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遵守誡命必蒙福祉

2021-02-14 in , /by

〈申命記〉 11:11-12你們要過去得為業的那地乃是有山有谷、雨水滋潤之地，是耶和華─你　神所眷顧的；從歲首到年終，耶和華─你　神的眼目時常看顧那地。

在前一章摩西說以色列人曾是悖逆的百姓，但是他希望百姓進迦南之後，記念神的作為，效法神，好像蒙慈愛的兒女一樣。

今天是農曆新年初四，但是在疫情的管制下，大家都被限制不可群聚，所以聚餐及各樣活動都得取消。為了以後有更多的歡聚，大家都要忍耐，今年保持距離，以策安全。為了將來，眼前的忍耐是值得的。

對以色列人而言，也是如此。神所有的作為，包括使埃及人的車輛全軍覆沒，以色列可拉族反叛的人被地吞噬，都是為了讓以色列人知所依歸，知所事從。

所以摩西告誡以色列人：「所以，你們要守我今日所吩咐的一切誡命，使你們膽壯，能以進去，得你們所要得的那地，並使你們的日子在耶和華向你們列祖起誓、應許給他們和他們後裔的地上得以長久；那是流奶與蜜之地。」(申11:8-9)

以色列人守誡命，正如我們今天守政府條例。誡命裡的限制，都是為了使以色列人在神所賜的地上得以長久；政府的條例也是希望我們能安然而健康地活下去。

神給以色列人的地不是荒蕪的野地，摩西如此形容：「你要進去得為業的那地，本不像你出來的埃及地。你在那裡撒種，用腳澆灌，像澆灌菜園一樣。你們要過去得為業的那地乃是有山有谷、雨水滋潤之地，是耶和華─你　神所眷顧的；從歲首到年終，耶和華─你　神的眼目時常看顧那地。」(申11:10-12)

Four Witnesses

2021-02-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 5:31-40.  Let’s go!

John 5:31-34 (NIV) 
31  “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid. 
32  There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is valid. 
33  “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 
34  Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved.

On verses 31-34:  The Jewish law provided that claims that people in court should be established by two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15; Matthew 18:16).  Knowing this, to back up his claims about him being the Son of God, he cites John the Baptist as one of his witnesses.  He does this not because he personally feels any need for a human witness (“Not that I accept human testimony” – v34a) but to address questions people may have about Jesus’ credibility (“but I mention it that you may be saved” – v34b).  John the Baptist was one of Israel’s most respected leaders and thus his testimony about Jesus gave weight to Jesus’ claims.

何謂真福？

2021-02-12 in , /by

論物資的多寡與人生的奮鬥力

　　上帝將豐富的資源給予某些地區，將較少的物資給予另一些地區。這使我發現人掙扎求存的潛在能實在大的不得了。擁有最少自然資源之人的奮鬥力往往遠遠超過那些擁有最多自然資源的人。在自然資源特別豐盛的地區，有著許多懶惰、缺乏奮鬥精神的民族或人種。這些社會現象都使我們重新思考上帝待人的方式究竟是如何。

一、以加拿大機場為例

　　我幾次冬天時到加拿大講道。我住在接近赤道、氣候炎熱的印尼，卻要在冬天到靠近北極、冰天雪地的加拿大講道，來來回回要換好幾套衣服，辛苦的不得了。當地籌委會向我解釋：「唐牧師，加拿大人夏天的時候都出去玩，聖誕節沒有地方去，比較容易來聽道。」

　　紐約冬天時冰天雪地，紛飛的大雪使機場運作停頓、飛機停飛。但同樣的情況、同樣的天氣在多倫多就不會發生這種情形。即使天氣再壞，陸地被冰雪封住，多倫多的機場照樣運作、飛機照飛。多倫多比紐約地處更北、氣候更冷，為什麼機場仍不受影響呢？經過一番查問，原來加拿大政府在冰雪覆蓋的多倫多機場底下，提供千萬瓦電力的傳熱設備，使落下的冰雪得以自動溶解。但一般的道路沒有這種設備，只有飛機場是如此。

　　我再問當地人：「那麼，該怎麼解決路上的積雪呢？」他們傻眼，說：「多倫多每天要用二百多萬美金的鹽解決陸地的積雪問題」。我更感到奇怪了。我小時候在中國廈門買冰，為了使冰不容易溶解，人們把鹽撒在冰上，冰就會冷、不容易溶解。但加拿大放鹽，雪就溶掉了。我才知道冰與雪不是表兄弟。冰遇到鹽就凝結起來，雪遇到鹽就溶解了。

Jesus and the Father

2021-02-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 5:19-30.  Let’s go!

John 5:19-23 (NIV) 
19  Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 
20  For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. 
21  For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 
22  Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 
23  that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

On verses 19-23:  Here Jesus describes how intricately entwined he and the Father are:

–        Jesus the Son can do nothing by himself but only does what he sees his Father doing (v19);

–        Whatever the Father does Jesus the Son also does (v19);

–        “For the Father loves the Son” (v20):  It’s a love relationship between the Father and Jesus the Son;

為要叫你得福

2021-02-11 in , /by

〈申命記〉 10:12 以色列啊，現在耶和華─你　神向你所要的是甚麼呢？只要你敬畏耶和華─你的　神，遵行祂的道，愛祂，盡心盡性事奉祂，遵守祂的誡命律例，就是我今日所吩咐你的，為要叫你得福。

以色列人是悖逆的百姓，神卻因為祂的恩召而不忍棄絕他們。我們也都是活在過犯中不知悔改的人，神的慈繩愛索卻也未曾棄絕我們。

神依然賜下十誡，吩咐摩西：「你起來引導這百姓，使他們進去得我向他們列祖起誓應許所賜之地。」祂也依然賜下獨生子耶穌基督，為我們的過犯被釘上十字架，使我們的罪得赦免；又為我們復活，使我們得永生。又賜下聖靈，把神的話語放在我們心中， 使我們的石心變為肉心。

那麼，神向我們要的是什麼呢？

摩西說：以色列啊，現在耶和華─你　神向你所要的是甚麼呢？只要你敬畏耶和華─你的　神，遵行他的道，愛他，盡心盡性事奉他，遵守他的誡命律例，就是我今日所吩咐你的，為要叫你得福。

你們要將心裡的污穢除掉，不可再硬著頸項。

你們要憐愛寄居的，因為你們在埃及地也作過寄居的。

敬畏耶和華─你的　神，事奉祂，專靠祂，也要指著祂的名起誓。

摩西說，天和天上的天，地和地上所有的，都屬耶和華─你的　神；並且祂單單揀選以色列人。現在，祂也單單揀選那些肯接受耶穌完成的救恩之人。

Restored to God’s Presence

2021-02-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 5:10-18.  For context we’ll start by looking at verse 9.  Let’s go!

John 5:9-10 (NIV) 
9  At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 
10  and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”

On verses 9-10:  In the Ten Commandments, God commanded His people to honour the Sabbath day by resting and not doing work on that day (Exodus 20:8-9).  The religious elite among the Jews would interpret this command in an extreme and overly strict way, such that they considered carrying one’s mat from one place to another on a Sabbath day to be a violation of the command to honour the Sabbath day.  By focusing on these technicalities, the religious elite missed the purpose and heart of God’s commands.  All of a sudden, a command that was meant to bring joy, refreshing and rest became a burden.

What can we learn from this?  When thinking about the details, don’t lose sight of the big picture.  When thinking about how to apply God’s commands, don’t lose sight of why God gave us those commands in the first place.

自從我認識你們以來

2021-02-10 in , /by

〈申命記〉 9: 5 你進去得他們的地，並不是因你的義，也不是因你心裡正直，乃是因這些國民的惡。

有一位猶太人的拉比說，他很喜歡聽他的祖父母講以前的故事。他的祖父母是二次大戰後的倖存者，他們做了一個家譜，並且告訴子孫們，那些長輩和親戚的名字有何特別的意義。他從不認識那些親人，但是在回憶那些親人時，他的祖父母彷彿就因而得到很大的安慰。他自己也因而得到很奇妙的鼓勵，因為他終於有「家族的故事」，可以讓他的兒女或子孫們知道他們的先祖是哪些人，是怎樣的人。他說，猶太人的習俗教導他們要知道過去的歷史，才能明白前面要走的方向。因此他們在過節時，往往有一段述史的時間，提醒他們和神的關係。

有的人問，神為何揀選以色列人，不揀選中國人？在這一章裡，神提到祂為何揀選了以色列人，並把迦南地賜給他們。不是因為以色列人比別人好，而是因為迦南人的罪惡滿盈，以及神要堅定向以色列人的列祖所起的誓。換句話說，我們有可能是輸在起跑點。人家的祖先亞伯拉罕可以拒絕偶像崇拜，我們的祖先卻去拜女神女媧。傳說中，她與伏羲為兄妹，也有說是配偶，他們曾煉五色石以補天，並摶土造人，制嫁娶之禮，延續人類生命，造化世上生靈萬物。女媧據傳是人首蛇身。因為天穹如傘，女媧善於補天，因此女媧亦成為台灣雨傘和繡補業者所祀奉的職業神。伏羲據說是龙身人首或蛇身人首，因為製造八卦，人奉之為神，尊其為八卦祖師。我們的祖先放棄了原先尊崇的一神論裡的一神，耶和華神，轉而去拜人首蛇身的女媧和伏羲，所以不蒙揀選的原因就在此吧。所以，知道我們的過去，對我們將來要走的方向也很有幫助啊！

摩西說：「自從我認識你們以來，你們常常悖逆耶和華。」(申9:24)

Attitude Matters

2021-02-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 5:1-9.  Let’s go!

John 5:1-3 (NIV) 
1  Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 
2  Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 
3  Here a great number of disabled people used to lie–the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. 

On verses 1-3:  John’s Gospel now shifts to Jesus in Jerusalem where he visits the pool of Bethesda where disabled people were known to congregate.  Apparently some people believed that an angel stirred the waters of the pool of Bethesda and that the first person to enter the pool after the waters were stirred would be healed.   

By the way, why is verse 4 missing?  If you read the King James version of John’s Gospel, you will see verses 3b and 4 which mention this idea of an angel coming to stir the pool waters.  However, this was apparently a later addition into Scripture and has been omitted from more current versions of the Gospel of John.