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隐哈歌利

2021-05-27 in , /by

〈士师记〉 15:19 神就使利希的洼处裂开，有水从其中涌出来，参孙喝了精神复原。因此那泉名叫隐哈歌利，那泉直到今日还在利希。

阅读经文：〈士师记〉15:1-20

从参孙处理事情的方法，你会发现他和其他的士师不一样。其他的士师在神呼召他们之后，就登高一呼，大家就来跟随他，一起打战。但是参孙不同，参孙好像都是为了自己的事情在忙，为了自己的事复仇。神就是这样使用他，让他一人去打击非利士人。使非利士人不敢侵犯以色列人，因为参孙会报仇，而且杀戳绝不留情。神给参孙有超人的神力，他就像是现代美国电影中的超人，凡事一脚踢，都不需要别人帮忙。

当参孙发现他的岳父竟把他的妻子给了他的陪伴（或说：他的伴郎），他生气极了。他觉得自己有足够的理由去杀害非利士人。他活捉了三百只狐狸。狐狸有很灵敏的听觉和嗅觉，牠有修长的腿，最快可以一小时跑五十公里。所以要捉到三百只狐狸，又不让牠们逃走，不是很容易的事。除了力气之外，还要有十分敏捷的身手和智慧才行。参孙将狐狸尾巴一对一对地捆上，将火把捆在两条尾巴中间， 点着火把，就放狐狸进入非利士人己收割好站着的禾稼，将堆集的禾捆和未割的禾稼，并橄榄园尽都烧了。

非利士人问清楚原委后，也用火烧死参孙的妻和她的父亲。参孙知道之后，就再去杀非利士人。从非利士人和以色列人的对话里，我们可以稍微明白，为何在此时，神只用参孙一人去救以色列人脱离非利士人的手。因为非利士人认为那些事都是参孙做的，所以他们不会对以色列人进行报复，以色列人的生活就不致受到影响。

不按规矩出牌的参孙

2021-05-26 in , /by

〈士师记 〉14:6 a耶和华的灵大大感动参孙，他虽然手无器械，却将狮子撕裂，如同撕裂山羊羔一样。

阅读经文：〈士师记〉  14:1-20 

以色列人的新士师诞生了，可能没有太多人知道，他就是神所指定，要为以色列人制服非利士人的领袖。神祝福参孙，让他成长顺利。但是直到玛哈尼坦，神的灵才感动他。这是参孙人生的一个转折点。在这之前，他和其他小孩一样，无忧无虑地成长，看到非利士人来，可能就躲得远远地。对于非利士人拥有的东西，可能也有点羡慕。就像二战时期，华人的小孩看到洋人的一切都感到十分好奇。那时但的支派尚未找到他们要定居的地方，他们渴望像其他支派一样也能安定下来。

玛哈尼坦的意思就是「但的军营」或是「但部族的营」。在他成长时期的某一天，他去玛哈尼坦参观，当他在但的营中走动时，神的灵感动他。我们不知道他是否看到营里的残败不堪，或是军人的士气不高昂，或是众人在非利士人的高姿态之下，觉得很没有希望。但是在这里，神的灵感动他要为以色列人做些事情。神的灵开始准备他将来要做以色列人的士师和领导者的心思意念。玛哈尼坦在琐拉和以实陶中间，这两城相距才三公里。神曾经在什么地方感动你，让你看到事奉的方向吗？

但是出人意外的，被神感动之后的参孙，竟爱上了一个非利士人的女子。他的父母感到很妻惨，作为以色列人是不可以和异族通婚的，更何况是拿细耳人。一个已经属神的人，怎么可以做出神所不允许的事呢？他的父母一定觉得自己的教育太失败了。多少时候，当儿女的决定和父母的想法相悖时，父母的心真是很难接受这样的状况。有的儿女在成长后决定离开教会，更使父母觉得自己彻底失败。但是接下来的这句话「这事是出于耶和华」，使我们明白掌管儿女的是耶和华神，只要我们尽力教导他们，他们的决定就不在我们能管的范围之内了。有的人需要绕一圈才能明白神的爱，像林语堂一样年轻时还会讲道，却直到晚年才悔改信主，有什么办法？

When God Puts You to the Test

2021-05-26 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 22:1-12.  Let’s go!

Genesis 22:1-12 (NIV)
1  Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.
2  Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”
3  Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about…….

On verses 1-12:  In one of the most shocking and powerful scenes in the Bible, God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac on the altar.  This does not appear to be a spur of the moment, spontaneous event.  It would take Abraham, Isaac and their servant more than a day to travel to the place where God would tell Abraham to conduct the sacrifice (v4).

Why would God tell Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac after promising that Abraham’s line of descendants would be born through Isaac (see Genesis 21:12)?  How could God tell Abraham to sacrifice his only son whom he loves?  

参孙的出生

2021-05-25 in , /by

〈士师记〉 13:12 玛挪亚说：「愿你的话应验！我们当怎样待这孩子，他后来当怎样呢？」

阅读经文：〈士师记〉 13:1-25

在士师押顿死后，以色列人又行耶和华眼中看为恶的事，那是指什么事情呢？为何神会看它为恶，并且兴起非利士人来打击以色列人呢？关于非利士人的来源有不少传说，但是一般认为他们原先生活在克里特岛和爱琴海的岛屿。曾经在埃及第十九王朝时一再攻击埃及，被埃及法老打败，把他们重新安置在迦南地的沿海城镇，也就是目前的加沙走廊及以北一带。因此这部份地带被称为非利士地，「巴勒斯坦」一词起源于非利士人的希腊语和拉丁语形式。

在〈撒母耳记上〉形容：「那时，以色列全地没有一个铁匠；因为非利士人说，恐怕希伯来人制造刀枪。以色列人要磨、犁、斧、铲，就下到非利士人那里去磨。（撒上13:19-20）」 根据当时的情况，非利士人已经有相当的文明，他们已精通冶铁的技术，而以色列人什么都没有。非利士人不准以色列人拥有铁器，以色列人若想磨利农耕的用具，都得上非利士地不可。所以凡事都要看非利士人的脸色，被非利士人压制得很辛苦。

这次我们没有看到以色列人呼求神的拯救，神却已经在准备拯救他们了。好像一个孩子刚生下来，父母就已经在帮他准备上大学的费用了。正好像神在以赛亚书说的：「他们尚未求告，我就应允；正说话的时候，我就垂听。（赛65:24）」你有没有这样奇妙的经历呢？有的弟兄姐妹曾经与我分享，他们只是在心里想，都还没有放在祷告里，神就成全了他们心里所想的。何等奇妙，何等爱我们的神。在我们还不知道有需要时，祂已经为我们预备了。

Take Him By the Hand

2021-05-25 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 21:17-34.  Let’s go!

Genesis 21:17 (NIV)
17  God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.

On verse 17:  Ishmael’s name means “God hears”.  Just as God heard the cries of Hagar when she was first pregnant with Ishmael, so God was now hearing Ishmael’s cry.  God is a God who hears the cries of His people.

Genesis 21:18 (NIV)
18  Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

On verse 18:  This verse shows me that every child needs two things: support (“lift the boy up”) and leadership (“take him by the hand”).  As a parent, teacher or leader, if all you give to your child is gentle support but no pressure to improve, the child may never grow.  And if all you do is give your child is pressure to improve but no support, the child may crack under the pressure.  What a child needs is both forward-moving pressure and gentle support.

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.