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敬畏诫命的必得善报

2022-06-01 in , /by

〈箴言〉13:12    所盼望的迟延未得，令人心忧；所愿意的临到，却是生命树。

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。

第12节：所盼望的迟延未得，令人心忧；所愿意的临到，却是生命树。

《现代中文译本》：希望幻灭，心灵随之破碎；愿望实现，心里充满生机。

《当代圣经》：盼望迟迟不实现，使人忧伤；理想达到，就会为人带来快乐的人生。

《The Message》: Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around.

这句经文非常写实。杨世礼医生说：“信就是所望之事的实底，是未见之事的确据”（来11:1），不少信徒常常引用这节经文，作为信心的定义。以为所有“所望的事”及“未见的事”，只要加上信心，便会变成事实，误以为这是上帝给信徒“心想事成”的应允，如此释经非常危险。其实这一节所谓“所望之事”，并非人意所希望得到的事情，而是神的话语。因为神如此说，我们便如此盼望，所以第一节的中心是神的应许，也是信心的起点。”

当我们误会神的话时，有时带来的不只是希望的幻灭，心灵的破碎，更会失去对神的信仰。但是当我们愿天父的旨意得以成全时，事情反而会有转机。因为万事互相效力，叫爱神的人得益处。神若不照我们的心愿去做，往往是因为祂的计划胜过我们的希望。

Let God’s Mercy Keep Us Humble

2022-06-01 in /by

Hi  GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 2:16-37.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 2:16-23 (NIV)
16  Now when the last of these fighting men among the people had died,
17  the LORD said to me,
18  “Today you are to pass by the region of Moab at Ar.
19  When you come to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them to war, for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites. I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.”
20  (That too was considered a land of the Rephaites, who used to live there; but the Ammonites called them Zamzummites.
21  They were a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. The LORD destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place.
22  The LORD had done the same for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day.
23  And as for the Avvites who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorites coming out from Caphtor destroyed them and settled in their place.)
 
On verses 16-23:  When you read these verses it becomes clear that the Israelites were not the only ones that God had been protecting and leading the way for.  In verses 18-21 we read about how God was with the Ammonites and enabled them to drive out a strong and formidable force in the Rephaites, who were known to be much larger in size, and takeover their land.  In verse 22 we read about how God was with the descendants of Esau and enabled them to drive out the Horites and takeover their land.  Moses speaks to the Israelites this way to drive home a number of points that are good for us to learn as well:

How to Not Let Envy Eat You Up

2022-05-31 in /by

Hi  GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 2:1-15.
 
Deuteronomy 2:1-13 (NIV)
1  Then we turned back and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea, as the LORD had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir.
2  Then the LORD said to me,
3  “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.
4  Give the people these orders: ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful.

On verses 1-13:  Moses recounts how God specifically warned that first generation of Israelites not to provoke or harass the people living in the lands that they passed by, especially after they themselves had lost their chance to enter the Promised Land.  So God warns that first generation of Israelites not to touch the descendants of Esau living in the land of Seir, or the descendants of Lot living in the land of Ar.  “For I will not give you any part of their land”, God said in both cases (v5, 9), since God had given those lands specifically to those other groups.  It’s as if God knew that this first generation of Israelites would be tempted to take over the lands of other peoples after having lost out on their own Promised Land.

生命的赎价

2022-05-31 in , /by

〈箴言〉13:11   不劳而得之财必然消耗，勤劳积蓄的必见加增。

阅读经文：箴言13:8-11

8 人的资财是他生命的赎价，穷乏人却听不见威吓的话。 9 义人的光明亮，恶人的灯要熄灭。 10 骄傲只启争竞，听劝言的却有智慧。 11 不劳而得之财必然消耗，勤劳积蓄的必见加增。

第8节：人的资财是他生命的赎价，穷乏人却听不见威吓的话。

《现代中文译本》：有钱人花钱赎命；穷苦人不受恐吓。

《The Message》: The rich can be sued for everything they have, but the poor are free of such threats.

大家会看到我们采用不同的圣经译文，因为有些译文大同小异就不用再参考，放在这里的是因为它的译文更使人容易理解，也借此机会让读者知道原来中文圣经有好几种不同的译本。《现代中文译本》翻译小组的主要负责人是许牧世(由美国圣经公会聘请)、骆维仁、周联华、王成章、焦明五位牧师，以Today’s English Version(后改称Good News Bible)为蓝本，由原文翻译。

这句经文一看就明，钱多有钱多的烦恼，钱少有钱少的不便。但是至少没有人要去绑架穷人，自找麻烦，总是找有钱人，这也是有的有钱人找随身保镳的原因。为了没有太多钱感恩，因为心里的坦然使我们活得更自在。

The Far Less Painful Way to Prosper

2022-05-30 in /by

Hi  GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 1:34-46.
 
Deuteronomy 1:34-36 (NIV)
34  When the LORD heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore:
35  “Not a man of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your forefathers,
36  except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.”
 
On verses 34-36:  Caleb’s story shows us that just because the people around you are not responding to God with faith, that doesn’t mean you have to follow their lead.  Like Caleb you can choose a unique path of responding to God with faith, even when those around you are not.  Dare to be different in a good way, and you will be uniquely blessed in the process.
 
Caleb’s story also shows us that when we follow God wholeheartedly, not only are we blessed, but those who come after us will be blessed as well.  There’s a generational blessing that comes when a person decides to respond to God in faith.

真假穷人

2022-05-30 in , /by

〈箴言〉13:4  懒惰人羡慕却无所得，殷勤人必得丰裕。

阅读经文：箴言13:4-7

4懒惰人羡慕却无所得，殷勤人必得丰裕。5义人恨恶谎言，恶人有臭名，且致惭愧。6行为正直的有公义保守，犯罪的被邪恶倾覆。7假作富足的，却一无所有；装作穷乏的，却广有财物。

第4节：懒惰人羡慕却无所得，殷勤人必得丰裕。

《新译本》:懒惰人渴求，却一无所得；殷勤人必得丰裕。

《The Message》: Indolence wants it all and gets nothing; the energetic have something to show for their lives.

Indolence是懒惰人的意思，它和lazy是同义词，又有一点不同。lazy是不想做事情，或不想努力；Indolent是形容词，形容惯性的偷懒，例如拖延或不喜欢做劳力的工作。好像做家务，轮到某人洗碗时，他总是说，放著吧，我待会去洗。但是到了第二天早上，碗槽还是堆积如山。生活中的坏习惯，虽然不是大恶，却会影响到家里的人际关系。在家里如此，在工作中难免也会如此，便会错失许多机会，只能羡慕别人比自己做得好。

工作效率高的人不会拖延事情，有事立刻解决，绝不留到明天。这样的习惯可以节省下很多要回头去想的时间，也比较能抓住一瞬即过的机会。

励志的危机

2022-05-29 in , /by

〈箴言〉13:1  智慧子听父亲的教训，亵慢人不听责备。

阅读经文：箴言13:1-3

1智慧子听父亲的教训，亵慢人不听责备。2人因口所结的果子必享美福，奸诈人必遭强暴。3谨守口的得保生命，大张嘴的必致败亡。

许人喜欢用「正向思考」的话，来鼓励人要有积极的人生观，要有人生的光明面。其实给励志性的小语帮助人，如同表面伤口擦擦「小护士」，轻微疼痛贴贴「撒隆巴斯」。生命的问题有时需要外科手术，开刀切入深处，将问题取出。

主耶稣的教导从来不给励志小语，祂在挑战我们生命真正的跟随，祂说：「一个人不能事奉两个主。」(路加福音16:13。祂要我们进教会是敬拜上帝，不是将 教会当成服务24小时的超商，祂说：「我的殿、必作祷告的殿，你们倒使他成为贼窝了。」(路加福音十9:46)。有人求耶稣替他分家产，耶稣没有落在他的 问题里，而是告诉他「谨慎自守，免去一切的贪心」(路加福音12:15)。

「智慧子听父亲的教训，亵慢人不听责备。」(箴言13:1)，听正向思考愈多，日后难受教，因他听不下责备的话。（张文亮教授）

You Don’t Need To Live In Fear

2022-05-29 in /by

Hi  GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 1:19-33.
 
Deuteronomy 1:19-33 (NIV)
19  Then, as the LORD our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites through all that vast and dreadful desert that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea.
20  Then I said to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us.
21  See, the LORD your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
22  Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.”

On verses 19-33:  Keep in mind what Moses is doing here.  Moses is speaking to a new generation of Israelites, preparing them to take possession of the land God had promised them.  So that this new generation of Israelites would not repeat the same mistakes that their parents and grandparents had made, Moses recalls in a fresh way specific events that happened along their journey so far, events which this new generation of Israelites may have been too young to remember.  In recalling these events Moses is highlighting some lessons that he wants this new generation of Israelites to remember as they get ready to possess the promised land.

Make Time for Both These Things

2022-05-27 in /by

Hi  GAMErs!

Today we begin the book of Deuteronomy.  You might say that Deuteronomy was Jesus’ favourite book in the Old Testament.  When Jesus was asked what was God’s greatest commandment, Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6:5.  When Jesus was being tempted by the devil, Jesus fought back with quotations from Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:16, and 6:13. Since Jesus saw the power and importance of Deuteronomy and kept this book close to His heart, I pray we would do the same.

Here is some background information on Deuteronomy that you might find helpful:
–        Deuteronomy is the fifth book in the Old Testament.  It is also the fifth and final book of the Pentateuch (a name for the first five books in the Bible, also sometimes called the Torah).
 
–        It is widely believed, and with good reason, that Moses was responsible for the writing of the entire Pentateuch including Deuteronomy (other than the last chapter describing Moses’ death).   

要避开靠不住的人

2022-05-27 in , /by

〈箴言〉12:27  懒惰的人不烤打猎所得的，殷勤的人却得宝贵的财物。

阅读经文：箴言12:26-28

26义人引导他的邻舍，恶人的道叫人失迷。27懒惰的人不烤打猎所得的，殷勤的人却得宝贵的财物。28在公义的道上有生命，其路之中并无死亡。

在十字路口，遇到恩典的摊贩

当我们孤独无依时，山穷水尽之处，有人在那里帮助我们、陪伴我们、招待我们，是上帝给我们何等的恩待，何等的眷顾。

「义人引导他的邻舍」(箴言12:26)，「引导」的原文是个特别的用词，原意是战争时期派出去的探子，到了敌军辖区，有前来接应的向导。

我们的成长不也是如此吗？在人生难处的十字路口，上帝也派人在那里开个恩典的小店，照顾我们的孤苦零丁。免得我们孤苦之中叹孤苦，零丁之中叹零丁。这些人在暗处帮助人，名不显扬。

我相信信仰最好，不单是站在台上传讲的人，也有坐在台下的代祷、扶持者。放在光鲜之处的大都是木器、瓦器。留在暗处的才是金器、银器。