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Ultimate Restoration

2020-03-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Now onto today’s passage. Today’s passage is Job 42:1-17.  Let’s go!
 
Job 42:1-2 (NIV) 
1  Then Job replied to the LORD: 
2  “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.

On verses 1-6:  Job has now abandoned his previous push to challenge God on His justice (v2).  He now admits to speaking of things that he had no ability to understand (v3).  Job had heard about God all his life, but now, having heard God speak personally, he experiences God’s presence in a powerful and unprecedented way.  In response to encountering God, all Job can do is see how small and unholy he is.  Job repents of his pride before God (v4-6).

What can we learn from this? 

1.We were made not just to hear about God but to experience Him personally.

耶稣在该撒利亚腓立比 Caesarea Philippi

2020-03-08 in /by

马太福音6:15-16  耶稣说:「你们说我是谁?」西门彼得回答说:「你是基督，是永生 神的儿子。」

假如你要去旅行，会挑选怎样的地方呢？我相信多数人都会挑选有山有水，风景十分优美的地方。班尼亚斯就是以色列地一个很出名的风景区，因为它位于黑门山麓，又有发源于黑门山的班尼亚斯河与但河，和发源于黎巴嫩的哈斯巴尼河和以云河汇聚成了约但河，往南注入低于海平面约209公尺的加利利湖，最后注入死海。有人认为旧约的巴力迦得(书13:5)和巴力黑们((代上:23)，指的就是这个地方。

大希律王去世后，将政权分给三个儿子，分封王腓力（Philipp）在班尼亚斯建都，西元前二年他将城市改名为该撒利亚．腓立比（Caesarea Philippi）。此地因有丰沛的水源，加上邻近地区土壤肥沃、物产丰富，吸引了许多狂热的宗教崇拜。在希腊和罗马时期，这座城里盖了众多的神庙，其中有一位希腊神祇「潘Pan」，因而以牠命名，改名为班尼亚斯。所以该撒利亚腓立比就是班尼亚斯Banias。

班尼亚斯位于现今的戈兰高地，被规划为自然保护区。从黑门山流下的水流在此地形成了一道美丽的瀑布，形成班尼亚斯极美的河道。另一个水源的出口位于一个大岩壁的洞穴，这个岩壁被称为「神祗之石」（Rock of the Gods）。岩壁一边的底下的洞穴，上面嵌著三排尖牙利齿，这就是「潘神岩洞」又被称为阴间之间或地狱之门。Pan潘神是一个半人半羊的恐怖(panic)之神，常吹着排笛施展魔法，阿拉伯语原称此地为潘尼亚斯，后来才变成现在的班尼亚斯。

Matchless Power

2020-03-08 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Now onto today’s passage. Today’s passage is Job 41:1-34.  Let’s go!
 
Job 41:10 (NIV) 
10  No one is fierce enough to rouse him. Who then is able to stand against me?
 
On verses 1-34:  For one whole chapter, God talks about the leviathan.  What is the leviathan and why is God talking about it? 

The leviathan is described as a powerful marine animal that is violent, not easily captured or tamed, armed with fearsome teeth (v14), and who is impervious to attacks with various premodern combat weapons (v26).   In the past scholars surmised that perhaps the leviathan was a sea monster, a whale, or a marine dinosaur.  Today, many scholars believe that the leviathan is a giant crocodile, since “the crocodile fits God’s description of the leviathan’s back (v13, 15-17, 23), teeth (v14), chest and undersides (v24, 30) and its churning of the waters (v31-32)” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary).  If the leviathan is a giant crocodile, then the references to it being fire-breathing (v19-21) might be an exaggeration for effect.

心灵和诚实的敬拜

2020-03-07 in /by

约翰福音4:24 神是个灵，所以拜祂的必须用心灵和诚实拜祂。

最近因为新冠状病毒的缘故，世界各地有许多教会都开始采用直播，线上聚会，等等。也有许多团契或查经改在网路上进行。这实在是很不得己的事情，因为大家都怕被传染。

在有些疫情严重的地方非关闭教会不可，但有更多地方的害怕是出于无名的恐惧，害怕其他人有没有接触过不该接触的人，害怕有没有带菌者也来参加聚会，害怕不认识的人来团契或小组，等等。原本欢迎新朋友，要福音广传的教会，一反常态地把自己关闭起来。感觉上，似乎听到撒旦在仰天长笑。一点点的恐惧，就可以让基督徒吓到闭门不出了。

可事实上我们还是在出门，我们还是去上班上学，我们还是要买菜，要呼吸。我们就是不敢上教会，不敢开小组或去团契。我们什么地方都敢去，就是不敢去神的家。

但是处于末世时代的我们，岂不知有更多的灾难将要一一地来临吗？当我们听到哪里有疫情爆发时，其实是在提醒我们应当怎样保护自己，而不是一味地恐惧。有些教会开始在门口分发消毒水，口罩，喷酒精，劝会众有距离地分座，这些都很好，因为至少会众还是回到教会敬拜了。

When God Puts Us In Our Place

2020-03-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Now onto today’s passage. Today’s passage is Job 40:1-24.  Let’s go!

Job 40:3-5 (NIV) 
3  Then Job answered the LORD:
4  “I am unworthy–how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth.
5  I spoke once, but I have no answer– twice, but I will say no more.”

On verses 1-14:  Before Job wanted nothing else but to confront God with his arguments and prove God wrong.  However, after hearing God speak, Job realizes how unworthy he is to even approach God (v3-5).  To paraphrase the Lord’s next words in verse 6-14, “Job, who do you think you are?  On what basis do you think you have any ability or standing to condemn me and justify yourself?  If you think you are so powerful and wise, then try doing what I do, reigning in perfect majesty and splendour while at the same time dealing justly with the wicked.  If you’re able to do that, then I’ll admit to you that you are as great as God and qualified to accuse Me.”

耶稣在马加丹和大玛努他

2020-03-05 in /by

路加福音7:47  所以我告诉你：她许多的罪都赦免了，因为她的爱多；但那赦免少的，他的爱就少。

耶稣用七饼数鱼喂饱了四千个男人(女人和小孩不计)之后，离开低加波利，到了一个我们很陌生的地方。那地方马太叫她「马加丹Magadan」(太15:39)，马可称她「大玛努他Dalmanutha」(可8:10)，有学者认为这两者其实是同一个地方。这是什么地方呢，听起来好特别。我们且先用「马加丹」来说事。

马加丹在加利利海的西岸，在迦百农以南。有圣经学者认为，马加丹是抺大拉的别名，是同一个地方，原因是阿拉米语经常用字母L(l) 代替希伯来语的N(n)，所以马加丹（Magadan）可以变成抺大拉（Magdala），其名称源自希伯来文的Migdal，是「楼塔」之意。很多人认为这就是抺大拉的马利亚的家乡。

说到抺大拉的马利亚，你有没有什么印象呢？她是追随和服事耶稣的几位女信徒之一。她为什么会追随耶稣呢？路加记载，耶稣曾经从她身上赶出七个恶鬼(路8:2)。这之前的辛苦和之后的自由就不用多着墨了，因为马利亚对耶稣深深的感激不在言下。

在〈路加福音〉第七章里记载着有位法利赛人西门请耶稣吃饭，有位有罪的女人用眼泪和头发擦拭耶稣的脚，然后用香膏抺祂的脚。这个女人就是抺大拉的马利亚，为何称她是有罪的女人呢？因为她是个当时大家都认识，却瞧不起的妓女。耶稣为她赶鬼，使她脱离罪恶的生涯，重新过一个正常人的生活，她对耶稣的感激是西门远远无法体会的。因此当西门心里说：「这人若是先知，必知道摸他的是谁，是个怎样的女人，乃是个罪人！」

You Matter to God

2020-03-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Now onto today’s passage.  Today’s passage is Job 39:1-30.  Let’s go!

On Job 38:39 to Job 39:30:  After silencing Job with questions about the origins of the universe (38:4-18) and about outer space (38:19-38), God now questions Job about the animal kingdom (38:39 to 39:30): lions (v39-40), ravens (v41), mountain goats (v3-4), donkeys (v6-8), wild oxen (v9-12), ostriches (v13-18), horses (v19-25), hawks (v26), and eagles (v27-30).  When God asks questions about each animal, there is an attention to detail and a sense of wonder and excitement in God’s voice.

For example, here’s God talking about a horse:

Job 39:19-25 (NIV) 
19  “Do you give the horse his strength or clothe his neck with a flowing mane?
20  Do you make him leap like a locust, striking terror with his proud snorting?
21  He paws fiercely, rejoicing in his strength, and charges into the fray.
22  He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing; he does not shy away from the sword…….

耶稣在低加波利Decapolis

2020-03-04 in /by

可5:21 那人就走了，在低加波利传扬耶稣为他做了何等大的事，众人就都稀奇。

昨天我们读到耶稣到了推罗西顿，为迦南妇人的女儿赶鬼。然后，马可告诉我们，耶稣离开推罗，经过西顿，又从低加波利境内到加利利海。你还记得上次耶稣在低加波利的一座城里做了何事吗？

祂特地坐船到低加波利，一上船就碰到一个被鬼附的格拉森人。耶稣让附在他身上的鬼进入猪群，所有的猪都疯狂跳入海里。以致那里的人惧怕祂，求耶稣离开。那个被鬼附的人想跟耶稣走，但是耶稣要他回家，把神怎样怜悯他的事告诉亲友。现在耶稣回来了，是否要看看那个人的情况如何？(可7:31)

格拉森在加大拉区，也是低加波利的十座城之一。低加波利就是十个城的意思，英文是Decapolis，译为德卡波利斯。就好像素里巿(或温哥华，或列治文)在大温哥华区里，也是B.C.省(英属哥伦比亚)的一个城巿。

没想到这次一来，就有许多人从低加波利的其他城巿里也来找耶稣。可见那个曾被鬼附的人做的见证何等有效。马可如此形容：那人就走了，在低加波利传扬耶稣为他做了何等大的事，众人就都稀奇(马5:21)。现在听到耶稣来了，于是众人都出来跟随耶稣，要听听祂的教导。

有人带来一个耳聋舌结的人，又带着瘸子、瞎子、哑巴、有残疾的和好些别的病人，都放在祂脚前。耶稣一一医好他们，他们就归荣耀给以色列的神。那是外邦人居住的地方，有的人拜希腊的神，有的人拜亚斯她录—迦南地的女神，但是现在他们想要认识以色列的神，因为这个神看起来又真实又有能力。

When God Trash Talks

2020-03-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Now onto today’s passage.  Today’s passage is Job 38:19-41.  Let’s go!
 
Job 38:19-21 (NIV) 
19  “What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? 
20  Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings? 
21  Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years!

On verses 19-38:  Out of the storm God is answering Job.  God moves from asking Job questions about the origins of the universe (v4-18) to questions about the skies and outer space in verses 19-38. 

Notice that in response to Job’s highly confrontational and adversarial way of talking to God and about God, God responds in a confrontational and adversarial way as well.  Just look at God’s tone in verses 19 to 21.  Or in verses 3 and 4.  Or verse 18.  This is perhaps the closest you will find in the Bible to God trash-talking a person whom He loves and will later bless.