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3 Keys to Fighting Temptation

2021-07-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 39:1-10.  Let’s go!

Genesis 39:1-4 (NIV)
1  Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.
2  The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.
3  When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did,
4  Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.

On verses 1-4:  Joseph, the favoured son of Jacob, is sold as a slave to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.  Because of God’s favour (“The Lord was with Joseph” – v2) and presumably because Joseph did his best to be faithful with what was entrusted to him, Joseph was promoted to be in charge of Potiphar’s entire household (v4). 

What can we learn from this?  Just as cream tends to rise to the top, so you can put a guy like Joseph in a difficult situation and with God’s help he will find a way to rise and to prosper.  Like Joseph, be faithful and responsible with what God gives you and, sooner or later, God will make sure that you are promoted. 

Grave Mistakes, Greater Story

2021-07-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 38:12-30.  Let’s go!

Genesis 38:12-16a (NIV)
12  After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him.
13  When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,”
14  she took off her widow’s clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.
15  When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
16  Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”…

On verses 12-16a:  According to the custom of levirate marriage, Judah was supposed to give the closest male relative – i.e. his son Shelah – to Tamar in marriage (v11), but for fear of losing Shelah like he did his other two sons, Judah refused to give Shelah to Tamar, even though Shelah was already fully grown. So Tamar decides to take matters into her own hands.  Knowing that her father-in-law Judah is traveling to Timnah, Tamar veils her face and sits on the road to Timnah.  Judah, who had earlier lost his wife, takes Tamar for a prostitute and solicits her services, not knowing that it’s his daughter-in-law! 

撒母耳膏大衛

2021-07-06 in , /by

〈撒母耳記上〉 16:7  耶和華卻對撒母耳說：「不要看他的外貌和他身材高大，我不揀選他。因為，耶和華不像人看人：人是看外貌；耶和華是看內心。」

閱讀經文：〈撒母耳記上〉 16:1-23

當撒母耳對掃羅說：“今日耶和華使以色列國與你斷絕，將這國賜予比你更好的人。以色列的大能者必不至說謊，也不至後悔。因為他迥非世人，決不後悔。（撒上15:28-29）”時，掃羅害怕了，但是他可能沒有想到神已經真的找到了另一個人要取代他。撒母耳為掃羅難過，為掃羅悲哀，但是神要他往前走，向前看。因為神雖然曾經揀選掃羅，但是一旦掃羅不肯聽從神的話，神也離開他了。這件事讓我們明白，不遵從神的話，在神的眼中是無可饒恕的；即使花言巧語為自己找理由，也無濟於事。

神要撒母耳重新出發，去膏立神所揀選的新王。神要撒母耳去伯利恒找耶西，這耶西是摩押婦人路得和波阿斯的孫子。撒母耳沒有想到，神要膏立的是一個可愛的少年人。他的哥哥們一個個從撒母耳面前經過，卻沒有一個是神揀選的。神對撒母耳說：“不要看他的外貌和他身材高大，我不揀選他。因為耶和華不像人看人，人是看外貌，耶和華是看內心”。但是你可能還記得，掃羅比眾百姓都高過一個頭，他的外貌不是很出眾嗎？神為何選他呢？

在十五章裡，撒母耳對掃羅說：“從前你雖然以自己為小，豈不是被立為以色列支派的元首嗎？”掃羅在作王之前是很謙卑的，他覺得便雅憫支派是以色列支派中最小的；而他的家族又是便雅憫中最小的族。若論選王，怎樣也輪不到他。所以當撒母耳要向眾百姓介紹他時，他還躲了起來。那時的掃羅一點都不驕傲。但是作王之後，他變了，變得非常自大，比神還大，所以他不聽神的，他忽悠神。該做的不做，還找理由塘塞，並且推卸責任。他不把神當做神來敬畏，他以為神看不見他的所作所為。社會新聞裡，我們有時也會看到一些變節的牧者或傳道人，他們一開始都是非常認真而忠心的神僕，但是後來在各種引誘下，他們失節了。

聽命勝於獻祭

2021-07-05 in , /by

〈撒母耳記上〉 15:22撒母耳說：耶和華喜悅燔祭和平安祭，豈如喜悅人聽從祂的話呢？聽命勝於獻祭；順從勝於公羊的脂油。

閱讀經文：〈撒母耳記上〉 15:1-35

撒母耳上次因為掃羅代他獻祭，違背了神的命令，對掃羅很不高興。但是這次，撒母耳再來見掃羅，為何他要再見掃羅？因為他要傳神的話。不管他對掃羅如何失望，神還是要再給掃羅一次機會。看看掃羅是否真的能明白神的用心良苦，因而回轉。所以撒母耳提醒掃羅，他能夠做以色列人的王，不是出於他自己的能力或才華，而是出於神的揀選，因此掃羅應該珍惜，應該聽從神的話，免得神一怒之下，取走他的王權。因為神可以使人升高，也可以使人降低，所以人在祂面前應當存謙卑的心，不要妄自尊大。心存謙卑的人就會聽從神的話，心裡驕傲的人則恰恰相反。所以從一個人順服神的程度，可以看出他實在是謙卑或驕傲。

撒母耳傳達神的命令，要掃羅去滅盡亞瑪力人。在以色列人出埃及時，亞瑪力人尾隨以色列人，在以色列人的隊伍後面攻擊搶劫老少婦孺。神沒有忘記他們的惡。所以我們可以明白神的性情，誰攻擊祂的子民，祂必報仇。這是神對祂的子民之愛的表現，同時也是神公義的一面，神不會放過作惡的人。這是神給掃羅最後一次的機會，要看掃羅肯不肯聽從祂的話。掃羅能不能把這個機會，使神的心意回轉？

有的人以為神是無比慈愛的神，所以他可以盡情犯罪，只要找一些藉口塘塞就可以了。神真是那麼好騙的嗎？還是他們在騙自己？掃羅很有人情味，先去勸基尼人避避風頭。在〈士師記〉第一章曾經提到，摩西的內兄是基尼人，摩西曾經邀請他的岳父和以色列人同去，並在曠野做他們的眼目，並應許將來耶和華有什麼好處待以色列人，以色列人也必以什麼好處待他們（民10:29-32）。也因為他們在以色列人出埃及時，曾經恩待以色列人，從那時起，基尼人就和以色列人住在一起，而且相處得很好。（也有一說，摩西的岳父是米甸人，因為基尼人是米甸人裡的一族）。

Sons of Judah

2021-07-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 38:1-11.  Let’s go!

Genesis 38:1-11 (NIV)
1  At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah.
2  There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and lay with her;
3  she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er.
4  She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan.
5  She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.
6  Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar…….

On verses 1-11:  According to the customs of the time, if a man and woman were married and the husband passed away without leaving any children, the deceased man’s closest brother would marry the deceased man’s widow and procreate children with her.  Those children would take on the name of the deceased man.  That way the deceased man’s line could continue and the widow could be provided for financially.  This custom was known as the levirate law of marriage (“levir” in Latin means “husband’s brother”).

Wear God’s Favour with Humility + Maintain a Teachable Spirit

2021-07-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 37:1-11.  Let’s go!

Genesis 37:1-10 (NIV)
1  Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
2  This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.
3  Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him.
4  When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him…….

On verses 1-10:  Joseph’s brothers thought they had many reasons to dislike Joseph.  First, as a teenager Joseph would come from the fields after shepherding his father’s flocks and bring a bad report about his older brothers (v2).  Second, Joseph was the favoured son in the family and would wear a long colourful robe that his father Jacob gave to him and not to any of his other sons (v3-4). Third, Joseph would share dreams he had of his brothers and even his parents bowing down to him (v5-9), such that his father Jacob would rebuke Joseph for his arrogance.

掃羅欲殺約拿單

2021-07-04 in , /by

〈撒母耳記上〉 14:45 百姓對掃羅說：約拿單在以色列人中這樣大行拯救，豈可使他死呢？斷乎不可！

閱讀經文：〈撒母耳記上〉 14:24-52 

因為約拿單憑著信心和神的印證去攻打非利士人，神就使非利士人大大戰兢，互相擊殺。掃羅看到非利士人軍眾潰散，四圍亂竄，便帶領以色列人去追擊非利士人，直到伯亞文。在這之前掃羅已經查出約拿單和拿兵器的人不在，但他依然下了一道命令，非等到晚上向敵人報完仇，什麼東西都不可以吃。這個命令有沒有道理，姑且不論；但是對於不知情的約拿單而言，若是吃了東西，算不算有罪呢？

我們看到這個命令的後果，使百姓甚是疲乏饑餓，以致於饑不擇食，宰了牛羊就血帶肉地吃。設想百姓在追殺非利士人時必然需要補充體力，而掃羅卻不准他們進食，以致於他們饑餓難忍。就像約拿單說的：“我父親連累你們了。你看，我嘗了這一點蜜，眼睛就明亮了。今日百姓若任意吃了從仇敵所奪的物，擊殺的非利士人豈不更多嗎？”可見這是個極為不智的命令。一般禁食是為了預備心或認罪悔改，若要從事大量的體力活，是不應該禁食的。牛在踹穀時，都不可籠住牠的嘴，何況人呢？

掃羅聽到百姓吃帶血的肉，便指責他們有罪，然後為耶和華築壇，讓百姓宰完牛羊可以放血後，在壇上燒了才吃。吃飽後，掃羅還想在夜裡繼續追趕非利士人，直到不留他們一人。但是祭司提醒掃羅，要先求問耶和華。掃羅照做，但是神沒有回答。掃羅得不到神的答覆，明白可能有人犯罪。這個罪是指觸犯了掃羅的誓言。沒想到制籤掣出約拿單。約拿單用杖頭蘸蜜時，根本不知道掃羅下過那樣的命令；是在嚐了蜜之後，百姓才把掃羅的命令告訴他。所以他很驚訝：“用杖頭蘸了一點蜜嘗了一嘗。這樣我就死嗎？”

The Difference One Life Can Make

2021-07-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 36:1-43.  Let’s go!

Genesis 36:1-43 (NIV)
1  This is the account of Esau (that is, Edom).
2  Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite–
3  also Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.
4  Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel,……

On verses 1-43:  Here we see the evolution of Esau (also known as Edom) from a man (v1) to a husband (v2-3) to a father (v4-5) to a wealthy businessman (v6-7).  Because Jacob and Esau had so much livestock between the two of them, they could not live in the same vicinity in a sustainable way (v7).  So Esau moves to the hill country of Seir (v8).  It is in Seir that Esau goes from being the patriarch of a large family (v9-14) to becoming a man from whom a city ruled by chiefs would originate, to an entire nation with its own kings (v15-43), the nation known as the Edomites (v43).

Here we see that over time, and over many generations, Esau went from one man to a nation.

What can we learn from this?

First, God doesn’t just see who you are today or who you are in this lifetime.  He sees the story He is writing with your life over generations.  When you see how your life is connected to the generations before you and those who will come after you, you start to see your life from a new perspective.

第六封信：給非拉鐵非教會

2021-07-02 in , /by

非拉鐵非，這名是指兄弟之愛。當初建這座城是為了將希臘文化傳到這地，再傳往亞洲，人稱「通往東方之門」，為宣揚古希臘文化和生活方式。這裡的土壤十分肥沃，適合種葡萄樹，但永遠不知何時會發生地震，居民常必須在地震過後重建，特別重視建築物的品質，因此信中提到門、鑰匙和柱子等有關建築的物品，都是他們熟知的。

非拉鐵非教會很小，他們自卑地努力求生存；充滿活力的撒狄教會就在附近，多半的人都想去撒狄。這個忠心但弱小的教會，信徒對所在的城市顯然沒有太大的影響力，增長的速度也不快。但耶穌卻不用嚴厲的語氣向他們說話，也不想挫敗他們的信心。耶穌在這封信上的自我介紹最長，因為祂似乎想表明，他們在這七個教會中最但最重要；鼓勵他們也許不起眼、沒有影響力，但所需要的一切，都在耶穌裡面。

耶穌提到自己是聖潔、真實，是那位聖者，這是上帝的稱號，在啟示錄中有用相同的稱號，來稱呼上帝和耶穌，表明耶穌就是上帝，如阿拉法、俄梅戛；首先的、末後的，啟示錄一章如此稱呼上帝，最後一章也這樣稱呼耶穌。

〈以賽亞書〉廿二章曾提到掌銀庫的家宰權力最大，有大衛王宮的鑰匙，權力僅次於王。當時家宰舍伯那驕傲，以為自己的地位比王還重要，開始為自己鑿皇家規格的墓穴，後來上帝刻意將此人驅逐出境，他在國外某處死了。以利亞敬取代他的地位，這是個謙卑可靠的人、值得信賴，他開的門無人能關，他關的門無人能開。耶穌在這裡如此說，為了相較這世上的統治者趾高氣揚，為自己蓋巨大的墳墓，耶穌是謙卑可靠掌管王宮的那位。〈啟示錄〉提到舊約聖經約四百多次，若不了解舊約聖經，很難了解〈啟示錄〉。

約拿單大敗非利士人

2021-07-01 in , /by

〈撒母耳記上〉 14:6   我們不如過到未受割禮人的防營那裡去，或者耶和華為我們施展能力。因為耶和華使人得勝，不在乎人多人少。

閱讀經文：〈撒母耳記上〉 14:1-23

掃羅登基的第二年，他面臨了與非利士人的戰爭。他領了二千人駐守在密抹和伯特利山，他的兒子約拿單帶領一千人駐守基比亞。他的兒子約拿單攻擊迦巴非利士人的防營，掃羅也召集人去攻打。 約拿單攻取了迦巴，但掃羅卻戰敗，從伯特利山和密抹退守到吉甲（撒上13:3-4）。此時非利士人又增加兵力到密抹，很多以色列人都逃過約但河，到迦得和基列去躲避，掃羅原有的二千人只餘下六百人。掃羅在吉甲等候撒母耳，但是還沒等到撒母耳就自行獻祭，未遵耶和華的命令（撒上13:5-14）。掃羅從吉甲回到基比亞，又和約拿單一起在迦巴安營。此時，非利士人在密抹安營，又派了三隊掠兵出去（撒上13:15-18）。

第14章是這場戰爭的延續。從約拿單對拿他兵器的少年人說：「我們不如過到未受割禮人的防營那裡去，或者耶和華為我們施展能力。因為耶和華使人得勝，不在乎人多人少。」可以知道約拿單是個敬畏神的年輕人。當他想決定要不要去攻擊非利士人時，他不隨便出擊，要得到神的印證才出擊；並且他明白“耶和華使人得勝，不在乎人多人少”。人若沒有這樣的信心，就沒有辦法得到神的帶領和祝福。面對像海沙那樣多的非利士步兵，約拿單卻明白，得勝在乎耶和華，不在乎人多人少。這個道理好像很容易講，但是只有在面對挑戰時，才能知道自己是否真的有這樣的信心。換句話說，有時我們實在知道自己很有限，碰到考試或申請學校、找工作、想買房子，等等；有的人會憂慮得無法睡覺，煩燥得生氣。但若真的明白“耶和華使人得勝，不在乎你有多少”時，就會勇於交託，盡力而為。

掃羅回到基比亞的邊境，坐在米磯崙(或譯: 打谷場)的石榴樹下。可能因為他按兵不動，激起約拿單想突擊非利士人在密抹的防營之想法。迦巴（Geba)和密抹(Michmash)隔著山谷遙遙相對，密抹在山谷的北邊，地勢較高，可以監視山谷南邊迦巴的動靜。所以非利士的防兵對約拿單說：「你們上到這裡來，我們有一件事指示你們。」因為從迦巴到密抹，地勢是由下而上。