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A Game You Can’t Win

2020-02-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 31:21-40.  Let’s go!

Job 31:21-23 (NIV) 
21  if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, knowing that I had influence in court,
22  then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint.
23  For I dreaded destruction from God, and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things.

On verses 21-23:  In verses 16-22 Job denies taking advantage of the poor, the widow and the fatherless.  In verse 23 he says he did not sin in this way because of his fear of the Lord and the destruction that God could bring if he sinned in that way. It’s as if Job took seriously Jesus’ parable on the sheep and goats in Matthew 25:31-46 without even hearing it.  In that parable, Jesus describes himself as a King who rewards or punishes people based on how they treated the most vulnerable in society.  This parable is where Jesus famously says, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40) and “whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’” (Matthew 25:45).

耶穌在迦百農

2020-02-19 in /by

馬太福音4 :19  耶穌對他們說：「來跟從我，我要叫你們得人如得魚一樣。」

迦百農是在加利利湖邊的一個小鎮，在舊約時默默無聞，到了公元前二世紀才開始有人注意到她，那時她的名字是Capharnaum迦弗農，到了第五世紀才改為Capernaum迦百農；「迦百」翻譯自英文的「Caper」，在希伯來文是Kefar，意思是村。「農」翻譯自英文的「naum」，在希伯來文的意思是安慰；也有說Kefar Nahum，Nahum意指那鴻，所以是「那鴻的鄉村」，但是無法查考這那鴻是否舊約裡的先知那鴻。Talhum是她的阿拉伯名。

耶穌離開拿撒勒後，就來到約卅公里外的迦百農，若以時速4公里計算，大約要走七、八個小時。當時的迦百農並不是一個名不經傳的地方，她座落在當時國際通道的中心。這條國際通道是從底加波利Decapolis到敘利亞Syria的主要公路，向南通到埃及，向西可以通到地中海沿岸的三個大港口：該撒利亞(Caesarea)，多利買(Ptolemais)，及推羅(Tyre)。

因為這條公路，迦百農成為一個從富庶的東方而來的駝商隊之第一個休息站，並且從其西南方一帶來的鹹魚，一定要先經過這裡，然後才上往西的羅馬公路，到地中海岸的多利買，而輸出到歐洲。因此在迦百農很自然的就有一個稅關(Custom House)，並且坐在稅關上的一位稅吏馬太(或名利未)，後來竟然成為耶穌的十二門徒之一(路5:27-29)。

最近在迦百農發現一個「羅馬里程碑」(Roman milestone)，也證明了「羅馬道路」曾經經過這個城鎮，也解釋了為什麼有一位羅馬的百夫長，要住在以猶太人為主的迦百農(路7:1-10)。耶穌曾在這裡醫治了一位百夫長的僕人，並稱讚百夫長的信心。

How Do You Know If You Are Lusting After Someone or Just Attracted to Them?

2020-02-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 31:1-20.  Let’s go! 

On verses 1-20:  Here in chapter 31, Job makes one last attempt to plead his innocence in different areas.  He even invites a curse to be placed on his life if indeed he is truly guilty of sin in any of those areas.

Job 31:1-4 (NIV) 
1  “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl. 
2  For what is man’s lot from God above, his heritage from the Almighty on high? 
3  Is it not ruin for the wicked, disaster for those who do wrong? 
4  Does he not see my ways and count my every step?
 
On verses 1-4:  Here Job denies ever having looked lustfully at a girl (v1).  Job says his reason for not doing so is because he knows that God sees everything he does (v4) and he would not want to invite disaster on himself by sinning in this way (v2-3).  What can we learn from this?  According to Job, and according to Jesus later in the Gospels (e.g. Matthew 5:28), looking lustfully at someone is sin.  What exactly does it mean to look at someone lustfully?  

Does God Make You Sick?

2020-02-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 30:16-31.  Let’s go! 

Job 30:16-19 (NIV) 
16  “And now my life ebbs away; days of suffering grip me. 
17  Night pierces my bones; my gnawing pains never rest. 
18  In his great power [God] becomes like clothing to me; he binds me like the neck of my garment. 
19  He throws me into the mud, and I am reduced to dust and ashes.

On verses 16-31:  Here Job complains about the significant physical pain he is in due to a disease he has contracted.  Some scholars believe this disease may have been a skin condition like pemphigus foliaceus.  According to the Bible Knowledge Commentary:

“[t]his disease, as attested by physicians today, matches the symptoms of Job’s afflictions—inflamed, ulcerous sores (Job 2:7), itching (v. 8), degenerative changes in facial skin

希律堡和齊波里

2020-02-17 in /by

約翰福音14:30 這世界的王將到；他在我裡面是毫無所有。

聖經信仰所建立的權威，是因其信息和內容都建立於曾經真實發生過的事件之上。聖經裡所記載的歷史和背景也都有蹟可循。舊約學者布魯格曼(Walter Brueggemann)說：：「在舊約當中，從沒有『無時間的空間』，也沒有『無空間的時間』，只有『蘊藏故事的地方』(storied place)，也就是說，一個地方之所以含意義，是因為發生在那裡的歷史。」

即使新約比較注重屬靈的教導，也還是要以實地為本，去明白事件或教導的源頭，以期更明白主的教導和神的心意。因此認識耶穌到過的地方可以幫助信徒更明白，所有耶穌的教導都不是空談。

今天要來看兩個耶穌沒有去過的地方，卻與基督教信仰有極深的關係。第一個是希律堡。希律堡建於主前23-20年，是大希律耗資最龐大的建築項目，亦是他所興建的所有項目中，唯一以自己名字命名的地方。

Watch Out for Mockers

2020-02-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 30:1-15.  Let’s go! 

On verses 1-15:  Job has gone from being someone whom others held in high esteem (see Job 29) to one whom others mock.  When Job looks at the people mocking him, he notices that they are men much younger than him, whose fathers were deadbeats whom he would never have associated with (v1-8), “a base and nameless brood” (v8).  The ones mocking Job mock him in song (v9) and spit in his face (v10) without any kind of restraint (v11).  Job describes his mockers in military terms, how they are like an army that besieges him (v12), leaving him without any road to exit or escape (“break up my road” – v13).  They advance against Job like an army attacking a city, the walls of which are already torn down with gaping holes (v14).  As a result, Job lives in terror, feeling unsafe and humiliated (v15).

耶穌在伯利恒

2020-02-16 in /by

約翰福音6:35耶穌說：「我就是生命的糧。到我這裡來的，必定不餓；信我的，永遠不渴。」

耶穌在伯利恒出生，為了躲避希律王追殺，跟父母逃到埃及；希律王死後，他們一家回到拿撒勒。之後，耶穌一生都在以色列國度過。 四福音書告訴我們，耶穌在祂生命的每個階段都位於一個特定的位置，這些地點不是隨機發生的，是出於神的命定和耶穌的選擇。 這些地點都有希伯來文的名字，或許可以藉著它們的名字，讓我們對聖子的一生及其代表的意義有更深的理解。

伯利恒

耶穌降生在伯利恒，符合了先知彌迦的預言：「伯利恆以法他啊，你在猶大諸城中為小，將來必有一位從你那裡出來，在以色列中為我做掌權的。祂的根源從亙古，從太初就有。(彌5:2)」以色列最偉大的君王大衛，也是在伯利恒出生。彌賽亞，以色列的救主和救世主也在這裡出生，是再合適不過了。

若不是神激動該撒亞古士督要天下人民去註冊，約瑟和瑪利亞是絕對不會選在嬰兒快要出生時遠行的。神的旨意越人的意念，藉著環境，神就完成了祂的定意。為了要讓人明白這個嬰兒的出生對世人之重要。

伯利恒的希伯來名是Beyt-lechem (בית לחם) means “house of bread” in Hebrew。在希伯來文的意思是：麵包之屋。耶穌曾在這裡用五餅二魚餵飽了五千人(可6:44)，並在〈約翰福音〉裡宣稱：「我就是生命的糧。到我這裡來的，必定不餓；信我的，永遠不渴。」

Don’t Worship the Past

2020-02-16 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 29:1-25.  Let’s go! 

Job 29:2-6 (NIV) 
2  “How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, 
3  when his lamp shone upon my head and by his light I walked through darkness! 
4  Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house, 
5  when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me, 
6  when my path was drenched with cream and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil.
 
On verses 1-25:  Here Job longs achingly for the years that preceded all the loss and pain he experienced.  Those were the days when he felt God’s illuminating light and intimate friendship (v2-4), when his children were still with him and life was sweet (v5-6), when he had great status in the eyes of people (v7-11), when he helped the weak and poor (v12-17), when he was filled with confidence and hope about his future (v18-20), when people valued his counsel (v21-24), and when he enjoyed great power but was gentle in his exercise of it (v25).

世界的最初 Bereshit Olam

2020-02-14 in /by

今天要給大家介紹一首非常浪漫的情歌—從神來的情歌

「我必聘你永遠歸我為妻，以仁義、公平、慈愛、憐憫聘你歸我；也以誠實*聘你歸我，你就必認識我─耶和華。」(何 2:19-20)

一開始的美好，總是最讓人懷念的。

分享一首超級浪漫的希伯來文流行歌–

《世界的最初 Bereshit Olam》 (附歌詞)，真的覺得很美～

這是一首很有愛、又很有詩意的歌，

其實這首歌第一次聽的時候，就是想到以色列是神的妻子，

花了多少代價，神卻沒有改變對她的愛
…………………………..請點入聽歌……………………..

There, in the beginning,　   在那裡，一開始，

Eve stood, lovingly, opposite Adam   夏娃帶著愛，站在亞當對面

A helper opposite him, bone from his bone   他的幫手，骨中的骨

Then walks Adam    然後亞當走向

Towards she about whom he dreamed   他夢寐以求的人

On the head of his happiness, he will raise you up with him

在他幸福之最，他會讓你與他同等

And he will not forget you, his beloved　他不會忘記她，他的愛人

Where You’ll Find Wisdom

2020-02-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 28:1-28.  Let’s go!

Job 28:1-11 (NIV) 
1  “There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined.
2  Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.
3  Man puts an end to the darkness; he searches the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest darkness.
4  Far from where people dwell he cuts a shaft, in places forgotten by the foot of man; far from men he dangles and sways.
5  The earth, from which food comes, is transformed below as by fire;
6  sapphires come from its rocks, and its dust contains nuggets of gold.
7  No bird of prey knows that hidden path, no falcon’s eye has seen it.
8  Proud beasts do not set foot on it, and no lion prowls there.
9  Man’s hand assaults the flinty rock and lays bare the roots of the mountains.
10  He tunnels through the rock; his eyes see all its treasures.
11  He searches the sources of the rivers and brings hidden things to light.

On verses 1-11:  Why does Job speak at length about how people mine for silver and gold?  It’s because Job is comparing getting wisdom to mining for precious metals.  In both cases the treasure is hidden beneath the surface, requires an intentional and difficult search to find, is hard to reach (v4), and cannot be perceived by bird or beast (v7-8, 20-21).