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Is it Okay to Lie?

2020-11-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 2:1-13.  Let’s go!

Joshua 2:1a (NIV) 
1  Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.”…

On verse 1: Before commanding his troops to enter the land they are planning to conquer, Joshua first sends two spies to look over the land. 

What can we learn from this?  Before making a big decision, do your due diligence first.  Whether it’s a relationship, a financial decision, a job opportunity, or something else that will involve a major investment of your time, heart, energy and resources, look before you leap.  Know what you’re getting into before getting into it.

Joshua 2:1b-7 (NIV)
1…So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there. 
2  The king of Jericho was told, “Look! Some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” 
3  So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.” 

長大痲瘋得潔淨的日子

2020-11-24 in /by

利未記14章8-9節     求潔淨的人當洗衣服，剃去毛髮，用水洗澡，就潔淨了；然後可以進營，只是要在自己的帳棚外居住七天。第七天，再把頭上所有的頭髮與鬍鬚、眉毛，並全身的毛，都剃了；又要洗衣服，用水洗身，就潔淨了。

《聖經》裡的大痲瘋包括了不同種類的皮膚病，因此當我們讀到「長大痲瘋得潔淨的日子」時，就明白有的皮膚病會因為自身抵抗力或免疫力的增強而痊癒；但是真正的大痲瘋（韓森氏病Hansen’s Disease）因為是由麻風桿菌引起，則必須接受治療才會痊癒。根據維基百科，目前確診痳瘋病在吃藥的一周內就有99%的病菌能被消除，並切斷傳染性，持續吃藥兩年，病情能基本治癒。那麼在沒有藥物治療，又沒有神蹟的情況下，患者怎麼能夠得到潔淨呢？

一般的疾病得到醫治後，我們稱之為痊癒。但是長大痲瘋的人被稱為不潔，若有人不小心與之接觸到，那人也會變為不潔，需要隔離觀察一段時間，確定沒有被感染。因此若有長大痲瘋（會傳染的皮膚病）的人痊癒，《聖經》稱之為潔淨了，就需要讓祭司檢查，才能回到社區生活。

在檢查痲瘋病時有一種現象，「全身的肉若長滿了大痲瘋，就要定那患災病的為潔淨，全身都變為白，他乃潔淨了。但紅肉幾時顯在他的身上，就幾時不潔淨。」以前希臘的醫學家把這種現象稱為痲瘋的鱗狀皮膚疾病（lepra for the scaly skin disease），現代人稱之為銀屑病（psoriasis），華人稱為乾癬。

銀屑病（乾癬）是一種自體免疫系統失調，並不是傳染病，是一種常見的慢性皮膚病。臨床表現為邊界清楚的隆起紅色斑塊，表面有層狀銀白色鱗屑。皮損好發於頭皮和四肢伸側，尤其在肘和膝關節附近。局部蓋有多層銀白色鱗屑的丘疹或斑片，颳去鱗屑及下面發亮薄膜後有點狀出血，感覺癢，夏季常減輕或自癒，冬季又惡化復發（節錄自維基百科）。

不潔淨了！不潔淨了！

2020-11-24 in /by

利未記 13:9人有了大痲瘋的災病，就要將他帶到祭司面前。

當祭司很不容易，除了要學習怎樣維持聖所的供奉，獻祭時宰牛宰羊，還要學習診斷大痲瘋，真是十八般武藝樣樣都要會。但是真正的大痲瘋和《聖經》裡講的大痲瘋不大一樣，真正的大痲瘋是「韓生氏病Hansen’s Disease」，由癩桿菌（又稱痲瘋桿菌）所引起，主要侵犯人體的皮膚、粘膜以及周圍末梢神經，有時也侵犯人體器官，若不治療會造成知覺麻木，最後 喪失肌肉控制力和手腳殘障。但是癩桿菌一遇到空氣極易死亡，到目前尚無法在實驗室培養，且95%的人都有自然的免疫力，因此並不像人們傳言的那麼恐怖。

《聖經》裡所講的大痲瘋，包括了許多種皮膚病，例如癬、癤和白斑；就如中國的傳統醫書也把癘、癩、大風、痲瘋、天刑等，都稱為癩病（即痲瘋病）。真正的大痲瘋雖不易傳染，但有很多種皮膚病都會傳染。古代沒有什麼公共衛生的知識，若不把會傳染的皮膚病加以隔離，那必然很難控制疾病的蔓延。因此皮膚若有異樣，隔離一段時間，加以觀察，再確定是否留在社群中或予以隔離，不但可以保護健康的百姓，也可以保護有病的患者，讓他們有足夠的時間和空間去療養和康復。神定的「七天」，正是大部份病毒或病菌發展的時間，也是看看患者是否能自己產生抵抗力而自行痊癒的一段時間。

一旦人被祭司診斷身上有長大痲瘋災病，他要撕裂衣服，也要蓬頭散髮，蒙著上唇，喊叫說：「不潔淨了！不潔淨了！」然後要獨居營外。這是患者最可憐之處，想想看一個人要高聲大叫自己不潔淨，免得被別人不小心碰到，那種羞恥感會何等地深；而獨居營外不僅是肉體的孤獨，更是靈魂上的孤單，彷彿被這個世界遺棄了。家人不能再跟你擁抱，朋友不能再找你一起做事，沒有人要你靠近，你變成這世界上沒有人要的「孤魂野鬼」。

What a Great Team Looks Like

2020-11-23 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joshua 1:10-18.  Let’s go!

Joshua 1:10-15 (NIV) 
10  So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: 
11  “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own.'” 
12  But to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, 
13  “Remember the command that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: ‘The LORD your God is giving you rest and has granted you this land.’ ……

On verses 10-15:  Joshua is leading the Israelites toward Canaan, also known as the promised land.  To get there, Joshua and the Israelites would need to go west and cross the Jordan River.  However, the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, though they were part of the Israelites, had an agreement with Moses, Joshua’s predecessor, that instead of settling in the promised land west of the Jordan River, they could settle in the land just east of the Jordan.  Joshua respects and upholds this agreement, telling the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh that their wives, children and livestock may stay in the land just east of the Jordan, but that the men from Reuben, Gad and Manasseh must still cross the Jordan River with the rest of the Israelites and help the rest of the Israelites fight and take over the promised land. 

The Key to Finding Courage

2020-11-23 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

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

Joshua 1:1-5 (NIV) 
1  After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 
2  “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them–to the Israelites. 
3  I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 
4  Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates–all the Hittite country–to the Great Sea on the west. 
5  No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

On verses 1-5:  The book of Joshua begins with God giving Joshua the charge to get ready to cross the Jordan with his people into the land of Canaan. God gives Joshua an encouraging vision of what the future would be for him and his nation (v3-4).  God also gives Joshua His promise that He will always be with Joshua (v5) and will give Joshua success (v3).

不潔的源頭

2020-11-22 in /by

利未記 12:6滿了潔淨的日子，無論是為男孩是為女孩，她要把一歲的羊羔為燔祭，一隻雛鴿或是一隻斑鳩為贖罪祭，帶到會幕門口交給祭司。

當我們思考潔淨不潔淨的動物時，有的人會從實際的情況去理解神的條例。例如，有人研究分蹄的動物不潔，是因為蹄一旦分開比較容易有病毒或病菌進去動物的身體；也有人認為因為某些動物專吃死屍或腐肉，人若沒有把牠的肉煮熟，就會被那些病毒或寄生蟲所害。但是從猶太人的眼光來看，這不潔還不止是指作為食物，即使連婦人懷孕時也要避免看不潔淨的動物，免得胎兒受到影響。猶太人認為人的靈魂是潔淨的，因為是神賜下的靈，所以每個人出生時都是純潔的。

〈利未記〉12:1-8耶和華對摩西說：「你曉諭以色列人說：若有婦人懷孕生男孩，她就不潔淨七天，像在月經污穢的日子不潔淨一樣。第八天，要給嬰孩行割禮。婦人在產血不潔之中，要家居三十三天。她潔淨的日子未滿，不可摸聖物，也不可進入聖所。她若生女孩，就不潔淨兩個七天，像污穢的時候一樣。要在產血不潔之中，家居六十六天。」

但是從這段經文裡，我們看到《聖經》指出人類生命源頭的不潔。根據猶太人的說法，產婦不潔的日數是從生產時見到第一滴血，或是感到即將分娩時開始算起，直到潔淨，這稱為niddah的階段。女人產後流血需要一段時間才會潔淨，所以在這不潔淨的日子裡，她需要休息，使身體各方面都能恢復。

根據猶太拉比的解釋，男孩子生下來第八天受了割禮，就可以正式成為以色列人，神的選民；在割禮之前，他不能算是以色列人。受了割禮，他就是從原來的罪中之民，因著神的恩典，跨過罪的横溝，成為神的選民，所以他和母親的原罪沒有相連，因此母親只需要潔淨40天(7+33)。但是女孩不必受割禮，她和母親的原罪沒有割禮的洗濯，各需要(7+33) 40天的潔淨，因此加起來要(14+66) 80天的潔淨。

你心靈的眼睛看見什麼？

2020-11-20 in /by

馬太福音6章22-23節  「眼睛就是身上的燈。你的眼睛若瞭亮，全身就光明；你的眼睛若昏花，全身就黑暗。你裡頭的光若黑暗了，那黑暗是何等大呢！」

一個人意念的趨向，在於他受什麼價值觀影響

　　我們要把這兩段串聯起來，耶穌先提到錢財與我們的心的關係，接著看外面的光與裡面的光的關係。一個人注重什麼，與他裡面的看法無法分開；一個人心裡所注重的，他就在外竭力追求。我們有一個生命的方向是無法與裡面的意念分開的。一個人意念的方向決定於我們看重什麼，這個趨向受你的價值觀影響。

　　中國人用「耳聰目明」（編按：形容腦筋靈敏，聽覺既好，視力也強），形容一個人聽得明白、看得準確。一個聰明的人是否照著自然本能發展下去？不一定，有的人小時候耳聰目明，大了卻怎麼聽也聽不懂，看也看不明白。聖經說有一群婦女終久學道，卻不明白（參：提後3:6-7）。

　　教會有些人終久聽道，卻不明白，耳不聰、目不明，這種人很難被改正，因為他自以為懂。保羅不斷追求卻不認為他已經得著了，這是一種謙卑的態度——學無止盡，虛懷若谷。驕傲的人則反之。同樣做基督徒，你看一些基督徒永遠停在那個階段，沒有進一步的靈性，他所知道的、所禱告的，與幾十年前一樣。永不止息追求認識真理，會使我們明白這真理是超越人所想、超越人所知的。

成功的佈道，在於使對方產生正向的心理變化

　　有一次我在美國對碩博士講道，一位姊妹把物理學博士帶來聚會，你一看就知道他很不願意來，看起來他是為了陪太太不得不參加聚會的，我很敏感發現這應該是一個很聰明，卻不一定對基督教有好感的人。

A Luke at Jesus (Finale)

2020-11-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 24:44-53. Let’s go!

Luke 24:44-48 (NIV) 
44  He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” 
45  Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 
46  He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 
47  and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 
48  You are witnesses of these things.

On verses 44-48: Here Jesus once again affirms to his disciples that the Old Testament (“the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms”) speak about him.  In verses 46-47 Jesus is providing his summary of the message of the Old Testament, that “the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem”. The disciples not only got to read about Jesus in their Old Testament scriptures. Even more they got to see Jesus and what is written about him actually unfold in real life – “You are witnesses of these things” (v48).

Jesus Is Risen!

2020-11-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 24:30-43. Let’s go!

Luke 24:30-35 (NIV) 
30  When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.
31  Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.
32  They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
33  They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together
34  and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.”
35  Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

On verses 30-35: These two disciples recognized it was Jesus not when he was teaching Scripture but rather when they saw Jesus breaking bread and giving thanks (v30-31, 35). I believe there is a lesson for us as followers of Jesus: we help people see who Jesus is not just by teaching the Scriptures, but by the way we do life and give thanks.

潔淨和不潔淨之動物(下)

2020-11-19 in /by

利未記11章44節   我是耶和華─你們的　神；所以你們要成為聖潔，因為我是聖潔的。

神的聖潔和以色列人吃東西有關係嗎？神的聖潔和基督徒的飲食有關係嗎？很想說怎麼會有關係，主耶穌不是說：「入口的不能污穢人，出口的乃能污穢人。(太15:11)」又說：「豈不知凡入口的，是運到肚子裡，又落在茅廁裡嗎？惟獨出口的，是從心裡發出來的，這才污穢人。因為從心裡發出來的，有惡念、凶殺、姦淫、苟合、偷盜、妄證、謗讟。這都是污穢人的。(太15:18-20)」

但是入口的真的不能污穢人嗎？這裡的污穢代表什麼呢？我相信舊約和新約的污穢有一字之別。主耶穌的意思是凡入口的不能污穢「別」人，出口的才會污穢「別」人；和舊約的意思是相似的，入口的會污穢「自己」。假如你吃壞了東西，就會拉肚子；假如你長期喝酒，就會傷肝；痛風、糖尿病、高血壓、膽固醇，過敏，等等，有許多病多是吃出來的，不是嗎？

神造人原是好的，就是不穿衣服也很好看；人犯罪以後，還是同一個肉體，可是因為心靈的眼光不同了，同樣的肉體看起來也不一樣了，看到的不再是起初的榮光，取代的是情慾和羞恥，因此需要不停地包裝。

神要的聖潔，就是不被玷污的本相；用淺白的話說，神希望我們保有祂給人的健康。所以祂希望我們遠離對人體有害的東西。潔淨和不潔淨的動物，就含有合適和不合適食用的意思在內。