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Jesus Bore Our Disgrace

2020-07-23 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 16:49-63.  Let’s go!

On verses 49-59:  Jerusalem had looked down on Sodom and Samaria as places of great wickedness (v56).  Yet here God says that Jerusalem’s sins have exceeded those of Sodom and Samaria, making those places which were known for their wickedness look righteous compared to Jerusalem.  God tells Jerusalem repeatedly to “bear your disgrace” (v52, 54) because not only did she pridefully judge others, but she proved herself to be a hypocrite and an even worse sinner than the people she judged.  God also tells Jerusalem later to “bear the consequences of your lewdness and detestable practices” (v58).

What can we learn from this?  Have you ever judged someone for doing something wrong, and then you ended up doing the same thing or worse?  That is called pride and hypocrisy.  In response to our pride and hypocrisy, God had every right to make us bear our disgrace and treat us as our sins deserve, just as God would do to Jerusalem.  However, in God’s mercy and love, God would send His Son Jesus to bear our disgrace instead, and to bear the consequences of our sin by dying on a cross.  What an amazing Saviour we have in Jesus, that He would bear our disgrace for us and suffer the consequences in our place.

大衛制服亞捫人和亞蘭人

2020-07-22 in /by

撒母耳記下 10章5節    有人告訴大衛，他就派人去迎接他們，因為這些人覺得很羞恥。王說：「可以住在耶利哥，等到鬍鬚長出來再回來。」

你有沒有被人無緣無故惡待的經歷呢？張文亮老師最近發表了一篇文章，是他當教授以前的經歷。有一個土耳其人到他的學校上班，與他共用一個辦公室。一來就強佔了他的位子，然後又叫他幫忙做統計與繪圖，做完後又意見多多。這土耳其人不是整天發脾氣，把座位弄得咖啦咖啦響，就是繃著一張像死魚的臉，好像大家都得罪他。張老師當時跟負責的比爾教授抱怨了幾次，比爾教授只叫他忍耐再忍耐。

後來張老師覺得跟人說不管用，便向主禱告，求主解套。沒想到有一天，土耳其人拿著兩支乒乓球拍，問他會不會打乒乓球。張老師常常故意輸土耳其人一兩球，讓對方非常高興。後來兩人經常一起去打球，對方還在打球前幫他預備午餐、飲料、水果等。後來張老師在研究時預到一些瓶頸，土耳其人還教他如何思索，改善操作，兩人成為非常好的朋友。

這是一個敵人變成朋友的經歷。但是今天要讀的是，朋友變成敵人的故事。

亞捫人是亞伯拉罕侄兒羅得的後裔，神把地給了亞捫人，曾囑咐以色列人不可去干擾他們。在大衛做王之前，亞捫人的老王和大衛有交情，因此當大衛聽到老王過世，便派人去安慰新上任的小王哈嫩。沒想到亞捫人的領袖竟向哈嫩進惡言，把大衛的善意變惡意，更把大衛的臣僕的鬍鬚剃去一半，又割斷他們下半截的袍子，露出下體，然後放了他們。

這對大衛而言是奇恥大辱。但是大衛第一個採取的行動是保護那些受害被辱的臣僕，他派人去接他們，把他們安置在耶利哥，直等到鬍鬚長出來。

大衛雖然恨惡此事，沒想到亞捫人卻想先發兵制大衛。他們聯合亞蘭人，瑪迦人，陀伯人要攻打大衛。

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.

大衛和米非波設

2020-07-21 in /by

撒母耳記下九章7節    大衛對他說：「你不要懼怕，我必因你父親約拿單的緣故向你施恩，把你祖父掃羅的一切田地都歸還你，你也可以常與我同席吃飯。」

當掃羅和約拿單戰敗的消息傳到王宮後，所有的人都恐慌起來，害怕得四處奔逃。那時約拿單兒子米非波設才五歲，他的奶媽抱着他逃跑；因為跑得太急，孩子掉在地上，雙腿就都瘸了。(撒下4:4/9:3)

在跟隨掃羅的人心裡，不僅害怕非利士人，也害怕大衛。害怕非利士人乘勝追擊，趕盡殺絕；也害怕掃羅長期追殺大衛，大衛會回來報仇。他們不知道大衛和約拿單是至交，也不知道他們之間有約定，更不知道大衛對約拿單的愛是何等真切。倘若他們有人知道大衛，他們的心就不至於那麼恐懼害怕了。

大衛做王後，特地挀人去尋找約拿單的後裔，結果找到一個曾在掃羅家做事的僕人洗巴，他把米非設的情況告訴大衛。大衛立刻把米非波設一家接到耶路撒冷，並且邀請他常和王一同吃飯，以示大衛對他的恩典和照顧。因為人若可以常常看到王的面，其他人就不敢欺負他了，因為他有事可以隨時告訴王。這就是大衛恩待米非波設的證據。

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).

大衛秉公行義

2020-07-21 in /by

撒母耳記下八章6/14節    大衛無論往哪裏去，耶和華都使他得勝。

在〈撒母耳記下〉8章裡，作者給了大衛幾個點評。一是大衛東征西討，成了當地的覇主，是因為「 大衛無論往哪裏去，耶和華都使他得勝。」其二，「大衛作全以色列的王，又向眾百姓秉公行義。」所以大衛對外所向披靡，對內則秉公行義，整個以色列國，直到此時，才真正走上軌道。這也是以色列終於安定和大治的時期。

這裡我們要來對照一下兩節經文，可以幫助我們理解其內容。

〈撒母耳記下〉8章1節：此後，大衛攻打非利士人，制伏了他們。大衛從非利士人手中奪取了京城的治理權。

〈歷代志上〉18章1節    此後，大衛攻打非利士人，制伏了他們，從非利士人手中奪取了迦特和所屬的鄉鎮。

這兩節經文都在講同一件事，只是用詞有點不同。〈撒下〉的「京城的治理權」，原文音譯「米特‧雅瑪」，意思是「母城的嚼環」，對照〈歷上〉，原來指的就是「迦特和所屬的鄉鎮」。在大衛逃亡時，曾經兩次去迦特尋求非利士王的庇護，可見在當時迦特是非利士的京城，大衛打下迦特和所屬的鄉鎮，自然也取得其治理權。

大衛攻擊摩押人，使他們躺臥在地上，用繩來量，量二繩的殺了，量一繩的活著。摩押人曾讓大衛年老的父母度過最後一段人生，不必隨大衛東奔西逃，此時大衛也手下留情，讓年輕的摩押人可以生存下去。不至於滅族。

有時大自然生存的法則就是如此。昨天外子在院子裡看到有隻蜜蜂誤入一張蛛網，結果就被等在那裡的小蜘蛛一口一口吃掉了。本來想救那隻蜜蜂，可惜牠己經死了。一旦救出蜜蜂，蜘蛛又會餓死，