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The One Who Fights For You

2022-01-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

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

Exodus 14:1-4 (NIV)
1  Then the LORD said to Moses,
2  “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon.
3  Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’
4  And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.” So the Israelites did this.

On verses 1-4:  At first the fleeing Israelites were heading southeast (according to some historians), and now Moses’ GPS (the LORD) tells Moses to lead the Israelites in a new direction, which is north toward the sea.  Knowing that Moses and the Israelites would question this move, God tells Moses the reason why: He was making the Israelites look like they were lost and confused in order to bait Pharaoh to go out and pursue them (v3-4a).  God reassures Moses, “I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.”

《聖經中各種審判》16 — 對以色列的審判

2022-01-01 in , /by

在上帝主權統管下的意志

　　聖經說：「我要使法老的心剛硬」，我們怎麼理解？上帝的主權超越人的意志，人心能否順從都在神主權的統管下。聖經說：「耶和華說：『我要顯我一切的恩慈，在你面前經過，宣告我的名。我要恩待誰就恩待誰；要憐憫誰就憐憫誰。』」（出 33:19）一個人的生命要敗壞下去，不是他決定就可以，也要上帝的許可。

有關上帝的主權與旨意，我分成四大階層：一、上帝計劃中的旨意，二、上帝許可中的自由，三、上帝引導人的轉變，四、上帝任憑人的滅亡，這四樣都在神的主權之下。你說：「我自己決定，所以我有這樣的地步」，你沒有想到你所打的主意有上帝的主權在你身上的彰顯，如果你能好，是因為上帝施恩給你，如果你不好，是上帝任憑你硬著你的心，因著上帝的主權與施恩決定一個人能領受多少恩典，如果上帝沒有施恩，我們只能抵擋上帝，剛硬著心。聖經說：「我要使法老的心剛硬」，這不是指硬心是上帝的決定，而是說這其中有上帝的許可，甚至是上帝的任憑。人自己本意的敗壞是上帝的任憑，不讓你悔改，繼續硬心下去。人以為他的抵擋連上帝都束手無策，把上帝的干涉當作是對自己的攪擾，在蒙蔽之中不知道自己犯了什麼錯，不知道如果上帝不施恩，他也無法悔改。

聖經說：「我使法老的心剛硬，要在他身上顯出我的榮耀」，因為法老的剛硬，人看見上帝憑己意行萬事 ，上帝行事使祂的百姓得恩典，祂施行審判使祂的仇敵受災殃。

十災顯明埃及諸神非真神

　　上帝降下十災最大的目的只有一個：顯明埃及人所敬拜的是假神，不能造福人群，解救百姓。在降災的事上，術士可以模仿先知所做的事 ，無論是杖變蛇或水變血，假先知所做的事情與神的僕人好像一樣，但在結局上，你看見法老的術士只能降災，顯明邪惡的能力無法施行拯救，這是聖經記載正邪之間真正的分別。

The One Who Goes Before You

2021-12-31 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 13:11-22.  Let’s go!

Exodus 13:11-16 (NIV)
11  “After the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as he promised on oath to you and your forefathers,
12  you are to give over to the LORD the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the LORD.
13  Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons.
14  “In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
15  When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed every firstborn in Egypt, both man and animal. This is why I sacrifice to the LORD the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’
16  And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the LORD brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”

On verses 11-16:  Here the LORD reiterates that every firstborn belongs to Him, whether it’s a firstborn child or the firstborn male among one’s livestock.  To get that firstborn back, an Israelite would need to redeem (i.e. buy back) that firstborn by sacrificing something in the firstborn’s place.  This system of redeeming (buying back) the firstborn was to be an obvious reminder (“like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead”) of how the Lord saved the Israelites from slavery in Egypt with the death of Egypt’s firstborn.  But this system of redeeming (buying back) the firstborn with the life of something else was also pointing forward to the day that God would redeem us by giving up His Son Jesus Christ.  That is why Paul would later say to the Christians in Corinth: “you are not your own; were bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19b-20a).  It is because you and I have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb.

尼布甲尼撒的大樹夢

2021-12-30 in , /by

〈但以理書〉 4:3 祂的神蹟何其大，祂的奇事何其盛！祂的國是永遠的，祂的權柄存到萬代！

閱讀經文：〈但以理書〉4:1-37

尼布甲尼撒（以下簡稱：尼王）把但以理的三個朋友丟入烈火窯中，卻看到神子釋放他們，並與他們同行。他驚訝萬分地把那三位叫出火窯。再次曉喻住在全地各方、各國、各族的人，至高的神向他所行的神蹟奇事；終於願意承認唯有至高神的國是永遠的，祂的權柄存到萬代。但是尼王正處在他人生的顛峰，世界諸國向他稱臣，又建造了世界一大奇蹟的空中花園。巴比倫城以兩道圍牆圍繞．外牆以外，還有一道護城河，城內的主幹道中央以白色及玫瑰色石板鋪成，另城有八個城門，其中的北門就是著名的伊絲達爾門（獅門），表面用青色琉璃磚裝飾，磚上有許多公牛和神話中的怪物等浮雕。巴比倫城被建設得宏偉壯麗，直到100多年後，希臘歷史學家，被稱為「歷史之父」的希羅多德來到巴比倫城時，仍稱它為世界上最壯麗的城市。

巴比倫城的空中花園北邊就是巴比倫的米羅達神廟，形狀和〈創世記〉裡的巴別塔很像。尼王把各個戰敗國的廟殿裡的寶物都收到廟裡，表示他的神最偉大，勝過其他國家的神。尼王顯然是個才華過人的君主，不但在軍事戰略上十分出色，還是個罕見的建築天才，但也是一個熱衷於宗教的人。他深信占星術、占卜和天象，因此身邊總有一群哲士和迦勒底人。在〈以西結書〉廿一章21節裡說：“因為巴比倫王站在岔路那裡，在兩條路口上要占卜（攻打亞捫或猶大）。他搖籤求問神像，察看犧牲的肝。” 因為巴比倫人就是利用肝臟來求問吉凶。因此當他做了異夢時，他相信一定是出於神明的指示。

Not Just the What, But the Why

2021-12-30 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 13:1-10.  Let’s go!

Exodus 13:1-2 (NIV)
1  The LORD said to Moses,
2  “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal.”

On verses 1-2:  To consecrate means to declare that something belongs to God.  The Israelites were expected to consecrate their firstborn child and even the firstborn from among their livestock.  The idea that the first fruits belong to God comes up over and over again in Exodus through Deuteronomy, whether we’re talking about children, livestock, or crops. 

When you see the first fruits of what you produce as belonging to God, it changes the way you look at the people and things God has given to you.  You start seeing yourself as a trustee and a steward, rather than as the centre of your own universe.  

Exodus 13:3-8 (NIV)   
3  Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the LORD brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast.
4  Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving.

烈火窯中的神子

2021-12-29 in , /by

〈但以理書〉 3:18 即或不然，王啊，你當知道：我們決不侍奉你的神，也不敬拜你所立的金像！

閱讀經文：〈但以理書〉3:1-30

在但以理為尼王解夢之後，尼王俯伏在地，向他下拜，又說：“你既能顯明這奧祕的事，你們的神誠然是萬神之神，萬王之主，又是顯明奧祕事的。”但是在他的心裡是否真的如此想呢？有時向人傳福音，人家有困難時為他禱告，當事情解決之後，對方是否會真的認為我們相信的神很厲害，是唯一的真神而投靠祂呢？嘴巴說的和心裡想的，往往是不一樣的。

當但以理為尼王解釋了夢中的人像之後，尼王心裡又是怎麼想的？從尼王所造的金像，我們可以試著去揣摩一二。在尼王的夢中，巴比倫在尼布甲尼撒的時期代表了像的金頭，但以後會有其他的國家相繼興起，雖然都不及巴比倫，不及尼王的偉大，但是對於一個相當自負的尼王而言，這豈是可忍受的？他的國度怎麼會就只有一個頭呢？就像秦始皇一樣，他也希望他的國家可以千秋萬世地傳下去，永無止盡，所以他派徐福帶了五百童男童女去找長生不老藥。徐福一去不回頭，據說他那批人變成了現在日本人的祖先。

而尼王呢？他造了一座又高又大的金像，很可能不是精金而是鑲金的。將兩個像一比較，就知道尼王想要表達的心意了，他要他的國度存到永世，而不是只有一個頭的時間。這就是人的野心和不知量力。會有非人手鑿出來的一塊石頭從山而出，打碎列國嗎？好，尼王現在就差人將總督、欽差、巡撫、臬司、藩司、謀士、法官和各省的官員都召了來，為此像行開光之禮，統一他國內的宗教。這些人有許多是從其他國擄來的，他們有各自的信仰，各自拜的神明，但是尼布甲尼撒打敗了諸國，把各神殿中的器皿都放進米羅達的神廟裡，所以尼王認為巴比倫所拜的米羅達勝過一切的神明。現在就要求所有的巴比倫子民，無論是巴比倫人或擄來的，通通放棄自己的信仰，都來拜最偉大的米羅達神。這樣，會不會安全一點？可以抵擋那塊非人手鑿出來的石頭？

Don’t Break His Legs

2021-12-29 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 12:43-51.  Let’s go!

Exodus 12:43-51 (NIV)
43  The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover: “No foreigner is to eat of it.
44  Any slave you have bought may eat of it after you have circumcised him,
45  but a temporary resident and a hired worker may not eat of it.
46  “It must be eaten inside one house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones.
47  The whole community of Israel must celebrate it.
48  “An alien living among you who wants to celebrate the LORD’s Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat of it.
49  The same law applies to the native-born and to the alien living among you.”
50  All the Israelites did just what the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.
51  And on that very day the LORD brought the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.

On verses 43-51:  In these verses the LORD makes certain distinctions concerning who may eat the Passover meal and who may not.  The distinction goes like this:  if you have placed your faith in the LORD, as evidenced by circumcision (in the case of males) (v48), then you may, in fact you must, partake of the Passover meal.  If your faith is not in Yahweh, you were not to eat the Passover meal; instead, eat something else.  This principle applied regardless of your social status and whether the person was an Israelite by birth or a foreigner who became an Israelite later on in life.

但以理解夢

2021-12-28 in , /by

〈但以理書〉 2:20 但以理說：神的名是應當稱頌的，從亙古直到永遠！因為智慧能力都屬乎祂。

閱讀經文：〈但以理書〉2:1-49

很多人都想為神做大事，有這種心志不是不對，卻不是神所要的。因為神要不要你為祂做大事是在於神的決定。神常常要我們從小事做起，例如，為祂立志不沾污自己。很多人可以為了健康而不吃油不吃鹽不吃糖不吃肉不吃蝦不喝酒不抽煙，但是能不能為了神，保守自己口舌言語上的潔淨？保羅說過，大戶人家裡有各樣的器皿，若想做貴重的器皿，不做卑賤的器皿，就要自潔，脫離卑賤的事，就必做貴重的器皿，成為聖潔，合乎主用，預備行各樣的善事（提後2:20-21）。我們若立志不沾污自己，神才能使用我們。不是先立志做大事，而要先立志過聖潔的生活。

但以理和朋友生活在一群尼布甲尼撒王（以下簡稱：尼王）擄來的俊傑之中，各個都是年少沒有殘疾，相貌俊美，通達各樣學問，知識、聰明俱備的，每個人都巴不得能夠脫穎而出，得到尼王的青睞，一步登天，坐上高位，那就前途無量，錦衣玉食了。個個都知道唯有最優秀的才能被尼王相中，可是但以理和他的三個朋友似乎並不熱衷於尼王的權勢，而是希望在異域仍然能夠保守他們在耶和華神眼前的聖潔。這也是我們和子女面臨的考驗，究竟是事業第一或是敬畏神第一？是神給人機會或是人自己找機會？當神給的機會來臨時，我們是否有能力去回應去承擔或表現？

在表面平靜的生活中，有一天王宮裡傳出了尼王的憤怒，因為他做了一個夢，但是他把夢給忘了。他問遍宮裡的術士、用法術的、行邪術（巫術）的和迦勒底人，但是沒有人能夠告訴他，他做了什麼夢。些人都是自認有異能的，迦勒底人則是一群看天象的人。他平時養了那麼多人，就是為了有需要時可以幫助他，現在他有需要了，這些人卻什麼都說不出來！平常在他面前吹牛吹馬的，現在都成孫子了！這些人平時自詡有能力，但此時在王的面前，卻無能為力，他們只能說：“請王將夢告訴僕人，僕人就可以講解”。王更生氣，這麼一個夢就把你們難倒了？他們承認：除了不與世人同居的神明，沒有人能說出來。他們承認他們的有限，人的有限。尼王氣極，要把這一批飯桶通通殺掉。

I’m Not Ready, But Let’s Go

2021-12-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 12:31-42.  Let’s go!

Exodus 12:31-32 (NIV)
31  During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested.
32  Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.”

On verses 31-32:  Pharaoh kept playing games with God and lost.  He lost his firstborn son.  He lost his pride.  Coming to an end to himself, at least for a moment, Pharaoh finally gives Moses and Aaron the go ahead to take the Israelites and their flocks and herds and leave Egypt as they had requested all along.  Then Pharaoh also says a startling thing: “And also bless me” (v32).  The last time the Bible recorded an Israelite blessing Pharaoh, it was 430 years earlier in Genesis 47:7, 10 when Jacob (Israel himself) blessed Pharaoh.  This was a generation before the enslavement of the Israelites had started in Egypt.  Now that the enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt has officially and suddenly ended, Pharaoh asks Moses to bless him. 

Why did Pharaoh ask Moses to bless him?  Probably because he finally acknowledged that God was with Moses and that Pharaoh needed the Lord’s mercy and grace at least in some way.  This is Pharaoh at his most humble and most humbled point in the story of Exodus.  What can we learn from this?  It’s when we are humble, or humbled, that we begin to be open to God working in our lives. 

Jesus, My Unleavened Bread and My Passover Lamb

2021-12-27 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 12:15-30.  Let’s go!

Exodus 12:15-30 (NIV)
15  For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel.
16  On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and  another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat–that is all you may do……

On verses 15-30:  At THRIVE Church online yesterday, I shared a message called “Too Much To Pass Over:  Understanding the Passover” where we looked at this passage together.  If you missed the message or just want to see my painting skills, click HERE.

Wanna check how well you listened to the message this past Sunday as well as your understanding of this passage?  Try to answer the following questions:

–        Pastor JB shared two reasons why God require that the Israelites eat bread without yeast.  What were those two reasons?

–        What was yeast supposed to symbolize in this case?  Does that mean that yeast is in fact bad and that we should avoid eating yeast all the time?

–        In what way is Jesus our unleavened bread?

–        In what way is Jesus our Passover lamb?

–        Why did God tell the Israelites to observe the Passover not just on the week that they actually left Egypt but on every anniversary of that event as well?