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貞潔的憑據

2021-03-03 in , /by

〈申命記〉 22:22  若遇見人與有丈夫的婦人行淫，就要將姦夫淫婦一併治死。這樣，就把那惡從以色列中除掉。

在古老的社會裡對於處理女人是否貞潔的方法，竟然有不約而同之處。這貞潔的憑據指的是在第一天同房的晚上，女人的處女膜破裂所流出來的血，要用一塊布接住，作為貞潔的憑據；倘若沒有血流出來，就會被懷疑為不貞潔。這當然是很不科學的，因為有時意外或劇烈的運動都會引起處女膜的破裂，以此來鑑定，肯定會有一些冤枉的例子。但對於古時候的人，這是一個唯一的鑑定方法。

從這個試驗貞潔與否的方法，我們可以連想到耶穌的母親馬利亞當年的震驚和羞辱。當天使向馬利亞宣佈她要從聖靈懷孕時，馬利亞的頭會不會嚇得嗡嗡作響，因為未婚而有孕在當時是何等可怕的事，是要被石頭打死的。這也是為何約瑟得知後不想宣揚，而想暗暗把她休了。因而馬太說約瑟是個義人，因為在他誤會時，他依然考慮到馬利亞的處境，不願意明明地羞辱她，或置她於死地。

這也是為何馬利亞的回應那樣激蕩人心：「我是主的使女，情願照你的話成就在我身上！」明知前面的道路不好走，明知將會處境艱難，被眾人恥笑，卻毅然而然地接下神的託付。這就是馬利亞的承擔。就像被伊斯蘭國的恐怖子處死的日本記者後滕建二，他原本不必冒著生命的危險去敘利亞，但是為了營救一名被伊斯蘭國關押的日本人質湯川遙菜，而被伊斯蘭國拘捕，終於被殺。基督徒的人生是否以得到神的祝福為目的呢？是否只要平安喜樂而其他都不管呢？有承擔的人生必然面對苦難，卻能因為體會了神的心意，而享受與神共赴使命的神聖感。因此將要面對羞辱的馬利亞才能發出讚美：「我心尊主為大，  我靈以神我的救主為樂！」

Safe and Secure in Jesus’ Hand

2021-03-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 10:22-30.  Let’s go!

John 10:22-23 (NIV) 
22  Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 
23  and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.

On verses 22-23:  The Feast of Dedication was a relatively new festival that the Jews first began celebrating in 164 B.C. to commemorate the reconstruction and rededication of the temple in Jerusalem by Judas Maccabeus in 165 B.C. after it was destroyed by the Syrian ruler Antiochus Epiphanes in 168 B.C.  This Feast of Dedication involves a celebration of lights and is now more commonly known as Hanukkah, a festival that Jewish people continue to celebrate to this day.  During Jesus’ time on earth, whenever the Feast of Dedication was celebrated, there was an undercurrent of hope among the Jews that the Messiah would arrive at the temple and begin establishing Israel as an independent nation.  It is in this context that the Jews surround Jesus as he is walking in the temple area in Solomon’s Colonnade during the Feast of Dedication.

不可佯為不見

2021-03-02 in , /by

〈申命記〉 22:4 你若看見弟兄的牛或驢跌倒在路上，不可佯為不見，總要幫助他拉起來。

在〈申命記〉22 章1-12節裡，神教導我們一些做人的原則。

在第1-4節裡，神用了三次「不可佯為不見」，也就是說不可以假裝看不到。

在什麼情況下不可假裝看不到呢？1. 你若看見弟兄的牛或羊失迷了路，不可佯為不見，總要把牠牽回來交給你的弟兄。2. 你的弟兄無論失落甚麼，或是驢，或是衣服，你若遇見，都要這樣行，不可佯為不見。3. 你若看見弟兄的牛或驢跌倒在路上，不可佯為不見，總要幫助他拉起來。

在今天，牛羊或驢都可以改成別的東西，例如：衣服，手機，兒女，腳踏車，雨傘，等等。只要你看到是弟兄姐妹的東西，就不要假裝沒看見，在他人的疏忽上，付出你的關心，使他人不遭損失。

這段經文的重點在於：「你的弟兄無論失落什麼」，當然也包括姐妹。你若看見有人忘了或疏忽了他的東西，就要把它收好，或是拿去還給他，或是留著等他來取。這裡所說的是第十誡的延伸：「不可貪戀。」也是主所教導的：「你們願意人怎樣待你們，你們也要怎樣待人。(路6:31)」弟兄是指認識的人，不是不認識的人。當時的人所養的牛羊身上都有自家的記號，因此看了記號就知道是哪家走失的牲畜。看到了之後，不可以佯裝不見，總要把牠牽回來交給你的弟兄。若是弟兄住得遠，或不知道是誰的，就要牽回家，等失主來認領。天父要我們在彼此的照顧上，讓愛心有切實的行動。

The Good Shepherd

2021-03-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 10:11-21.  Let’s go!

John 10:11-13 (NIV) 
11  “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 
12  The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.
13  The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 

On verses 11-13:  Here Jesus calls himself the good shepherd, the one who owns the sheep and loves the sheep so much that he would lay down his life for the sheep.  This is exactly what Jesus would do for us when he would die on the cross for our sins. 

Who is the “hired hand” that verses 12-13 are referring to?  It is not clear.  However, Israel had had its share of corrupt kings, lying prophets and false messiahs who should have led and taken care of Israel but only took care of themselves.  Prophets like Jeremiah (see Jeremiah 23:1-4, for example), Ezekiel (see Ezekiel 34:2) and Zechariah (see Zechariah 11) would speak against these “hired hands”.  

人若有二妻

2021-03-01 in , /by

〈申命記〉21章 15-17節 人若有二妻，一為所愛，一為所惡，所愛的、所惡的都給他生了兒子，但長子是所惡之妻生的。到了把產業分給兒子承受的時候，不可將所愛之妻生的兒子立為長子，在所惡之妻生的兒子以上，卻要認所惡之妻生的兒子為長子，將產業多加一分給他；因這兒子是他力量強壯的時候生的，長子的名分本當歸他。

你可能沒想到，在《聖經》裡居然會談到一個人同時有兩個妻子的事情。可見在神的眼裡心中，祂非常清楚人的情慾所帶來的罪惡及後果。神也明白人的有限，若碰到無法解決的謀殺案，以色列人應當怎樣行。神沒有說，祂會幫我們查清命案，但是神要人在神面前自表清白。

你會覺得很可笑，現在的人特愛說謊，上至美國總統下至平民小販，有誰不說謊？尤其是廣告，更是吹牛撒謊無所不用其極。你覺得神的方法管用嗎？

有很多人喜歡看偵探片，尤其是像這種橫屍在田野裡，不知凶手是誰的凶殺案。若是有福爾摩斯出來，細細把那地上查一查，看看屍體身邊腳印的深淺，來斷定凶手是個左腳或右腳有殘缺的人，然後一直追蹤下去，讓真凶無所遁形，那該是何等引人入勝的小說。只可惜，神並不想滿足人的好奇心。

既然不知道是誰殺的，那麼就到離死者最近的城裡，找頭未曾耕地、未曾負軛的母牛犢，把牠的頸項打斷，然後在牠上面洗手，表明無辜。其實，神豈有不知道的事嗎？祂一定知道是誰幹的！為何祂不幫忙把真凶找出來呢？只要祂藉著天使把警長或祭司長一直帶到那個真凶面前，把他一抓，繩之於法，看有誰還敢做壞事？或是讓凶手夜不能眠，日不能食，讓他的良心痛苦得不能不去自首，還有誰敢犯罪呢？

How Jesus Leads

2021-03-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 10:1-10.  Let’s go!

John 10:1-5 (NIV) 
1  “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 
2  The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 
3  The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 
4  When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 
5  But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

On verses 1-5:  Back during Jesus’ time on earth, shepherds would bring their respective flocks together to be placed in a communal pen for the night.  One shepherd would be assigned to be the watchman to watch the flocks at night while the other shepherds slept.  In the morning, the shepherds would return to the communal pen to collect their sheep.  But how would they separate their own sheep from the rest of the sheep in the communal pen?  By the sound of the shepherd’s voice.  The shepherd would give out a special call, and based on the shepherd’s voice his own sheep would separate from the rest in the communal pen and follow the shepherd. 

戰爭和植樹

2021-02-28 in , /by

〈申命記〉 20:19你若許久圍困，攻打所要取的一座城，就不可舉斧子砍壞樹木。

在〈申命記〉20章裡講到以色列人作戰的條例，神先宣告祂的同在，但是也宣告若有人沒有準備好，就不要去參戰。這是一般人想像不到的。我們以為只要人多就有氣勢，但是神知道得勝乃在乎耶和華，不在乎人力或軍備，因此祂不要心懷二意的人加入祂的軍隊。

在以色列遭受周圍國家的虎視眈眈和不時的挑釁時，以色列人人皆兵。我們實在很難想像，他們能夠為了結婚或種葡萄園等等原因而拒絕去作戰。但這確實是神的本意，倘若心裡沒有準備好，就不要去作戰；倘若心裡有所掛念，也不要去作戰。因為不能專心去打戰很容易受傷，也會影響到整個團隊。因此，曾經有個人想要跟隨 耶穌，想先去跟家人告別時；耶穌說：「手扶著犁向後看的，不配進神的國。（路9:62） 」手扶著犁向後看的人，就像心存掛慮的人，別說打仗，連進神國的路也有可能看不清楚而走到歪路上。

在正常情況下，作慣了奴隸的人要學習作戰，真的很不容易。首先是心理上的建設。從前都唯唯諾諾，唯命是從的人，怎能拿起刀去殺人呢？不挨打已經很高興了，哪敢去打人？以色列人在埃及做了四百年的奴隸，一下子變成自由人了，但是他們的心情轉變過來了嗎？摩西一上山，他們就學埃及人拜牛犢；路上缺水或缺糧或碰到困難，就想回埃及。他們完全不像獨立自由的人，心理上一直依附著埃及。所以神要用各種方法去建設他們的心態和思想。

現在神把他們帶到迦南地的邊界了，摩西帶領他們打了幾場戰爭，都打了勝仗。這些戰事都是神在為他們「打底」，要讓他們學習怎樣打仗，讓他們不害怕跟人交鋒。因為進了迦南之後，還有更多的戰事。

Your True Spiritual Condition Is Revealed By…

2021-02-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 9:35-41.  Let’s go!

John 9:35-38 (NIV) 
35  Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 
36  “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” 
37  Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” 
38  Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

On verses 35-38:  When the healed man was thrown out by some Pharisees, Jesus goes out to find him.  During this second encounter with Jesus, Jesus teaches the healed man more of who Jesus is, calling himself the Son of Man, and leads the man to saving faith in him.

What can we learn from this? 

1.     Faith is a process.  Often people will not come to profess saving faith in Jesus after one only encounter with Jesus, but after a number of encounters.  So when you’re sharing your faith with others, don’t be discouraged if that person does not come to saving faith in Christ at that very moment.  

The Difference Jesus Makes to Our Relationships

2021-02-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Hebrews 10:11-18.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 10:11-14 (NIV) 
11  Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12  But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.
13  Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool,
14  because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

On verses 11-14:  Here we see the theme again of “once and for all”.  Jesus laid down His life once, and this was enough to take away the sins of everyone who places their trusts in Jesus.  Compare that to the priests under the old covenant who could never take away the sins of the people or make them holy in God’s sight despite offering the same sacrifices again and again.

dAlso, notice this mystery: Jesus “has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (v14).  Here the Bible recognizes this dual reality in our lives. 

God Remembers Your Faith + Your Urim and Thummim

2021-02-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezra 2:1-70.  Let’s go!

Ezra 2:1-2 (NIV) 
1  Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive to Babylon (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, 
2  in company with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah): The list of the men of the people of Israel

On verses 3-58, 64-70:   What can we learn from this long list of names of the 40,000 plus people who returned to Jerusalem? The fact that God’s Word lists by name the different families that went back to Jerusalem tells us that God remembers people for their faith.