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大卫和拔示巴

2020-07-23 in /by

诗篇51篇10节    神啊，求祢为我造清洁的心，使我里面重新有正直的灵。

皮尤研究中心最近（Pew Research Center）进行一项全球调查发现，在欧洲过半数受访者认为「没有上帝都可以成为好人」，在较富裕和人民教育程度较高的国家更认为如此。但是在亚洲及印非国家的调查结果，更同意「上帝使人有良好的道德」。

当诸王还在出战时，大卫派约押率领臣仆和以色列众人出去，约押又打了胜仗，大卫高枕无忧，因此夜夜笙歌，睡到太阳平西才起床。太阳平西就是黄昏，有没有人像大卫王一样，夜里不睡，白天睡？这在养生学里是大大不好的习惯。

大卫在还没有做全以色列王之前，他有很多问题要解决，有目标要前进，他非常倚靠神，做每件事都要求问神。现在他有了以色列最高的权力，内忧外患都有人管，他开始尽情享受人生，放纵自己。

我觉得大多数人都很像大卫，当我们有努力的目标时，生活里会比较有节制；一旦拥有了渴望的一切之后，精神就涣散了。在物质享受的领域里，很快就感到无聊和厌倦，因此欲望就向诱惑打开大门，只求能满足想要的无底洞。所以「没有上帝也可以成为好人」，这里「好人」的标准是什么？

大卫实在是个「好人」，他有很高的道德标准；在他看到拔示巴之前，所做的每件事都是众人的模范。但是当「欲望」取代了「上帝」时，他就没有标准和道德底线了。在社会新闻里，我们看到很多「好人」做「坏事」。好像最近台湾有个巿长候选人，被人起底她当年的硕士论文有96%是抄袭的。她当然看起来是「好人」，才会去选巿长，可是一选就露底了。这就是人的本相，看起来都像「好人」，其实底子里一大堆不可告人事。所以富裕和教育程度，不能使人成为神眼中的「好人」。大卫也是在富裕时，成了不好的人。

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).