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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.

等她自己情願

2023-01-23 in , /by

雅歌2:7   耶路撒冷的眾女子啊，我指著羚羊或田野的母鹿囑咐你們：不要驚動，不要叫醒我所親愛的，等她自己情願。

閱讀經文：雅歌  1-2:7

1-1所羅門的歌，是歌中的雅歌。

2願他用口與我親嘴！因你的愛情比酒更美。3你的膏油馨香，你的名如同倒出來的香膏，所以眾童女都愛你。4願你吸引我，我們就快跑跟隨你。王帶我進了內室。我們必因你歡喜快樂，我們要稱讚你的愛情，勝似稱讚美酒。她們愛你是理所當然的！

〈雅歌Song of Songs〉是《聖經》裡極特別的一卷書，它不只是寫男女之愛的情歌，更是描述神和人關係之密切的一首歌。猶太人每逢過逾越節時會詠唱它，來歌頌神對以色列民不變的愛。從新約的角度來看，用〈雅歌〉來形容基督和信徒的關係也十分貼切。有的人用六首情歌來注釋，有的人以五場幕景來看它。今天我們要用馬有藻博士在《舊約概論》裡對〈雅歌〉的註解來欣賞這首歌中的雅歌。

本書實是數幕愛劇，並不是雜亂無章的情話集，而劇幕有極美之劇本（ Plot）（可是不能用廿世紀編劇技巧批判），茲將劇情簡述如下：

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.

脫離虛空，進入得勝

2023-01-22 in , /by

傳道書12:14   因為人所做的事，連一切隱藏的事，無論是善是惡，神都必審問。

閱讀經文：傳道書12:9-14

9再者，傳道者因有智慧，仍將知識教訓眾人，又默想，又考查，又陳說許多箴言。10傳道者專心尋求可喜悅的言語，是憑正直寫的誠實話。11智慧人的言語好像刺棍，會中之師的言語又像釘穩的釘子，都是一個牧者所賜的。12我兒，還有一層你當受勸誡：著書多，沒有窮盡；讀書多，身體疲倦。13這些事都已聽見了，總意就是敬畏神，謹守他的誡命，這是人所當盡的本分。14因為人所做的事，連一切隱藏的事，無論是善是惡，神都必審問。

曾經我們的小組請了一位特別來賓來分享。他那年83歲了，看上去精神奕奕，一點沒有老態。他就是在1960年代享譽北美的大廚Stephen Yan. 他享譽於北美不只是因為他是個大廚，更因為他創作的電視節目非常風趣幽默，深受大眾喜愛。他在50歲退休，參與了泰國一位神父的慈善工作，幫助泰國許多被人丟棄或是遭到強暴及虐待的不幸兒童，及一些殘廢的孩子。

What to Look For in a Life Partner

2023-01-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Ruth 2:1-13.  Let’s go!

Ruth 2:1-13 (NIV)
1  Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, from the clan of Elimelech, a man of standing, whose name was Boaz.
2  And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.” Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.”
3  So she went out and began to glean in the fields behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech.

On verses 1-13:  In today’s passage from Ruth 2:1-13, we see from Ruth and Boaz some outstanding traits that made each of them worth noticing.  Guys and girls, when you look for a life partner, don’t just focus on physical appearance or financial standing.  Even more, focus on the person’s character because it’s the character of the two partners — not their looks or their bank account — that will determine how happy and healthy their relationship will be in the end.

Here are 4 great qualities about Ruth from today’s passage:

1. She was wise and resourceful (v2 – “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain…”).  According to Leviticus 19:9-10 and 23:22, the poor and foreigners were allowed to go into an Israelite’s field and pick up the leftover crops that were not harvested the first time.  Ruth understood this law and decided to use it to provide for her family.

Light in the Darkness

2023-01-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Ruth 1:14-22.  Let’s go!

Ruth 1:14 (NIV)
14  At this they wept again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-by, but Ruth clung to her.

On verse 14:  Orpah and Ruth were both completely within their rights to go back to their own people after their husbands had died.  Orpah did nothing wrong by leaving especially after Naomi had told her to do so.  But God was doing something extraordinary in Ruth’s heart.

On verses 15-18:  Ruth decides to stay with her mother-in-law Naomi, go back to Naomi’s home country of Israel, and even adopt Naomi’s people and God as her own.  All of this is incredible when you consider that:

– It was her mother-in-law!  (I’m kidding.  A common stereotype is that a mother-in-law can be a “monster-in-law”.  But the truth is that I’m blessed with a wonderful mother-in-law, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.)

當記念造你的主

2023-01-20 in , /by

傳道書12:1    你趁著年幼，衰敗的日子尚未來到，就是你所說「我毫無喜樂」的那些年日未曾臨近之先，當記念造你的主。

閱讀經文：傳道書12:1-8

1你趁著年幼，衰敗的日子尚未來到，就是你所說「我毫無喜樂」的那些年日未曾臨近之先，當記念造你的主。2不要等到日頭、光明、月亮、星宿變為黑暗，雨後雲彩返回。3看守房屋的發顫，有力的屈身，推磨的稀少就止息，從窗戶往外看的都昏暗。4街門關閉，推磨的響聲微小，雀鳥一叫人就起來，歌唱的女子也都衰微。5人怕高處，路上有驚慌，杏樹開花，蚱蜢成為重擔，人所願的也都廢掉。因為人歸他永遠的家，弔喪的在街上往來。6銀鏈折斷，金罐破裂，瓶子在泉旁損壞，水輪在井口破爛，7塵土仍歸於地，靈仍歸於賜靈的神。8傳道者說：虛空的虛空，凡事都是虛空。

12章是所羅門給活人最忠實的勸告。所羅門王雖然風光了大半輩子，但是終於也有：“日頭、光明、月亮、星宿變為黑暗，雨後雲彩反回”的感受了。這是講到一個人年老時眼睛的視力不行了，看東西模糊不清。雨後萬物清朗，但人若有白內障或青光眼，看來看去都像被雲遮住。

“看守房屋的發顫，有力的屈身，推磨的稀少就止息，從窗戶往外看的都昏暗”，指人老體態的改變，腳站不穩了，會發顫；背也屈了。人老也會縮水，變小了；有的朋友開始彎腰駝背，大家都互相提醒。推磨的，有人認為是腎的功能減退，到最後完全沒有了，就什麼也排不出去。也有人認為“推磨的”是指牙齒，人的老化不僅從腳開始，牙齒也會開始有問題。

一生的開端和幼年之時

2023-01-19 in , /by

傳道書11:10   所以你當從心中除掉愁煩，從肉體克去邪惡，因為一生的開端和幼年之時，都是虛空的。

閱讀經文：傳道書11:7-10

7 光本是佳美的，眼見日光也是可悅的。 8 人活多年，就當快樂多年。然而也當想到黑暗的日子，因為這日子必多，所要來的都是虛空。9 少年人哪，你在幼年時當快樂，在幼年的日子使你的心歡暢。行你心所願行的，看你眼所愛看的，卻要知道，為這一切的事神必審問你。 10 所以你當從心中除掉愁煩，從肉體克去邪惡，因為一生的開端和幼年之時，都是虛空的。

這段經文彷彿是寫給年輕人的，但仔細看去，只要是活在日光之下的人，都可以引以為念。光是佳美的，只有當你經歷過天天下雨的日子，你才能體會眼見日光也是可悅的。這個日光代表了人生強壯的日子。

所羅門的看法是：人活多年，就當快樂多年。意思是，人活著時就當快快樂樂。愁煩度日不是神造人的本意。正如我們有了兒女之後，也希望兒女能天天快樂，不要愁眉苦臉。有日光的日子和黑暗的日子是個對照，前者指的是身強體壯時，後者是指眼目昏黑，沒有力氣的時候。年老時度日如年，比較之下，似乎所經歷的都是虛空。這是很真實的人生過程。

Sometimes Things Will Get Bitter Before They Get Better

2023-01-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today we begin the book of Ruth, a short but powerful book that shows us that God makes all things beautiful in His time.  It’s also one of the coolest love stories ever written.  Today’s passage is Ruth 1:1-13.  Let’s go!

Ruth 1:1-2 (NIV) 
1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab.
2  The man’s name was Elimelech, his wife’s name Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.

On verses 1-2:  The book of Judges comes right before the book of Ruth and describes a dark time in Israel’s history, a period when the nation of Israel was ruled by “judges”.  During this time, Israel had already taken over the Promised Land with God’s help.