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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。

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.

所罗门作王

2021-09-22 in , /by

〈列王纪〉上 1:52 所罗门说：「他若做忠义的人，连一根头发也不至落在地上；他若行恶，必要死亡。」

阅读经文：〈列王纪 〉上 1:28-53

这是一个不可避免的宫庭斗争，大家都为了自己的前途在拚命。因为都知道，假如自己做不了王，性命堪虞，这就是宫庭斗争的可怕。胜者为王，败者为寇。大卫王虽然年记老迈，却依然思想清楚，没有老年痴呆的症状。他立刻向拔示巴保证，他应许过所罗门要做王一事，依然有效，而且必然成为真实：“我今日就必照这话而行”。大卫也立刻明白两边的情况，因此召来亚多尼雅没有邀请的几个人：祭司撒都、先知拿单和比拿雅，要让他们几位带领所罗门，骑上大卫的骡子到基训泉，膏他做以色列的王。

可能因为不在战争时期，所以大卫出入不用马而用骡子。骡子是一种动物，有雌雄之分，但是没有生育的能力。牠是马和驴交配产下的后代，分为驴骡和马骡。公驴和母马交配，生下的叫“马骡mule”；公马和母驴交配，生下的叫“驴骡hinny”。马骡个大，具有驴的负重能力和抵抗能力，又有马的灵活性和奔跑能力，是非常好的役畜（摘自中文百科）。大卫的骡子是马骡Mule，马骡耐性好，又聪明善体人意，需要的饲料也比马少，是平常可以代步的好牲畜。约瑟当年戴上法老的戒指，坐着法老的副车出门，象征他是法老的代表；所罗门骑上了大卫王的骡子，众人一看就明白，他就是继承王位的人。

在古代，基训泉和隐罗结水泉是大卫城两个主要的水泉，两泉之间只相距约七百米。据说当年大卫攻下耶布斯城（后来的耶路撒冷），就是约押从基训泉的隧道进去，里外夹攻，才克敌制胜。既然亚多尼雅去了隐罗结的水泉，所以大卫就让所罗门去了基训的水泉，在那里让祭司撒都和先知拿单膏他做以色列的王，然后叫人吹角，并且呼喊：“愿所罗门王万岁！”大卫的计划十分完善，虽然是小小的仪式，却发挥了大大的作用。众民的欢呼声冲破云霄，直达到亚多尼雅的耳中。

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).  

亚多尼雅想做王

2021-09-21 in , /by

〈列王纪〉上 1:18 现在亚多尼雅做王了，我主我王却不知道。

阅读经文：〈列王纪 〉上 1:1-27

当大卫年老时，就像所有的人年老一样，因为血液循环不好，越来越怕冷，盖了极多的被子还是不够暖。他的仆从们就想到要找人用体温去为他取暖。我们看电视或电影时，偶而也会有类似的情节，当一个人在水里浸得太久，或在雪里被埋了，救他的人在没有任何设备的情况下，往往就把衣服脱了，跟昏迷的人抱在一起，用自己的体温去使那昏迷的人得到温暖，而能存活下来。大卫不需要这样的急救，只是因为常常觉得很冷，所以仆从们就想到一个这样的方法。可能因为大卫的妻妾都年记大了，无法给大卫足够的温暖，所以他们要特意去找一个处女和大卫睡觉。但是我们看到大卫王和以前不一样了，一来可能是因为年记大了，二来也有可能经过拔示巴一事之后，被神惩罚，因此在这方面十分警戒小心，以致不愿意再亲近亚比煞。

亚比煞虽然只是个伺候王的童女，但是因为一直在大卫身边，所以宫庭里的机密，她知道的还不少。例如拔示巴去找大卫为所罗门说项的事。大卫年记大了，宫庭里的有心之人都开始为自己筹谋，免得大卫一驾崩，他们就没有靠山。这就是倚靠人的实情，尤其在权力斗争时，要选择站哪一边便是一个很重要的决定。就好像现在很多搞政治的人，他们选择去拥护同性恋、赞成堕胎、大麻合法化，等等不合神心意的事，因为他们以为选票是在人的手中，所以他们要去讨好那些赞成做那些事的人。他们选择离弃神，去投靠人。

我们也看到继押沙龙之后，大卫的四子亚多尼雅，也开始展露野心。他说：“我必做王”。亚多尼雅前面的三个哥哥都消失了，在他的心中，他应该就是继承王位的人。可是从各样的蛛丝马迹来看，似乎所罗门的呼声比他更高，于是他决定趁著大卫不知道时，放手一搏，来个霸王硬上弓，造成时势，使大卫不得不承认他的王权，也不能立所罗门为王。大卫平时虽然知道亚多尼雅喜欢为自己造势，自尊自大，可是大卫从来不过问，也不阻止他。大卫的放纵可能使亚多尼雅误以为大卫默认了他的作法。