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When Staying A Slave Is Better Than Going Free

2022-01-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs!  

Today’s passage is Exodus 21:1-11.  Let’s go!

Exodus 21:1-11 (NIV)
1  “These are the laws you are to set before them:
2  “If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything.
3  If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him.
4  If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free…….

On verses 1-11:  In the Bible, 7 is a special number that often symbolizes that something is complete. We see many references to it in the Bible:
– God rested on the 7th day (Genesis 2:2-3)
– God commanded His people to rest from their work every 7th day (Exodus 20:9)
– God commanded His people to let even their fields rest from being used or plowed in the 7th year (Exodus 23:11, Leviticus 25:4).

Similarly, we see here in Exodus 21:1-11 that God institutes a system where after 6 years of service a servant working for an Israelite would be freed in the 7th year.

In our day whenever we think of servants or slaves, we might think of the barbaric practices of more recent Western slave trading, where people are kidnapped, treated inhumanely and forced to work as slaves for little or no compensation.

王后的位分

2022-01-17 in , /by

〈以斯帖记〉4:17 此时你若闭口不言，犹大人必从别处得解脱蒙拯救，你和你父家必致灭亡。焉知你得了王后的位分，不是为现今的机会吗？

阅读经文：〈以斯帖记〉4

当哈曼的坏主意在各地宣告之后，全书珊城的犹大人都惊慌了。书珊城是波斯帝国的首都，书珊本意即百合花，在这个充满百合花的美丽城巿，却有见不得人的一场血腥的杀戮即将发生。想想看，假如在你移民去的国家里，政府宣布某年某月某日，所有非华人的民族，都可以去杀华人抢华人，那会造成华人多大的恐慌？2014的五月，新闻报导，由于中越在南海的争议引发的示威持续，越南3个省发生反华抗议，平阳省工业区百多家台资、港资工厂亦遭殃，办公室被破坏、货物被抢、仓库被放火坟烧。暴徒见有中文字的店舖、工厂、汽车就打、就砸，你挡他，他就打你，吓得当地的土生华人也都尽量不出门了。印尼也有好几次排华，1965年几十万华侨被屠杀，躲都没地方躲。都是很可怕的回忆。

犹大人被掳到巴比伦，以拦的书珊城也是巴比伦的国土，那里也聚集了很多犹大人。犹大人到了那里就开始做生意生根，哪会想到有一天要这样被人公然抢劫和杀死？谁没有父母和子女，想到一家人的下场如此悽惨，怎能不撕裂衣服，穿麻衣，蒙灰尘，痛哭哀号？撕裂衣服，穿麻衣，蒙灰尘，痛哭哀号是犹大人在神面前一种痛悔的姿态，因为到了灭亡的时刻，人只能祈求神的怜悯。好像尼尼微的王一听到约拿的宣告就披上麻布，坐在灰中，并通告全城的人和动物禁食,认罪悔改，希望求得神的怜悯。

穿麻衣不能进朝门，因为朝门是进王宫觐见王的地方，穿着麻衣等于是在哀悼，一般认为是很不吉利的，不可以把不吉利的东西带进王宫。所以末底改也不可以穿着麻衣去向王申诉。王的谕旨所到的各省各处，犹大人大大悲哀，禁食、哭泣、哀号，穿麻衣躺在灰中的甚多。因为恐惧和绝望抓住了他们。

From Fear To Love

2022-01-16 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 20:18-26.  Let’s go!

Exodus 20:18-21 (NIV)
18  When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance
19  and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”
20  Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
21  The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

On verses 18-21:  After hearing the voice of God directly for the first time, together with thunder, lightning, a trumpet blast and a mountain on fire, the Israelites are freaking out in fear.  They stay at a distance from God.  They tell Moses that instead of hearing God’s voice directly they would prefer that Moses hear from God directly and then tell the Israelites what the LORD is saying.  Moses reassures the Israelites that this encounter was a test (v20), so that they would fear God and not sin against Him.  

This passage marked the first time in the Old Testament a large group of people got to hear the voice of God directly.  In the New Testament, the first time a large group of people get to hear the voice of God directly, it’s when Jesus the Son of God is speaking to them.  The contrast is stark: in Exodus 20:18-26, God comes with terrifying thunder.  In the New Testament, God comes as a baby.  In Exodus 20:18-26, God motivates with fear.  In the New Testament, God motivates with love.  It’s the same God, but Jesus Christ changes everything, extinguishing the wrath of God with his blood shed on the cross, emphasizing God’s love and compassion for sinners, and expressing the power of God with his resurrection.  In Exodus 20:18-26, the atmosphere is dominated by overwhelming fear.  In the New Testament and in heaven today, because of Jesus, the atmosphere is dominated by overwhelming love.

哈曼谋灭犹太人

2022-01-16 in , /by

〈以斯帖记〉3:5 哈曼见末底改不跪不拜，他就怒气填胸。

阅读经文：〈以斯帖记〉3

因此耶和华神曾经下令要灭绝亚玛力人，从天下涂抹他们的名号，但是扫罗并没有按著神的心意去做。这个哈曼在朝庭中得势了，王抬举他，使他高升，吩咐一切臣仆都跪拜哈曼。唯有末底改不跪也不拜。当哈曼知道原来末底改是犹大人时，他就开始有了坏心眼。他不仅要对付末底改一人，更要消灭整个犹大民族，以雪被灭族的仇恨。

为何末底改不肯跪拜哈曼呢？因为他是犹大人，犹大人己经从亡国学到功课，开始明白除了耶和华神，谁都不能拜。这又是一个很有趣的对照。在犹大尚未亡国之时，君王和百姓都不肯停止拜假神和偶像。但是亡国之后，犹大魂就显现了。犹大魂就是代表犹大人的民族精神。但以理和他的朋友在巴比伦的表现可圈可点，尤其是他的三个朋友宁可被丢进火窑中，也不肯跪拜尼布甲尼撒做的金像；现在末底改也不肯跪拜哈曼。神对犹大人的管教总算有了一点成果。但愿我们不必受管教，就离弃偶像和假神。

“普珥”是一个亚述文字，意思是“签”；掣普珥就是掣签，用来决定何月何日为吉。不管是巴比伦王或波斯王都有这种迷信的习俗。在巴比伦王要进攻亚扪或犹大之前，他也曾经拿牺牲的肝去占卜，决定要攻打的国家（结21:21）。在波斯的王室里也用掣签来选择何时是做事的最好时日。那时是正月，掣签出来是十二月。掣签之后，哈曼对王进谗言，用一万他连得银子买到了亚哈随鲁王（以下简称：亚王）的同意。在这里，亚王并没有问清楚他想灭绝什么人，有何原因。可能因为已经打败了太多国家，太多民族，对亚王而言，少一个民族算得了什么？亚王不要银子，只要哈曼高兴，真是一个糊涂之君。真正的明君实在不多。

The Ten Commandments and Jesus

2022-01-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 20:1-17.  Let’s go!

Exodus 20:1-2 (NIV)
1  And God spoke all these words:
2  “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

On verse 1:  For the first time the Israelites are hear God’s voice directly.  God’s first words to the Israelites are a declaration of who He is — “I am the LORD your God” – and what He has done “who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”  Before God came to the Israelites as a lawgiver, God first came to the Israelites as a lifegiver, a Saviour.  Similarly, when it comes to all of humanity, God’s first item of business is to save us and give us life.  Once He has done that, His second item of business is to teach us how to live now that we are saved.

Exodus 20:3-5a (NIV)
3  “You shall have no other gods before me.
4  “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
5  You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…

盼望何处寻

2022-01-14 in , /by

我们处在严峻的时期，此刻我正在我的家中，位于剑桥北部的地方，因为英国政府抗疫刚颁布的限制令，你也知道英国是这场瘟疫的重灾区，当然全世界的人都陷于这场灾难中。这病毒在全世界带来间接性的伤害非常严重，经济困境使许多人失去他们的工作。我的预感是，在你的国家，贫穷的人是在这场瘟疫中深受伤害的，我们要纪念在这期间所有受苦的人。

盼望短缺的世界

我非常感恩有机会参加这个非常鼓舞人心的研讨大会，我要讲「诉说我们心中盼望的缘由」，盼望是最切身的题目。对世界各地许多人来说，或许包括一些正在聆听这个讲座的人，我们正在面对盼望的短缺，我们生活中熟悉的事都被摇动了，在这非常时期内是非常容易失去盼望的，例如：这个新冠病毒以一个非常新颖又强大的方式攻击我们，甚至带来死亡的威胁。我们都知道我们都会死去，但是这与我们目前所面对的，是完全不同的，因为突然间，我们发现死亡可以突然来临，而且令人非常痛苦。所以我们要问，「哪里可以寻见盼望？」

彼得在他的一封书信告诉我们，那封信是写给那些在逼迫当中跟随耶稣的门徒，彼得说：「我们若是基督徒，我们已经借着耶稣基督从死里复活，被重生，有活泼的盼望」，紧接着这句话，他提醒读者这并不表示他们不会受苦，这是我们要注意的非常重要的一点，基督徒并不免于受苦。

You Are Consecrated

2022-01-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 19:14-25.  Let’s go!

Exodus 19:14-15 (NIV)
14  After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes.
15  Then he said to the people, “Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain from sexual relations.”

On verses 14-15:  In Exodus 19, there is a word that comes up repeatedly which we hardly use today in our daily conversation.  It’s the word “consecrated” (see for example verses 10, 14 and 22).   What does it mean to be “consecrated”? To be consecrated means to be set apart for a special, holy purpose. 

Why would God require the people to consecrate themselves before meeting Him (Exodus 19:10, 22)? And why did God say that He would break out against the people if they approached Him without first being consecrated (v22, 24)? It’s because God is holy. By “holy” we mean morally perfect, without sin, completely righteous and pure in every way. God is so holy, so righteous, and so pure that anything with sin would perish in God’s presence.

That’s why the people had to consecrate themselves. They would wash their clothes and abstain from sexual relations, not because dirty clothes and sex are sinful in God’s eyes, but as a practical way to get the people to focus on seeking God with special intensity and getting ready to encounter Him. 

册立以斯帖为后

2022-01-13 in , /by

〈以斯帖记〉2:17王爱以斯帖过于爱众女，她在王眼前蒙宠爱比众处女更甚。王就把王后的冠冕戴在她头上，立她为王后，代替瓦实提。

阅读经文：〈以斯帖记〉2

假如第一章的筵席是为了筹备对希腊的战争，那么第二章很可能就是在主前479年的帕雷提亚（Plataea）之役之后。主前480年亚哈随鲁撤离希腊，在小亚细亚西岸的撒狄过冬。主前479年秋季才回到书珊，那时他开始想念王后瓦实提。回到家却见不到娘子，心情必然感到寂寞吧！这时王的侍臣紧张了，万一王想让瓦实提复位，她会不会报复呢？于是议王去寻找美貌的处女，再立一个王后，代替瓦实提。王以这事为美，有不少人的心脏从喉咙跌回原来的位置上。

历史上的另一幕在神的主导下开始了。一个在巴比伦出生的犹大小女子悄悄地步上了波斯的大舞台。在亚哈随鲁寻找王后的动机下，以斯帖顺理成章进了王宫，她是第二代的以色列流民（流亡之民），就像北美的第二代移民，讲话和生活方式都与当地人认同了，人家不问也分不出她的祖籍。但是她的堂兄莫底改的人生阅历多，可能为了避免犹大人的敌人作对，便要求以斯帖不要暴露犹大人的身份。

有的人奇怪为何以犹大人的身份，以斯帖会去参加选皇后一事。其实在以前一些国家里，若是王要选秀女，就会有一段禁婚的时期，让所有适龄的未婚女子都集合起来，经过淘汰之后才可回家，被选上的就继续参加下一轮的淘汰赛，直到被王看中。王的谕旨一传出，就招聚许多女子到书珊城，所以这很可能不是以斯帖可以决定的意愿。以斯帖自幼父母双亡，由她的堂兄末底改抚养成人。可能因为彼此年龄相距其大，所以末底改把她收为自己的女儿。

Through Jesus You Are A Priest and God’s Treasured Possession

2022-01-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 19:1-13.  Let’s go!

Exodus 19:1-4 (NIV)
1  In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt–on the very day–they came to the Desert of Sinai.
2  After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.
3  Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel:
4  ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.

On verses 1-4:  Verse 3 suggests that Moses went up to God on the mountain and then God called to Moses from the mountain.  What can we learn from this?  If you want to hear from God, take the initiative, get yourself in position and draw close to God.  Don’t just wait for God to speak to you before you go up to Him.  Come near to God and He will come near to you (James 4:8).

Exodus 19:5-8 (NIV)
5  Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine,
6  you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

亚哈随鲁大设筵宴

2022-01-12 in , /by

〈以斯帖记〉1:1  亚哈随鲁做王，从印度直到古实，统管一百二十七省。

阅读经文：〈以斯帖记〉1

〈以斯帖记〉是《圣经》里非常奇特的一本书，里面没有提到犹太人和神的关系，也没有犹太人敬拜神的记录，可是在每一件事上，读者可以感觉到犹太人在异地对神默然的仰望，也可以看到神的权能以无比的幽默感在运行。在被流放到巴比伦的犹大人当中，充满了任人摆布的无力感。此时但以理应该已经过世，再无位高权重的犹大人为他们出头，他们好像一群无法自卫的羊，任人宰割。可是在他们的静默里，却有神巨大的力量和保护在暗中运行。当你读完〈以斯帖记〉里所发生的许多“巧合”，可能也会猜想，是否神差遣了保护以色列人的米迦勒天使长，在暗地里布置著一切？

主前490年8-9月之间，波斯大军进攻希腊，雅典人虽然人数居于劣势，却在马拉松平原以着重两翼的平行战斗排列，使其中央部分向内凹入，最后呈现几乎垂直的战斗行列，夹击并大败深入敌阵的波斯军。雅典军大胜之后， 古希腊时代的一位雅典传令兵费里皮德斯（Pheilippides），由马拉松平原跑回雅典报捷，中途没有停顿，当他将胜利的消息转告雅典人后，随即倒地死去。为了纪念他，希腊人在1896年举行了第一次马拉松赛跑大会。这就是马拉松赛跑的来源。

亚哈随鲁做波斯王之后，立志洗雪马拉松战役之耻，在登位第三年便预备远征希腊。按照波斯的惯例，出战之前往往有连日的欢宴，以团结袍泽，激励士气，随后王与文武大臣商议国事军事。此次庆宴持续六个月，目的在于策划入侵希腊的战略，并证明王有足够的财力来支持战事。这就是〈以斯帖记〉第一章的背景。书珊城是波斯的京城，有如今日中国的北京和美国的华盛顿，当年许多大事都在这里发生。尼希米也曾在书珊城的王宫里担任酒政。在王宫举办的欢宴里，照例少不了美女与美酒，而亚哈随鲁在此时突发奇想，要以王后瓦实提的美貌来提高众人的兴致。