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大卫制服亚扪人和亚兰人

2020-07-22 in /by

撒母耳记下 10章5节    有人告诉大卫，他就派人去迎接他们，因为这些人觉得很羞耻。王说：「可以住在耶利哥，等到胡须长出来再回来。」

你有没有被人无缘无故恶待的经历呢？张文亮老师最近发表了一篇文章，是他当教授以前的经历。有一个土耳其人到他的学校上班，与他共用一个办公室。一来就强占了他的位子，然后又叫他帮忙做统计与绘图，做完后又意见多多。这土耳其人不是整天发脾气，把座位弄得咖啦咖啦响，就是绷著一张像死鱼的脸，好像大家都得罪他。张老师当时跟负责的比尔教授抱怨了几次，比尔教授只叫他忍耐再忍耐。

后来张老师觉得跟人说不管用，便向主祷告，求主解套。没想到有一天，土耳其人拿着两支乒乓球拍，问他会不会打乒乓球。张老师常常故意输土耳其人一两球，让对方非常高兴。后来两人经常一起去打球，对方还在打球前帮他预备午餐、饮料、水果等。后来张老师在研究时预到一些瓶颈，土耳其人还教他如何思索，改善操作，两人成为非常好的朋友。

这是一个敌人变成朋友的经历。但是今天要读的是，朋友变成敌人的故事。

亚扪人是亚伯拉罕侄儿罗得的后裔，神把地给了亚扪人，曾嘱咐以色列人不可去干扰他们。在大卫做王之前，亚扪人的老王和大卫有交情，因此当大卫听到老王过世，便派人去安慰新上任的小王哈嫩。没想到亚扪人的领袖竟向哈嫩进恶言，把大卫的善意变恶意，更把大卫的臣仆的胡须剃去一半，又割断他们下半截的袍子，露出下体，然后放了他们。

这对大卫而言是奇耻大辱。但是大卫第一个采取的行动是保护那些受害被辱的臣仆，他派人去接他们，把他们安置在耶利哥，直等到胡须长出来。

大卫虽然恨恶此事，没想到亚扪人却想先发兵制大卫。他们联合亚兰人，玛迦人，陀伯人要攻打大卫。

When Jesus Bore Our Stress and Shame

2020-07-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 16:35-48.  Let’s go!

Ezekiel 16:35-42 (NIV) 
35  “‘Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the LORD!
36  This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you poured out your wealth and exposed your nakedness in your promiscuity with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your children’s blood,
37  therefore I am going to gather all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure, those you loved as well as those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and will strip you in front of them, and they will see all your nakedness………

On verses 35-42:  Here God continues to paint the picture of Jerusalem as God’s unfaithful wife, this time focusing on the suffering and punishment Jerusalem would go through for her adulterous ways.  Here God speaks of gathering all of Jerusalem’s lovers and stripping Jerusalem in front of them (v37), of bringing blood vengeance upon Jerusalem (v38), of Jerusalem’s lovers tearing down her mounds and lofty shrines (v39), of bringing a mob against Jerusalem (v40) and burning down their houses (v41).  In talking this way, God is not speaking figuratively or poetically only.  Rather, much of this would actually happen within just a few short years when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon would invade and conquer Jerusalem in 58 B.C., fulfilling many of these prophetic images.  Thus these words in verses 35-42 are what would actually happen to Jerusalem as a result of their persistent idolatry.

大卫和米非波设

2020-07-21 in /by

撒母耳记下九章7节    大卫对他说：「你不要惧怕，我必因你父亲约拿单的缘故向你施恩，把你祖父扫罗的一切田地都归还你，你也可以常与我同席吃饭。」

当扫罗和约拿单战败的消息传到王宫后，所有的人都恐慌起来，害怕得四处奔逃。那时约拿单儿子米非波设才五岁，他的奶妈抱着他逃跑；因为跑得太急，孩子掉在地上，双腿就都瘸了。(撒下4:4/9:3)

在跟随扫罗的人心里，不仅害怕非利士人，也害怕大卫。害怕非利士人乘胜追击，赶尽杀绝；也害怕扫罗长期追杀大卫，大卫会回来报仇。他们不知道大卫和约拿单是至交，也不知道他们之间有约定，更不知道大卫对约拿单的爱是何等真切。倘若他们有人知道大卫，他们的心就不至于那么恐惧害怕了。

大卫做王后，特地挀人去寻找约拿单的后裔，结果找到一个曾在扫罗家做事的仆人洗巴，他把米非设的情况告诉大卫。大卫立刻把米非波设一家接到耶路撒冷，并且邀请他常和王一同吃饭，以示大卫对他的恩典和照顾。因为人若可以常常看到王的面，其他人就不敢欺负他了，因为他有事可以随时告诉王。这就是大卫恩待米非波设的证据。

When Idolatry Becomes Adultery

2020-07-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 16:15-34.  Let’s go!

On verses 15-34:  Here in verses 15-34 the love story between God and the city of Jerusalem takes a tragic turn.  God recounts how Jerusalem’s love for God grows cold and Jerusalem chases after other lovers instead.

Here God compares Jerusalem’s idolatry to adultery.  That’s because Jerusalem had made vows to the Lord and had a relationship with the Lord much like married people do, and then Jerusalem cheated on Him by running to other gods, such as the gods of Egypt (v26), Philistia (v27), Assyria (v28) and Babylonia (v29).

God also compares Jerusalem’s idolatry to prostitution, for Jerusalem was taking her beauty as well as the gifts and treasures that God had given Jerusalem and was giving them away to other nations and other gods to use (v15-19).  The only difference between Jerusalem and a prostitute is that instead of these other nations paying Jerusalem in exchange for her affection, Jerusalem incredibly pays other nations to take her affection (v33-34).

大卫秉公行义

2020-07-21 in /by

撒母耳记下八章6/14节    大卫无论往哪里去，耶和华都使他得胜。

在〈撒母耳记下〉8章里，作者给了大卫几个点评。一是大卫东征西讨，成了当地的覇主，是因为「 大卫无论往哪里去，耶和华都使他得胜。」其二，「大卫作全以色列的王，又向众百姓秉公行义。」所以大卫对外所向披靡，对内则秉公行义，整个以色列国，直到此时，才真正走上轨道。这也是以色列终于安定和大治的时期。

这里我们要来对照一下两节经文，可以帮助我们理解其内容。

〈撒母耳记下〉8章1节：此后，大卫攻打非利士人，制伏了他们。大卫从非利士人手中夺取了京城的治理权。

〈历代志上〉18章1节    此后，大卫攻打非利士人，制伏了他们，从非利士人手中夺取了迦特和所属的乡镇。

这两节经文都在讲同一件事，只是用词有点不同。〈撒下〉的「京城的治理权」，原文音译「米特‧雅玛」，意思是「母城的嚼环」，对照〈历上〉，原来指的就是「迦特和所属的乡镇」。在大卫逃亡时，曾经两次去迦特寻求非利士王的庇护，可见在当时迦特是非利士的京城，大卫打下迦特和所属的乡镇，自然也取得其治理权。

大卫攻击摩押人，使他们躺卧在地上，用绳来量，量二绳的杀了，量一绳的活着。摩押人曾让大卫年老的父母度过最后一段人生，不必随大卫东奔西逃，此时大卫也手下留情，让年轻的摩押人可以生存下去。不至于灭族。

有时大自然生存的法则就是如此。昨天外子在院子里看到有只蜜蜂误入一张蛛网，结果就被等在那里的小蜘蛛一口一口吃掉了。本来想救那只蜜蜂，可惜牠己经死了。一旦救出蜜蜂，蜘蛛又会饿死，

When Jesus Rescued Us

2020-07-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 16:1-14.  Let’s go!

Ezekiel 16:1-2 (NIV) 
1  The word of the LORD came to me: 
2  “Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her detestable practices
 
On verses 1-2:  In chapter 16, the Lord gives Ezekiel a second parable with which the Lord wants Ezekiel to confront the city of Jerusalem.  The parable is about Jerusalem and her unfaithfulness toward God.  The next 12 verses (verses 3-14) describe the initially beautiful part of the love story between the Lord and the city of Jerusalem. They also reflect what God did for us through Jesus Christ.

Ezekiel 16:3 (NIV) 
3  and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says to Jerusalem: Your ancestry and birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.
 
On verse 3:  The reference to Jerusalem’s ancestry and birth being “in the land of the Canaanites” is probably a reference to how the city of Jerusalem was not originally founded by Israelites, but by Canaanites.  The same goes for the reference to how Jerusalem’s “father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite” (v2).  The point here is that originally Jerusalem was not entitled to God’s special love or attention.  Rather God supernaturally chose Jerusalem.