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Ask Big, Dream Big

2020-12-31 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 15:13-19.   Let’s go!

Joshua 15:13-19 (NIV) 
13  In accordance with the LORD’s command to him, Joshua gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion in Judah–Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.) 
14  From Hebron Caleb drove out the three Anakites–Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai–descendants of Anak. 
15  From there he marched against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher). 
16  And Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.” 
17  Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage. 
18  One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?” 
19  She replied, “Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

On verses 13-19:  I get a kick out of watching Caleb and his family.  Not once but twice (once in Joshua 14 and again here in Joshua 15), the book of Joshua describes how land is being distributed to the various tribes of Israel when this very formal process seems to be informally interrupted by Caleb and his family suddenly appearing and asking for land.  

Make the Most of What You’ve Been Given

2020-12-30 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 15:1-12.  Let’s go!

Joshua 15:1-12 (NIV) 
1  The allotment for the tribe of Judah, clan by clan, extended down to the territory of Edom, to the Desert of Zin in the extreme south. 
2  Their southern boundary started from the bay at the southern end of the Salt Sea, 
3  crossed south of Scorpion Pass, continued on to Zin and went over to the south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it ran past Hezron up to Addar and curved around to Karka. 
4  It then passed along to Azmon and joined the Wadi of Egypt, ending at the sea. This is their southern boundary. ……

On verses 1-12:  Having allotted land east of the Jordan River to 2.5 tribes of Israel (Joshua 14:1-5), here starting in Joshua 15 we read of how Joshua divided the land west of the Jordan River among the remaining 9.5 tribes of Israel.  We start with the tribe of Judah in verses 1-12.  According to historians, Judah, being the largest tribe in Israel, received the largest portion of the promised land.   Notice that the land given to Judah was flanked on different sides by water (for example, its eastern boundary was the Salt Sea (v5), its northern boundary was the bay at the mouth of the Jordan River (v5), and its western boundary was the “Great Sea”, or the Mediterranean Sea (v12)).  However, the land also had its share of deserts, like the Desert of Zin in verse 1.   The land had plenty of mountains and hills (v9-11) and also many valleys (v7-8). 

紅母牛和除污穢的水

2020-12-30 in /by

〈民數記〉19:9 必有一個潔淨的人收起母牛的灰，存在營外潔淨的地方，為以色列會眾調做除污穢的水，這本是除罪的。

神叫摩西要在營外燒一隻紅母牛成灰，加活水，做成除污穢的水。一切不潔淨的人若要到聖殿去敬拜或服侍，都必須用除污穢的水灑在身上，才能成為潔淨。若沒有灑除污穢的水在他身上，他是不潔淨的，就不可以進會幕或聖殿敬拜神。當然，也不可以參與服事，這也包括了祭司和大祭司。因為我們都是不潔淨，沾染污穢的人。但是想找到一隻全身紅毛，沒有任何雜毛的母牛，談何容易？

有人說，要找到一頭紅母牛，就好像要在一堆乾草裡找一根針那麼困難。根據猶太人的資料，從摩西到希律建的第二聖殿被毀，兩千年來一共才燒了八頭紅母牛（有的說九頭）。第一頭紅母牛是摩西燒的，以斯拉燒了第二頭，大祭司公義的西緬和友加拿(Simon the Just and Yochanan) 曾經各燒了兩頭， Elioenai ben HaQayaph 和埃及人 Hanameel 曾經各燒了一頭。可見這牛燒了以後，收集起來的灰不少，可以用很久。猶太人相信摩西燒了第一頭紅母牛，彌賽亞來了以後會燒最後一頭紅母牛。很可惜，他們不知道彌賽亞耶穌已經把自己獻上，靠著祂完成的救恩，我們得以潔淨，再也不需要除污穢的水了。當然，也不必再去找紅母牛。

《米示拿》（Mishnah）是由猶太人口傳下來的律法，集合成書。在《米示拿》這本律法書裡記載了一些和紅母牛相關的資料。先是紅母牛的資格：必需沒有殘疾、未曾負軛、純紅的母牛。因此若知道某個地方有紅母牛出生，猶太人的拉比就會專程去檢查。一頭牛的身上不可以有兩根其他顏色的雜毛，例如，若是一頭紅母牛身上找到有兩根黑色的毛，那就不合格了。同時，牛身上的毛必須都是直的，表示未曾負軛。紅母牛若是超過三歲（有的說四歲）就不合格，太老了。人也不可以靠在紅母牛身上，若是有什麼東西曾放在牛背上，也是不合格。紅母牛必是自然生產，不可以剖腹產或有人工幫忙。

結了熟杏的木杖

2020-12-29 in , /by

〈民數記〉17:8 第二天，摩西進法櫃的帳幕去。誰知利未族亞倫的杖已經發了芽，生了花苞，開了花，結了熟杏。

可拉一黨的叛亂，是因為不能進迦南地的失望，導至想奪權的意念。這樣的心情不是一天兩天的事，而是日積積月累形成的，所以他們才會來質問摩西和亞倫的權柄。究竟是誰讓你們做頭的？為何我們凡事都要聽你的？我們難道沒有話語權，決定權嗎？這也是之前米利暗和亞倫對摩西的質問。

現在我們看到這樣的情緒到處都有，大至國家的國會，小至家庭裡的紛爭，都是因為對權柄的渴望，想要別人聽我的，而我不想聽別人。在民主社會，以投票決定負；在極權國家，以控制決定輸贏；在神權時代，神說了算，因為沒有人可以大過神。

以色列的眾首領和會眾攻擊摩西，質問亞倫的權柄。因為一切彷彿都是摩西說了算，神對摩西說什麼，摩西就照做，誰也不曉得神究竟有沒有告訴摩西，也不知道有沒有摩西的私意。因為他們是一家人。

所以，神叫以色列的首領各拿一根自己的杖，寫上名字，把這些杖放在法櫃前，法櫃就是約櫃。神所揀選的那人，那人的杖必發芽。這些首領各個都是年高望眾，要走曠野的路，怎能沒有杖呢？十二支派的首領就照著做了，把杖交給摩西，放在法櫃前面。

這些人的杖都是己經枯乾了的樹幹。有一個弟兄在世時做了一根走路杖，用一根比較直的樹幹，去掉枝節，又把它打滑摩光，在底部加了套子。後來他把杖留給我們，外子去森林走路時就用它。若有人說這根杖還會發芽開花，我們也會覺得是神蹟。因為它早就「死」了。

To Follow the Lord Wholeheartedly, You Need to Do These 2 Things

2020-12-29 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 14:10-15.  Let’s go!

Joshua 14:10-15 (ESV) 
10  And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. 
11  I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. 
12  So now give me this hill country of which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the LORDwill be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the LORD said.” 
13  Then Joshua blessed him, and he gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. 
14  Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD, the God of Israel. 
15  Now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba. (Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim.) And the land had rest from war.

可拉黨之亂

2020-12-29 in /by

〈民數記〉16:30 倘若耶和華創作一件新事，使地開口，把他們和一切屬他們的都吞下去，叫他們活活地墜落陰間，你們就明白這些人是藐視耶和華了。

在新聞上，我們有時候會看到某些國家的政變，有的國家可以和平轉移政權，有的國家卻不然。至於革命，我們也明白是怎麼一回事，當權的太腐敗，民不聊生，就會有強人興起，推翻政府；至於逼宮，我們也宮庭電視電影上也見得多了。只是沒有想到，會發生在一個這麼年輕的「國家」裡，其實，他們甚至還不能稱為一個「國家」。

以色列人剛領受了神極重的刑罰，38年在曠野生活，那一代的男人，除了約書亞和迦勒，直到死都不能進迦南地。因為他們試探神，不信神。但是他們把怒氣全算在摩西頭上。

這是利未支派的爭鬥。

利未有三個兒子：革順、哥轄、米拉利。哥轄的兒子是暗蘭、以斯哈、希伯倫、烏薛。暗蘭的兒女是米利暗，亞倫和摩西。以斯哈的兒子是可拉。

神把祭司的職份賜給亞倫和其後裔。聖所內的事奉工作，以及在祭壇主持獻祭，都只限祭司才能做。因 祭司身上有膏油和壇上的血，使他們能成聖 （利8:30），所以可以進入聖所工作，並可主持獻祭，以及包裝與拆解聖物（民 4:5-6）。

利未人是祭司的助手，作協助祭司的工作。

How to Be Uncommonly Blessed

2020-12-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 14:1-9.  Let’s go!

Joshua 14:1-9 (NIV) 
1  Now these are the areas the Israelites received as an inheritance in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel allotted to them. 
2  Their inheritances were assigned by lot to the nine-and-a-half tribes, as the LORD had commanded through Moses. 
3  Moses had granted the two-and-a-half tribes their inheritance east of the Jordan but had not granted the Levites an inheritance among the rest, ……

On verses 1-9:  The previous chapter (Joshua 13) described the lands east of the Jordan River that would belong to two and a half tribes of Israel (Reuben, Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh).  Now here in Joshua 14, attention turns to the lands west of the Jordan River that would belong to the remaining nine and a half tribes of Israel.  Before describing in detail how the lands west of the Jordan would be divided among the nine and a half tribes, Joshua 14 first notes three important facts that would affect how the land west of the Jordan would be divided:

安息日撿柴的人

2020-12-27 in /by

〈民數記〉15:40 使你們記念遵行我一切的命令，成為聖潔，歸於你們的神。

假如你昨天(主日)在家裡敬拜後就去超巿買菜，回家後就被抓去關，兩天後執行死刑。你的家人和朋友們會有怎樣的反應呢？

〈民數記〉15章記載了一件事：以色列人在曠野的時候，遇見一個人在安息日撿柴。遇見他撿柴的人，就把他帶到摩西、亞倫並全會眾那裡，將他收在監內；因為當怎樣辦他，還沒有指明。耶和華吩咐摩西說：「總要把那人治死；全會眾要在營外用石頭把他打死。」於是全會眾將他帶到營外，用石頭打死他，是照耶和華所吩咐摩西的。

神告誡百姓，人若誤犯了罪，贖罪後必得赦免；但那擅敢行事的，無論是本地人是寄居的，他褻瀆了耶和華，必從民中剪除。因他藐視耶和華的言語，違背耶和華的命令，他的罪孽要歸到他身上。

安息日撿柴，是為了燒火，可能是為了煮東西。守安息日是十誡中的第四誡，摩西己經告誡以色列人多次，不可干犯安息日。所以這個人在安息日去撿柴，是屬於「擅敢行事的」，也就是「藐視耶和華的言語」，「違背耶和華的命令」，所以必須接受用石頭打死的死刑。

這也是為何在耶路撒冷會議上，彼得說：「現在為什麼試探神，要把我們祖宗和我們所不能負的軛放在門徒的頸項上呢？」所以使徒們沒有要求外邦信徒按著律法行事，保羅也強調因信稱義。所以今天我們做完禮拜就去飲茶，買菜，和親友出遊，都不妨事，因為我們是外邦信徒，不在律法之下。我們只要守三件事就行了，就是：「禁戒偶像的污穢和姦淫，並勒死的牲畜和血。」(徒15章)

Your Forever Inheritance

2020-12-27 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 13:24-33.  Let’s go!

Joshua 13:24-33 (NIV) 
24  This is what Moses had given to the tribe of Gad, clan by clan:
25  The territory of Jazer, all the towns of Gilead and half the Ammonite country as far as Aroer, near Rabbah;
26  and from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir;
27  and in the valley, Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth and Zaphon with the rest of the realm of Sihon king of Heshbon (the east side of the Jordan, the territory up to the end of the Sea of Kinnereth)…….

On verses 24-33:  Verses 24 to 28 describe the lands that Moses had allotted to the tribe of Gad, and then verses 29 to 32 describe the lands that Moses had allotted to half of the tribe of Manasseh.  But then verse 33 makes a contrast between what Gad and Manasseh got and what the tribe of Levi got.  Just as verse 14 did earlier, here verse 33 tells of how the tribe of Levi did not receive any land from Moses.  Instead the inheritance given to the tribe of Levi was that they got to be priests who enjoyed a special relationship and closeness to God.  As verse 33 says, “to the tribe of Levi, Moses had given no inheritance; the LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he promised them.”