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兴盛的帐篷

2022-06-07 in , /by

〈箴言〉14:11    奸恶人的房屋必倾倒，正直人的帐篷必兴盛。

阅读经文：箴言14:5-11

5诚实见证人不说谎话，假见证人吐出谎言。6亵慢人寻智慧却寻不著，聪明人易得知识。7到愚昧人面前，不见他嘴中有知识。8通达人的智慧在乎明白己道，愚昧人的愚妄乃是诡诈。9愚妄人犯罪以为戏耍，正直人互相喜悦。10心中的苦楚自己知道，心里的喜乐外人无干。11 奸恶人的房屋必倾倒，正直人的帐篷必兴盛。

人的一生都在寻求智慧，因为希望自己能成功，成为人上人；不然可以解决生活上碰到的难题也可以。犹太人亦然，但是他们有一个很特出的教育方法，使他们的孩子在世界上可以走出自己的路。

有个故事讲到犹太人如何注重从孩子年幼时就进行传统的文化教育。但是有一位以色列的学者却无法使他的孩子对学习产生兴趣，老师对他的孩子也放弃努力，他只好在家里教他读〈创世记〉。

有一次战争中，罗马军攻打他们居住的城巿，把小男孩俘虏了，关到监狱里。有一天，正好凯撒来视察，无意中看到一本他不知道名字的书。他问有没有人会读这本书？监狱官就把小男孩带去见凯撒，让小男孩把这本书读给凯撒听。那本书正是小男孩学过的〈创世记〉。

凯撒听后说：“这显然是上帝的旨意，上帝向我打开祂的世界，让我把这小孩子送回他父亲身边。”于是叫人准备了一些金银珠宝，又派士兵把小男孩送回去。此后人们都说：“这孩子的父亲只教他读了一卷书，上帝就赐福给他了。想想看，如果勤于学习神的话语，把整本《圣经》读完。那么他得到的奖赏会有多大啊！”

The Reason God Blesses You

2022-06-07 in /by

Hi  GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 4:32-49.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 4:32-40 (NIV)
32  Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created man on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of?
33  Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived?
34  Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
35  You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other.

On verses 32-40:  When you think about the biggest blessings you have received in life, were they things you worked hard for and planned for yourself?  Or rather were they things that God did and planned long before you ever asked for them or thought about them?  I don’t know about you, but for me, the greatest blessings I’ve ever known were things that I didn’t plan for myself or work hard to achieve.  Rather, they were gifts of God’s grace.

What God Denying Moses Teaches Us

2022-06-06 in /by

Hi  GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 4:15-31.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 4:15-19 (NIV)
15  You saw no form of any kind the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully,
16  so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman,
17  or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air,
18  or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below.
19  And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars–all the heavenly array–do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.
 
On verses 15-19:  As silly as bowing down in worship to a statue might sound to some of us, the fact is that we all have this tendency, if we’re not careful, to worship created things instead of the Creator.  Whether it’s money, fame, sex, food, another person, ourselves, we are all prone to taking something good that God gave us and turning into something we throw ourselves at as if it’s our reason for being.   But in so doing, we end up worshiping something that is far less than the One who is truly worthy of our worship.  Not only do we cheat Him of our worship, but we cheat ourselves as well, because you’ll never be truly satisfied or at peace worshiping anything other than God. 

要圣洁，不要洁癖

2022-06-06 in , /by

〈箴言〉14:1   智慧妇人建立家室，愚妄妇人亲手拆毁。

阅读经文：箴言14:1-4

1智慧妇人建立家室，愚妄妇人亲手拆毁。2行动正直的敬畏耶和华，行事乖僻的却藐视他。3愚妄人口中骄傲，如杖责打己身，智慧人的嘴必保守自己。4家里无牛，槽头干净；土产加多，乃凭牛力。

智慧妇人建立家室

有一对夫妻的婚姻濒临破裂，在最后的一次努力里，丈夫带着妻子回到他祖父母以前住的房子。那个农舍己经破荒芜。妻子拒绝进去，因为丈夫有事业心，努力苦干，终于成功，妻子却觉得遭丈夫冷落遗弃，感到凄凉难甚，执意要离婚。

当她不耐烦丈夫在老屋太久时，便也走了进去。那时丈夫向妻子诉说自己的童年，和祖父母住一阵子，就轮流在亲戚家住。他说：“我想，我一生要的就是这么多。受一点伤或感觉寂寞的时候，有人搂着我；有一个地方住，真正是我的家，永久住在那儿，能有自己的衣钓，挠我的衣服。” 这时，妻子忘记了自己的自怜自私。她终于理解，需要别人表示关爱的，不仅是她自己。他们合解了，妻子伸出手，握住丈夫。

“智慧妇人建立家室，愚妄妇人亲手拆毁”，离婚的理由可以有很多；但是留在婚姻里只有一个理由，因为你学会了去爱对方，而不是只有自己。

爱里的管教

2022-06-05 in , /by

〈箴言〉13:24   不忍用杖打儿子的，是恨恶他；疼爱儿子的，随时管教。

阅读经文：箴言13:23-25

23穷人耕种多得粮食，但因不义有消灭的。24不忍用杖打儿子的，是恨恶他；疼爱儿子的，随时管教。25义人吃得饱足，恶人肚腹缺粮。
《新译本》：穷人的耕地可产大量粮食；却因不义都被摧毁了。

《当代圣经》：穷人辛苦耕耘，积谷防饥，却会遭不义的人夺去。

《思高译本》：穷人开垦的田地，生产大量食物；谁若缺乏正义，定不免于灭亡。

《吕振中译本》：穷乏人的休耕地、能生许多粮食；但旧存的五谷、也能因不义而被扫尽。

《现代中文译本》：未开垦的土地可为穷人产粮食；不义的人却不愿耕耘土地。

这节经文的原文意义比较含糊，因此有不同的译法，但是经过数种译文的比较，还是可以看出其中的含意。作者强调的是穷人可从耕种得到大量的粮食，也有可能因而致富。但是有两种方法会让一个人的努力化为流水。

一是他致富之后，染上恶习，挥金如土，因而再度变为贫穷；二是由于他人的不义，例如银行取消取消抵押品赎回权，又碰到诡诈的律师把他的钱都骗光了，使他又沦为穷愁潦倒。

4 Reasons It is Good to Obey God’s Word

2022-06-05 in /by

Hi  GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 4:1-14.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 4:1-5 (NIV)
1  Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
2  Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you.
3  You saw with your own eyes what the LORD did at Baal Peor. The LORD your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor,
4  but all of you who held fast to the LORD your God are still alive today.
5  See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the LORD my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it.
 
On verses 1-5:  Moses is about to spell out the decrees and laws that this current generation of Israelites are to follow, but first, expert leader that Moses is, Moses takes the time to explain why this current generation must follow God’s commands.  People need to know the why if they’re going to do the what.  The reasons the Israelites should obey God’s commands are the same reasons why we should obey them today.

与智者同行

2022-06-03 in , /by

〈箴言〉13:20    与智慧人同行的必得智慧，和愚昧人做伴的必受亏损。

阅读经文：箴言13:19-22

19所欲的成就，心觉甘甜；远离恶事，为愚昧人所憎恶。20与智慧人同行的必得智慧，和愚昧人做伴的必受亏损。21祸患追赶罪人，义人必得善报。22善人给子孙遗留产业，罪人为义人积存资财。

第19节：所欲的成就，心觉甘甜；远离恶事，为愚昧人所憎恶。

《现代中文译本》：愿望实现，令人愉快；愚昧人不愿离弃邪恶。

《The Message》: Souls who follow their hearts thrive;  fools bent on evil despise matters of soul.

每个人都希望自己的愿望能够实现，但是每个人心里所求的都不一样。愚昧人不愿离弃邪恶，他们不顾念自己灵魂的需要，一心往邪恶贪婪里钻，因此即使愿望实现，心里也不觉甘甜。

有个美国奥运泳将洛克特Ryan Lochte便是一个实例，他一共拿下12面奥运奖牌、拥有6面金牌，可以说是愿望实现，应该是非常愉快的。可惜人品不佳，参加庆功宴喝醉大闹加油站，却谎称被劫，恶形恶相被公诸于世。许多跟他签约的赞助商无法接受，赶忙终止合作关系与他切割。使他损失惨重。

这节经文劝人不要愚昧，要远离邪恶；只有在神的良善里所成就的愿望，会带来真正的喜乐和甘甜。

Let God Fight For You

2022-06-03 in /by

Hi  GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 3:18-29.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 3:18-20 (NIV)
18  I commanded you at that time: “The LORD your God has given you this land to take possession of it. But all your able-bodied men, armed for battle, must cross over ahead of your brother Israelites.
19  However, your wives, your children and your livestock (I know you have much livestock) may stay in the towns I have given you,
20  until the LORD gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they too have taken over the land that the LORD your God is giving them, across the Jordan. After that, each of you may go back to the possession I have given you.”
 
On verses 18-20:  Here Moses commands the fighting Israelite men to fight for one another and to make sure each Israelite tribe gets its land before any Israelite fighting man could go back and enjoy his own land.  Moses was challenging every Israelite fighting man to put the team’s interests ahead of his own individual interests.  Great teams achieve great things when each member puts the interests of the team ahead of their own. 

你懂那一行吗？

2022-06-02 in , /by

〈箴言〉13:16    通达人都凭知识行事，愚昧人张扬自己的愚昧。

阅读经文：箴言13:12-15

12所盼望的迟延未得，令人心忧；所愿意的临到，却是生命树。13藐视训言的自取灭亡，敬畏诫命的必得善报。14智慧人的法则是生命的泉源，可以使人离开死亡的网罗。15美好的聪明使人蒙恩，奸诈人的道路崎岖难行。

你懂那一行吗？

我有一个老友，赚了亿万财富。有一晚，我向他请教财务投资之道。他反问我：「商店里的化妆品有几万元一瓶，有几千元一瓶，也有几百元一瓶。关键在哪里？」我说：「成分不同，价钱不同。」他看着我，缓慢地说道：「广告的投资不同。」

他接着问我：「银行投资理财的专家，操作的最低金额，有美金一亿、一千万、十万，这三级理财的专家，最主要的差别在哪里？」我说：「操作金额愈高的人，愈会理财。」老友叹息摇头：「在他们专业的打扮与沟通，不是理财能力。」我说：「哇，我怎么不知道。」

他说：「你若没有那些知识，就不要做那一行。好好地把你的书教好，好好地享用你现在的拥有，就是富足。」。原来「凡通达人都凭知识行事」(箴言13:16)。

Conquering the Giant in Your Life

2022-06-02 in /by

Hi  GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 3:1-17.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 3:1-17 (NIV)
1  Next we turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan with his whole army marched out to meet us in battle at Edrei.
2  The LORD said to me, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have handed him over to you with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.”
3  So the LORD our God also gave into our hands Og king of Bashan and all his army. We struck them down, leaving no survivors.
4  At that time we took all his cities. There was not one of the sixty cities that we did not take from them–the whole region of Argob, Og’s kingdom in Bashan.
5  All these cities were fortified with high walls and with gates and bars, and there were also a great many unwalled villages.

On verses 1-17:  In Deuteronomy 3, Moses recounts Israel’s victory over Og king of Bashan.  While Moses recounted this same victory in Numbers 21, here in Deuteronomy 3 Moses mentions an additional detail about Og that he didn’t mention in Numbers: Og was a giant.  Verse 11 says: