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Welcome God’s Presence and God’s Word

2021-05-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 18:1-15.  Let’s go!

Genesis 18:1-10 (NIV)
1  The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.
2  Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
3  He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by.
4  Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree…….

On verses 10b-15:  Upon hearing the Lord say that about this time next year Sarah will have a son, Sarah laughs to herself and thinks sarcastically, “will I now have this pleasure?”  Previously Abraham had laughed at the Lord’s message that Sarah would bear a child at the age of 90 (Genesis 17:17), but his laugh was a joyful laugh fueled by faith, wonder and awe.  Here Sarah’s laugh is not fueled by faith or joy, but by unbelief, skepticism and ingratitude (v13).  Perceiving Sarah’s sarcastic thoughts, the Lord responds by asking, “Is anything too hard for the Lord” (v14).  Afraid, Sarah denies laughing but God confirms that she did laugh (v15).

耶和華和基甸的刀

2021-05-16 in , /by

〈士師記〉 7:20    三隊的人就都吹角，打破瓶子，左手拿著火把，右手拿著角，喊叫說：「耶和華和基甸的刀！」

閱讀經文：〈士師記〉 7:1-25

被欺壓了七年之久的以色列人，此時在基甸的號召下聚集在哈律泉旁。哈律泉在基利波山的北邊，是條溫泉小溪，至今仍有泉水自山崖邊不斷流出，已經建設成一個公園。在哈律泉的北邊大約六公里處就是摩利山（又稱為摩利崗），那裡聚集著米甸營的大軍，包括了亞瑪力人和東方人。在兩邊要交峰之前，神對基甸說：「跟隨你的人過多，我不能將米甸人交在他們手中，免得以色列人向我誇大」，所以「凡懼怕膽怯的，可以離開基列山回去。」面對著如沙一般多的敵人，基甸可能暗自慶幸，還不錯，有三萬兩千人出來跟隨他。沒想到神竟然要叫那些心裡懼怕的人回去？

在〈申命記〉裡，神規定有幾種人不可出征：一是剛建造房屋，尚未奉獻者；二，誰種葡萄園，尚未用所結的果子者；三，已聘定了妻，尚未迎娶者；四，懼怕膽怯者（申20:5-8）五，剛結婚的人一年內都不可以將之徵召入伍（申24:5）。因為這些人心有旁騖，打起仗起若不能專心，怎能得勝？尤其是懼怕膽怯者，不僅對自己沒有信心，對神也沒有信心，在一起打仗，肯定影響士氣，不如不要。在人的眼中，打仗當然是人越多越好；但是在神的眼中，祂只要精兵。

米甸營裡一共有十三萬五千人，在以色列人眼中尤如過境之蝗蟲，洪水也似地翻滾而來。而神卻對基甸說，一萬人還是太多，祂只要留下三百人。我們有時覺得為神做工的人太少，可是現在來看，這是神一貫的政策。神不要太多工人，像在某些政府部門做事的，有許多打毛衣、聊天或上網打遊戲者，神要的每個工人都是實心實地在做事的。而且，神要讓這些服侍的人知道，不是因為自己有什麼能力，而是神的能力托住他們。所以神所用的人，不能向神誇大，因為明白自己何等軟弱，神的能力和恩典才是一切事工的泉源。

Laugh for the Right Reasons

2021-05-16 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 17:15-27.  Let’s go!

Genesis 17:15-16 (NIV)
15  God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.
16  I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

On verses 15-16:  Here God expressly states that Sarai will give birth to a son and will become the mother of nations.  God changes Sarai’s name to Sarah, which means “princess”, which is appropriate given that kings would come from her (v16).

This reminds me that when you place your trust in Jesus, you become part of God’s royal family.  As God’s children, you’re not nothing; you are royalty.  (Just for fun, if you want a more royal sounding name, take the name of the street you live on and add a royal sounding title to it, like “Prince Willingdon”, “Lady Katsura”, “King Edward”, or “The Dutchess of Dunbar”.  This usually works for streets in Greater Vancouver, unless you live on No. 2 Road.)

Faith and Circumcision

2021-05-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 17:1-14.  Let’s go!

Genesis 17:1-8 (NIV)
1  When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.
2  I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
3  Abram fell facedown, and God said to him,
4  “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations.
5  No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.
6  I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.
7  I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
8  The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”

On verses 1-8:  Previously God made a covenant (a legally binding promise) to Abram in Genesis 15, promising to give Abram the land from the Nile to the Euphrates (Genesis 15:18).  Now, in addition to God telling Abram to walk before Him and be blameless (v1), God confirms His covenant with Abram and gives the covenant more definition, like a sculpture getting more and more refined by its sculptor.  Here God confirms that the covenant includes Abram being the father of many nations (v4), with Abram’s name changing to Abraham (meaning “father of many”) (v5).  God also confirms that the covenant is an everlasting one for all of Abraham’s descendants (v7) ad that God is giving to Abraham and his descendants the whole land of Canaan (v8). 

第一封信：給以弗所(2)下

2021-05-14 in , /by

「你要回想你是從哪裡墮落的」

　　你的放棄比較主動，你的得回比較被動。你的犯罪，是你的意志產生的果效；你的回頭，是上帝的意志繼續施恩的果效。上帝的恩典永遠大過我們所能做、所能想的。主吩咐以弗所教會要悔改，得回失去的愛心。怎麼得回？「你要回想你是從哪裡墮落的」這句話，是聖經在啟示錄告訴我們的。

　　老人家常常會跌倒，老人家跌倒的原因，不是因為愛跌倒，而是因為老人家腦內平衡的系統已經不敏感了，因為他小腦的平衡作用已經失去了靈敏。為什麼老人家要用拐杖？因為拐杖的硬度能使他站立。老人家喜歡坐在有可以支撐站起來的椅子，因為老人的平衡力、筋骨的支撐力已經遠不如前。老人不覺悟哪一秒要跌倒，旁邊照顧他的人要非常敏捷，就馬上即時撐著他，讓他站著。一個年輕人跌倒了，就站起來；一個老人跌到，要花幾分鐘慢慢移動身體，才能站起來。感謝上帝給我站立的時候，還可以手靠著講台，繼續維持整個身體的支撐，直到講完道。

　　有些人用這節聖經引申一句話：「你從哪裡跌倒，就從哪裡起來。」我從小聽牧師講道：「你從哪裡跌倒，就從哪裡起來」，我後來覺得這句話是沒有道理的，因為沒有人從這裡跌倒，而從那裡起來，你從這裡跌倒，一定是從這裡起來。今天我們的靈性也如此。我們在懶惰傳福音上跌倒，我們卻在金錢的奉獻上爬起來，你的跌倒是因為懶惰傳福音，你的起來怎麼是用奉獻多一點錢起來？你跌倒的地方與你起來的地方不一樣，這是靈性上的錯誤。

God Hears and God Sees

2021-05-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 16.  Let’s go!

Genesis 16:1-4 (NIV)
1  Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar;
2  so she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said.
3  So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife.
4  He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.

On verses 1-4:  Tired of waiting for God to bless her with a child, Sarai proposes that Abram sleep with their Egyptian maidservant Hagar so that Sarai can have children through Hagar.  Perhaps Sarai thought, “Well, did God ever say the offspring had to come from my body?” (Not until the next chapter in Genesis 17:15-16 would God expressly say that Sarai will be the one to bear Abram’s offspring, although one could argue that this idea was already implied in God’s prior promises.)  According to scholars, it was a customary ancient Middle Eastern practice for a slave to bear children for the wife if the wife could not bear children.  So Abram agrees, Hagar conceives, but the relief that Sarai thought she would experience by executing her plan soon turns into regret. 

耶和華沙龍

2021-05-13 in , /by

〈士師記〉6:31 約阿施回答站著攻擊他的眾人說：「你們是為巴力爭論嗎？你們要救他嗎？誰為他爭論，趁早將誰治死。巴力若果是神，有人拆毀他的壇，讓他為自己爭論吧！」  

閱讀經文：〈士師記〉6:19-40

神的使者向基甸顯現，基甸不敢相信他真是從耶和華神來的，因此要他等一等。基甸做了無酵餅，又預備了一隻羊羔和湯。從米甸人、亞瑪力人和東方人對以色列人的壓制和搶奪之下，基甸仍然有麥子可打，有羊羔可殺，可算當時挺有本事的。神的使者用杖頭去挨了肉和無酵餅，就有火從下面的磐石中出來，燒盡了肉和無酵餅，表示神的悅納。基甸此時才醒悟，原來耶和華神的使者真的向他顯現了。覿面就是面對面觀看的意思。以色列人從摩西時代就知道人不能見神的面，見到神的面必然要死。因為摩西求神讓他見到神的面時，神說：「你不能看見我的面，因為人見我的面不能存活。（出33:20）」但是神即刻安慰基甸，他必不致於死。因為神的使者以人的樣式出現，正如神以人的樣式去找亞伯拉罕一樣，是以人的樣式與他們見面，並不是以神原本的面目與他們相見。

基甸因而為耶和華神築了一座壇，起名叫耶和華沙龍Jehovah-Shalom(The-Lord-Is-Peace)，意思是：「神是平安」。因為神成為他的平安，讓他心裡不再掙扎，不再受苦。從不信到懷疑，從懷疑到相信，基甸經歷了他人生一個巨大的轉變。原本躲在酒榨中打麥子，現在神叫他去拆巴力的壇，他就在夜裡去，並且用砍下的偶像為耶和華的壇做柴。他不敢在白天做，試想在白天會引起多大的紛爭啊！在夜裡，他按著神的吩咐做好一切事。隔天一早，就引來城裡人的驚訝，問清楚是基甸做的事，便要治死他。但是基甸心裡有從神來的平安。

The Whole Way

2021-05-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 15.  Let’s go!

Genesis 15:1 (NIV)
1  After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”

On verse 1:  In the previous chapter, Abram refused to take any material goods from the King of Sodom, even after he had rescued the people of Sodom from Kedorlaomer.  After Abram refused to receive any reward from the King of Sodom, now the Lord comes to Abram in a vision, saying, “I am your very great reward”.  What can we learn from this?  The greatest reward, the greatest treasure we can have is to know God personally and have His presence in our lives.   

God says another thing to Abram here after Abram’s victory over Kedorlaomer in battle.  He says, “I am your shield.”  In other words, the reason why Abram was able to go into battle against a more powerful enemy and come out unscathed is because God was protecting Abram.  Similarly, you and I face Satan, an enemy more powerful than us, but God is our omnipotent shield against the enemy.  Jesus’ blood shed on the cross shields us from all further accusations that Satan would want to hurl at us.  Jesus protects us from God’s wrath against our sin.  The Lord was Abram’s shield.  He is your shield too.

神呼召基甸

2021-05-12 in , /by

〈士師記〉 6:12 耶和華的使者向基甸顯現，對他說：「大能的勇士啊，耶和華與你同在！」

閱讀經文：〈士師記〉 6:1-18

基甸的名字意思是「大能的勇士」，基甸覺得自己甚為渺小，但是神有能力使他人如其名。當神的使者找到這位大能的勇士時，他正躲在酒榨那裡打麥子。有一種考古學家挖出土的酒榨，分為上池和下池。上池約8英尺見方，15英寸深，下方約2英尺處有一個用來承接果汁的較小的池。基甸就是用這種酒榨來打小麥。酒榨是為了要把葡萄榨成汁，所以只需要一個很小的地方。但是打麥子通常在空曠的地方，因為需要利用風將麥糠和麥子分開，才能有最多的收成。在一個不通風地方打麥子，那情形必然很窘迫，連呼吸都不容易，因為飛揚的麥粒會到處飄揚。但是基甸沒有辦法，他不敢去外面空曠的地方打麥子，免得被米甸人或其他外邦人發現，就來搶他的糧食。

這就是以色列人當時的苦境。他們又轉去行耶和華眼中看為惡的事，耶和華神就把他們交在米甸人手中七年。以色列人有家歸不得，得躲到山中挖穴、挖洞，建造營寨。他們一撒種，米甸人、亞瑪力人和東方人都上來攻打他們，對著他們安營，毀壞土產。他們不給以色列人留下食物，以色列人的牛、羊、驢也全被搶走了。就好像有一群匪徒跟著你，你一領薪水就被搶走，或是買完菜要回家就被搶走，他們甚至到你家廚房拿走所有可吃的東西，一點都不留給你。因為他們人多，你根本無力反抗。在這種絕境之中，以色列人才想起耶和華神，祈求祂的幫助。

這一次，神差遣先知去罵以色列人，教訓他們。教訓之後，就去找基甸了。神的心是如此不忍，不忍見祂的子民生活得如此悽苦。神原本要他們在迦南美地強盛壯大，沒想到他們卻被逼得像老鼠一樣奔逃四竄，到處挖洞築窩。神呼召我們也是希望我們過得勝的生活，享有祂的榮耀，但是我們是否依然在罪中，因自己的罪過而被魔鬼逼迫無法反擊？

Training for Battle

2021-05-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage  s Genesis 14:13-24. Let’s go! 

Genesis 14:13-14 (NIV)
13  One who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram.
14  When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

On verses 13-14:  The moment Abram heard about his nephew Lot being taken captive, Abram was able to call out 318 trained men born in his household to go and rescue Lot.  Notice that though Abram did not yet have a son of his own, he had over 300 men born in his household trained for battle.    

It’s a reminder that we want the people born in our home to be trained well for battle.  The Bible teaches that we are in the middle of a war between God and Satan.  If we do not train those in our homes and churches to fight and do battle against our enemy Satan, Satan will inevitably take captive the people and things we hold dear, and we will have no idea how to recover what he has stolen.  That’s why it is so important to grow up spiritually and to arm yourself in the ways Ephesians 6:10-20 describes.  One of those ways is knowing and declaring God’s Word for it is the sword of the Spirit, our weapon in battle.