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所羅門殺約押和示每

2021-09-26 in , /by

〈列王紀〉上 2:35  王就立耶何耶大的兒子比拿雅做元帥，代替約押，又使祭司撒督代替亞比亞他。

閱讀經文：〈列王紀 〉上 2:26-46

雖然所羅門是一個非常有智慧的君王，他所處的時代也是一個太平盛世，但是這個時代以殺戮開始，還是令人感到惋惜，這是個什麼樣的預兆？在大衛的遺命中，亞多尼雅和亞比亞他並不在其中，但是因為亞多尼雅的執迷不悟，以致於使所羅門心生殺機。哥哥比他年記大，排長幼秩序也是亞多尼雅的王位。現在他做王了，亞多尼雅輸了，假如亞多尼雅還在，所羅門能夠安心地做王嗎？亞比亞他曾經選擇亞多尼雅為王，他能夠忠心地尊所羅門為王嗎？不要以為王位很好坐，坐上去了才曉得它是滾燙，讓人坐立不安的一個位置。所以掃羅才要不停地追殺大衛，因為他不安，不安到一個地步，寧可丟下國事去追殺大衛。所以掃羅做王時，對以色列的建設實在屈指難數。

所羅門的不安和掃羅的不安基本上是一樣的，害怕有人爭奪王位。不同的是，所羅門可以快刀斬亂麻，一勞永逸；但是大衛有神的同在，神不讓掃羅追到大衛，掃羅就永遠追不到。所羅門沒有辦法再信任亞比亞他，也只能讓他走。神當年對祭司以利說：“我要為自己立一個忠心的祭司，他必照我的心意而行。我要為他建立堅固的家，他必永遠行在我的受膏者面前。你家所剩下的人都必來叩拜他，求塊銀子，求個餅，說：‘求你賜我祭司的職分，好叫我得點餅吃’。（撒上2:35-36）”神的預言應驗了，以利的子孫亞比亞他不能再做祭司。由撒都代替了他的職位。

撒都是亞倫的兒子以利亞撒，非尼哈的後裔。在〈民數記〉25章11-13節裡，神說：“（非尼哈）以我的忌邪為心，使我不在忌邪中把他們（以色列人）除滅。因此，你（摩西）要說：我（神）將我平安的約賜給他，這約要給他和他的後裔，作為永遠當祭司職任的約。 ”亞比亞他是亞倫另一個兒子以他瑪的後裔，也是以利的後裔，因為以利尊重他的兒子過於尊重神，所以神奪去了他的後裔做祭司的福份，祭司的職份到亞比亞他為止。神的話就這樣應驗了。

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.”

《聖經中各種審判》3 — 洪水的審判

2021-09-24 in , /by

末日前，歷史上最大的審判—洪水

今天我們要提出歷史上曾有過的最大審判，就是洪水的審判，這是前所未有直到世界末日來臨前最大的審判，這是全地第一次的大審判，表示上帝恨惡罪惡，因為全世界的人終日所想的盡都是惡，上帝的怒氣達到頂峰，這是很可怕的事情。對全地施行審判，這是上帝最大的權威，也是只有上帝能做的工作。創造、救贖、啟示、成全、審判五大工作，只有上帝能做，除了上帝，沒有受造之物有權施行。當上帝的審判臨到全地，沒有人可免去這個審判，這是全能者彰顯權威的時候。創世記第六章記載上帝第一次對全地的大審判，因為上帝的憤怒已經達到忍無可忍的地步，以至於祂不再寬恕。上帝說：「我看地上的人罪大惡極，終日所想的盡都是惡。」上帝從天上降下審判消滅盡乎全地的人，這審判大到一個地步，直到世界末日來臨以前不再有這樣的審判。洪水之後，上帝說祂不再用洪水消滅凡有血氣的，直到最後的審判臨到。洪水的審判是獨有的，表示上帝是憤怒的，憑著祂的公義刑罰世上的罪惡。

創 6:1-6 當人在世上多起來、又生女兒的時候，神的兒子們看見人的女子美貌，就隨意挑選，娶來為妻。耶和華說：「人既屬乎血氣，我的靈就不永遠住在他裡面；然而他的日子還可到一百二十年。」那時候有偉人在地上，後來　神的兒子們和人的女子們交合生子；那就是上古英武有名的人。耶和華見人在地上罪惡很大，終日所思想的盡都是惡，耶和華就後悔造人在地上，心中憂傷。

引發上帝憤怒至極的原因

為什麼人的婚姻會引起上帝這麼大的怒氣？上帝發這麼大的怒氣，說明這罪惡的嚴重程度，可能遠遠超過我們的想像。這一段的經文有二種解釋，雖然我們不一定要接受舊約拉比所採取的解釋，因為第二世紀以後，使徒不再採用這個解釋，但這種解釋法有神學上的意義。創世記第六章記載當神的兒子與人的女子結婚，為什麼會使上帝憤怒到這個地步？為什麼上帝要用這麼大的審判把全人類滅絕？這裡面隱藏的奧祕大的不得了。舊約尚未結束、新約尚未來臨之前，有的解經家認為神的兒子代表那些敬虔的人，人的女子代表那些普通的人，換句話說，有些敬虔人的後代選漂亮的女子為妻，不敬畏上帝，在婚姻的事情上用人的自由代替上帝的旨意。這是一件很壞的事，因為在婚姻上隨便，就產生不好的後代，用自己的自由代替聖靈的引導。每一個基督徒都應該在婚姻的事情上存著敬畏上帝的心，不隨意娶妻，以免產生不敬虔的後代。

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)  

亞多尼雅被殺

2021-09-23 in , /by

〈列王紀〉上 2:12 所羅門坐他父親大衛的位，他的國甚是堅固。

閱讀經文：〈列王紀 〉上 2:1-15

有古話說：“人之將死，其言也善”，我覺得把它改成“其言也真”更合適。從大衛對所羅門的交代裡，我們發現他的心裡對某些事難以忘懷，而且他要所羅門為他執行。大衛要所羅門做的事不算善，也不是不善，只是要兩條人命，因為那些人曾經做過一些不該做的事，他們必須為自己做過的事付出代價。當然，你可能會說，主耶穌不是教我們要饒恕，申冤在祂，祂必負責嗎？為何大衛不能饒恕這些得罪過他的人呢？

大衛沒有在他們犯罪時就懲罰他們，並不表示他們可以逃過罪的審判。我覺得這和神的審判有點類似，神沒有在我們犯罪時就一棒打下來，敲碎我們的腦袋，祂給我們時間去悔改。我們若固執不肯悔改，有一天罪會追上我們，不僅要嚐到犯罪的苦果，更要面對神的審判。所以還在罪中洋洋得意的人要很小心，因為犯罪的後果和審判都不是容易受的。所以，我們要明白，審判不是不到，只是時機未到；一旦時機到了，審判也隨之來到。所以千萬不要以為人有逃過罪責的可能，我們應當存對神的敬畏，時時保守自己的心懷意念。

有哪幾件事讓大衛耿耿於懷呢？第一，是約押在太平時期殺了兩個元帥的事情。一是押尼珥，二是亞瑪撒。這兩個人都是掃羅家那邊的勇士，接受了大衛的任命後，就被約押殺了。在戰爭時殺人是不得已的，但是在太平時期殺人，便是謀殺。大衛沒有在他的任上解決此事，因為他和約押的關係太親密了。從大衛逃亡開始，他就緊緊跟隨大衛，不計生死地幫助大衛。要大衛親手處決約押，對大衛來講應是一件非常困難的事，因為約押對大衛實在是非常地死忠。因此即使他犯下這兩件謀殺大罪，大衛也只能口頭咒詛，不敢有實際的懲罰。但是大衛知道約押必須為他的罪行負責，免得他的罪行變成大衛的罪行。因為大衛是約押的領袖，部下有罪不罰，罪當然就由領袖承擔。就好像一艘船或飛機出事，不管是誰的錯，船長或機長都必須出面負責。因此，約押不能不死。他偏偏又在亞多尼雅一事上站錯邊，又多了一條罪名。

Meekness Is Not Weakness

2021-09-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Corinthians 10:1-6.  Let’s go!

2 Corinthians 10:1-6 (NIV)
1  By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you–I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” when away!
2  I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world.
3  For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
4  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
5  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
6  And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

On verses 1-6:  In 2 Corinthians 10:1-6 Paul addresses a criticism that some people were making of him: that he is so bold and forceful when he writes letters from a distance, but when he is face to face with the people he is “timid” (v1).  Perhaps it’s because these critics were comparing Paul to other religious leaders who called themselves “super apostles”, who carried themselves in front of the Corinthian church in a more impressive way, and who spoke negatively about Paul.

所羅門作王

2021-09-22 in , /by

〈列王紀〉上 1:52 所羅門說：「他若做忠義的人，連一根頭髮也不至落在地上；他若行惡，必要死亡。」

閱讀經文：〈列王紀 〉上 1:28-53

這是一個不可避免的宮庭鬥爭，大家都為了自己的前途在拚命。因為都知道，假如自己做不了王，性命堪虞，這就是宮庭鬥爭的可怕。勝者為王，敗者為寇。大衛王雖然年記老邁，卻依然思想清楚，沒有老年癡呆的症狀。他立刻向拔示巴保證，他應許過所羅門要做王一事，依然有效，而且必然成為真實：“我今日就必照這話而行”。大衛也立刻明白兩邊的情況，因此召來亞多尼雅沒有邀請的幾個人：祭司撒都、先知拿單和比拿雅，要讓他們幾位帶領所羅門，騎上大衛的騾子到基訓泉，膏他做以色列的王。

可能因為不在戰爭時期，所以大衛出入不用馬而用騾子。騾子是一種動物，有雌雄之分，但是沒有生育的能力。牠是馬和驢交配產下的後代，分爲驢騾和馬騾。公驢和母馬交配，生下的叫“馬騾mule”；公馬和母驢交配，生下的叫“驢騾hinny”。馬騾個大，具有驢的負重能力和抵抗能力，又有馬的靈活性和奔跑能力，是非常好的役畜（摘自中文百科）。大衛的騾子是馬騾Mule，馬騾耐性好，又聰明善體人意，需要的飼料也比馬少，是平常可以代步的好牲畜。約瑟當年戴上法老的戒指，坐著法老的副車出門，象徵他是法老的代表；所羅門騎上了大衛王的騾子，眾人一看就明白，他就是繼承王位的人。

在古代，基訓泉和隱羅結水泉是大衛城兩個主要的水泉，兩泉之間只相距約七百米。據說當年大衛攻下耶布斯城（後來的耶路撒冷），就是約押從基訓泉的隧道進去，裡外夾攻，才克敵制勝。既然亞多尼雅去了隱羅結的水泉，所以大衛就讓所羅門去了基訓的水泉，在那裡讓祭司撒都和先知拿單膏他做以色列的王，然後叫人吹角，並且呼喊：“願所羅門王萬歲！”大衛的計劃十分完善，雖然是小小的儀式，卻發揮了大大的作用。眾民的歡呼聲衝破雲霄，直達到亞多尼雅的耳中。

Your Reputation Depends on How You Handle Other People’s Money

2021-09-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Corinthians 8:16-24.  Let’s go!

2 Corinthians 8:16-24 (NIV) 
16  I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. 
17  For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. 
18  And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. 
19  What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. 
20  We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. 
21  For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men. 
22  In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. 
23  As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. 
24  Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it. 

On verses 16-24:  In making preparations to collect the offering from his church in Corinth, Paul goes out of his way to tell his church in Corinth that he and his team are taking great pains to make sure that the funds given by his church are being handled carefully and without any hint of mismanagement.  In particular Paul focuses on the trustworthiness of the individuals who have been appointed to go to the church in Corinth to receive their offering and from there to deliver the offering to its intended destination.  Those individuals include Titus, whom Paul praises at length (v16-17) as well as two other individuals whose names are not stated but who are apparently highly reputable church representatives (v18-19a and v23).  

亞多尼雅想做王

2021-09-21 in , /by

〈列王紀〉上 1:18 現在亞多尼雅做王了，我主我王卻不知道。

閱讀經文：〈列王紀 〉上 1:1-27

當大衛年老時，就像所有的人年老一樣，因為血液循環不好，越來越怕冷，蓋了極多的被子還是不夠暖。他的僕從們就想到要找人用體溫去為他取暖。我們看電視或電影時，偶而也會有類似的情節，當一個人在水裡浸得太久，或在雪裡被埋了，救他的人在沒有任何設備的情況下，往往就把衣服脫了，跟昏迷的人抱在一起，用自己的體溫去使那昏迷的人得到溫暖，而能存活下來。大衛不需要這樣的急救，只是因為常常覺得很冷，所以僕從們就想到一個這樣的方法。可能因為大衛的妻妾都年記大了，無法給大衛足夠的溫暖，所以他們要特意去找一個處女和大衛睡覺。但是我們看到大衛王和以前不一樣了，一來可能是因為年記大了，二來也有可能經過拔示巴一事之後，被神懲罰，因此在這方面十分警戒小心，以致不願意再親近亞比煞。

亞比煞雖然只是個伺候王的童女，但是因為一直在大衛身邊，所以宮庭裡的機密，她知道的還不少。例如拔示巴去找大衛為所羅門說項的事。大衛年記大了，宮庭裡的有心之人都開始為自己籌謀，免得大衛一駕崩，他們就沒有靠山。這就是倚靠人的實情，尤其在權力鬥爭時，要選擇站哪一邊便是一個很重要的決定。就好像現在很多搞政治的人，他們選擇去擁護同性戀、贊成墮胎、大麻合法化，等等不合神心意的事，因為他們以為選票是在人的手中，所以他們要去討好那些贊成做那些事的人。他們選擇離棄神，去投靠人。

我們也看到繼押沙龍之後，大衛的四子亞多尼雅，也開始展露野心。他說：“我必做王”。亞多尼雅前面的三個哥哥都消失了，在他的心中，他應該就是繼承王位的人。可是從各樣的蛛絲馬跡來看，似乎所羅門的呼聲比他更高，於是他決定趁著大衛不知道時，放手一搏，來個霸王硬上弓，造成時勢，使大衛不得不承認他的王權，也不能立所羅門為王。大衛平時雖然知道亞多尼雅喜歡為自己造勢，自尊自大，可是大衛從來不過問，也不阻止他。大衛的放縱可能使亞多尼雅誤以為大衛默認了他的作法。