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Give Yourself and Others a Break

2022-01-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 23:10-19.  Let’s go!

Exodus 23:10-12 (NIV)
10  “For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops,
11  but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.
12  “Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed.

On verses 10-12:  The LORD tells the Israelites to give their fields a Sabbath rest every seventh year (v10-11) and to rest from their work on every seventh day (v12).  Earlier when the LORD commanded the Israelites to rest on the Sabbath, He said that this Sabbath was “to the LORD your God”, i.e. as a way to worship and honour God.  But notice whose benefit the LORD has in mind when talking about the need to rest: it’s the poor (v11) and wild animals (v11), that they would have a year with extra food to eat, and for the Israelites’ livestock, servants and foreigners (v12), that they “may be refreshed”.  

What can we learn from this?  When we rest from our work, we’re not the only ones who benefit.  We give those around us a break as well.  When you’re a workaholic and don’t know how to rest, not only do you risk running yourself to the ground, but you run the risk of exhausting the people you work with.  For the sake of their refreshment and yours, follow the LORD’s command to schedule regular rest.

定普珥日

2022-01-23 in , /by

〈以斯帖記〉9:26 照著普珥的名字，猶大人就稱這兩日為普珥日。

閱讀經文：〈以斯帖記〉9 / 〈以斯帖記〉10

普珥節(希伯來文：Purim，就是掣籤)是紀念西元前5世紀，猶太人被擄到波斯帝國時差點被滅族時，上帝如何用奇妙方法拯救了猶太民族！

亞達月(Adar)14號和15號，通常會在陽曆二月或三月碰上～2022年的普珥節在三月16-17日

重溫普珥節的故事

猶太人被擄到波斯(巴比倫)之後的有一天，有一個叫哈大沙(Hadassah)的猶太女孩，她沒有爸爸媽媽，於是她的堂哥末底改就成了他的養父。某天亞哈隨魯王要找年輕女子來取代被廢去的皇后瓦實提，當然長得漂亮的哈大沙也被送入宮，可是照著末底改的囑咐，她並不提起自己的猶太血緣，而是用波斯的名字「以斯帖」(Esther)。

當時的波斯王朝是從印度到衣索比亞(古實)，但在各種美女之中，以斯帖絕對是特別有內在美的一個人，進到宮中後，她特別受到照顧，而神也讓亞哈隨魯王被她吸引，於是她竟然成了亞哈隨魯王的皇后！

末底改曾經救過亞哈隨魯王一命，這件事情有記錄下來，之後亞哈隨魯王抬舉了一個叫哈曼的人來當他的臣宰，他是亞甲族、就是亞瑪力人的後代。王的意思是說大家看到哈曼就要下拜。但偏偏末底改不拜他，所以大家都覺得很奇怪，一問之下才知道是因為末底改信仰的緣故所以不願下拜。於是哈曼決定來掣普珥，就是掣籤，找個好日子來把猶太民族除掉。

Standing Up for What’s Right

2022-01-23 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 23:1-9.  Let’s go!

Exodus 23:1 (NIV)
1  “Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked man by being a malicious witness.

On verse 1:  Don’t gossip.  Don’t fuel the rumour mill.  Don’t say false things about others.

Exodus 23:2 (NIV)
2  “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd,

On verse 2:  Avoid negative peer pressure and stand up for what is right.

Exodus 23:3 (NIV)
3  and do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.

On verse 3:  God tells judges not to favour a poor person in a lawsuit just because that person is poor.  In verse 6 God will give the counterbalancing command, which is to make sure that the poor are not denied justice.   Put verse 3 and 6 together and what you get is the notion that judges are to be fair and impartial, not showing favoritism to anyone simply because of their economic or social background.

末底改取代哈曼

2022-01-21 in , /by

〈以斯帖記〉8:16猶大人有光榮，歡喜快樂而得尊貴。

閱讀經文：〈以斯帖記〉8

人的寵信何等有限。兩個月前哈曼還是高高在上；兩個月後，哈曼就被王下令掛在自己做的木架上了。假如我們倚靠的是人的恩寵，而不是神的信實，那後果也很可能像哈曼一樣，一朝為臣，終生為奴。哈曼被掛上木架，死了；他的家人會到哪裡去呢？家產都被沒收了。若是像中國以前的大臣犯罪，諸連九族，就全殺了；不然就讓其家人為奴為婢，下場很可悲。因此大衛王說：凡等候神的必不羞愧（詩25:3）。

在哈曼得意時，末底改要忍耐他的氣勢；當哈曼要剪除猶大人時，末底改禁食、痛哭，彷彿世界末日。但是神看見猶大人彷彿被趕散的羊，無人搭救，就起了憐憫之心，親自為他們開路。這就是神和猶大子民的關係，也是神和祂的兒女們的關係。神的同在不是無所謂的觀望，而是親自去破壞敵人的詭計。這故事裡的情節，使我們看到神的子民何等有福，即使成為亡國奴，神依然眷顧，仍然保守到底。神親自抹乾他們的眼淚，使他們的痛苦變為歡笑。所以我們若落在苦難中，不要灰心，不要絕望，因為天父必看顧你。

亞哈隨魯王把哈曼的家產賜給以斯帖，把哈曼的高位賜給末底改，在一夕之間，他們都高過他們的仇敵了。但是這還不夠啊，更重要的是十二月份，王已下令其他民族都可以去殺猶大人，搶猶大人，要怎樣才能挽回呢？王的命令是不能更改的，君無戲言，怎麼辦？末底改想出了一個好主意，奉王的名寫諭旨，又用王的戒指蓋印，允許猶大人在亞達月十三日，“聚集保護性命，剪除、殺戮、滅絕那要攻擊猶大人的一切仇敵和他們的妻子、兒女，奪取他們的財為掠物”。這一下，整個局勢就改觀了，猶大人的命運也改變了。

Because You Are Precious To God

2022-01-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 22:1-15.  Let’s go!

Exodus 22:1-15 (NIV)
1  “If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.
2  “If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed;
3  but if it happens after sunrise, he is guilty of bloodshed. “A thief must certainly make restitution, but if he has nothing, he must be sold to pay for his theft.
4  “If the stolen animal is found alive in his possession–whether ox or donkey or sheep–he must pay back double.
5  “If a man grazes his livestock in a field or vineyard and lets them stray and they graze in another man’s field, he must make restitution from the best of his own field or vineyard…….

On verses 1-15:  Over and over the word “restitution” comes up.  Restitution is a legal term that means restoring to someone something that has been taken away from them. It’s about making a person whole again after they have lost something. That’s what these regulations in verses 1 to 15 are talking about.

How can we apply these regulations from the Law of Moses?  First, if we scan the New Testament, we’ll see that the New Testament does not specifically mention these regulations.

The God Who Restores You

2022-01-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 22:1-15.  Let’s go!

Exodus 22:1-15 (NIV)
1  “If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.
2  “If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed;
3  but if it happens after sunrise, he is guilty of bloodshed. “A thief must certainly make restitution, but if he has nothing, he must be sold to pay for his theft.
4  “If the stolen animal is found alive in his possession–whether ox or donkey or sheep–he must pay back double.
5  “If a man grazes his livestock in a field or vineyard and lets them stray and they graze in another man’s field, he must make restitution from the best of his own field or vineyard…….

On verses 1-15:  Over and over the word “restitution” comes up.  Restitution is a legal term that means restoring to someone something that has been taken away from them. It’s about making a person whole again after they have lost something. That’s what these regulations in verses 1 to 15 are talking about.

How can we apply these regulations from the Law of Moses?  First, if we scan the New Testament, we’ll see that the New Testament does not specifically mention these regulations.

哈曼懸於自備之木

2022-01-20 in , /by

〈以斯帖記〉7:10於是人將哈曼掛在他為末底改所預備的木架上。王的憤怒這才止息。

閱讀經文：〈以斯帖記〉7

從哈曼和末底改兩人受王恩後的表現，你覺得這兩人有何不同？當哈曼受到王恩之後，就沾沾自喜，得意非凡，非把所有人都踏在腳下不滿足，一幅趾高氣揚，不可一世的樣子；但是末底改受到王的恩竉，穿了王的朝服，騎了王的馬，讓全城的人都知道他是王所喜悅的人之後，他還是回到他的本位上，並不因而有所改變。你佩服哪一種人？我們身邊偶而也會有這兩種人輪流出現，一種讓人羨慕又鄙視，一種讓人暗暗地欽佩不已。這兩種人的後果又如何？耶穌的母親讚美神：“祂叫有權柄的失位，叫卑賤的升高；叫飢餓的得飽美食，叫富足的空手回去。（路1:46-47）”，卑賤也含有謙卑、自卑的意思。因此我們要在神面前選擇做哪一種人比較好？

哈曼幫末底改牽了一天的馬之後，悶悶不樂地回到家裡，但是還有令人振奮的，皇后的筵席在等著他，他何必太難過？今天不是過去了嗎？明天，一切都會變得更好，他哈曼是王的寵臣，馬失前蹄也還可以再走下一步，不是嗎？到了皇后的筵席前，一切都還是那麼美好，人人也都對他彬彬有禮，看到國王和皇后和顏悅色，他的心裡感到了一陣愉快。是啊，不要杞人憂天了，不愉快的一天就讓它過去吧！

在酒席開始之前，亞哈隨魯王迫不及待地問王后以斯帖：“你要什麼，我必賜給你；你求什麼，就是國的一半，也必為你成就”。他已經等了兩天了，不知道王后心裡有什麼難事，像個小孩一樣，很想知道王后在想什麼。他是王，他的權勢大得很，一定能滿足他心愛的女人，不是嗎？滿足自己心愛的女人，豈不是一個男人的榮耀嗎？王后想要什麼呢？即使要和他平起平坐，分掉一半的國，他也願意。當你愛一個人的時候，除了讓對方高興可以使你得滿足之外，其他的都是次要，你同意嗎？神對我們的愛也是如此，要使我們的喜樂得到滿足（約16:24）。

末底改得尊榮

2022-01-19 in , /by

〈以斯帖記〉6:13 你在末底改面前始而敗落，他如果是猶大人，你必不能勝他，終必在他面前敗落。

閱讀經文：〈以斯帖記〉6

很奇妙的，當哈曼在家裡做了一個五丈高的木架，準備第二天上早朝時，求王讓他把末底改掛到木架上的那個晚上，王睡不著覺。哪一天都睡得著，偏偏那晚睡不著。小孩子要聽故事才睡得著，大人則換成聽歷史才睡得著。所以王就叫人取歷史來唸給他聽。正好那天晚上唸到有兩個守門的想要加害於王，被末底改知道了，他就去報告王后，王后又去通知王，因而保住了王的性命。聽到這裡，王就問，那當時有沒有賜給末底改什麼尊榮爵位啊？伺候王的臣僕回答沒有。

有時候我們做了好事，卻得不到任何的獎賞或鼓勵時，不要難過。因為我們在天父的手中，神的每一個安排計劃都是為我們設計好的，我們不用著急。本來做好事是應當的，可是因為做壞事的人太多了，所以感覺上做了好事就該有獎賞。但是信主的人不要因為一時得不到獎賞而灰心喪志，因為到了時候，我們就會發現原來神的計劃是那樣的完美。

哈曼本來預定第二天上早朝時才去求王的，但是做完木架之後，他迫不及待地跑去求王了。本來在深夜裡去見王，也沒有什麼急事，是一種對人的騷擾，也不合一般的禮節，但是因為太興奮了，哈曼竟然不顧一切在深夜裡去見王了。但是他並不知道，此時的王在想什麼。

The Raging Bull

2022-01-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 21:26-36.  Let’s go!

Exodus 21:26-36 (NIV)
26  “If a man hits a manservant or maidservant in the eye and destroys it, he must let the servant go free to compensate for the eye.
27  And if he knocks out the tooth of a manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free to compensate for the tooth.
28  “If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull must be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible.
29  If, however, the bull has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept it penned up and it kills a man or woman, the bull must be stoned and the owner also must be put to death…….

Verses 28 – 32 concerns various scenarios involving an ox. First, If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall surely be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall go unpunished. Here was a situation where an animal (specifically an ox) kills (gores) a person (man or woman). As judgment, only the ox is killed, but the owner is not punished. The owner is not considered liable for the deed of his animal. However, once the animal is proven to be dangerous to human life, that animal must be killed, in order to prevent additional damage to humans.

哈曼立木架要殺末底改

2022-01-18 in , /by

〈以斯帖記〉5:2 王見王后以斯帖站在院內，就施恩於她，向她伸出手中的金杖，以斯帖便向前摸杖頭。

閱讀經文：〈以斯帖記〉5

經過了三天三夜的禁食，以斯帖穿上朝服，也就是正式的皇后服，進到王宮的內院，對殿站立。她沒有直入王宮，她只是站在內院，正好可以看到坐在寶座上，對著殿門的王，王也看得見她的地方。王看見了以斯帖，就向她伸出手中的金杖，以斯帖就上前摸杖頭。這是一個很動人的畫面，王向以斯帖表明他的恩竉和接納，而以斯帖也以摸杖頭表示接受王的恩竉。王對以斯帖說，她就是要國的一半，也必賜給她，表示以斯帖仍然擁有王的寵幸。

以斯帖很有智慧，她並沒有立刻把問題說出來，只是要求王帶著哈曼去赴她所準備的筵席。這件事和國的一半相比，實在是很小兒科，王樂得做順水人情，立刻答應，叫哈曼速速照行。在筵席上，王知道以斯帖必有所求，因此再一次重覆他的應許。以斯帖承認自己有所求，但要第二天請王再帶著哈曼赴她的筵席時再說明。

以斯帖這個計劃很週全。因為她必須把哈曼套住，讓他無法逃走才行。假如她太早透露自己是猶大人的身份，那樣會有什麼後果？很可能哈曼又有說詞，讓王無法更改所下的命令。很可能王聽了以後，只會保住她一個人的性命。