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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)。

Believe It Or Not, This Is About You

2022-02-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 29:1-14.  Let’s go!

Exodus 29:1-14 (NIV)
1  “This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so they may serve me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without defect.
2  And from fine wheat flour, without yeast, make bread, and cakes mixed with oil, and wafers spread with oil.
3  Put them in a basket and present them in it–along with the bull and the two rams.
4  Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water.
5  Take the garments and dress Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself and the breast piece. Fasten the ephod on him by its skillfully woven waistband……

Today we turn our attention to the consecration of the High Priest. Here God ordered Moses how to consecrate Aaron and his sons in detail. The word “to consecrate” in verse 9 means to sanctify, to prepare, to dedicate, to honor, or to treat as sacred. In other words, being consecrated means being sanctified by and dedicated to God. Therefore, “being consecrated as the High Priest” means “being set apart to be given the authority and duties of the High Priest.” God gave Aaron and his sons the right of the High Priest and the priesthood, which enabled them to render his people the remission of sins.

以斯拉勸民認罪出其異族之妻

2022-02-03 in , /by

〈以斯拉記〉10:11現在當向耶和華你們列祖的神認罪，遵行他的旨意，離絕這些國的民和外邦的女子。

閱讀經文：〈以斯拉記〉十章

當以斯拉在祈禱認罪哭泣，俯伏在神殿之前時，以色列人包括孩童慢慢地也聚集到他那裡。以斯拉對罪的反應，也引起了他們眾人心裡皂痛悔，我相信，聖靈在他們中間動工，使他們的心同感一靈，一同在神面前認罪。

當他們一起痛哭時，有一位以攔的子孫、耶歇的兒子示迦尼對以斯拉說：「我們在此地娶了外邦女子為妻，干犯了我們的　神，然而以色列人還有指望。」假如這位示迦尼的父親耶歇就是 10:26 的耶歇，示迦尼就是為了其父親娶了外邦女子而認罪。以攔的家族中有六個與異族通婚的人 (10:26) 。示迦尼建議：「現在當與我們的神立約，休這一切的妻，離絕她們所生的，照著我主和那因　神命令戰兢之人所議定的，按律法而行。你起來，這是你當辦的事，我們必幫助你，你當奮勉而行。」很有可能示迦尼的父親是在示迦尼的母親之外又娶的外邦女子，因此他可以如此理智地提出這個建議。

「娶外邦女子為妻」：這裡的「娶」，意思是「給予住處」，在神面前並不構成合法婚姻。 「休妻」：「把妻子送走」。既然不是合法婚姻，就不必離婚，而是用合理人道的條件把她們跟子女送走。當時在巴比倫、波斯統治之下奉行的是漢摩拉比法典的法律。根據漢摩拉比法典，巴比倫離婚的婦女要負責撫養兒女。因此宣告離婚也將造成與自己的骨肉分離。

Don’t Take God’s Presence for Granted

2022-02-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 28:31-43.  Let’s go!

Exodus 28:31-35 (NIV)
31  “Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth,
32  with an opening for the head in its center. There shall be a woven edge like a collar around this opening, so that it will not tear.
33  Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them.
34  The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe.
35  Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the LORD and when he comes out, so that he will not die.

On verses 31-35:  Here the LORD describes the robe that the priest would wear underneath the two pieces of clothing we looked at in verses 6-30: breastpiece and the ephod.  Unlike the breastpiece and ephod which were both multicoloured, the robe was to be a solid blue (v31).  The hem of the robe was to have yarn pomegranates (apparently a symbol of abundance in Moses’ time) with gold bells between each pomegranate.  

What does verse 35 mean when it says that the sound of the bells will be heard when the priest enters and exists the Holy Place “so that he will not die”?  One theory is that you were not to enter or exit the LORD’s presence unannounced, and so the ringing of the bells served as an announcement that the priest was moving, either in or out of the Holy Place. 

以斯拉認罪祈禱

2022-02-02 in , /by

〈以斯拉記〉9:5 獻晚祭的時候我起來，心中愁苦，穿著撕裂的衣袍，雙膝跪下向耶和華我的神舉手。

閱讀經文：〈以斯拉記〉九章

以斯拉向首領們交帳之後，就碰到了一個很嚴重的問題。此時距聖殿重建己經六十年，當初回歸的心志也在日常生活中慢慢消失了。當人們回復到開門七件事時，就有飽暖思淫欲的問題。他們建殿後過逾越節時，大家在神面前追求聖潔的心也淡去了。

追求聖潔是因為和神有一個緊密的關係，討神的喜悅，求神的眷佑，以期聖殿順利完工。聖殿完工後，仇敵也不再來騷擾，在安逸中開始尋求生活的歡樂和刺激，他們當中有些人開始和外邦人聯婚。我們可能覺得和外邦人結婚沒有什麼大不了啊，現在不同國籍種族通婚的事己經視為平常，為什麼不可以呢？神是否太古板了？不都是祂造皂的人嗎？

假如我們記得所羅門的失敗和猶大亡國的原因，就記得那是因為他們離開神去拜偶像之故；為什麼他們會離棄神去拜偶像呢？大多數是因為娶了外邦女子，為了討她們的歡心，因而隨從她們去拜偶像，以致得罪神。這就是為何神不要他們和外邦人聯婚的原因。在婚姻中，我們會引用保羅的教導：信與不信的不能同負一軛，也是出於這個原因。不是因為別人不好，而是因為神的子民不夠成熟，不懂得分辨，也十分軟弱，以致隨波逐流，因而落入撒旦的陷阱裡。

Bring Your Question To God And Believe He Will Answer

2022-02-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 28:15-30.  Let’s go!

Exodus 28:15-30 (NIV)
15  “Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions–the work of a skilled craftsman. Make it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen.
16  It is to be square–a span long and a span wide–and folded double.
17  Then mount four rows of precious stones on it. In the first row there shall be a ruby, a topaz and a beryl;
18  in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and an emerald;
19  in the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst;……

On verses 15-30:  In these verses the LORD describes the breastpiece that the priest would wear.  Like the ephod, this square breastpiece was also made of expensive and excellent material: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen (v15).  In addition it was bling-ed out with 12 precious stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel (v17-21).  It was also decorated with gold chains and gold rings (v22-28).

Finally, what is “the Urim and the Thummim” which were to be put in the breastpiece over Aaron’s heart?  The Urim and the Thummim was a “means of making decisions” (v30) in God’s presence.

About The Clothes You Wear

2022-02-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 28:1-14.  Let’s go!

Exodus 28:1-2 (NIV)
1  “Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests.
2  Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron, to give him dignity and honor.

On verses 1-2:  The LORD wanted Aaron, who was going to be Israel’s high priest, to wear sacred garments that would “give him dignity and honour” (v2).  What can we learn from this?   Whether we want to admit or not, the clothes we wear consciously or subconsciously make us feel a certain way and can also give others a certain feeling about us as well.  If you want to change the way you feel, consider changing the clothes you wear.  For example, I know some very effective business people who, during COVID 19 season, still change into work clothes every morning even though they are working from home.  I have friends who still wear their “Sunday best” just to watch online church at home.  That’s because how we dress does affect how we feel.  That’s also why God, because He loves us, gives us robes of righteousness to wear, so that we would not feel ashamed (Isaiah 61:10), but that we, like Aaron, would feel dignity and honour.   

Exodus 28:3 (NIV)
3  Tell all the skilled men to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest.