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Your Story is Part of a Much Greater Story

2023-01-26 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today we finish the book of Ruth with Ruth 4:13-22.  Let’s go!

Ruth 4:13-16 (NIV)
13  So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. Then he went to her, and the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.
14  The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel!
15  He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”
16  Then Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap and cared for him.

On verses 13-16:  The book of Ruth began with Naomi as a weeping, empty, bitter widow, having lost both her husband and her two sons.  It ends with Naomi as a busy and a grateful grandmother.  As much pain as Naomi had endured, I believe Naomi was able to say “He made all things beautiful in His time.”

Consider this:  Naomi left God’s chosen people the Israelites because she and her husband thought they could find a better life in a place that didn’t worship God.  There she lost almost everything, including her husband and sons.  Like the “prodigal daughter of the Old Testament” (as Pastor Jon Courson describes her), Naomi returns home to Israel and God restores her, renews her, and fills her life again.

良人属我，我也属祂

2023-01-26 in , /by

雅歌6:3   我属我的良人，我的良人也属我；他在百合花中牧放群羊。

阅读经文：雅歌5:2-6:3

5:2我身睡卧，我心却醒。这是我良人的声音！他敲门说：「我的妹子，我的佳偶，我的鸽子，我的完全人，求你给我开门，因我的头满了露水，我的头发被夜露滴湿。」3我回答说：「我脱了衣裳，怎能再穿上呢？我洗了脚，怎能再玷污呢？」4我的良人从门孔里伸进手来，我便因他动了心。5我起来要给我良人开门，我的两手滴下没药，我的指头有没药汁滴在门闩上。6我给我的良人开了门，我的良人却已转身走了。他说话的时候，我神不守舍。我寻找他，竟寻不见；我呼叫他，他却不回答。7城中巡逻看守的人遇见我，打了我，伤了我，看守城墙的人夺去我的披肩。8耶路撒冷的众女子啊，我嘱咐你们，若遇见我的良人，要告诉他，我因思爱成病。

此幕记有一次所罗门晚间突访书拉密女，但因夜已太深，她已换了衣服休息，故不肯开门，所罗门从门孔伸手进来求她，她一时心软，便下床开门；待她开后所罗门已等不及走了，于是她立即到外面寻他回来，却寻不著，还给人误会打伤。此后她因过分思念成病，镇日胡思乱想他的可爱；她的朋友来安慰她，愿与她同找。(摘自马有藻博士《旧约概论》)

假如按著这幕剧的发展来看，所罗门和书拉密女婚后并没有住在一起，像普通夫妻一样。是否因为所罗门的后宫太多，所以书拉密女也有自己的院，而所罗门也不是天天和她在一起。当所罗门来找她时，她已经换好衣服在休息。书拉密女在休息时，手涂了没药。希伯来人将没药树枝制作成各种芳香剂、防腐剂和止痛剂。旧约时期，常被做成油膏。书拉密女和所罗门结婚了，不必再去做粗重的工作，开始会保养了。

The Purpose of Marriage

2023-01-25 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

today’s passage: Ruth 4:1-12.  Let’s go!

Ruth 4:1 (NIV)
1 Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat there. When the kinsman-redeemer he had mentioned came along, Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.

On verses 1-9:  I’m intrigued by the interaction between Boaz and his relative and how different these two men are.

On one hand there’s Boaz.  Boaz was thoughtful, considerate, and intentional in his dealings with people and in business.  Before making a decision, he would do his research, count the cost, and plan ahead.  I get the sense that Boaz would try to think two steps ahead of everyone else.  Boaz was also respectful in the way he communicated with those he dealt with.  Thoughtful decision making and good EQ – these are part of what made Boaz an effective leader and a successful businessman.  You see these traits of Boaz in play often in the book of Ruth, but especially here in Ruth 4:1-12.  Boaz thoughtfully speaks to his relative (v1), wisely invites the elders of the town to be witnesses to a transaction (v2), skillfully leads his relative to relinquish his right as kinsman redeemer (v3) and eloquently announces to all the people that he will step in as Ruth’s kinsman redeemer (v9-10).

亲蜜之旅的延续

2023-01-25 in , /by

雅歌4:10  我妹子，我新妇，你的爱情何其美！你的爱情比酒更美，你膏油的香气胜过一切香品。

阅读经文：雅歌3:6-5:1

3:6那从旷野上来，形状如烟柱，以没药和乳香并商人各样香粉薰的，是谁呢？7看哪，是所罗门的轿，四围有六十个勇士，都是以色列中的勇士，8手都持刀，善于争战，腰间佩刀，防备夜间有惊慌。9所罗门王用黎巴嫩木为自己制造一乘华轿。10轿柱是用银做的，轿底是用金做的，坐垫是紫色的，其中所铺的乃耶路撒冷众女子的爱情。11锡安的众女子啊，你们出去观看所罗门王，头戴冠冕，就是在他婚筵的日子，心中喜乐的时候，他母亲给他戴上的。

第三幕：幕中透露所罗门的身份，原来他不是普通的牧人，而是高贵的国王；现在他回复原来身份，到书拉密女家中把她迎娶回去；幕里的情景（可能是继上幕所罗门在她家里过夜时的情语）转到所罗门向书拉密女吐露爱慕，也表露婚娶之意。(录自马有藻博士《旧约概论》)

1988年派拉蒙出了一部喜剧电影，是由艾迪.墨菲Eddie Murphy主演的《来到美国Coming To America》。内容是杜撰的一个非洲国家Zamunda桑孟达的王子，为了不满家里为他订亲，因此离家出走，带着仆人，假扮成穷学生在美国纽约市的皇后区租了一间破旧的公寓，希望能找到一个真正爱他，而不是看上他王位的女人。

亲蜜之旅的开始

2023-01-24 in , /by

雅歌3:5   耶路撒冷的众女子啊，我指著羚羊或田野的母鹿嘱咐你们：不要惊动，不要叫醒我所亲爱的，等她自己情愿。

阅读经文：雅歌 2:8-3:5

2-8听啊，是我良人的声音！看哪，他蹿山越岭而来。9我的良人好像羚羊，或像小鹿。他站在我们墙壁后，从窗户往里观看，从窗櫺往里窥探。10我良人对我说：「我的佳偶，我的美人，起来，与我同去！11因为冬天已往，雨水止住过去了。12地上百花开放，百鸟鸣叫的时候已经来到，斑鸠的声音在我们境内也听见了。13无花果树的果子渐渐成熟，葡萄树开花放香。我的佳偶，我的美人，起来，与我同去！14我的鸽子啊，你在磐石穴中，在陡岩的隐密处，求你容我得见你的面貌，得听你的声音，因为你的声音柔和，你的面貌秀美。」

本书开启第一幕先介引所罗门与书拉密女在追求间时的爱情，女子在耶路撒冷众女子面前辩白其相貌虽粗黑，然有其天然的秀美；此后其景转到所罗门与书拉密女在密室中（隐密处）互向对方表露爱慕。

二、第二幕（ 2:8-3:5）论所罗门到访书拉密女时之光景。书拉密女见他跨山越岭而来，心内窃窃高兴；所罗门来到，甜言细语邀她到外面游玩，因那是盛春白花开放百鸟齐鸣的时候，但书拉密女因工作缠身，婉言拒绝，求他夜间工余时（天起凉风，日影飞去）再回来。所罗门遭拒，失望之余便离去了。书拉密女等到深夜，至上床休息时也不见其爱人回来，心中焦急虑，于是出外寻找他的下落，结果给她寻着，当天晚上所罗门在她家留宿。(节录自马有藻博士《旧约概论》)

Don’t Leave ‘Em Hanging

2023-01-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Ruth 3:1-18.  Let’s go!

Ruth 3:1-9 (NIV)
1  One day Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for?
2  Is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been, a kinsman of ours? Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor.
3  Wash and perfume yourself, and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.
4  When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.”

On verses 1-9:  Here the love story between Boaz and Ruth is about to go to another level quickly.  Why would Ruth, as per Naomi’s instructions, uncover Boaz’s feet?  Some try to argue that Ruth was trying to seduce Boaz and offered herself sexually to him, and that “feet” is another term for Boaz’s private parts.   But considering that the threshing floor was a public area where other people were present, it’s unlikely that Ruth was trying to do anything sexual with Boaz in the middle of the threshing floor.  Moreover, if Boaz and Ruth were as noble and God fearing as they appear to be in the rest of the book of Ruth, it is even more unlikely and inconsistent for either of them to try to have sex with one another before actually being legally married.

等她自己情愿

2023-01-23 in , /by

雅歌2:7   耶路撒冷的众女子啊，我指著羚羊或田野的母鹿嘱咐你们：不要惊动，不要叫醒我所亲爱的，等她自己情愿。

阅读经文：雅歌  1-2:7

1-1所罗门的歌，是歌中的雅歌。

2愿他用口与我亲嘴！因你的爱情比酒更美。3你的膏油馨香，你的名如同倒出来的香膏，所以众童女都爱你。4愿你吸引我，我们就快跑跟随你。王带我进了内室。我们必因你欢喜快乐，我们要称赞你的爱情，胜似称赞美酒。她们爱你是理所当然的！

〈雅歌Song of Songs〉是《圣经》里极特别的一卷书，它不只是写男女之爱的情歌，更是描述神和人关系之密切的一首歌。犹太人每逢过逾越节时会咏唱它，来歌颂神对以色列民不变的爱。从新约的角度来看，用〈雅歌〉来形容基督和信徒的关系也十分贴切。有的人用六首情歌来注释，有的人以五场幕景来看它。今天我们要用马有藻博士在《旧约概论》里对〈雅歌〉的注解来欣赏这首歌中的雅歌。

本书实是数幕爱剧，并不是杂乱无章的情话集，而剧幕有极美之剧本（ Plot）（可是不能用廿世纪编剧技巧批判），兹将剧情简述如下：

Jesus in the Book of Ruth

2023-01-23 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Ruth 2:14-23.  Let’s go!

Ruth 2:14-16 (NIV)
14  At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.” When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over.
15  As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Even if she gathers among the sheaves, don’t embarrass her.
16  Rather, pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.”

On verses 14-16:  In Boaz we see a cool reflection of Jesus Christ in the book of Ruth, whereas Ruth is a great picture of the church.  For example:

– Just as Boaz fed Ruth a meal by offering her bread and wine (v14), Jesus invited his disciples to a meal of bread and wine at his last supper, and later gave His body (represented by the bread) and His blood (represented by the wine) for us.