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You’ll Gain Nothing If You Snap Too Early

2023-10-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Ecclesiastes 10:11-20.  Let’s go!

Ecclesiastes 10:11 (NIV)
11  If a snake bites before it is charmed, there is no profit for the charmer.

On verse 12: In other words, control your temper.  Save your bite for the right time.  Otherwise, you’ll gain nothing and in fact lose out by snapping too early.

Ecclesiastes 10:12 (NIV)
12  Words from a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but a fool is consumed by his own lips.
 
On verse 12: In other words, wise people use their words in other-centered ways, in ways that bless and encourage others, whereas foolish people can’t stop talking about themselves.

Ecclesiastes 10:13-14 (NIV)
13  At the beginning his words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness–
14  and the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming– who can tell him what will happen after him?
 
On verse 13-14: The more you listen to a fool, the worse it gets, from a little bit of folly to a lot of madness (v13) that you can’t predict or make sense of (v14). 

即便如此 / 即或不然

2023-10-20 in , /by

但以理書 3:15c  有何神能救你們脫離我手呢？

閱讀經文:  但以理書 3:1-15

1尼布甲尼撒王造了一個金像，高六十肘，寬六肘，立在巴比倫省杜拉平原。 2 尼布甲尼撒王差人將總督、欽差、巡撫、臬司、藩司、謀士、法官和各省的官員都召了來，為尼布甲尼撒王所立的像行開光之禮。 3 於是總督、欽差、巡撫、臬司、藩司、謀士、法官和各省的官員都聚集了來，要為尼布甲尼撒王所立的像行開光之禮，就站在尼布甲尼撒所立的像前。 4 那時傳令的大聲呼叫說：「各方、各國、各族的人哪，有令傳於你們： 5 你們一聽見角、笛、琵琶、琴、瑟、笙和各樣樂器的聲音，就當俯伏敬拜尼布甲尼撒王所立的金像。 6 凡不俯伏敬拜的，必立時扔在烈火的窯中。」 7 因此各方、各國、各族的人民一聽見角、笛、琵琶、琴、瑟和各樣樂器的聲音，就都俯伏敬拜尼布甲尼撒王所立的金像。

繼尼布甲尼撒稱頌但以理的神之後，人的健忘在這章裡表現無遺。他曾對但以理說：“你們的神誠然是萬神之神，萬王之主”，卻不代表他“相信”或是願意敬拜，以耶和華為他的神。就好像有許多人覺得基督教不錯，信教的人都很好（表面上看來），但不表示他們就因而願意相信耶穌。因為他們的心裡覺得自己有的，還是比較好。

根據七十士譯本聖經(The Septuagint)，這事發生在尼王的第十八年，也就是他攻下耶路撒冷，焚燒聖城，毀滅猶大北國的那年。他雖然讚美但以理所敬拜的神，但是作為戰勝國的王而言，心裡的驕傲不言而喻。可想而知，當他回想起但以理對夢的解釋時，心裡必然不是滋味。

在火窯之前的决定

2023-10-19 in , /by

但以理書 3:15c  有何神能救你們脫離我手呢？

閱讀經文:  但以理書 3:1-15

1尼布甲尼撒王造了一個金像，高六十肘，寬六肘，立在巴比倫省杜拉平原。 2 尼布甲尼撒王差人將總督、欽差、巡撫、臬司、藩司、謀士、法官和各省的官員都召了來，為尼布甲尼撒王所立的像行開光之禮。 3 於是總督、欽差、巡撫、臬司、藩司、謀士、法官和各省的官員都聚集了來，要為尼布甲尼撒王所立的像行開光之禮，就站在尼布甲尼撒所立的像前。 4 那時傳令的大聲呼叫說：「各方、各國、各族的人哪，有令傳於你們： 5 你們一聽見角、笛、琵琶、琴、瑟、笙和各樣樂器的聲音，就當俯伏敬拜尼布甲尼撒王所立的金像。 6 凡不俯伏敬拜的，必立時扔在烈火的窯中。」 7 因此各方、各國、各族的人民一聽見角、笛、琵琶、琴、瑟和各樣樂器的聲音，就都俯伏敬拜尼布甲尼撒王所立的金像。

繼尼布甲尼撒稱頌但以理的神之後，人的健忘在這章裡表現無遺。他曾對但以理說：“你們的神誠然是萬神之神，萬王之主”，卻不代表他“相信”或是願意敬拜，以耶和華為他的神。就好像有許多人覺得基督教不錯，信教的人都很好（表面上看來），但不表示他們就因而願意相信耶穌。因為他們的心裡覺得自己有的，還是比較好。

根據七十士譯本聖經(The Septuagint)，這事發生在尼王的第十八年，也就是他攻下耶路撒冷，焚燒聖城，毀滅猶大北國的那年。他雖然讚美但以理所敬拜的神，但是作為戰勝國的王而言，心裡的驕傲不言而喻。可想而知，當他回想起但以理對夢的解釋時，心裡必然不是滋味。

You’re a Child at God’s Right Hand

2023-10-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

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

Ecclesiastes 10:1 (NIV)
1  As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
 
On verse 1:  A bottle of perfume can outweigh a dead fly in terms of size and surface area, yet that dead fly can compromise the usefulness of that perfume.  Likewise, a person can have a lot of wisdom and honour, but a little folly can be their undoing.   

Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NIV)
2  The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.
 
On verse 2:  This is not a reference to the politically right and the politically left, or the socially right and the socially left.  Rather, in the Bible the right hand was seen as a place of favour, honour and strength.  That is why Jesus is said to sit at the Father’s right hand (Acts 2:33; Psalm 110:1).  The Psalmist prays that God would save them by His right hand (Psalm 60:5).  So verse 1 is saying that the heart of the wise tends to live where the best of God’s favour, honour and protection reside, whereas fools tend to get the “left overs”.
 

Don’t Forget What He Did

2023-10-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Ecclesiastes 9:13-18.  Let’s go!

Ecclesiastes 9:13-18 (NIV)
13  I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me:
14  There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siegeworks against it.
15  Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.
16  So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.
17  The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18  Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
 
On verses 13-18:  Qohelet recounts this story of how a poor wise man saved his small town from a powerful king’s invasion.  The lesson here for us is:  Wisdom can beat brute strength.  Likewise, when we were being attacked by a more powerful enemy, in His wisdom Jesus became poor, lived among us in our town, and by His wisdom saved us.  The gospel is the story of how Jesus, the wisdom of God, beat Satan’s brute strength.   

但以理為王解夢

2023-10-18 in , /by

但以理書  2:44  當那列王在位的時候，天上的神必另立一國，永不敗壞，也不歸別國的人，卻要打碎滅絕那一切國，這國必存到永遠。

閱讀經文:  但以理書 2:31-49

31 「王啊，你夢見一個大像，這像甚高，極其光耀，站在你面前，形狀甚是可怕。 32 這像的頭是精金的，胸膛和膀臂是銀的，肚腹和腰是銅的， 33 腿是鐵的，腳是半鐵半泥的。 34 你觀看，見有一塊非人手鑿出來的石頭打在這像半鐵半泥的腳上，把腳砸碎。 35 於是金、銀、銅、鐵、泥都一同砸得粉碎，成如夏天禾場上的糠秕，被風吹散，無處可尋。打碎這像的石頭變成一座大山，充滿天下。

對尼布甲尼撒而言，他也知道自己的要求甚為無理，誰能把他人忘記的夢解說出來呢？那就好像迦勒底人說的，只有不與人居住的神明才有辦法知道他做了什麼夢。但是現在這個猶大來的年輕人站在他面前，堅定而有把握地說：「只有一位在天上的神能顯明奧祕的事，祂已將日後必有的事指示尼布甲尼撒王。」他沒想到真的有一位神要他顯明日後必有的事，換了是你，能不心情澎湃，萬分激動嗎？等但以理一說，他的記憶也回來了，印證之下，才會有俯伏在地，向但以理下拜的舉動。

You Don’t Need To Be Hopeless

2023-10-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Ecclesiastes 9:1-12.  Let’s go!

Ecclesiastes 9:1-7 (NIV)
1  So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no man knows whether love or hate awaits him.
2  All share a common destiny–the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good man, so with the sinner; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them.
3  This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead.

On verses 1-7:  While Qohelet believes that the righteous, the wise and what they do are in God’s hands (v1), Qohelet also has no idea what awaits him or anyone else after they die (v1).  For Qohelet, death is the great equalizer and eliminates every person without discrimination, regardless of how nobly or wickedly they lived (v2).  For Qohelet, the great evil in this world is that everyone dies (v3a), and since Qohelet has no idea what awaits him or anyone else after they die (v1), it sounds like all of Qohelet’s hope is in this life.  That is why Qohelet says it is better to be alive and kicking than dead and gone (v4-6).  And that is also why Qohelet recommends that people make the most of the life they have now – “Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do.” (v7)

但以理的智慧

2023-10-17 in , /by

但以理書 2:30  至於那奧祕的事顯明給我，並非因我的智慧勝過一切活人，乃為使王知道夢的講解和心裡的思念。

閱讀經文:  但以理書2:14-30

14 王的護衛長亞略出來，要殺巴比倫的哲士，但以理就用婉言回答他， 15 向王的護衛長亞略說：「王的命令為何這樣緊急呢？」亞略就將情節告訴但以理。 16 但以理遂進去求王寬限，就可以將夢的講解告訴王。

面對王的憤怒和命令，但以理和朋友們立刻知道自己的性命危在旦夕。伴君如伴虎，可是誰會想到這種事會發生在自己身上？但以理這個人的出名及受到廣大的喜愛，不是因為那些預言和神蹟，而是但以理和朋友身上那種對神的深深敬畏。

當但以理面對生命的挑戰時，他的反應一點都不驚慌，也不害怕。他還能婉言地詢問護衛長事情的緣由。他沒有哭喊：“慘了，慘了，我們真是倒霉，碰上一個這樣的昏君，怎麼辦啊，他要把我們都殺了！救命啊，耶和華，祢在哪裡啊？”在驚嚇面前還能婉言詢問，表示他的信心扎根之深，因為他知道生命的掌權者是誰。

God Will Avenge and Reveal In His Own Time

2023-10-16 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Ecclesiastes 8:11-17.  Let’s go!

Ecclesiastes 8:11-14 (NIV)
11  When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong.
12  Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God.
13  Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.
14  There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless.
 
On verses 11-14:  Here we see a bit of Qohelet’s struggle.  On one hand, as king of Israel, Qohelet believed that it was important to carry out sentences for crimes quickly; otherwise people will be emboldened to do wrong, thinking, “nothing’s going to happen to me anyway” (v11).  On the other hand, Qohelet noticed that wicked men sometimes live a long time (v12) and life goes well with them (v14) while other more righteous people seem to get what the wicked deserve (v14).  To Qohelet, this is absurd, “meaningless” (v14).  Still, Qohelet hangs onto the belief that it is better to fear God than to be wicked (v12) and that ultimately it will not go well with the wicked, though Qohelet does not clearly describe how or why he believes that.

尼布甲尼撒忘記了夢

2023-10-16 in , /by

但以理書 2:3  王對他們說：「我做了一夢，心裡煩亂，要知道這是什麼夢。」

閱讀經文:  但以理書2:1-13

1尼布甲尼撒在位第二年，他做了夢，心裡煩亂，不能睡覺。 2 王吩咐人將術士、用法術的、行邪術的和迦勒底人召來，要他們將王的夢告訴王，他們就來站在王前。 3 王對他們說：「我做了一夢，心裡煩亂，要知道這是什麼夢。」 4 迦勒底人用亞蘭的言語對王說：「願王萬歲！請將那夢告訴僕人，僕人就可以講解。」

不知道有多少人有這樣的經驗，因為做夢，心裡煩亂，不能睡覺。當我讀到第二章第一節，就想起一些晚上睡眠有問題的朋友，這本是一個非常普遍的問題。但是發生在一個君王的身上就是大問題了。普通人睡不著，算自己倒霉；但是君王睡不著，大家都倒霉。王睡不著，就把術士、用法術的、行邪術的和迦勒底人召來，要他們把王做的夢告訴王。假如我要求家人或朋友把我忘記的夢告訴我，百分之百沒有人會理我。他們一定認為我在無理取鬧，但是沒有一個人敢這麼對尼王說，因為怕被殺頭。

在古時候，每個王朝都會有一些術士、會用法術、行邪術的和迦勒底人充斥朝堂，以解君憂，助君王的不足。就好像中國古代的君王，也都有一些會看天文天象的官吏，例如司天監。其實不僅古時的君王深為迷信，現代的統治者亦有偷偷摸摸去算命或推算國運的。這個現象說明了人心裡最深的不安。人明白除了現實的空間裡，還有一個不為人知的，靈性的空間，是人無法掌控，卻可以掌控人的。因此，術士、行法術的、行邪術的，便可以藉著人心的不安大行其道，用以騙錢詐財，欺君罔上，謀圖私利。