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Judged According to What

2020-07-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 7:1-13.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-13:  One phrase that gets repeated over and over in this passage is: “I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices” (v3, 4, 8, 9).  Often times we can have an inflated view of ourselves.  The world would make us want to think that we are pretty good people and that God thinks so too.  I just heard one Hollywood celebrity post on social media, “All I’ve ever tried to do was help people”.  Yet a more accurate and impartial assessment of our lives would show that while we are capable of some good and have probably done some good in our lifetime, we are also capable of much evil and have acted in sin, selfishness and pride.  We must remember that God’s standards are not like ours.  His standards absolutely perfect and that is why the Bible’s assessment of our conduct is that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  If God were indeed to judge us according to our conduct, none of us would stand a chance.

God could treat us as our conduct deserves, but praise God that He is much more merciful than that.  For those of us who are humble enough to admit that we are sinners in need of a Saviour and who trust that Jesus is the Saviour we need, God does not treat us as our sins deserve.  Rather He gives us unmerited favour and undeserved grace.  That’s why David would write,

与祢同行

2020-07-03 in /by

当教会开放的日子越来越不可期待时，你和神还是好朋友吗？

曾经我们以为关闭教会只是铁幕下的作为，共产国家的逼迫。曾几何时，因为一只小小的病毒，北美的教会也都关闭了，我们也尝到了没有教会的滋味。在有些地方，没有公开的教会，也可以偷偷地在隐藏的家庭教会聚会，但是我们连这个都做不到，因为必须居家隔离。

聚集在一起几乎等于是集体自杀，因为经常有人一聚集，就立刻有人得病了，那只病毒真的太厉害了。也曾有教会的诗班长距离地一起练诗，很快就有人生病了。这些例子使我们不敢再踏进教会，即使教会开放，我们也不敢进去。

这种情形让我们怎样来评价以前的热心聚会，是否真的没有价值？这种情形好像撒旦在狂笑，没有了教会，看你们这些信徒怎么办？又好像是神借着这机会在筛选谁是真门徒。我们被推到了一个没有教会的时代，我们怎样敬拜呢？

回想圣经里的起初，其实也没有教会。神拣选亚伯拉罕，他就是一个孤单的信徒，只有他一个人相信耶和华神。没有教会，也没有牧者，更没有弟兄姐妹。以撒，雅各，约瑟和其他以色列人都是这样过来的，可是他们心里就是有神。真的好奇妙的信仰。

亚伯拉罕和雅各在特别的时候会筑坛敬拜神，可是为什么他们在特别的时候会想起神呢？因为有时在梦里得到神的指引，有时是完成了某一阶段的路程，为了平安而献上感谢。他们的心里就是有神。所以，其实在没有教会，没有牧者，没有弟兄姐妹的情况下，神要我们孤单到一个程度，让我们明白，除了神以外，没有一个人可以永远伴着我们。这就是现实。

When Will You Know

2020-07-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 6:1-14.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-14:  Why does God tell Ezekiel to speak to the mountains (v1-3)?  That’s because the mountains of Israel were the site where much of the Israelites’ idol worship took place.

Here God gives Ezekiel a message of judgment and destruction on the Israelites as a result of their rampant and persistent idolatry.  God promises that all the high places, incense altars and idols that the Israelites used to worship other gods will be destroyed, and most of the Israelites along with them (v3b-7).  Despite God revealing Himself to the Israelites time and time again, despite all of His faithfulness to them and the warnings He gave about what would happen if they turned to worship other gods, the Israelites obstinately refused to obey God’s commands or heed God’s warnings.  Thus the consequences God warned them about eventually overtook them.

Still there would be a remnant who would realize the error of their ways and whom God would spare (v8-10).

What can we learn from this?  Notice that one phrase that gets repeated over and over is the phrase: “you/they will know that I am the Lord” (v7, 10, 13, and 14).   One day, sooner or later, whether during this lifetime or after, every person will realize who the Lord is.

Real Wrath, Real Mercy

2020-07-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 5:1-17.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-17:  Here comes another object lesson from Ezekiel, given to catch the attention of the spiritually calloused Israelites.  Ezekiel senses God telling him to shave his head and beard with a sharp sword.  He is to burn one third of the shavings inside the city.  He is to take another third and strike it with the sword, doing this all over the city.  He is also to take the last third of his hair shavings and scatter them to the wind.  All of these actions were to symbolize how, as punishment for their persistent disobedience and idolatry, God would give the Israelites over to famine (possibly symbolized by the fire), military attack (symbolized by the sword), and to wild beasts and disease (symbolized by the wind).   The reference in verse 10 to fathers eating their children and children eating their fathers is talking about how severe the famine would become that the Israelites would resort to cannibalism.

“How could a loving God do this to His own people?” you may ask.  It is worth noting that for centuries God repeatedly and with great clarity warned the Israelites that they should expect such consequences if they continued to disobey Him and persist in rebellion and idolatry.  See, for example, Deuteronomy 28 where Moses warns the people of all the problems they could expect to come upon them if they disobey. 

美丽的隐基底

2020-07-02 in /by

撒母耳记上24章6节   我的主乃是耶和华的受膏者，我在耶和华面前万不敢伸手害他，因祂是耶和华的受膏者。

现在的隐基底是以色列的国立天然公园，也是一个旅客必然要去的地方，因为它除了有沙漠中的甘泉之外，还含有一个以色列最伟大的国王在这里发生的故事，带给后人极大的启示。

话说大约两千多年前，大卫还是一个廿岁出头的小伙子，因为被神拣选，预备当以色列的王，因此受到当时的王扫罗极大的嫉恨，要追杀置他于死地。大卫带着几百人在扫罗王的追杀里四处奔逃，来到了这个干旱的旷野，到处都是危崖绝壁山洞，却有涌自崖壁的泉水。这里，是野羊出没之处，又名「野羊的磐石」。这里，有一条流淌不息的小溪，名为「大卫河」，是为了纪念大卫在流亡时的一段经历。

当大卫与从人为了有美好的栖息之所而高兴时，有人也把这消息传给扫罗。扫罗就带着三千军兵，往野羊的磐石去寻索大卫和跟随他的人。

〈撒母耳记上〉24章记着：到了路旁的羊圈，在那里有洞，扫罗进去大解；当时，大卫和跟随他的人正藏在洞里的深处。(怎么这样巧?)  大卫本来可以轻而易举地夺去扫罗的性命，但由于大卫敬畏神，因此不伸手加害耶和华的受膏者，也不让跟随的人去杀害他，最后只是悄悄割下扫罗外袍的衣襟。他说：「我的主乃是耶和华的受膏者，我在耶和华面前万不敢伸手害他，因祂是耶和华的受膏者。」

多好的机会啊! 扫罗己是60多岁之人，大卫正值青年，扫罗大解时身边也没有军士，只要大卫一伸手，这个恶梦就可以解决，大卫就可以登基当王，为什么不做？换了你，会放过这样的机会吗？从人都可以说，是神把他交在你手里啊!莫负天意!

Making An Impression

2020-07-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 4:1-17.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-17:  In 2003, illusionist and endurance artist David Blaine put himself in a transparent box suspended 30 feet over the River Thames while going without food for 44 days.  The city of London and millions around the world watched in curiosity.  Approximately 2,600 years before this, the prophet Ezekiel would perform similar stunts in the city of Babylon, except that his stunts were not simply to test his endurance or to entertain the masses.  Rather these stunts were object lessons that carried a spiritual message for the Israelites exiled in Babylon.

The first part of the object lesson seems simple enough for a child to do with Lego bricks (v1-3): make a mini-model of Jerusalem using a writing tablet (or a brick) and show how the Babylonians besieged Jerusalem.

The second part of the object lesson is much stranger (v4-8): Ezekiel is to lie for 390 days on his left side (facing north to symbolize the Northern Kingdom of Israel, some scholars say) and then for 40 days on his right side (facing south to symbolize the Southern Kingdom of Judah, some scholars say).  Each day that Ezekiel lay on his side was to represent a year of the Israelites’ sin.  In this way Ezekiel was to symbolically “bear their sin” (v4). He would be tied up the whole time (v8).

大卫的流亡(3)

2020-07-01 in /by

诗篇16篇1节  神啊，求祢保佑我，因为我投靠祢。

在〈大卫的流亡〉之一里，笔者的心思逃得比大卫还快，把伊基拉事件放在挪伯事件之后，现在把秩序调过来。

大卫进入哈列的树林后，有人告诉大卫非利士人在攻击基伊拉。哈列的树林和基伊拉都在希伯仑附近，所以显然有人希望可以向大卫求助，究竟他曾是以色列的第一战士，打倒巨人歌利亚的英雄。

但是大卫并没有听了就立刻奔向战场，显示自己的实力。相反地，他先求问神可不可以攻打非利士人。就是这样的特质，让我很敬佩大卫。卢云在耶稣的试探中有一些看法，魔么试探耶稣要求祂把石头变成饼。这个试探表面上看来是说，耶稣禁食了四十天，应该饿了，可以自己满足自己吧。事实上，魔鬼是拿人类的需要来试探耶稣，有那么多穷人，需要帮助的人，只要把石头变饼，就可以救很多人了。

好像现在世界上很多地方有饥荒，联合国就到处分粮食。魔鬼的意思就是要鼓动耶稣去展现能力，因而被骄傲所困。我们会不会也落在这样的迷思里，把自己当成超人，以为自己很有能力去解决别人的问题？大卫有能力，但是他不迷惑。因为他敬畏神，即使有能力，也要看看是否合神的心意。

不把自己当超人，这就是大卫的越人之处。他把这个需求带到神面前，求问神可不可以攻打非利士人？我们常说要谦卑，但是怎样做才是谦卑呢？就是像大卫这样，把事情带到神面前，真的把神当主子，把自己当成神的仆人使女。很多信徒都这样自谦，但是行事为人像不像就不一定了。

大卫的流亡(2)

2020-06-30 in /by

诗篇34篇4节    我曾寻求耶和华，祂就应允我，救我脱离了一切的恐惧。

在大卫离开亚希米勒之后，他的心极为惧怕，不敢再留在以色列的国境内，便逃到了迦特王亚吉那里。迦特是非利士的一座城，亚吉是他个人的名字，亚比米勒是非利士王的称号，所以在〈诗篇〉34篇里所写的亚比米勒便是亚吉。就好像士师基甸，人称他为耶路巴力一样。

〈诗篇〉34篇里，大卫说神救他脱离了一切的恐惧。因为当他到了亚吉那里时，他可能和亚吉有不错的私交，但是亚吉的臣仆提醒亚吉，大卫不是普通人，「这不是以色列国王大卫吗？那里的妇女跳舞唱和，不是指着他说『扫罗杀死千千，大卫杀死万万』吗？(撒上21:11)」

大卫听出了亚吉臣仆的弦外之音，知道自己可能有杀身之祸，为求保命，心生一计，便开始装疯。就在众人面前改变了寻常的举动，在他们手下假装疯癫，在城门的门扇上胡写乱画，使唾沫流在胡子上。亚吉便叫人把大卫赶走了。事实上，我个人认为亚吉也不是那么好骗的，但是为了救大卫，他就借机下台，把大卫赶走，也是救了大卫一命。

因此大卫说：「义人呼求，耶和华听见了，便救他们脱离一切患难。耶和华靠近伤心的人，拯救灵性痛悔的人。义人多有苦难，但耶和华救他脱离这一切，又保全他一身的骨头，连一根也不折断。(诗34:17-20)」

大卫那时十分落魄，从他的诗里，我们看到他在苦难中竭力亲近神，寻求神的恩典；在神的应许里，虽然还在患难中，依然发出赞美：「我要时时称颂耶和华，赞美他的话必常在我口中。我的心必因耶和华夸耀，谦卑人听见，就要喜乐。你们和我当称耶和华为大，一同高举祂的名。(诗34:1-3)」所以基督徒的喜乐不是因为凡事顺利才能喜乐，是因为知道有神的同在，即使在患难中，也有信心与神应对，在苦难中也能看到神的恩典。

A Serious Responsibility

2020-06-30 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 3:16-27.  Let’s go!

Ezekiel 3:16-21 (NIV) 
16  At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me: 
17  “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 
18  When I say to a wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 
19  But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself. 
20  “Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 
21  But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself.”
 
On verses 16-21:  No pressure there Ezekiel.  When God says that He has made Ezekiel a watchman for the house of Israel, what does He mean?  A watchman is a soldier who stands guard in a watch tower and watches for any danger coming on the horizon against his city and warns the people accordingly. 

大卫的流亡(1)

2020-06-29 in /by

诗篇57篇1节   神啊，求祢怜悯我，怜悯我，因为我的心投靠祢。我要投靠在祢翅膀的荫下，等到灾害过去。

从英雄变狗熊，在大卫是再切身不过的经验了。在他杀死巨人歌利亚后，他成了以色列的英雄；但是当扫罗大王开始追杀他之后，他就变成了过街的老鼠，猖狂四逃。比狗熊还不如。到处都有扫罗大王的密探，只要大卫到了哪里，扫罗大王就带人追踪而至。扫罗大王立意杀掉大卫，而且要亲自动手，以绝后患。

在米甲的帮助下，大卫成功地逃离基比亚，扫罗的居住地。在仓皇之中，他选择投奔在拉玛的撒母耳，那个用油膏他的先知。撒母耳就带着大卫去拿约，拿约可能是一个比较隐敝的地方，也有人说「拿约」是「住所」、 「学校」或「圣坛」的意思，是专有名词。但是有人告诉扫罗，扫罗三次打发人去捉大卫，都因为撒母耳在教一班先知受灵的感动说话，派去的人也都受感说话，徒劳而归。后来扫罗亲自过去，也受感说话，就不了了之地回去了。扫罗虽然受感说话，而且一昼一夜露体躺卧，但是当他离开了圣灵运行的地方时，他又变回了自己，没有生命上的改变。

因为扫罗没有下手捉大卫，而且他的行踪也泄露了，他选择回去把事情弄清楚。这次是约拿单帮他弄清楚扫罗的心思。原来每到初一，王坐席要吃饭，大卫也是座上客之一。大卫连续两天没有露面，约拿单替大卫找借口。这时扫罗骂他: 「耶西的儿子若在世间活着，你和你的国位必站立不住。现在你要打发人去，将他捉拿交给我。他是该死的！(撒上20:31)」确定扫罗的心意后，约拿单告诉大卫。大卫开始逃亡。