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I Just Want To Be Where You Are

2020-07-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 9:1-11.  Let’s go!

Ezekiel 10:1-2 (NIV) 
1  I looked, and I saw the likeness of a throne of sapphire above the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim. 
2  The LORD said to the man clothed in linen, “Go in among the wheels beneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” And as I watched, he went in.
 
On verses 1-2:  This part of Ezekiel’s vision reminds me of a scene from Isaiah 6.  In Isaiah 6, the prophet Isaiah sees a vision of God seated on his throne in the temple.  In his vision, Isaiah is dismayed because he realizes that he is a sinner who cannot stand in the presence of a holy God.  All of a sudden one of the angels takes a live coal from the altar, touches Isaiah’s lips with it, and tells him that his guilt is taken away and his sin atoned for.
 
I believe a similar thing may be happening here in Ezekiel’s vision.  God tells a man clothed in linen (the same man whom God instructed in Ezekiel 9 to mark those who did not worship idols) to fill his hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city (v2).  What is God doing?  Since all the idolaters in the city have been exterminated in Ezekiel 9, God is now sanctifying and purifying those who are left. 
 

大卫的〈弓歌〉

2020-07-09 in /by

撒母耳记下一章27节    英雄何竟仆倒！战具何竟灭没！

就在大卫去追赶亚玛力人，夺回自己和众人的妻儿、财物和牲畜之际，也正是扫罗带领以色列人和非利士人大战之时。大卫和跟随他的人正在庆幸找回了家人和财物时，扫罗和约拿单都战死了，以色列人大败。

那时没有电视，没有伊妹儿(email)，也没有爱凤(iphone)或其他手机，消息传得相当慢。到了第三天，才有人来讨赏。

那是一个住在以色列人中的亚玛力人，可能是作为雇佣兵而参战的。他把扫罗临死的情形告诉大卫，并取来扫罗头上的冠冕、臂上的镯子以作证据。他可能知道大卫已被撒母耳膏立为以色列的下一任王，也知道扫罗追杀大卫的事，所以他认为大卫知道扫罗被杀一定很高兴，因为他的仇敌死了，大卫就可以作王了。因此他觉得自己一定可以领到不少奖赏。

出乎意料之外，大卫不但不感激他，把他训了一顿，还叫人把他杀了。

这就是大卫。可能有人觉得他矫情，扫罗死了，他岂有不高兴之理？他不是终于不必东躲西逃了吗？但是大卫的过人之处就在于他敬畏神，所以他一直很尊重扫罗。他在吊扫罗和约拿单所写的哀歌里，把他对扫罗的尊重和对约拿单表露无遗。

虽然扫罗对大卫充满嫉恨残酷，但是大卫不看私人恩怨，只看扫罗在国中所做的。他称扫罗为尊荣者、大英雄。扫罗起初的作为的确是以色列的尊荣者、大英雄。大卫记得扫罗为以色列人做过的好事。

神的调虎离山计

2020-07-08 in /by

撒母耳记辷30章6节下    大卫却倚靠耶和华他的神，心里坚固。

当亚吉兴高采烈地叫大卫做他永远的护卫长，让他和跟随的人一起去攻击以色列人时，这时大卫的心里有何打算呢？当非利士人的首领各率军队，挨次前进，有点像在阅兵时，他们发现了走在亚吉后面的大卫和从人。他们恐慌了。他们想得很远，大卫有可能以他们的头作为与扫罗和好的礼物。

这是很有可能的。非利士人在前面跟扫罗打仗，大卫在后面帮忙杀非利士人。因为大卫绝不会去杀以色列人。如此一来，前后围攻，非利士人就会被歼灭了。神允许大卫和跟随他的人被赶出非利士人的阵营，因为神有祂的计划。当大卫听到这个消息时，很可能松了一口气。

这次非利士人又在亚弗安营，以色列人在耶斯列的泉旁安营。亚弗位于南北交通要道上；耶斯列是耶斯列平原的东口，位于东西向的交通要道上。两相对峙，箭弩拔张，一触即发。

神不让大卫参与这场战事，也不让大卫有机会去救扫罗。因为神明白大卫的心，倘若不把大卫支开，大卫为了约拿单，肯定会上前参战。神用什么方法支开大卫呢？你猜得到吗？

大卫离开了非利士，走了三日，终于回到洗革拉。原以为能见到家人，没想到洗革拉已面目全非。亚玛力人来过了，攻破洗革拉，焚烧了洗革拉，带走城内的妇女和大小人口，却没有杀一个。这是神很大的恩典和保守，身外物可以失去，生命却无法挽回。看似好像很惨，可是我们继续读下去，便会发现，原来这有可能是神要把大卫支开的一个方法。倘若大卫留在洗革拉，必然听到扫罗和非利士人的战情，为了约拿单，为了在神面前的义，也为了以色列人，他不可能干坐在洗革拉，很可能就带人冲上战场了。

God Is Precise and Protective

2020-07-08 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 9:1-11.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-11:  In chapter 8, as part of Ezekiel’s vision, God promised not to spare the Israelites who were engaging in idolatry. Here in chapter 9, Ezekiel’s vision continues with God fulfilling this promise. At God’s summoning, six men appear, each with a deadly weapon in his hand, as they have been appointed to execute judgment on the city (v1-2).

Before these six men go throughout the city to kill every idolater, two things happen. First, verse 3 says that the glory of the Lord moves from above the cherubim (most likely a reference to the cherubim statues that sit on top of the ark in the Most Holy Place) to the temple entrance. This signifies that God’s presence has left the temple as a result of the people’s idolatry (see Ezekiel 8:6).

Second, God calls for a man dressed in linen (linen representing purity and righteousness) and with a writing kit to go and place a mark on the foreheads of all those in the city who grieve and lament over the Israelites’ idolatrous practices (v3b-4). This signifies that despite God’s wrath against all the idolaters in the city, God still wanted to protect those in the city who did not bow down to any idol.

大卫在洗革拉

2020-07-07 in /by

诗篇 34章10节   少壮狮子还缺食忍饿，但寻求耶和华的，什么好处都不缺。

大卫应不应该离开以色列的国境，跑到非利士地呢？有的人认为这是大卫灵里最软弱的时候，虽然神在屡次危难时都拯救他，保守他十分平安，但是那种惊吓和负荷还是让大卫选择了离开。人实在很有限，不是吗？就好像〈路得记〉里的以利米勒，因为以色列地遭遇饥荒，就带着妻儿离开伯利恒去摩押地，到最后只剩妻子拿俄米和媳妇路得回到伯利恒。离开神命定的地方，会碰到更多的困难，这是大卫事前没想到的。

大卫第一次到迦特找亚吉时，为了保命而不得不装疯，才得以逃离迦特。但是这次来到迦特，亚吉却对他另眼相看，还给了他一座城洗革拉。因为在第一次时，亚吉还不知道大卫被扫罗追杀的实情，有可能认为他是间谍，来打探军情；但是经过了一段时间，扫罗追杀大卫一事已经传遍各地了，大家都知道大卫是扫罗的眼中钉，因此亚吉大喜，希望把大卫收为自己的仆人。

果然，扫罗听到大卫逃到非利士地，就不再寻索大卫了。大卫在非利士地住了一年零四个月。这是一段不算短的时间。洗革拉原是犹大南部的一座城，后来给了西缅支派，不知何时却落入非利士人手中。亚吉又把它赐给大卫。有人说，就因为如此，大卫终于从非利士人那里得到了冶铁的知识和方法。因为非利士人恐怕希伯来人制造刀枪，所以不肯教以色列人冶铁。以色列人要磨锄、犁、斧、铲，就下到非利士人那里去磨，但有锉可以锉铲、犁、三齿叉、斧子并赶牛锥，所以在争战的日子里，只有扫罗和约拿单有刀有枪（撒上13:19-22）。现在大卫得到了这座非利士城，焉不是神给他的良机吗？

You Can’t Hide From God

2020-07-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 8:1-18.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-6:  Ezekiel is in his house having a meeting with the elders of Judah when all of a sudden he sees a vision (v1).  In the vision Ezekiel sees a figure who waist down is full of fire and who waist up looks like glowing metal (v2).  As verse 5 confirms, this figure is the same figure Ezekiel saw in Ezekiel 1:26-27 and is a picture of the Lord (also known as a theophany).  The Lord reaches out what looks like a hand, grabs Ezekiel by the hair, and pulls him into a vision of the temple in Jerusalem (v3).  Ezekiel sees an idol standing in the north gate of the temple.  This idol is called the idol of jealousy, probably because it stirred God’s jealousy to see this idol standing in what was supposed to be His temple (v3, 5), even while the Lord himself and His glory is standing before Ezekiel (v4). The Lord calls the Israelites’ idolatry “utterly detestable” (v6) and says that these are the kind of “things that will drive me far from my sanctuary” (v6).  And yet even more detestable things are still to come, the Lord says (v6).

What can we learn from this?  God detests idolatry.  As He says in Isaiah 42:8, “”I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.”  A sure-fire way to grieve God’s heart is to worship other gods.

大卫在西弗再饶扫罗

2020-07-06 in /by

撒母耳记上 26章23节 今日耶和华将王交在我手里，我却不肯伸手害耶和华的受膏者。耶和华必照各人的公义诚实报应他。

现在出现的人名越来越多了，我们要来看一下，扫罗的元帅是谁？押尼珥是谁？大卫的元帅又是谁？不要小看大卫只有六百多人，也是一个小小的军队。扫罗的父亲是基士，押尼珥的父亲是尼珥，基士和尼珥是兄弟，所以扫罗和押尼珥是堂兄弟。亚比筛、约押和亚撒黑是大卫的姐姐洗鲁雅的儿子，算是大卫的外甥。所以不只是华人兄弟亲，在以色列人那样重视宗派的民族里，亲人的份量也很重。

〈历代志上〉十一章记载了一个故事，当非利士的防营在伯利恒时，防营即防守地方的军队；那时大卫躲在亚杜兰洞的山寨里，不能下去伯利恒。但是他非常想喝伯利恒城门旁井里的水。他原只是说说而已，没想到真的有三个勇士听到他的话，就闯过非利士人的营盘，从伯利恒城门旁的井里打水，拿来给大卫喝。大卫知道后却不肯喝，因为他说那水就好像是三个勇士的血一样，因为他们冒着生命的危险去为他取水。因此他把水浇奠在耶和华面前。这三个勇士的首领就是大卫的外甥，约押的弟弟亚比筛。亚比筛曾经一个人用枪杀了三百人，这枪不是现代的子弹枪，是古时的长矛枪。所以他被推选为卅个勇士的首领。

亚比筛一生对大卫都非常忠诚，他骁勇善战，曾率兵击杀了一万八千个以东人，也带头击溃了亚扪人，平定后来便雅悯人示巴的叛乱。在大卫最后一次出征时，大卫碰上非利士巨人以实比诺，他的铜枪重三百舍客勒（约三公斤），又佩著新刀，也是亚比筛上前帮忙，杀死以实比诺，救了大卫。也因为忠于大卫，所以凡是有人要对大卫不利，他都会挺身而出，不顾自己的性命。

The Only Thing That Can Save

2020-07-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 7:14-27.  Let’s go!

Ezekiel 7:14-17 (NIV) 
14  Though they blow the trumpet and get everything ready, no one will go into battle, for my wrath is upon the whole crowd.
15  “Outside is the sword, inside are plague and famine; those in the country will die by the sword, and those in the city will be devoured by famine and plague.
16  All who survive and escape will be in the mountains, moaning like doves of the valleys, each because of his sins.
17  Every hand will go limp, and every knee will become as weak as water.
18  They will put on sackcloth and be clothed with terror. Their faces will be covered with shame and their heads will be shaved. 

On verses 14-17:  Though the Israelites may be tempted to put their hope in their own military strength, their military will only disappoint them (v14).  They will be no match for the forces coming against them (v15-18).

What’s the lesson here?  Our own strength is no match for God.  We could never escape God’s wrath by our own strength.

大卫和亚比该

2020-07-05 in /by

撒母耳记上 25章33节   你和你的见识也当称赞，因为你今日拦阻我亲手报仇，流人的血。

这是一段发生在旷野逃亡时的一段爱情故事，也让我们对大卫的性情多一点理解。因为读过大卫的逃亡和在隐基底不杀扫罗一事，可能会让人误解大卫是个怕事的胆小鬼，让我们来看看大卫阳刚的一面。

话说大卫带着六百多人左逃右躲的，去的地方不是旷野就是沙漠或树林，睡觉可以进山洞或就地，但是他们从哪里得粮食呢？这里有三段话可以作为我们的参考。第一个部份就是大卫差人去见拿八时说的话：「 我听说有人为你剪羊毛，你的牧人在迦密的时候和我们在一处，我们没有欺负他们，他们也未曾失落什么。(撒上25:7)」

然后是拿八的仆人对主母亚比该说的话：「那些人待我们甚好，我们在田野与他们来往的时候，没有受他们的欺负，也未曾失落什么。 我们在他们那里牧羊的时候，他们昼夜做我们的保障。(撒上25:15-16)」

第三句是大卫要去找拿八算帐时说的：「我在旷野为那人看守所有的，以致他一样不失落，实在是徒然了。(撒上25:21)」

可以稍微想像一下，以色列人曾是游牧民族，其中牛羊就是他们的财产。牛羊一多，要牧养牠们也不容易。大卫就提过在他牧羊时偶有猛兽来衔羊羔，他就得追赶牠，击打牠，将羊羔从牠口中救出来，并把猛兽打死。除了猛兽，非利士人或迦南人都有可能来偷袭，若是人力不足，很可能就会被抢去大半。因此大卫和从人便做这些人的保障，保护他们没有损失。然后再向他们的主人要一些「保护费」，这其实很公平，因为大卫和从人付出劳力和心血，让对方没有损失，对方付一些费用也很合理。

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,