升。

可惜巴录选择了帮助耶利米，可能因为巴录相信耶利米是真先知，所传的是来自神的信息。但也因为领受了神的信息，巴录不免忧国忧民，感到心情极为沉重，因而发出叹息：“哀哉！耶和华将忧愁加在我的痛苦上，我因唉哼而困乏，不得安歇。”在巴录的心里，会不会也暗暗期望，巴不得自己也成为复兴犹大国的中流砥柱之一。

The Kind of People God Uses to Change the World

2023-07-27 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 5:1-13.  Let’s go!

Judges 5:1-3 (NIV)
1  On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
2  “When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves– praise the LORD!
3  “Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I will sing to the LORD, I will sing; I will make music to the LORD, the God of Israel.
 
On verses 1-3:  In celebration of their victory over the Canaanites, Deborah and Barak are described as singing a song.  Welcome to Judges the Musical.  In their song, which seems to be composed by Deborah, they praise the willingness of those who gave themselves to the cause, and follow up by expressing their own choice to sing to God.

God Goes Before You

2023-07-26 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 4:11-24.  Let’s go!

Judges 4:11 (NIV)
11  Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ brother-in-law, and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.  
 
On verse 11:  The author of Judges has been talking about Deborah and Barak of the Israelites going to war against the Canaanites, so what does Heber the Kenite have anything to do with this?  We’ll see starting at verse 17. 

Judges 4:12-14 (NIV)
12  When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor,
13  Sisera gathered together his nine hundred iron chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River.  
14  Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the LORD gone ahead of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor, followed by ten thousand men.
 
On verses 12-14:  Previously in Judges 1:19, the tribe of Judah could not advance successfully in the plains because they were intimidated by their enemies’ iron chariots.  Now the Israelites are facing iron chariots again, but rather than being intimidated, Deborah tells Barak to move forward in faith.  She reminds him that the LORD has already gone before him.