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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! 

撒母耳膏大卫

2021-07-06 in , /by

〈撒母耳记上〉 16:7  耶和华却对撒母耳说：「不要看他的外貌和他身材高大，我不拣选他。因为，耶和华不像人看人：人是看外貌；耶和华是看内心。」

阅读经文：〈撒母耳记上〉 16:1-23

当撒母耳对扫罗说：“今日耶和华使以色列国与你断绝，将这国赐予比你更好的人。以色列的大能者必不至说谎，也不至后悔。因为他迥非世人，决不后悔。（撒上15:28-29）”时，扫罗害怕了，但是他可能没有想到神已经真的找到了另一个人要取代他。撒母耳为扫罗难过，为扫罗悲哀，但是神要他往前走，向前看。因为神虽然曾经拣选扫罗，但是一旦扫罗不肯听从神的话，神也离开他了。这件事让我们明白，不遵从神的话，在神的眼中是无可饶恕的；即使花言巧语为自己找理由，也无济于事。

神要撒母耳重新出发，去膏立神所拣选的新王。神要撒母耳去伯利恒找耶西，这耶西是摩押妇人路得和波阿斯的孙子。撒母耳没有想到，神要膏立的是一个可爱的少年人。他的哥哥们一个个从撒母耳面前经过，却没有一个是神拣选的。神对撒母耳说：“不要看他的外貌和他身材高大，我不拣选他。因为耶和华不像人看人，人是看外貌，耶和华是看内心”。但是你可能还记得，扫罗比众百姓都高过一个头，他的外貌不是很出众吗？神为何选他呢？

在十五章里，撒母耳对扫罗说：“从前你虽然以自己为小，岂不是被立为以色列支派的元首吗？”扫罗在作王之前是很谦卑的，他觉得便雅悯支派是以色列支派中最小的；而他的家族又是便雅悯中最小的族。若论选王，怎样也轮不到他。所以当撒母耳要向众百姓介绍他时，他还躲了起来。那时的扫罗一点都不骄傲。但是作王之后，他变了，变得非常自大，比神还大，所以他不听神的，他忽悠神。该做的不做，还找理由塘塞，并且推卸责任。他不把神当做神来敬畏，他以为神看不见他的所作所为。社会新闻里，我们有时也会看到一些变节的牧者或传道人，他们一开始都是非常认真而忠心的神仆，但是后来在各种引诱下，他们失节了。

听命胜于献祭

2021-07-05 in , /by

〈撒母耳记上〉 15:22撒母耳说：耶和华喜悦燔祭和平安祭，岂如喜悦人听从祂的话呢？听命胜于献祭；顺从胜于公羊的脂油。

阅读经文：〈撒母耳记上〉 15:1-35

撒母耳上次因为扫罗代他献祭，违背了神的命令，对扫罗很不高兴。但是这次，撒母耳再来见扫罗，为何他要再见扫罗？因为他要传神的话。不管他对扫罗如何失望，神还是要再给扫罗一次机会。看看扫罗是否真的能明白神的用心良苦，因而回转。所以撒母耳提醒扫罗，他能够做以色列人的王，不是出于他自己的能力或才华，而是出于神的拣选，因此扫罗应该珍惜，应该听从神的话，免得神一怒之下，取走他的王权。因为神可以使人升高，也可以使人降低，所以人在祂面前应当存谦卑的心，不要妄自尊大。心存谦卑的人就会听从神的话，心里骄傲的人则恰恰相反。所以从一个人顺服神的程度，可以看出他实在是谦卑或骄傲。

撒母耳传达神的命令，要扫罗去灭尽亚玛力人。在以色列人出埃及时，亚玛力人尾随以色列人，在以色列人的队伍后面攻击抢劫老少妇孺。神没有忘记他们的恶。所以我们可以明白神的性情，谁攻击祂的子民，祂必报仇。这是神对祂的子民之爱的表现，同时也是神公义的一面，神不会放过作恶的人。这是神给扫罗最后一次的机会，要看扫罗肯不肯听从祂的话。扫罗能不能把这个机会，使神的心意回转？

有的人以为神是无比慈爱的神，所以他可以尽情犯罪，只要找一些借口塘塞就可以了。神真是那么好骗的吗？还是他们在骗自己？扫罗很有人情味，先去劝基尼人避避风头。在〈士师记〉第一章曾经提到，摩西的内兄是基尼人，摩西曾经邀请他的岳父和以色列人同去，并在旷野做他们的眼目，并应许将来耶和华有什么好处待以色列人，以色列人也必以什么好处待他们（民10:29-32）。也因为他们在以色列人出埃及时，曾经恩待以色列人，从那时起，基尼人就和以色列人住在一起，而且相处得很好。（也有一说，摩西的岳父是米甸人，因为基尼人是米甸人里的一族）。

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.

扫罗欲杀约拿单

2021-07-04 in , /by

〈撒母耳记上〉 14:45 百姓对扫罗说：约拿单在以色列人中这样大行拯救，岂可使他死呢？断乎不可！

阅读经文：〈撒母耳记上〉 14:24-52 

因为约拿单凭著信心和神的印证去攻打非利士人，神就使非利士人大大战兢，互相击杀。扫罗看到非利士人军众溃散，四围乱窜，便带领以色列人去追击非利士人，直到伯亚文。在这之前扫罗已经查出约拿单和拿兵器的人不在，但他依然下了一道命令，非等到晚上向敌人报完仇，什么东西都不可以吃。这个命令有没有道理，姑且不论；但是对于不知情的约拿单而言，若是吃了东西，算不算有罪呢？

我们看到这个命令的后果，使百姓甚是疲乏饥饿，以致于饥不择食，宰了牛羊就血带肉地吃。设想百姓在追杀非利士人时必然需要补充体力，而扫罗却不准他们进食，以致于他们饥饿难忍。就像约拿单说的：“我父亲连累你们了。你看，我尝了这一点蜜，眼睛就明亮了。今日百姓若任意吃了从仇敌所夺的物，击杀的非利士人岂不更多吗？”可见这是个极为不智的命令。一般禁食是为了预备心或认罪悔改，若要从事大量的体力活，是不应该禁食的。牛在踹谷时，都不可笼住牠的嘴，何况人呢？

扫罗听到百姓吃带血的肉，便指责他们有罪，然后为耶和华筑坛，让百姓宰完牛羊可以放血后，在坛上烧了才吃。吃饱后，扫罗还想在夜里继续追赶非利士人，直到不留他们一人。但是祭司提醒扫罗，要先求问耶和华。扫罗照做，但是神没有回答。扫罗得不到神的答复，明白可能有人犯罪。这个罪是指触犯了扫罗的誓言。没想到制签掣出约拿单。约拿单用杖头蘸蜜时，根本不知道扫罗下过那样的命令；是在尝了蜜之后，百姓才把扫罗的命令告诉他。所以他很惊讶：“用杖头蘸了一点蜜尝了一尝。这样我就死吗？”

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：给非拉铁非教会

2021-07-02 in , /by

非拉铁非，这名是指兄弟之爱。当初建这座城是为了将希腊文化传到这地，再传往亚洲，人称「通往东方之门」，为宣扬古希腊文化和生活方式。这里的土壤十分肥沃，适合种葡萄树，但永远不知何时会发生地震，居民常必须在地震过后重建，特别重视建筑物的品质，因此信中提到门、钥匙和柱子等有关建筑的物品，都是他们熟知的。

非拉铁非教会很小，他们自卑地努力求生存；充满活力的撒狄教会就在附近，多半的人都想去撒狄。这个忠心但弱小的教会，信徒对所在的城市显然没有太大的影响力，增长的速度也不快。但耶稣却不用严厉的语气向他们说话，也不想挫败他们的信心。耶稣在这封信上的自我介绍最长，因为祂似乎想表明，他们在这七个教会中最但最重要；鼓励他们也许不起眼、没有影响力，但所需要的一切，都在耶稣里面。

耶稣提到自己是圣洁、真实，是那位圣者，这是上帝的称号，在启示录中有用相同的称号，来称呼上帝和耶稣，表明耶稣就是上帝，如阿拉法、俄梅戛；首先的、末后的，启示录一章如此称呼上帝，最后一章也这样称呼耶稣。

〈以赛亚书〉廿二章曾提到掌银库的家宰权力最大，有大卫王宫的钥匙，权力仅次于王。当时家宰舍伯那骄傲，以为自己的地位比王还重要，开始为自己凿皇家规格的墓穴，后来上帝刻意将此人驱逐出境，他在国外某处死了。以利亚敬取代他的地位，这是个谦卑可靠的人、值得信赖，他开的门无人能关，他关的门无人能开。耶稣在这里如此说，为了相较这世上的统治者趾高气扬，为自己盖巨大的坟墓，耶稣是谦卑可靠掌管王宫的那位。〈启示录〉提到旧约圣经约四百多次，若不了解旧约圣经，很难了解〈启示录〉。

约拿单大败非利士人

2021-07-01 in , /by

〈撒母耳记上〉 14:6   我们不如过到未受割礼人的防营那里去，或者耶和华为我们施展能力。因为耶和华使人得胜，不在乎人多人少。

阅读经文：〈撒母耳记上〉 14:1-23

扫罗登基的第二年，他面临了与非利士人的战争。他领了二千人驻守在密抹和伯特利山，他的儿子约拿单带领一千人驻守基比亚。他的儿子约拿单攻击迦巴非利士人的防营，扫罗也召集人去攻打。 约拿单攻取了迦巴，但扫罗却战败，从伯特利山和密抹退守到吉甲（撒上13:3-4）。此时非利士人又增加兵力到密抹，很多以色列人都逃过约但河，到迦得和基列去躲避，扫罗原有的二千人只余下六百人。扫罗在吉甲等候撒母耳，但是还没等到撒母耳就自行献祭，未遵耶和华的命令（撒上13:5-14）。扫罗从吉甲回到基比亚，又和约拿单一起在迦巴安营。此时，非利士人在密抹安营，又派了三队掠兵出去（撒上13:15-18）。

第14章是这场战争的延续。从约拿单对拿他兵器的少年人说：「我们不如过到未受割礼人的防营那里去，或者耶和华为我们施展能力。因为耶和华使人得胜，不在乎人多人少。」可以知道约拿单是个敬畏神的年轻人。当他想决定要不要去攻击非利士人时，他不随便出击，要得到神的印证才出击；并且他明白“耶和华使人得胜，不在乎人多人少”。人若没有这样的信心，就没有办法得到神的带领和祝福。面对像海沙那样多的非利士步兵，约拿单却明白，得胜在乎耶和华，不在乎人多人少。这个道理好像很容易讲，但是只有在面对挑战时，才能知道自己是否真的有这样的信心。换句话说，有时我们实在知道自己很有限，碰到考试或申请学校、找工作、想买房子，等等；有的人会忧虑得无法睡觉，烦燥得生气。但若真的明白“耶和华使人得胜，不在乎你有多少”时，就会勇于交托，尽力而为。

扫罗回到基比亚的边境，坐在米矶仑(或译: 打谷场)的石榴树下。可能因为他按兵不动，激起约拿单想突击非利士人在密抹的防营之想法。迦巴（Geba)和密抹(Michmash)隔着山谷遥遥相对，密抹在山谷的北边，地势较高，可以监视山谷南边迦巴的动静。所以非利士的防兵对约拿单说：「你们上到这里来，我们有一件事指示你们。」因为从迦巴到密抹，地势是由下而上。