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What to Do about Disputable Matters

2021-08-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 8:1-13.  Let’s go!

1 Corinthians 8:1-13 (NIV)
1  Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
2  The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.
3  But the man who loves God is known by God.
4  So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one.
5  For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”),……

On verses 1-13:  In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul addresses a question that many Christians in his church had conflicting opinions about: is it okay to eat food sacrificed to idols or not (v1-4)?    From Paul’s answer, we can learn 3 questions to ask when determining whether you should engage in what seems like a questionable activity (whether it’s eating food sacrificed to idols, playing Pokemon Go, going trick or treating, or something else):

Question 1: Ask “Does God’s Word clearly and directly prohibit this activity?”  If yes, then the answer’s clear: don’t engage in this activity (or at least don’t engage in that part of the activity which is clearly prohibited by Scripture).  If God’s Word does not clearly and directly prohibit this activity, go to question 2.

大衛以仁慈待米非波設

2021-08-12 in , /by

〈撒母耳記〉9:1    大衛問說：「掃羅家還有剩下的人沒有？我要因約拿單的緣故向他施恩。」

閱讀經文：〈撒母耳記〉下 9:1-13

瑪吉Machir，是瑪拿西的兒子，約瑟的孫子，基列的父親。在出埃及之後，瑪拿西的後裔曾經參與攻克基列和巴珊的戰役，他的後人就定居在這兩個地方。亞米利的兒子瑪吉就是約瑟和瑪拿西的後人，摩西把約旦河西的地方分給了流便、迦得和瑪拿西半個支派，瑪吉就住在約旦河西的基列地。羅底巴，是一句希伯來語，意思是“沒有草的地方”，可能是形容基列地多岩石的特質。在掃羅家破敗之後，約瑟的後人瑪吉還願意收留米非波設，一個殘廢的人，不愧是宰相之家的後代。

米非波設的原名是米力巴力（代上8:34），巴力是古代西亞西北閃米特語通行地區的一個封號，表示“主人”的意思，一般用於神祇。米力巴力含有“巴力的勇士”之意，後來被改名為米非波設。從世人的眼光，他真是生不逢時，生在帝王之家，原本是高貴的王子，不料卻碰上家破人亡的戰事，使他從一個王子變成一無所有的人；又因為乳母的失手，使他從一個本來可以大有作為的人變成一無可取，連行動都無法自如的人。人生的劇變和殘酷，往往是我們難以預料的。正好像有首黑人靈歌〈肯達基故鄉〉所說的：“人世不常，噩運來臨沒法想，從此別肯達基老家鄉”。

2015年六月一日，傳來長江遊輪東方一號，在十二級以上的龍捲風襲擊之下，一分鐘內傾覆，倒扣在水中，因為當時大家都準備休息，連求救的信號都來不及發出。這瞬間翻沉的事，誰能預先料到呢？原本快樂的旅程就這樣結束，變成一片號啕的痛哭聲，船上458人中有七人游上岸報警，其他人或已全部遇難。這就是人生的真相。東方一號的出事地點離湖北新洲碼頭大約四公里，只可惜，來不及了。出事都只在那一瞬間，使人措手不及。

Is It Better to Stay Single or Get Married?

2021-08-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 7:32-40.  Let’s go!

1 Corinthians 7:32-40 (NIV)
32  I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs–how he can please the Lord.
33  But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world–how he can please his wife–
34  and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world–how she can please her husband.
35  I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
36  If anyone thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if she is getting along in years and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married…….

On verses 32-40:  Here Paul gets realistic about the cost of getting married.  Every married person can attest to this: once you are married, you are no longer looking out for just yourself.  Now you have a spouse and possibly kids to be concerned about.

It’s for this reason that Paul seems to prefer singleness for Christians in 1 Corinthians 7.  Paul here even seems to encourage those who are engaged but who are not settled on their decision to marry to strongly consider singleness (v36-38). It’s not because marriage is sinful, but because practically speaking a single person has a lot more time and a lot less complicated life that he or she can devote to serving God.

Live for God’s Greater Purposes

2021-08-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 7:25-31.  Let’s go!

1 Corinthians 7:25-28 (NIV)
25  Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.
26  Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are.
27  Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife.
28  But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.

On verses 25-28:  What “present crisis” is Paul referring to in verse 26?  It is not entirely clear.  Some scholars think Paul may be referring specifically to a famine that had hit the region including Corinth.  Others think Paul may be referring more generally to the normal struggles people were experiencing from day to day, or what Paul believed was the soon coming return of Jesus Christ.  In any event, Paul advises the Christians in Corinth to “remain as you are” (v26).  So to the already married Paul tells them not to seek a divorce (v27a) and to those who are single Paul advises not to be too caught up trying to look for a future spouse (v27b).  Paul does clarify that getting married is certainly not a sin (v28a) but he wants to spare his people from the troubles that married people will inevitably go through (v28b).

大衛王的功績

2021-08-11 in , /by

〈撒母耳記〉下 8:15    大衛做以色列眾人的王，又向眾民秉公行義。

閱讀經文：〈撒母耳記〉下 8:1-18

在大衛打敗歌利亞之後，掃羅就立他作為千夫長及戰士長。那時年輕的大衛帶著那些年記比他大的軍兵們出入，因為耶和華與他同在，他也辦事精明，所以猶大和以色列眾人都愛大衛（撒上13:13-16）。大衛在躲避掃羅時，也要經歷一些大小戰役，神與大衛同在，但也不斷地在磨煉大衛，使他能擔起一國之君的大任。現在大衛終於作王了，神給他的軍事才華終於發揮得淋灕盡至。

非利士人從以色列人的士師時期就不斷騷擾以色列人，因為他們懂得冶鐵，所以在兵器上有極大的優勢。但是當大衛興起後，非利士人在歷史上就一蹶不起了。因此有人認為，迦特王亞吉把洗革拉給了大衛，正好給了大衛一個學習冶鐵的機會，從此以色列人有了兵器，非利士人就不能再猖狂了。大衛奪了非利士人京城的權柄，又打敗摩押人。

可能我們還記得，在大衛逃亡時，曾經把父母寄放在摩押王那裡，怎麼作了王之後，就把他們打得落花流水，還用繩量一量，量二繩的殺了，量一繩的存留？一繩表示年記小的，身材只有一繩那麼高。大衛沒有殺量一繩的，也就是沒有趕盡殺絕，給摩押人留下餘種。大衛和摩押人開戰的原因，我們不知道。但是我們看到大衛對摩押人的感情，只是殺掉成人，還是留下了年輕的，給他們有重新振興的機會，但不會威脅到以色列。

瑣巴王是在迦南地的北方。〈歷代志上〉第十八章記載：“瑣巴王哈大利謝往幼發拉底河去，，要堅定自己的國權。大衛就攻打他，直到哈馬。”所以在〈撒母耳記〉上八章所記的大河就是幼發拉底河。大衛的戰利品，兩本書記得不一樣，撒上記著：“大衛就攻打他，擒拿了他的馬兵一千七百，步兵二萬，將拉戰車的馬砍斷蹄筋，但留下一百輛車的馬。”代上記著：“奪了他的戰車一千，馬兵七千，步兵二萬，將拉戰車的馬砍斷蹄筋，但留下一百輛車的馬。”有解經家認為，在撒上有抄寫的失誤，沒有把戰車寫上去，兩者加起來應該是“奪了他的戰車一千，馬兵七百，步兵二萬”。

Stay in the Place of Your Calling

2021-08-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 7:17-24.  Let’s go!

1 Corinthians 7:17-24 (NIV)
17  Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.
18  Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised.
19  Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts.
20  Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him.
21  Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you–although if you can gain your freedom, do so.
22  For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave.
23  You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.
24  Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.

On verses 17-24:  I suspect that there may have been a tendency in the church in Corinth to chase after certain experiences, whether it was the experience of getting circumcised (v18-19), which some Christians falsely believed was necessary in order to be truly saved,

大衛想為耶和華建殿

2021-08-10 in , /by

〈撒母耳記〉下 7:22  主耶和華啊，祢本為大，照我們耳中聽見，沒有可比祢的，除祢以外再無神。

閱讀經文：〈撒母耳記〉下 7:1-29

從世人的眼光來看，大衛雖然不完美；但是從神的眼光來看，他真的是很合神心意的人。假如一個人有好幾個孩子，有的做大官，有的發大財，有的樂善好施，但是只有一個會要求父母和他一起住。你想哪個孩子最合父母的心意呢？這就是大衛的過人之處，大衛從來不會隱藏他對神的愛。在他所做的詩歌裡，充滿了對神的敬畏和愛慕。以致於當他住在王宮裡，看到神的約櫃在會幕中，他就心裡難過：我怎能住得比神更好呢？

這時先知拿單說話了，這樣的心意，神豈有不喜悅之理？你想神建殿嗎？你就去做吧。拿單是先知，但是先知的話能不能代表神的話？那晚，神向拿單顯現，讓他知道神有不同的意思。這件事讓我們明白，任何人都不可自以為自己的意思就是神的意思，即使有先知的恩賜也不行，總要向神求問才行。我們認為好的事，不一定就是神要我們做的事。而神以為不好的事，神卻要我們去做。這兩者之間不是看事情是好事還是壞事，而是看神對你有什麼心意，要你做什麼。

最明顯的就是撒母耳為以色列人立王之事，撒母耳知道神不喜悅以色列立王，可是神卻要撒母耳為以色列人立王，所以撒母耳就為以色列人立王。這就是順服，不是看你覺得這事當不當做，該不該做，而是神要你做什麼，你就做什麼。神不要你做什麼，你就不要去做。所以，建聖殿是一件大大的好事，連先知聽了都覺得太好了。但是神說，我不要大衛建聖殿。大衛就不建，但他開始存錢，買材料，為建殿的工作做準備。大衛沒有哭著吵著非做不可，神說了，他就順服。

大衛兩次迎約櫃

2021-08-09 in , /by

〈撒母耳記〉下 6:22a  我也必更加卑微，自己看為輕賤。

閱讀經文：〈撒母耳記〉下 6:1-23

大衛做以色列王不久，就想到要把約櫃從俄別以東運到大衛的保障。大衛王攻下耶布斯之後，就將其改名為耶路撒冷，又稱為大衛之城 或錫安的保障，大衛的保障，是今日耶路撒冷城聖殿區古城牆以南的一個山頭。這件事表明了他對神的愛，和他心中是何等敬畏神，因為他把神的同在看得第一重要。

掃羅做王四十年，從來沒有想過約櫃。掃羅只要有祭司和以弗得，好像護身的神符跟著他就行了。掃羅把神看成是他的僕人，是聽他命令的；但是大衛不同，大衛經常尋求神的心意，全心全意愛神。大衛不是完人，他在很多事上有過失，在許多事上有軟弱，他有些事不合我們對完人的標準，但是他愛神。就像彼得說的：「愛能遮掩許多的罪」(彼前:8)。所以當我們在看人時，不要檢視過度，因為我們都不完美。但是我們心裡把神放在什麼位置上，那是神所重視的。正如你若結婚了，你把配偶放在什麼位置上，那也是你的配偶會計較，你也會計較的一件事。

大衛率領跟隨他的眾人前往亞比拿達的家。他不是隨隨便便地前往，而是帶著跟隨他的人一起前往，好像要去迎接至愛的親人回家。他們預備了一輛新車，那是一個新時代的開始，已經開始用車運東西，像非利士人送回約櫃時一樣，讓牛拉著新車走。他們把約櫃放在新車上，覺得很自豪，大衛和以色列全家用松木製造的各樣樂器和琴、瑟、鼓、鈸、鑼作樂跳舞。亞比拿達和兩個兒子烏撒和亞希約都是祭司，烏撒趕車，亞希約在櫃前行走。一切都非常美好，但是到了拿艮的禾場，忽然牛失前蹄，烏撒很自然地用手去扶約櫃。不料，立即被神擊打，死在約櫃旁。原本歡樂的氣氛一下子變成悲傷痛哭，憂愁不已。為什麼耶和華神生氣了？

Taking Marriage and Divorce Seriously

2021-08-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 7:10-16.  Let’s go!

1 Corinthians 7:10-11 (NIV)
10  To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.
11  But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

On verses 10-11:  In 1 Corinthians 7:10-16, Paul is addressing another issue in his church at Corinth: the issue of divorce.  In verses 10-11, Paul reiterates the teaching of the Lord Jesus on divorce from Matthew 19:4-9 and Mark 10:1-10, which is that generally speaking married people are not to divorce. 

Does that mean that divorce is never allowed under any circumstances?  Keep in mind that in Matthew 19 and Mark 10, Jesus says that divorcing (i.e legally dissolving the marriage) and remarrying is permissible in the case of marital unfaithfulness.  Perhaps the reason Paul does not mention this is because Paul is most likely writing this in response to a specific situation, or situations, that he has heard about going on in the church in Corinth.  It could be that the Christians in Corinth were trying to back out of their marriages for immature reasons that had nothing to do with marital unfaithfulness.  So here Paul emphasizes that marriage is a lifelong commitment that is not to be easily dissolved.

大衛做全以色列的王

2021-08-08 in , /by

〈撒母耳記〉下 5:10 大衛日見強盛，因為耶和華萬軍之神與他同在。

閱讀經文：〈撒母耳記〉下 4:1-12

元帥押尼珥死了，以色列王伊施波設死了，兩個軍長也被大衛殺了。以色列眾支派的長老們終於來找大衛，他們舉出了三件事來證明他們的誠意。一, 他們和大衛是骨肉的關係，都是雅各的子孫。二, 在掃羅作王時，大衛當戰士長，所以是大衛率領以色列人出入。他們承認大衛的領袖地位。三, 撒母耳曾經膏大衛為王，那是神對大衛的應許。因此大衛在希伯崙和他們立約，他們就膏大衛做以色列的王，此時猶大支派和以色列其他的支派終於統一了。大衛沒有採取流血的手段，他耐心等待，直到神的時間來臨，神親自感動以色列人來和他立約，成就了和平統一。這是大衛第三次被膏為王。

大衛作王之後，為何要去打耶布斯呢？因為它座落在以色列中央山脈最高處的平台上，海拔在750公尺左右；東邊有汲淪溪，西邊和南邊是欣嫩溪；東南有俄斐勒山，東有摩利亞山，東北有貝西大山，西北有亞克拉山，西南有錫安山，其東還有橄欖山，真正是群山環繞，外敵難以進入，是個易守難攻，交通卻四通八達的地方，拿來做首都不正好嗎？大衛是個有眼光有異象的政治家，當他挑選上這個地方做以色列國的首都時，他心裡已經有了策略，要打造出一個讓外敵都不敢侵犯的以色列國。

但是正如上面所述，耶布斯是一個很難攻取的地方。當大衛計劃要進攻耶布斯時，裡面的人嘲笑大衛，要先趕出裡面的瞎子和瘸子，意思是說：就憑這些瞎眼的和破腳的，就可以抵擋你們了。在〈歷代志〉上11章5節，耶布斯人對大衛說：“你決不能進這地方。”在〈歷代志〉上11章6節，大衛徵求勇士：“誰先攻打耶布斯人，必作首領元帥”。在〈撒母耳記〉下五章，大衛露了一點打仗的秘密：“當上水溝攻打我心裡所恨惡的瘸子、瞎子”。上水溝是何意呢？