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Love, Loyalty and Respect

2021-09-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Corinthians 12:11-21.  Let’s go!

2 Corinthians 12:11-19 (NIV)
11  I have made a fool of myself, but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing.
12  The things that mark an apostle–signs, wonders and miracles–were done among you with great perseverance.
13  How were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!
14  Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.
15  So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less?
16  Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery!
17  Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent you?
18  I urged Titus to go to you and I sent our brother with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not act in the same spirit and follow the same course?
19  Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening.

On verses 11-19:  Paul was hurt that the Christians at the church in Corinth, which he had helped to start, had so quickly shifted their loyalty to this new, heretical group called the “super apostles”.  Under the influence of these “super apostles”, the Christians in Corinth had begun to question Paul’s authority as an apostle, his ability as a leader, his character as a man and his love for them as their pastor and spiritual father.  These were very personal attacks. 

所罗门王以智慧断案

2021-09-28 in , /by

〈列王纪〉上 3:28以色列众人听见王这样判断，就都敬畏他，因为见他心里有神的智慧，能以断案。

阅读经文：〈列王纪 〉上 3:16-28   

根据犹太人的传说，所罗门王豋基时才12岁。因此当大卫对会众诉说为神建殿的心意时，特别提到：“我儿子所罗门是神特选的，还年幼娇嫩（代上29:1）”。所罗门在向神祷告时也提到：“耶和华我的神啊，如今你使仆人接续我父亲大卫做王，但我是幼童，不知道应当怎样出入。（王上3:7）”当然也有人认为是14 岁或20岁。认为所罗门不可能在12岁做王的人，觉得这个年记的孩子怎么会懂律法？但是以后我们还会读到亚哈斯在20岁做王，做了16年；希西家25岁接续他做王，表示亚哈斯在11岁时就生了希西家。所以所罗门有没有可能在12岁做王呢，是有可能的。

所罗门向神祈求为民判断的智慧，因为那是王的责任。那时候不像现在有法院，百姓之间如果有了争论，只能先去找地方官，地方官断不了的事再去城门那里求王判断。记不记得押沙龙要拢络人心时，他常常早晨起来，站在城门的道旁，凡有争讼要去求王判断的，押沙龙就叫他过来，问他说：「你是哪一城的人？」回答说：「仆人是以色列某支派的人。」押沙龙对他说：「你的事有情有理，无奈王没有委人听你申诉。」押沙龙又说：「恨不得我做国中的士师！凡有争讼求审判的到我这里来，我必秉公判断。」若有人近前来要拜押沙龙，押沙龙就伸手拉住他，与他亲嘴。以色列人中，凡去见王求判断的，押沙龙都是如此待他们。这样，押沙龙暗中得了以色列人的心（撒下15:1-6）。押沙龙故意破坏以色列人对大卫王的信任，对百姓说大卫王的坏话，指大卫王不听申诉，又没有秉公判断。所以审判百姓是以色列王一个很重要的工作。

所有最困难、最麻烦的案子都会带到王面前，让王判断。所罗门那么年轻，怎么可能担此重任？他虽然有最忠心的祭司撒都、最勇猛的元帅比拿雅，还有守护他的母亲拔示巴，但是在王的职责上，没人能代替他来执行审判。当那两个妇人被带到年轻的所罗门王面前时，大家都睁大眼睛要看所罗门怎样处理这个棘手的案子。两个母亲和自己的婴儿在一起睡觉，一个压死了自己的孩子，不肯认帐，两个人都要争取那个活的婴儿。

How to Face Trouble That Won’t Go Away

2021-09-27 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Corinthians 12:1-10.  Let’s go!

2 Corinthians 12:1-6 (NIV)
1  I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.
2  I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know–God knows.
3  And I know that this man–whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows–
4  was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell.
5  I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.
6  Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say.

On verses 1-6:  Why does Paul go on boasting even though “there is nothing to be gained” (v1) by it?  It’s because the Corinthian Christians have kept on comparing Paul to the “super apostles” who make all sorts of boasts about how spiritual they are and how accomplished they are.  The church in Corinth was starting to lose confidence in Paul and look down on him, since he wasn’t in the habit of flaunting his resume the way the super apostles would.  So to put the matter the rest and to show that Paul is not the least bit “inferior to the ‘super apostles’”, Paul shares about the powerful spiritual experiences he has had with the Lord in the past. 

所罗门求智慧

2021-09-27 in , /by

〈列王纪〉上 3:12 我就应允你所求的，赐你聪明、智慧，甚至在你以前没有像你的，在你以后也没有像你的。

阅读经文：〈列王纪 〉上 3:1-15          〈历代志〉下 1:1-13

假如神问你：“你愿我赐你什么，你可以求。”你会求什么？假如你今天有了新的工作，你会向神求什么？假如你今天刚结婚，成立了新家庭，你要向神求什么？假如今天是你四十岁的生日，你会向神求什么？在每一个人生阶段，神都愿意我们向祂求，好让我们得着祂的祝福，但是要求什么，才能讨神喜悦呢？

所罗门王登基之后不久，就带着千夫长、百夫长、审判官、首领与族长都到基遍。因为他要在那里献祭。他为何不像大卫一样，在耶路撒冷献祭即可呢？没想到这个年轻人还挺念旧的，原来他要到会幕的所在地献祭。大卫虽然把约柜从基列耶琳搬到大卫的城里，但是并没有把会幕也搬去，只是造了一个帐幕暂时放约柜。所以摩西做的那个会幕，从示罗被搬到基遍后，就一直在那里没动过。从摩西造会幕到所罗门大约有五百年了，所罗门还会想到在会幕那里献祭，是他对神的一番心意。

丘坛又是什么？英文译为at the high places，就是在高处之意。这种事华人也很清楚，在华山、泰山、山等，反正是大山小丘一定有庙。人有一种想法，神明都是住在高处，所以到越高的地方敬拜，就越显得虔诚，祈求也容易被接纳而得到应验。奇妙的是，人同此心，心同此理。自古以来，在巴勒斯坦一带地方的人，也以山顶为特别合适敬拜神明的所在，用基督徒的说法，就是拜偶像的地方；通常山顶有形状为平坦的岩石凿成的平台，有献祭用的祭坛或处所。所罗门在登上王位之初就先去会幕那里敬拜神，自然就得到神的祝福。因为神说：“因为尊重我的，我必重看他；藐视我的，他必被轻视。（撒上2:30b）”

所罗门杀约押和示每

2021-09-26 in , /by

〈列王纪〉上 2:35  王就立耶何耶大的儿子比拿雅做元帅，代替约押，又使祭司撒督代替亚比亚他。

阅读经文：〈列王纪 〉上 2:26-46

虽然所罗门是一个非常有智慧的君王，他所处的时代也是一个太平盛世，但是这个时代以杀戮开始，还是令人感到惋惜，这是个什么样的预兆？在大卫的遗命中，亚多尼雅和亚比亚他并不在其中，但是因为亚多尼雅的执迷不悟，以致于使所罗门心生杀机。哥哥比他年记大，排长幼秩序也是亚多尼雅的王位。现在他做王了，亚多尼雅输了，假如亚多尼雅还在，所罗门能够安心地做王吗？亚比亚他曾经选择亚多尼雅为王，他能够忠心地尊所罗门为王吗？不要以为王位很好坐，坐上去了才晓得它是滚烫，让人坐立不安的一个位置。所以扫罗才要不停地追杀大卫，因为他不安，不安到一个地步，宁可丢下国事去追杀大卫。所以扫罗做王时，对以色列的建设实在屈指难数。

所罗门的不安和扫罗的不安基本上是一样的，害怕有人争夺王位。不同的是，所罗门可以快刀斩乱麻，一劳永逸；但是大卫有神的同在，神不让扫罗追到大卫，扫罗就永远追不到。所罗门没有办法再信任亚比亚他，也只能让他走。神当年对祭司以利说：“我要为自己立一个忠心的祭司，他必照我的心意而行。我要为他建立坚固的家，他必永远行在我的受膏者面前。你家所剩下的人都必来叩拜他，求块银子，求个饼，说：‘求你赐我祭司的职分，好叫我得点饼吃’。（撒上2:35-36）”神的预言应验了，以利的子孙亚比亚他不能再做祭司。由撒都代替了他的职位。

撒都是亚伦的儿子以利亚撒，非尼哈的后裔。在〈民数记〉25章11-13节里，神说：“（非尼哈）以我的忌邪为心，使我不在忌邪中把他们（以色列人）除灭。因此，你（摩西）要说：我（神）将我平安的约赐给他，这约要给他和他的后裔，作为永远当祭司职任的约。 ”亚比亚他是亚伦另一个儿子以他玛的后裔，也是以利的后裔，因为以利尊重他的儿子过于尊重神，所以神夺去了他的后裔做祭司的福份，祭司的职份到亚比亚他为止。神的话就这样应验了。

It’s Not Easy Being a Shepherd

2021-09-26 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Corinthians 11:16-33.  Let’s go!

2 Corinthians 11:16-33 (NIV)
16  I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then receive me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting.
17  In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool.
18  Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast.
19  You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise!
20  In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face.
21  To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that! What anyone else dares to boast about–I am speaking as a fool–I also dare to boast about. ……

On verses 16-33:  In 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, Paul imitates the “super apostles”, boasting of his sufferings – how he has sacrificed himself and risked his life so many times in so many ways for the sake of his churches and for the sake of the gospel.  Paul boasts this way even though he clearly does not want to and feels totally out of his comfort zone doing so (see verses 17 and 23).  But he does it in a desperate attempt to show his church that he truly does love God and loves them.  It’s not easy to be a shepherd.  It reminds me of what Jesus says in John 10:11: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

《圣经中各种审判》3 — 洪水的审判

2021-09-24 in , /by

末日前，历史上最大的审判—洪水

今天我们要提出历史上曾有过的最大审判，就是洪水的审判，这是前所未有直到世界末日来临前最大的审判，这是全地第一次的大审判，表示上帝恨恶罪恶，因为全世界的人终日所想的尽都是恶，上帝的怒气达到顶峰，这是很可怕的事情。对全地施行审判，这是上帝最大的权威，也是只有上帝能做的工作。创造、救赎、启示、成全、审判五大工作，只有上帝能做，除了上帝，没有受造之物有权施行。当上帝的审判临到全地，没有人可免去这个审判，这是全能者彰显权威的时候。创世记第六章记载上帝第一次对全地的大审判，因为上帝的愤怒已经达到忍无可忍的地步，以至于祂不再宽恕。上帝说：「我看地上的人罪大恶极，终日所想的尽都是恶。」上帝从天上降下审判消灭尽乎全地的人，这审判大到一个地步，直到世界末日来临以前不再有这样的审判。洪水之后，上帝说祂不再用洪水消灭凡有血气的，直到最后的审判临到。洪水的审判是独有的，表示上帝是愤怒的，凭着祂的公义刑罚世上的罪恶。

创 6:1-6 当人在世上多起来、又生女儿的时候，神的儿子们看见人的女子美貌，就随意挑选，娶来为妻。耶和华说：「人既属乎血气，我的灵就不永远住在他里面；然而他的日子还可到一百二十年。」那时候有伟人在地上，后来　神的儿子们和人的女子们交合生子；那就是上古英武有名的人。耶和华见人在地上罪恶很大，终日所思想的尽都是恶，耶和华就后悔造人在地上，心中忧伤。

引发上帝愤怒至极的原因

为什么人的婚姻会引起上帝这么大的怒气？上帝发这么大的怒气，说明这罪恶的严重程度，可能远远超过我们的想像。这一段的经文有二种解释，虽然我们不一定要接受旧约拉比所采取的解释，因为第二世纪以后，使徒不再采用这个解释，但这种解释法有神学上的意义。创世记第六章记载当神的儿子与人的女子结婚，为什么会使上帝愤怒到这个地步？为什么上帝要用这么大的审判把全人类灭绝？这里面隐藏的奥祕大的不得了。旧约尚未结束、新约尚未来临之前，有的解经家认为神的儿子代表那些敬虔的人，人的女子代表那些普通的人，换句话说，有些敬虔人的后代选漂亮的女子为妻，不敬畏上帝，在婚姻的事情上用人的自由代替上帝的旨意。这是一件很坏的事，因为在婚姻上随便，就产生不好的后代，用自己的自由代替圣灵的引导。每一个基督徒都应该在婚姻的事情上存著敬畏上帝的心，不随意娶妻，以免产生不敬虔的后代。

Dealing with Criticism

2021-09-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Corinthians 11:1-15.  Let’s go!

2 Corinthians 11:1-15 (NIV)
1  I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness; but you are already doing that.
2  I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.
3  But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
4  For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
5  But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.”
6  I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.
7  Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge?
8  I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. ……

On verses 1-15:  Here in 2 Corinthians 11:1-15 we see Paul using some strong language to respond to several different attacks and criticisms people were making of him, such as:
– “you’re not a trained speaker, Paul” (v6)
– “you talk a lot of foolishness, Paul” (v1)
– “you can’t be a legit minister because you serve us for free as a volunteer, Paul” (v7-8)
– “your gospel is not as cool sounding as the gospel that the “super apostles” talk about, Paul” (v4)

Boast In Jesus, Not In Yourself

2021-09-23 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Corinthians 10:7-18.  Let’s go!

2 Corinthians 10:7-14 (NIV)
7  You are looking only on the surface of things. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as he.
8  For even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than pulling you down, I will not be ashamed of it.
9  I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters.
10  For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.”
11  Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.
12  We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.
13  We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you.
14  We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ.

On verses 7-14:  One criticism being thrown at Paul was that Paul had been boasting excessively about his authority in the church.  This criticism was probably coming from the “super apostles”, a group that featured speakers who were more eloquent than Paul but who did not have the authority that Paul had as founding pastor of the church.   Paul tells his church, “Stop judging by mere appearances and enough with these silly comparisons.” (v7)  

亚多尼雅被杀

2021-09-23 in , /by

〈列王纪〉上 2:12 所罗门坐他父亲大卫的位，他的国甚是坚固。

阅读经文：〈列王纪 〉上 2:1-15

有古话说：“人之将死，其言也善”，我觉得把它改成“其言也真”更合适。从大卫对所罗门的交代里，我们发现他的心里对某些事难以忘怀，而且他要所罗门为他执行。大卫要所罗门做的事不算善，也不是不善，只是要两条人命，因为那些人曾经做过一些不该做的事，他们必须为自己做过的事付出代价。当然，你可能会说，主耶稣不是教我们要饶恕，申冤在祂，祂必负责吗？为何大卫不能饶恕这些得罪过他的人呢？

大卫没有在他们犯罪时就惩罚他们，并不表示他们可以逃过罪的审判。我觉得这和神的审判有点类似，神没有在我们犯罪时就一棒打下来，敲碎我们的脑袋，祂给我们时间去悔改。我们若固执不肯悔改，有一天罪会追上我们，不仅要尝到犯罪的苦果，更要面对神的审判。所以还在罪中洋洋得意的人要很小心，因为犯罪的后果和审判都不是容易受的。所以，我们要明白，审判不是不到，只是时机未到；一旦时机到了，审判也随之来到。所以千万不要以为人有逃过罪责的可能，我们应当存对神的敬畏，时时保守自己的心怀意念。

有哪几件事让大卫耿耿于怀呢？第一，是约押在太平时期杀了两个元帅的事情。一是押尼珥，二是亚玛撒。这两个人都是扫罗家那边的勇士，接受了大卫的任命后，就被约押杀了。在战争时杀人是不得已的，但是在太平时期杀人，便是谋杀。大卫没有在他的任上解决此事，因为他和约押的关系太亲密了。从大卫逃亡开始，他就紧紧跟随大卫，不计生死地帮助大卫。要大卫亲手处决约押，对大卫来讲应是一件非常困难的事，因为约押对大卫实在是非常地死忠。因此即使他犯下这两件谋杀大罪，大卫也只能口头咒诅，不敢有实际的惩罚。但是大卫知道约押必须为他的罪行负责，免得他的罪行变成大卫的罪行。因为大卫是约押的领袖，部下有罪不罚，罪当然就由领袖承担。就好像一艘船或飞机出事，不管是谁的错，船长或机长都必须出面负责。因此，约押不能不死。他偏偏又在亚多尼雅一事上站错边，又多了一条罪名。