Entries by

Like God, Be Detail-Oriented in Your Work

2022-01-30 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 26:1-37.  Today we’re looking at the making of the tabernacle.  So to give you a picture of what the tabernacle looks like, check out this video showing a life-size replica of the tabernacle described in Exodus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mFGsLEpKKk

Exodus 26:1-37 (NIV)
1  “Make the tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim worked into them by a skilled craftsman.
2  All the curtains are to be the same size–twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide.
3  Join five of the curtains together, and do the same with the other five.
4  Make loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in one set, and do the same with the end curtain in the other set.
5  Make fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the end curtain of the other set, with the loops opposite each other…….

On verses 1-37:  Here God goes into great detail when He instructs Moses on how to build the tabernacle.  God didn’t just give Moses a general idea. He gave Moses specifics on everything from measurements to colours to the types of materials to be used and how each part of the tabernacle connected to all the others.  Like a skilled craftsman, God was paying attention to details that most of us would not notice.

圣殿建造完工

2022-01-30 in , /by

〈以斯拉记〉6:16 以色列的祭司和利未人，并其余被掳归回的人，都欢欢喜喜地行奉献神殿的礼。

阅读经文：〈以斯拉记〉六章

经过哈谇和撒迦利亚的督促和鼓励，回归的犹大人终于肯面对自己的软弱而悔改，重新开始建殿。虽然还没有拿到王的许可，还是努力进行。当时的达乃总督也没有禁止他们，只是请求当时的大流士王去彻查一下，犹大人的说法是否真实，居鲁士王(或:塞鲁士)是否曾经应允他们回到耶路撒冷建圣殿？

大流士王也做了实在的调查，果然在玛代省的典籍库里找到一卷，上面注明了当年塞鲁士王叫犹大人回归的一切。大流士查明之后发布了几个命令：

命令河西的总督达乃和示他‧波斯乃，并他们的同党，就是住河西的亚法萨迦人，当远离犹大人。
不可拦阻神殿的工作，要任凭犹大人和他们的长老修建圣殿。
要从河西的款项中，急速拨取贡银做他们的经费，免得耽误工作。
他们与天上的　神献燔祭所需用的公牛犊、公绵羊、绵羊羔，并所用的麦子、盐、酒、油，都要照耶路撒冷祭司的话，每日供给他们，不得有误。叫他们献馨香的祭给天上的　神，又为王和王众子的寿命祈祷。
无论谁更改这命令，必从他房屋中拆出一根梁来，把他举起，悬在其上，又使他的房屋成为粪堆。

我相信当所罗巴伯他们得知这样的消息时，必然雀跃无比，因为神所赐的比他们所要所求的更多更丰富，神为他们预备了各方面的需要，不仅有经费补助，还有献祭需要的牲畜，等等。每天的供应，真是太奇妙了!

再兴圣殿之工

2022-01-28 in , /by

〈以斯拉记〉5:1 那时，先知哈该和易多的孙子撒迦利亚奉以色列神的名，向犹大和耶路撒冷的犹大人说劝勉的话。

阅读经文：〈以斯拉记〉五章

当回归的犹大人因为敌人的奸计得逞，而愁眉不展时，天上的父神又岂能不知？神的事工原本如此，若是出于神的工作，撒旦一定会千方百计地阻扰。神没有派下一个超人或蝙蝠侠或蜘蛛人把敌人把得东倒西歪，相反地，祂差遣了两个不会打架的先知去鼓励他们，就是哈该和撒迦利亚。

你会不会觉得派个先知有什么用啊？人家都去找王要了状子回来了，先知能做什么？说几句话就行了吗？人的话可能不管用，神的话可就不一样了。首先是哈该义正严词地要求犹大人省察自己的行为，因为他们己经失去起初的爱心，和建殿的热诚。表面上看来是敌人阻扰建殿，实际上是他们内心的软弱和拖延。他们借口「建造耶和华殿的时间未到」，却回家设计自己有天花板的房屋， 所以神说：「你们撒的种多，收的却少；你们吃却不得饱，喝却不得足；穿衣服却不得暖，得工钱的，将工钱装在破漏的囊中。」因为私心，所以工作没有果效，祷告也不蒙垂听。

神给撒迦利亚先知有特别多的异象，其中有一个异象是两棵橄榄树中间有一个金灯台，这两棵树各有一管子接着金灯台。天使向他解释：这两棵树代表所罗巴伯和耶书亚，金灯台是神自己，祂的能力要源源不绝地供应他们。因为成事不是靠人的势力或才能，乃是靠神才能成事。

Keep Your Worship Fresh

2022-01-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 25:23-40.  Let’s go!

Exodus 25:23-30 (NIV)
23  “Make a table of acacia wood–two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high.
24  Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding around it.
25  Also make around it a rim a handbreadth wide and put a gold molding on the rim.
26  Make four gold rings for the table and fasten them to the four corners, where the four legs are.
27  The rings are to be close to the rim to hold the poles used in carrying the table.
28  Make the poles of acacia wood, overlay them with gold and carry the table with them.
29  And make its plates and dishes of pure gold, as well as its pitchers and bowls for the pouring out of offerings.
30  Put the bread of the Presence on this table to be before me at all times.

In Exodus 25:23-40 God continues to instruct Moses on how to furnish the tabernacle.  After describing the most important piece of “furniture”, which is the ark of the covenant (v10-22), the LORD describes the table on which the priests are to place the “bread of the Presence” (v30).  What is the bread of the Presence?

The bread of the Presence, also known as the ceremonial bread or the “show bread”, was 12 loaves of fresh bread that were placed in the tabernacle as an offering to God.  Why 12 loaves?  It’s because the 12 loaves represented the 12 tribes of Israel.  Also, 12 is often the number used in the Bible to symbolize wholeness and completeness.

The Tabernacle, The Ark and The Presence of God

2022-01-27 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 25:1-22.  Let’s go!

Exodus 25:1-22 (NIV)
1  The LORD said to Moses,
2  “Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give.
3  These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze;
4  blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair;
5  ram skins dyed red and hides of sea cows; acacia wood;…..

We may suppose that when Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and abode there so long, where the holy angels attended the shechinah, or divine Majesty, he saw and heard very glorious things relating to the upper world, but they were things which it was not lawful nor possible to utter; and therefore, in the records he kept of the transactions there, he says nothing to satisfy the curiosity of those who would intrude into the things which they have not seen, but writes that only which he was to speak to the children of Israel. For the scripture is designed to direct us in our duty, not to fill our heads with speculations, nor to please our fancies.

In these verses God tells Moses his intention in general, that the children of Israel should build him a sanctuary, for he designed to dwell among them (v. 8); and some think that, though there were altars and groves used for religious worship before this, yet there never was any house, or temple, built for sacred uses in any nation before this tabernacle was erected by Moses, and that all the temples which were afterwards so much celebrated among the heathen took rise from this and pattern by it.

敌党谋阻建殿之工

2022-01-27 in , /by

〈以斯拉记〉4:3 但所罗巴伯、耶书亚和其余以色列的族长对他们说：「我们建造神的殿与你们无干，我们自己为耶和华以色列的神协力建造，是照波斯王居鲁士所吩咐的。」

阅读经文：〈以斯拉记〉四章

犹大和便雅悯的敌人听说被掳归回的人为耶和华─以色列的神建造殿宇，就去见所罗巴伯和以色列的族长，对他们说：「请容我们与你们一同建造；因为我们寻求你们的神，与你们一样。自从亚述王以撒哈顿带我们上这地以来，我们常祭祀　神。」

犹大和便雅悯是指构成犹大南国的中心支派，他们的敌人指的是当时的撒玛利亚人。这些撒玛利亚人不是原先北国以色列的人，而是亚述王从巴比伦，古他，亚瓦，哈马，和西法瓦音迁移来安置在撒玛利亚城邑的外邦人。他们不懂得敬畏耶和华，所以神曾差遣狮子到他们中间，咬死一些人。亚述王为此差了一个祭司回去，好指教他们敬拜神，但是他们却不曾因而明白真理。

当他们说：「因为我们寻求你们的神，与你们一样。自从亚述王以撒哈顿带我们上这地以来，我们常祭祀神」时，他们其实只是举行仪式以逃避神的刑罚，并不是真正想认识神。在（王下17:30）记载巴比伦人在那地方继续拜他们的神像，古他人、哈马人各造他们的神像，并不忘记原来的假神。这些民惧怕耶和华，却又事奉他们的偶像。他们假装是和犹大人拜同一个神，却又口口声声，那是你们的神。所罗巴伯和族长们一眼就看穿这些人的虚伪和恶心，因此拒绝他们的合作提议。

A Fire from Afar, A Cloud Up Close

2022-01-26 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 24:1-18.  Get ready for some powerful lessons here.  Let’s go!

Exodus 24:1-11 (NIV)
1  Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. You are to worship at a distance,
2  but Moses alone is to approach the LORD; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him.”
3  When Moses went and told the people all the LORD’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the LORD has said we will do.”……

On verses 1-11:  Moses has just finished receiving all these words and laws from the LORD for the Israelites on Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:22 to the end of Exodus 23).  Now in Exodus 24 Moses is going to communicate these words and laws to the Israelites and have them enter into a covenant (a formal love-based agreement) with the LORD.  Under this covenant, the Israelites would agree to obey all the words and laws the LORD had given to them through Moses, and the LORD would agree to go before them, lead them and watch over them (Exodus 23:22-33).

Ancient historians tell us that in Moses’ time when two parties would enter into a covenant, they would do two things to make the covenant formal and binding:  (1) they would kill an animal, cut it symmetrically in half, put one half of the animal’s corpse on their left and the other half on their right, and then the two parties would together walk through the halves to signify that their agreement has been sealed with the animal’s blood; (2) they would eat a meal together.  

筑坛献祭-立殿根基

2022-01-26 in , /by

〈以斯拉记〉3:6 从七月初一日起，他们就向耶和华献燔祭，但耶和华殿的根基尚未立定。

阅读经文：〈以斯拉记〉三章

西元前537年的七月，回归的犹大人重新聚集在耶路撒冷。七月是犹大人特别繁忙的一个月份，因为其中有三个大节日：吹角节(新年)，赎罪日和住棚节。这次的聚集是为了一起过住棚节。住棚节是纪念古代以色列人在离开埃及之后，在旷野中漂流四十年期间所住的棚子；并且记念神使他们在旷野中：「这四十年，你的衣服没有穿破，你的脚也没有肿。（申8:4）」又「因为耶和华──你的上帝在你手里所办的一切事上已赐福与你。你走这大旷野，祂都知道了。这四十年，耶和华──你的上帝常与你同在，故此你一无所缺。」（申2:7）现在犹大人回到耶路撒冷，也正好记念神使他们在外邦也是蒙保守，得供应，一无所缺。何等何时宜的庆祝。

第3节的翻译该是如此：他们虽然惧怕邻国的民，还是在原有的根基上筑坛，又在其上向耶和华早晚献燔祭。Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices. (NIV)

他们先在原先圣殿的根基上筑坛，就像亚伯拉罕/以撒/雅各，每到一个地方就先向神筑坛敬拜。此时尚未开始动工建殿。

他们照律法书上所写的，按数照例献每日所当献的燔祭。燔祭是「完全的祭」，也是「常献的祭」，天天献，早晨黄昏各一次，每次献一只公羊羔 ( 出 29:38-42 )，安息日则献三只( 民 28:9-10 ) 。在这里所罗巴伯带领第一批人回归跟以斯拉带领人归回( 8:35-36 ) 的共同点是，归回后以向神献燔祭。

记返耶路撒冷之俘囚

2022-01-25 in , /by

〈以斯拉记〉2:68有些族长到了耶路撒冷耶和华殿的地方，便为神的殿甘心献上礼物，要重新建造。

阅读经文：〈以斯拉记〉二章

主前六百多年，神的惩罚临到犹大的百姓，藉外邦人把他们掳到巴比伦。但这只是神短暂的惩罚，因祂曾应许百姓，只要他们回转专心寻求祂的面，祂必再施恩与他们。‧七十年后，神的时候到了，神感动波斯王古列的心，下令准许百姓返回耶路撒冷，恢复他们敬拜神的生活。结果有五万人在王的支援下、神的赐福中，愿意返回耶路撒冷，决心重建圣殿。

这些人不是那些原先被掳之人，而是他们的子孙。经过了七十年，那些被掳的人都像但以理垂垂老矣，走不动了，更多的是己经作古。根据历史记载被掳到巴比伦的百姓，大约四十万至六十万；但回到耶路撒冷的最多只有五万人，表示有大部份人不肯回去。犹太历史家约瑟夫在犹太古史中曾说过：「当时在巴比伦的百姓，因不肯离弃在巴比伦的家业，而不肯回耶路撒冷去。」又记载：「当时在巴比伦的百姓，因惧怕耶路撒冷严谨的生活而不肯回去。」这两句话非常重要，表明当时留在巴比伦的百姓，正因这两个原因而不肯回耶路撒冷。

第一个原因因为家业而不肯回耶路撒冷，上一章己经提过；第二个原因是不想回去过律法下的生活。犹大人在巴比伦习惯了当地巴比伦的生活，便觉得要回去过守律法的日子实在太苦了。在〈以斯帖记〉里，以东人的后裔哈曼设计杀害犹大人，神借着以斯帖皇后扭转了局面，保住了犹大人的性命和财产。现在神呼召他们回去耶路撒冷建圣殿，这些人却舍不得他们的财产而不肯回去。若是再有一个哈曼出现，他们会选择逃命或护产呢？

Go for “Little By Little” Success

2022-01-25 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 23:20-33.  Let’s go!

Exodus 23:20 (NIV)
20  “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.

On verse 20:  Just as the LORD would send an angel to go before the Israelites to guard them and lead them to the place He prepared for them, repeatedly the Bible says that God goes before you (Psalm 139:5; Isaiah 45:2; Isaiah 52:12) to guard you and to lead the way for you.

Exodus 23:21-23 (NIV)
21  Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him.
22  If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you.
23  My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.