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Stay Here With Me

2022-06-09 in /by

Hi  GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 5:23-33.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 5:23-27 (NIV)
23  When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, all the leading men of your tribes and your elders came to me.
24  And you said, “The LORD our God has shown us his glory and his majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him.
25  But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us, and we will die if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer.
26  For what mortal man has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and survived?
27  Go near and listen to all that the LORD our God says. Then tell us whatever the LORD our God tells you. We will listen and obey.”
 
On verses 23-27:  Moses reminds the current generation of Israelites that when their parents first heard God’s voice speaking to them all, their parents were afraid of God, believing they would die if they heard the voice of God any longer.  So that previous generation of Israelites asked Moses to go and listen to God on their behalf, so that they would not have to hear God’s voice directly. 
 

自己的冠冕

2022-06-09 in , /by

〈箴言〉14:24  智慧人的財為自己的冠冕，愚妄人的愚昧終是愚昧。

閱讀經文：箴言14:17-24

17輕易發怒的行事愚妄，設立詭計的被人恨惡。18愚蒙人得愚昧為產業，通達人得知識為冠冕。19壞人俯伏在善人面前，惡人俯伏在義人門口。20貧窮人連鄰舍也恨他，富足人朋友最多。21藐視鄰舍的，這人有罪；憐憫貧窮的，這人有福。22謀惡的，豈非走入迷途嗎？謀善的，必得慈愛和誠實。23諸般勤勞都有益處，嘴上多言乃致窮乏。24智慧人的財為自己的冠冕，愚妄人的愚昧終是愚昧。

你有沒有發現，作者在表達他的教導時，一定有正反兩面，好讓讀者可以思考。例如：輕易發怒有何後果呢？輕易發怒就是動不動就生氣，換句話說，這是很不成熟的個性，這樣的人做起事來像小孩子，誰喜歡與他合作呢？發怒時做的決定，往往會令人後悔不已。因為發怒時所做的事都但憑情緒主宰，無法有週詳的考慮，這就是所謂的愚妄。設立詭計的人會有怎樣的後果呢？世界上沒有不透風的牆，他的詭計和惡心一定會被眾人知道，那時何等羞恥，這就是害人損己的作法。

第18節：“愚蒙人得愚昧為產業，通達人得知識為冠冕”，中文的翻譯很抽象；但是畢德生牧師的翻譯很精采：Foolish dreamers live in a world of illusion; wise realists plant their feet on the ground.一個愚昧人活在自己用幻想建立起來的世界，所以什麼也得不到；有智慧的人腳踏實地。這節和23節有異曲同工之妙：“諸般勤勞都有益處，嘴上多言乃致窮乏。”腳踏實地的人才有可能盡諸般的勤勞，只會空口說白話，做白日夢的人，必然一事無成，什麼也得不到。

有一條路人以為正

2022-06-08 in , /by

〈箴言〉14:12    有一條路人以為正，至終成為死亡之路。

閱讀經文：箴言14:5-11

12有一條路人以為正，至終成為死亡之路。13人在喜笑中心也憂愁，快樂至極就生愁苦。14心中背道的必滿得自己的結果，善人必從自己的行為得以知足。15愚蒙人是話都信，通達人步步謹慎。16智慧人懼怕，就遠離惡事，愚妄人卻狂傲自恃。

在人類的歷史上，有一些人成為世人的拯救者，其中一位是蘇聯海軍軍官瓦西里·亞歷山德羅維奇·阿爾希波夫，在1962年古巴導彈危機期間，因為他所在的潛艇攜帶核武器要送去古巴，被美國發現而攔止。他的艇長以為被美國攻擊，意欲發射核魚雷。幸虧阿爾希波夫極力反對，終於說服其他軍官讓潛艇浮出水面，避免了一場核戰。

還有一位是斯坦尼斯拉夫·耶夫格拉弗維奇·彼得羅夫。在1983年，他成功地阻止美蘇核戰的爆發。因為在那年的某一天，蘇聯指揮中心的核預警系統突然發出警報：美國向蘇聯發射了一枚核彈。大多數人接到這樣的警報會有怎樣的反應呢？若不是躲起來，就是立刻反擊吧，來個魚死網破，兩敗俱傷。但是彼得羅夫認為預警系統很有可能屬於誤報，冷靜地向上司陳述，終於避免了一場核戰爭。

倘若有任何一次的核戰爭爆發，你和我今天就不能活得如此自在了。在爭執之中，雙方都會認為自己的看法是正確的，即使知道是通往死亡之路，也以為非如此不可。這便是人被恐懼和憤怒所控制而產生的執著。另外一種情形，是人以為對自己有好處的，明知最後也通往死亡，卻還是要走。這就是人的盲點，不選生選死，不肯接受自己會犯錯的迷思。

2 Reasons God Gives Us the 10 Commandments

2022-06-08 in /by

Hi  GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 5:1-22.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 5:1-3 (NIV)
1  Moses summoned all Israel and said: Hear, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them.
2  The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.
3  It was not with our fathers that the LORD made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today.
 
On verses 1-3:  Moses reminds this current generation of Israelites that God’s commandments were not just for their ancestors or for an older generation that is long gone.  Rather, they are relevant for them as well (v3).  Likewise, God’s Word is not a relic of the past, or something that belongs in a museum.  Rather, God’s Word is relevant for us, for “all of us who are alive here today”. 

興盛的帳篷

2022-06-07 in , /by

〈箴言〉14:11    奸惡人的房屋必傾倒，正直人的帳篷必興盛。

閱讀經文：箴言14:5-11

5誠實見證人不說謊話，假見證人吐出謊言。6褻慢人尋智慧卻尋不著，聰明人易得知識。7到愚昧人面前，不見他嘴中有知識。8通達人的智慧在乎明白己道，愚昧人的愚妄乃是詭詐。9愚妄人犯罪以為戲耍，正直人互相喜悅。10心中的苦楚自己知道，心裡的喜樂外人無干。11 奸惡人的房屋必傾倒，正直人的帳篷必興盛。

人的一生都在尋求智慧，因為希望自己能成功，成為人上人；不然可以解決生活上碰到的難題也可以。猶太人亦然，但是他們有一個很特出的教育方法，使他們的孩子在世界上可以走出自己的路。

有個故事講到猶太人如何注重從孩子年幼時就進行傳統的文化教育。但是有一位以色列的學者卻無法使他的孩子對學習產生興趣，老師對他的孩子也放棄努力，他只好在家裡教他讀〈創世記〉。

有一次戰爭中，羅馬軍攻打他們居住的城巿，把小男孩俘虜了，關到監獄裡。有一天，正好凱撒來視察，無意中看到一本他不知道名字的書。他問有沒有人會讀這本書？監獄官就把小男孩帶去見凱撒，讓小男孩把這本書讀給凱撒聽。那本書正是小男孩學過的〈創世記〉。

凱撒聽後說：“這顯然是上帝的旨意，上帝向我打開祂的世界，讓我把這小孩子送回他父親身邊。”於是叫人準備了一些金銀珠寶，又派士兵把小男孩送回去。此後人們都說：“這孩子的父親只教他讀了一卷書，上帝就賜福給他了。想想看，如果勤於學習神的話語，把整本《聖經》讀完。那麼他得到的獎賞會有多大啊！”

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. 

要聖潔，不要潔癖

2022-06-06 in , /by

〈箴言〉14:1   智慧婦人建立家室，愚妄婦人親手拆毀。

閱讀經文：箴言14:1-4

1智慧婦人建立家室，愚妄婦人親手拆毀。2行動正直的敬畏耶和華，行事乖僻的卻藐視他。3愚妄人口中驕傲，如杖責打己身，智慧人的嘴必保守自己。4家裡無牛，槽頭乾淨；土產加多，乃憑牛力。

智慧婦人建立家室

有一對夫妻的婚姻瀕臨破裂，在最後的一次努力裡，丈夫帶著妻子回到他祖父母以前住的房子。那個農舍己經破荒蕪。妻子拒絕進去，因為丈夫有事業心，努力苦幹，終於成功，妻子卻覺得遭丈夫冷落遺棄，感到淒涼難甚，執意要離婚。

當她不耐煩丈夫在老屋太久時，便也走了進去。那時丈夫向妻子訴說自己的童年，和祖父母住一陣子，就輪流在親戚家住。他說：“我想，我一生要的就是這麼多。受一點傷或感覺寂寞的時候，有人摟著我；有一個地方住，真正是我的家，永久住在那兒，能有自己的衣釣，撓我的衣服。” 這時，妻子忘記了自己的自憐自私。她終於理解，需要別人表示關愛的，不僅是她自己。他們合解了，妻子伸出手，握住丈夫。

“智慧婦人建立家室，愚妄婦人親手拆毀”，離婚的理由可以有很多；但是留在婚姻裡只有一個理由，因為你學會了去愛對方，而不是只有自己。

愛裡的管教

2022-06-05 in , /by

〈箴言〉13:24   不忍用杖打兒子的，是恨惡他；疼愛兒子的，隨時管教。

閱讀經文：箴言13:23-25

23窮人耕種多得糧食，但因不義有消滅的。24不忍用杖打兒子的，是恨惡他；疼愛兒子的，隨時管教。25義人吃得飽足，惡人肚腹缺糧。
《新譯本》：窮人的耕地可產大量糧食；卻因不義都被摧毀了。

《當代聖經》：窮人辛苦耕耘，積穀防饑，卻會遭不義的人奪去。

《思高譯本》：窮人開墾的田地，生產大量食物；誰若缺乏正義，定不免於滅亡。

《呂振中譯本》：窮乏人的休耕地、能生許多糧食；但舊存的五穀、也能因不義而被掃盡。

《現代中文譯本》：未開墾的土地可為窮人產糧食；不義的人卻不願耕耘土地。

這節經文的原文意義比較含糊，因此有不同的譯法，但是經過數種譯文的比較，還是可以看出其中的含意。作者強調的是窮人可從耕種得到大量的糧食，也有可能因而致富。但是有兩種方法會讓一個人的努力化為流水。

一是他致富之後，染上惡習，揮金如土，因而再度變為貧窮；二是由於他人的不義，例如銀行取消取消抵押品贖回權，又碰到詭詐的律師把他的錢都騙光了，使他又淪為窮愁潦倒。

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.