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Turning Weakness into Strength + God is Forever Faithful

2021-05-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 21:1-16.  Let’s go!

Genesis 21:1-2 (NIV)
1  Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised.
2  Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him.

On verses 1-2:  Just as God promised, Sarah becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son at the very time God promised.  God is faithful to His Word. He does what He says when He says He will do it.  You can trust God and His timing completely.

Genesis 21:3-7 (NIV)
3  Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him.
4  When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him.
5  Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
6  Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”
7  And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

示播列和西播列

2021-05-24 in , /by

〈士师记〉 12:3 我见你们不来救我，我就拼命前去攻击亚扪人，耶和华将他们交在我手中。你们今日为什么上我这里来攻打我呢？」

阅读经文：〈士师记〉 12:1-15 

我们每个人在生活上难免有与人不和的时候，有时也会碰到极为无理也无礼之人，在这种情况之下，你会怎么办？

以法莲人因为被神立在双生兄弟玛拿西之上，在神的祝福下成了大族，俨然是带领以色列人的支派，因此气势上十分地覇气。在基甸攻打亚扪人时，他们和基甸大大争吵：「你去与米甸人争战，没有招我们同去，为什么这样待我们呢？」基甸赞美他们抓住米甸的两个首领，功荣最大，他们才肯罢休。现在他们又来找耶弗他争吵，并且出语恐吓：「我们必用火烧你和你的房屋。」

耶弗他回答：「我和我的民与亚扪人大大争战，我招你们来，你们竟没有来救我脱离他们的手。我见你们不来救我，我就拼命前去攻击亚扪人，耶和华将他们交在我手中。你们今日为什么上我这里来攻打我呢？」谁有理，谁无理呢？他们控诉耶弗他没有招他们一起去打仗，是真实的控告吗？当我们碰到这种只要抢功劳不要做事，还要出言不逊的人，真是让人忍无可忍。但是让基列人不肯罢休的，是以法莲人还讥笑基列人是以法莲逃亡的人，暗指约但河东的基列人是从河西的以法莲和玛拿西分地逃亡出来的。迦得支派的分地中有逃城设在基列的拉末，可能有以法莲人逃往基列的拉末，基列人因而被奚落是逃亡的以法莲人。若是的话，那就是挖人疮疤了。

以法莲如此骄傲猖狂，讲话如此狂妄，不仅耶弗他生气，连基列人都愤怒了。这不是一场有计划的战争，而是因挑衅而起的内战。自己人打仗，彼此的强弱都很清楚。基列人深深知道以法莲人讲话的口音，因此当过河来挑衅的以法莲人想逃回河西的老家时，基列人就叫他们说：「示播列」。但是以法莲人总会讲成「西播列」，一旦确定是以法莲人，基列人就把他们杀了。

Grace and Mercy Beyond Our Imagination

2021-05-23 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 20:1-18.  Let’s go!

Genesis 20:1-18 (NIV)
1  Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar,
2  and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.
3  But God came to Abimelech in a dream one night and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.”……

On verses 1-18:  Here once again we see the tremendous mercy and grace God showed to Abraham even after Abraham repeats in the land of Gerar the same fearful behavior he became famous for in Egypt (Genesis 12:10-20).  Just as he did to Pharaoh in Egypt, Abraham hides from Abimelech king of Gerar the fact that Abraham and Sarah are married.  Instead Abraham tells Abimelech that he and Sarah are only brother and sister.  His motive is the same as in Egypt: he feared that his life would be in danger if people found out he was married to Sarah.  Sarah is brought into Abimelech’s home as a concubine, but before Abimelech can touch Sarah, Abimelech is warned by God in a dream that Sarah is married.

耶弗他许愿

2021-05-23 in , /by

〈士师记〉 11:32   于是耶弗他往亚扪人那里去，与他们争战。耶和华将他们交在他手中。

阅读经文：〈士师记〉士师记 11:1-40

正当亚扪人前来挑衅时，以色列人却像热锅上竹日心戈 蚂蚁，着急不知要找谁来带领他们出战。在情急之中，他们想到了一个被他们轻视又赶走的人。

从亚比米勒和耶弗他的出身，我们看到男人放纵情欲的后果，造成很多家庭里悲伤的故事。亚比米勒是基甸在示剑娶的小妾，在基甸的家中根本不被重视，或者可以说根本不被承认，因为他和他的妈妈很可能都住在示剑，靠基甸每个月的供养。但是基甸有那么多妻妾在家里，又怎么来得及去照顾他们母子？所以亚比米勒才会那么盼望被重视，那么盼望做领导，更狠心到把七十个兄弟杀掉，反正这些人从来就没有把他看在眼里。以色列人想到的耶弗他也是个可怜的孩子，因为他的母亲曾是妓女，所以在家里的地位也不被承认，在父亲过世后，兄弟们要分产业时就把他赶出去。

假如他们的父亲不到处拈花惹草，又怎么会使这些儿子们从小就过著被人欺凌的日子，以致心理受到太多创伤，从而造成家庭的不幸呢？「基列人耶弗他是个大能的勇士，是妓女的儿子」，这句话道尽了耶他的悲伤。大能的勇士a mighty man of valor，是指他不只长得很威武，而且很有能力。可是虽然大家都公认他很有能力和胆识，他却总被「妓女的儿子」这个称号压得死死的。不管他事情做得多好，人家都叫他是妓女的儿子，让他一辈子抬不起头。

第二封信：给示每拿教会

2021-05-21 in , /by

对士每拿教会，耶稣没有一句责备的话。他们因不肯妥协膜拜罗马皇 帝，不但在经济上、名声上受到损失， 性命还受到威胁。士每拿教会从头到 尾都在受苦，为耶稣付上代价，耶稣 应许他们：「凡得胜的，我必赐给他 生命的冠冕。」当时教会所在的那座 山就叫「冠冕」，所以当耶稣说士每 拿有冠冕，表明祂要给的是更好的冠 冕—永生，只要教会对祂至死忠心。 对这个城市，有四件事需要知道：

这是个美丽的城市，所以得 到许多封号，如「亚细亚的荣耀」等， 这个城市有许多值得骄傲的事。它是 在西元前一千年建立，但五百年后被 毁，所以这个城市曾经死而复生。被毁后三百年又重建，信中也提到它「死 过又活」。耸立在旧城这边的，是一 座壮丽的高山，称为「士每拿的冠冕」。
这个城市很富裕。西方运来土耳其的货物，都从这个港埠进来，是很壮观的港口。
这个城市充满文化气息，而且气候宜人，在土耳其很难得。城中曾有一个巨大的体育场， 也有图书馆和剧院。这城最重要的一 点是非常爱国，每次战争后改朝换代的统治者，都得到士每拿人最高度的效忠。当时它十分效忠罗马帝国，忠心膜拜皇帝。而膜拜凯撒的习俗，是百姓自己开始的，并不是皇帝的命令。

耶稣在这封信中给自己两个名称： 1. 我是首先的、末后的，意思是我开始这一切，也会结束这一切，在人 类的历史上，耶稣是第一，也是最后；是阿拉法，也是俄梅戛。非基督徒看耶稣只是一个活到 33 岁的 人，但对教会来说，从头到尾都是耶稣的作为，祂是基督、是主。

Don’t Conform But Be Transformed

2021-05-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 19:23-38.  Let’s go!

Genesis 19:23-28 (NIV)
23  By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land.
24  Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah–from the LORD out of the heavens.
25  Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities–and also the vegetation in the land.
26  But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
27  Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD.
28  He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.

On verses 23-28:  God’s wrath against sin is real.  It is only by God’s mercy and grace expressed through Jesus Christ on the cross that we have hope and protection against God’s wrath.  When Jesus first came to as a suffering servant to die for our sins.  The next time Jesus comes, He will not come as a suffering servant but as a righteous judge and conquering king.  In fact, in Luke 17, when Jesus describes his second coming, he compares it to the way God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah:

陀拉和睚珥

2021-05-20 in , /by

〈士师记〉 10:14 你们去哀求所选择的神！你们遭遇急难的时候，让他救你们吧！

阅读经文：〈士师记〉 10:1-18 

以色列人的恶性循环：平安时就离开神去拜偶像，危难中就求神拯救；回到神面前享有平安之后，又逐渐变坏。这实在是全人类的特质，并不是以色列人才有。因此《圣经》没有剔除这一卷不甚光荣的书卷，反而把它留着，目的就是要让人类看到自己的罪吧。在受难节的敬拜里，我的脑海中出现两幅图，左边一幅是耶稣受难，右边是人类的犯罪。似乎落在耶稣身上的每一个鞭打，都有一个字跟着出现「paid（付清）」。右边的图是人类数不尽的罪过，左边的图是耶稣被凌辱的每一个场景。这就是受难节的意思：「祂诚然担当我们的忧患，背负我们的痛苦；为我们的过犯受害，为我们的罪孽压伤。因祂受的刑罚我们得平安，因祂受的鞭伤我们得医治。 我们都如羊走迷，各人偏行己路，耶和华使我们众人的罪孽都归在祂身上。（节录赛53:4-6）」

我们若明白受难节的意义，就不会继续让主受苦，而远离罪中之乐；更不会让这样的恶性循环继续下去，而是忠心跟随主，至死不渝。以色列人每一次转去拜别人的神，就等于又打了神一大巴掌，又再次鞭打耶稣，再次把祂钉在十字架上。神赐给人的救恩虽不取分文，可也不致低贱到如此的地步。但是以色列人不懂得珍惜这至上的恩典，竟把祂视如敝屣，以人造的偶像来取代这带领他们出埃及，引导他们屡次得胜的真神。我们会不会也如此？在生活中忘记这位牺牲一切来爱我们的神？

Wave after Wave of God’s Mercy and Protection

2021-05-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 19:12-22.  Let’s go!

Genesis 19:12-13 (NIV)
12  The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here–sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here,
13  because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”

On verses 12-13:  In Genesis 18:16-33, Abraham kept asking God to spare the city of Sodom if God found 50, 45, 40, 30, 20 or 10 people who are righteous, and God agreed.  The fact that God still went ahead and destroyed Sodom suggests that God did not find anyone righteous in Sodom.  That is because compared to God’s perfect standard of holiness, “no one is righteous, not even one…all have turned away” (Romans 3:10,12).