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Chosen for God’s Work + 5 Reasons God Wants You to Rest

2022-02-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 31:1-18.  Let’s go!

Exodus 31:1-11 (NIV)
1  Then the LORD said to Moses,
2  “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,
3  and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts–
4  to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze,
5  to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship……..

On verses 1-11:  Could God have created the artistic designs and done all the work himself for the tabernacle?  Of course He could have.  God could have spoken these things into existence in an instant.  Yet He chose to involve Moses, Bezalel, Oholiab and a bunch of unnamed craftsmen in the designing and making of the items that would form the tabernacle.  Why?  It’s because God delights in involving His children in His work in the world.  God didn’t make us only to be spectators to God’s work but participants too.

尼希米聞民怨而怒

2022-02-09 in , /by

〈尼希米記〉5:10我和我的弟兄與僕人也將銀錢、糧食借給百姓，我們大家都當免去利息。

閱讀經文：〈尼希米記〉5 章

為了要建城牆，可能百姓的民生工作都荒廢了，也沒有時間去耕種，有的人典了田地、葡萄園、房屋，要得糧食充飢，還要向波斯王納稅，生活艱難，甚至要賣兒女為僕為婢；但是有錢的貴冑不工作，卻吸乾百姓的血汗，利用他們的貧窮去謀利。這個問題不是從外敵來的侵犯，而是內部的腐敗。魔鬼的工作永遠不會只停留在一方面，一定從四面八方找人的軟弱去偷襲。我們若不警覺，就很容易被打倒。

在〈利未記〉25章35-37節，神說：“你的弟兄在你那裡若漸漸貧窮，手中缺乏，你就要幫補他，使他與你同住，像外人和寄居的一樣。不可向他取利，也不可向他多要，只要敬畏你的神，使你的弟兄與你同住。你借錢給他，不可向他取利；借糧給他，也不可向他多要。”不管是新約或舊約，神都讓我們知道，錢財是身外之物，敬畏神的人就要像天父一樣有憐憫人的心腸，不可以貪財。人若看到弟兄漸漸貧窮，又有缺乏，卻不肯幫助他，那就是貪財，因為把財物看得比人還重要。因此主耶穌說：“人若賺得全世界，賠上自己的生命，有什麼益處呢？人還能拿什麼換生命呢？（太16:24）”人若貪財，不僅賠上自己的生命，也墊上其他人的生命，大家都活不了，那些錢又有何益處？

因此尼希米招集大會攻擊這些貴胄和官長，可見那時已經有一股不好的風氣瀰漫在猶大人之間，有錢的更有錢，貧窮的更貧窮。因此貧窮的人感到很痛心：“我們的身體與我們弟兄的身體一樣，我們的兒女與他們的兒女一般，現在我們將要使兒女做人的僕婢，我們的女兒已有為婢的”，我們在神面前都是平等，都是一樣的，憑什麼他們要奴役我們的兒女？把兒女賣為僕婢，哪個父母不心疼？

God Has Washed and Anointed You

2022-02-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 30:17-38.  Let’s go!

Exodus 30:17-21 (NIV)
17  Then the LORD said to Moses,
18  “Make a bronze basin, with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it.
19  Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet with water from it.
20  Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting an offering made to the LORD by fire,
21  they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”

On verses 17-21:  Here the LORD instructs Moses to make a bronze basin for washing Aaron’s hands and feet and to place it in the courtyard between the altar and the Tent of Meeting.  The purpose of washing was “so that they will not die” (v20).   That is, on one level, the washing was to protect the physical health of Aaron and his sons as they regularly dealt with the blood of animals.  On another level, the washing with water symbolized the priests’ own need to be cleansed of their sins.

What can we learn from this?  (1) God cares about your physical health and thus we ought to take good care of our own physical health, in part by washing our bodies often; and (2) Jesus has washed away our sins in the water of His Word and His blood, as represented through water baptism.  As 1 Corinthians 6:11 says, “…But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

The Closer You Get

2022-02-08 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 30:1-16.  Let’s go!

Exodus 30:1-10 (NIV)
1  “Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense.
2  It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high–its horns of one piece with it.
3  Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it.
4  Make two gold rings for the altar below the molding–two on opposite sides–to hold the poles used to carry it.
5  Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
6  Put the altar in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the Testimony–before the atonement cover that is over the Testimony–where I will meet with you.
7  “Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps.
8  He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the LORD for the generations to come.
9  Do not offer on this altar any other incense or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it.
10  Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the generations to come. It is most holy to the LORD.”

On verses 1-10:  In the tabernacle where the Israelites would worship the LORD, out in the courtyard there would be a bronze altar for offering animal sacrifices.  But in addition to that bronze altar, there would inside the Tent of Meeting itself a smaller golden altar for burning incense.  It is this second, smaller, golden altar that verses 1-10 are describing.  This golden altar would be located (most likely) in the Holy Place, together with the lampstand and the bread.   

參巴拉聞建城垣憤恨譏笑

2022-02-08 in , /by

〈尼希米記〉4:15仇敵聽見我們知道他們的心意，見神也破壞他們的計謀，就不來了。我們都回到城牆那裡，各做各的工。

閱讀經文：〈尼希米記〉4 章

當神的僕人工作時，撒旦一定會用各樣的方法去阻擋。尼希米拒絕了敵人假心假意的合作提議，敵人的真面目就顯露無遺。他們大大惱恨，嗤笑猶大人：「這些軟弱的猶大人做甚麼呢？要保護自己嗎？要獻祭嗎？要一日成功嗎？要從土堆裡拿出火燒的石頭再立牆嗎？」亞捫人多比雅站在旁邊，說：「他們所修造的石牆，就是狐狸上去也必跐倒。」

猶大人本來就心存畏懼，現在河東省長參巴拉帶著撒瑪利亞士兵前來，又嘲笑他們，就是為了破壞他們的士氣。但是他們只敢嘲笑，不敢動手阻擋，因為尼希米是奉了王的詔書而來，任何人不得阻擋他們建城牆的工作。撒旦對基督徒的手段也是如此，先是讓其心感害怕，畏懼，以致不敢做這個不敢做那個。但是我們有神的帶領，就不要害怕撒旦的嘲笑和威嚇。

當尼希米看到這個情形時，第一個反應便是禱告：「我們的神啊，求祢垂聽，因為我們被藐視。求祢使他們的毀謗歸於他們的頭上，使他們在擄到之地作為掠物。不要遮掩他們的罪孽，不要使他們的罪惡從你面前塗抹，因為他們在修造的人眼前惹動祢的怒氣。」(4-5節)

尼希米一面禱告，一面鼓勵猶大人作工，因此大家都能專心工作，很快就修造連絡城牆，高至一半，成績裴然。敵人一看到城牆破裂之處都被修好了，以後不能隨時去騷擾猶大人，搶劫欺負他們，不禁更加惱怒。

Eat that Ram

2022-02-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage, Exodus 29:29-46, is filled with good lessons for us.  Let’s go!

Exodus 29:29-30 (NIV)
29  “Aaron’s sacred garments will belong to his descendants so that they can be anointed and ordained in them.
30  The son who succeeds him as priest and comes to the Tent of Meeting to minister in the Holy Place is to wear them seven days.

On verses 29-30:   I learn two lessons from these verses.  First, notice that when God was commissioning Aaron as high priest, He already had Aaron’s successor in mind.  God plans for the long-term.  His focus is not only on what is happening now in this generation, but the generations after that.  We would be wise to plan the way God plans: don’t think only about what is urgent and immediate, but also think long-term and about the next generation when planning for the future.

Second, Aaron’s successor was supposed to wear Aaron’s clothes for 7 days straight.  This was so that Aaron’s successor could get used to his new role as high priest, and also the people could get used to seeing Aaron’s successor in this new role.  What’s the lesson?  People need time to adjust to change, so be patient with others and patient with yourself when you’re facing new circumstances.

始建邑垣依次修築

2022-02-07 in , /by

〈尼希米記〉3:1那時，大祭司以利亞實和他的弟兄眾祭司起來建立羊門，分別為聖，安立門扇，又築城牆到哈米亞樓，直到哈楠業樓，分別為聖。

閱讀經文：〈尼希米記〉3 章

古代最著名的護城牆便是中國的萬里長城了，為了抵禦外族侵犯，從西周到戰國，許多諸候國都開始投入修建自己屬地的城牆，直到秦始皇統一六國後，才將各國的城牆連接起來，也因而被命名為萬里長城。

我們今天看的〈尼希米記〉第三章也有類似的概念，先是大家對著自己的房屋修建城牆，也是修建隣近自己房屋的城牆，然後再把城牆連起來，有的城門兩側還有石頭門樓，似是防禦之用。這些石頭門樓各有名字，例如：哈米亞樓，哈楠業樓，角樓，爐樓，等等。耶路撒冷是重要的交通樞紐，所以需要許多城門。通常厚重的大門兩側的城牆會較高較厚，以便守門的衛兵站崗。

回想一下，古時候住在中國邊境的老百姓經常會受到外族的騷擾或搶劫，性命和財產都沒有保障，萬一外族長驅而入，就引起社會動盪不安，甚至有關國家存亡。耶路撒冷原是一個易守難攻的城巿，但是她的城牆被毀了，回歸的百姓住在城裡是不是也會長期受到外邦人的欺負和騷擾？因此她的敵人不希望看到她重建城牆，而尼希米則迫切地要重建耶路撒冷的城牆。也因而當尼希米發出呼籲時，就立刻得到大家的響應。

Jesus, Your Three-in-One Sacrifice

2022-02-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is  Exodus 29:15-28.  Let’s go!

Exodus 29:15-21 (NIV)
15  “Take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head.
16  Slaughter it and take the blood and sprinkle it against the altar on all sides.
17  Cut the ram into pieces and wash the inner parts and the legs, putting them with the head and the other pieces.
18  Then burn the entire ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the LORD, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the LORD by fire.
19  “Take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head.
20  Slaughter it, take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then sprinkle blood against the altar on all sides.
21  And take some of the blood on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. Then he and his sons and their garments will be consecrated.

On verses 15-21:  Exodus 29:10-21 talk about three sacrifices that God tells Moses to make on behalf of Aaron, his sons and the altar they’ll be serving at.  Let’s look at these 3 sacrifices now.

The first sacrifice is a sin offering (v10-14) where Moses slaughters a bull (v11), puts the blood of the bull on the horns (the tops) of the altar and pours out the rest of the bull’s blood at the base of the altar (v12).  He then burns the fat around the bull’s inner parts on the altar (v13) and takes the rest and burns it outside the camp (v14). The purpose of this first sacrifice was to pay for the sins of Aaron and his sons.  Thus it was called a “sin offering”.

尼希米返耶路撒冷建築城垣

2022-02-06 in , /by

〈尼希米記〉2:9王派了軍長和馬兵護送我。我到了河西的省長那裡，將王的詔書交給他們。

閱讀經文：〈尼希米記〉2 章

在前一章裡，我們讀到尼希米的禱告，最後兩句話是：「使祢僕人現今亨通，在王面前蒙恩。 」可見尼希米心裡迫切地想回故土，但是不敢向王提起，也不知從何向王說起，所以先把這件事放在禱告中，求神為他開路。

神就為他開路了，讓王注意到他面帶愁容。有多少當上司的會注意到下屬的面容呢？尤其是一個高高在上皂王，一般都只有讓人看他皂臉色行事，很難期望他會看到別人的臉色。偏偏這一天王就注意到了尼希米的臉色有異。王很體貼皂問他是否有病？沒病為何面帶愁容？對尼希米而言，他是嚇壞了，倘若王的心情不好，可以下罪詔，說尼希米給他臉色看。服事王的時候豈不當快快樂樂的嗎？為什麼擺一張臭臉給王看呢？幸好那天王的心情很不錯。

當他問清了尼希米心中的難處和打算後，便應允了尼希米的請求，並且還提供了許多的幫助和保護。大衛在〈詩篇〉37篇裡講到不要為惡人心懷不平，但更重要的是：「當將你的事交託耶和華，並倚靠祂，祂就必成全。」尼希米 的禱告使我們明白這個道理。光是憂愁沒有用，要把事情交托給神才有用。

尼希米為故土禁食祈禱

2022-02-04 in , /by

〈尼希米記〉1:5 耶和華天上的神，大而可畏的神啊，你向愛你守你誡命的人守約施慈愛。

閱讀經文：〈尼希米記〉1 章

根據猶大史學家約瑟夫和其他早期作者的記載，〈以斯拉記〉和〈尼希米記〉在早期希伯來文聖經是合成一卷的，併稱〈以斯拉記〉。最早把兩卷書分開是1448年的希伯來文抄本，現代希伯來文聖經則分別稱它們為〈以斯拉記〉及〈尼希米記〉。在舊約的希臘文譯本（七十士譯本）中，這兩卷書也是合成一卷。在三世紀初，神學家俄利根是第一個人見證這兩卷書是分開的。〈尼希米記〉中，大部分是尼希米的個人回憶錄，學者們多認為是真實可靠的。

有的人認為被擄到巴比倫的猶大人因為失去聖殿，同時也失去了信仰；尤其是在〈以斯帖記〉裡一點都沒有提到他們與神的關係，所以他們都是離開神，不敬虔的。事實上並非如此，當我們看到末底改不畏權勢，怎樣也不跪拜哈曼；以斯帖叫大家和她一起禁食，為進宮做準備時，我們就知道他們可能無法像在耶路撒冷時去敬拜和獻祭，但是在他們的生命中依然流淌著對神的敬畏和倚靠。

從尼希米聽到耶路撒冷的消息而痛哭祈禱時，我們也知道他心繫故土，並且深深敬畏神。尼希米其父爲哈迦利亞，也是被擄之民。在波斯國王亞達薛西(一世)統治猶大時，尼希米在宮中給亞達薛西王做進酒的工作。當亞達薛西王20年基斯流月(約主前446年的11月中旬到12月中旬)，他從一位來自猶大的弟兄得知被擄歸回及留在猶大的居民受辱，耶路撒冷的城牆拆毀，城門被火焚燒，就大爲悲傷並爲此禁食祈禱 (1∶1-4)。