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Sow in Tears, Reap in Joy

2019-12-16 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Esther 8:1-17.  Let’s go!

Esther 8:8 (NIV) 
8  “Now write another decree in the king’s name in behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s signet ring–for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.”

On verses 1-13:  Now with Haman dead, Esther once again pleads with King Xerxes to do something to save the Jews from annihilation.  But according to the law of the Persians and Medes, any edict sealed with the king’s signet ring could not be revoked. Unable to overturn the edict he had previously sealed to have the Jews annihilated, King Xerxes does the next best thing:  he gives Mordecai his signet ring to approve any law Mordecai wants to counteract the first edict (v8).  So Mordecai uses King Xerxes’ signet ring to seal a new edict that allows the Jews to assemble and defend themselves, to annihilate any armed force that might attack them, and to plunder their property.

诗篇一百十九篇25-32节

2019-12-16 in /by

ד Daleth (第四段)

25我的性命几乎归于尘土，求祢照祢的话将我救活。
26我述说我所行的，祢应允了我，求祢将祢的律例教训我。
27求祢使我明白你的训词，我就思想祢的奇事。
28我的心因愁苦而消化，求祢照祢的话使我坚立。
29求祢使我离开奸诈的道，开恩将祢的律法赐给我。
30我拣选了忠信的道，将祢的典章摆在我面前。
31我持守祢的法度，耶和华啊，求祢不要叫我羞愧！
32祢开广我心的时候，我就往祢命令的道上直奔。

曾经患过鼻咽癌的赖建鹏牧师在〈如果我能唱— 听后感〉一文里分享，在廿年前要接受化疗的前一晚，师母提醒他，作了化疗很可能会失去声音，不能再唱圣诗，因此他们决定那晚由儿子司琴，一起留下了美好的声音。逾廿三年后的今天，赖牧师在今年12月13日刚刚被主接去，结束了在世上的劳苦。我们在记念他时，同时感谢他把这首诗歌介绍给我们。

〈如果我能唱〉这首诗是一个残障者所写。她的名字叫黄美廉，出生时因为医生的疏忽，脑部神经受到严重伤害，以致颜面和四肢肌肉都失去正常的功能。但是她认为“别强求生活顺利平易，应祈求成为一个坚强的人”，因此借着倚靠上帝，她走出了医生宣判可能只有的短暂生命，以及一生无法正常行动，一生无法与人沟通的局限，不但在加州州立大学洛杉矶分校获得艺术博士，曾获得1993年中华民国十大杰出青年，并多次举行画展，著有《心灵的颜色》、《画家画话-黄美廉的彩笔世界》等书，现任艺术工作室负责人。

How Jesus is Like Haman

2019-12-15 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Esther 7:1-10.  Let’s go!

Esther 7:10 (NIV) 
10  So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.

On verses 1-10:  Here Esther risks her life and stands in the gap on behalf of her people, pleading with King Xerxes for the deliverance of the Jews from sure destruction.  Similarly, Jesus would later stand in the gap for us as our advocate in the presence of God the king.  He would sacrifice His life so that we could be delivered from sure destruction for our sin.  Like Esther was to the Jews, Jesus is the hero of our story.

Here we also see Haman being accused and convicted of doing evil.   As punishment Haman is publicly killed by being hung from the crosspiece of a gallows for all to see.  Only then did the king’s fury subside (v10).  This will sound shocking, but in certain ways Jesus is like Haman.  For like Haman, Jesus would be accused, convicted, and punished by being hung from a crosspiece for all to see.  Only upon Jesus’ death would God’s wrath against sinners subside. 

诗篇一百十九篇17-24节

2019-12-15 in /by

ג Gimel (第三段)

17求祢用厚恩待祢的仆人，使我存活，我就遵守祢的话。
18求祢开我的眼睛，使我看出祢律法中的奇妙。
19我是在地上做寄居的，求祢不要向我隐瞒祢的命令。
20我时常切慕祢的典章，甚至心碎。
21受咒诅偏离你命令的骄傲人，祢已经责备他们。
22求祢除掉我所受的羞辱和藐视，因我遵守你的法度。
23虽有首领坐着妄论我，祢仆人却思想祢的律例。
24祢的法度是我所喜乐的，是我的谋士。

在这段经文里，大卫求神用厚恩待他，使他存活，他就遵守神的话。你可能觉得他是在妄求，跟神做这样的交易？但假如你曾经在教会中事奉，做神的仆人，你就明白，每一个神的仆人都需要神的厚恩才能存活。而且若没有生命，怎能遵守神的话？就像死人不能赞美神一样。大卫的用句字字精湛，令人回味。

教会或基督教的基构虽然是蒙恩的罪人变成神眼中的义人所成立的，但因为这些义人依然有许多的老我，相处起来真是问题多多。大卫指出，在神的仆人当中，有受咒诅偏离神命令的骄傲人，他们渺视神的仆人，因为他遵守神的法度。

诗篇一百十九篇9-16节

2019-12-13 in /by

ב Beth (第二段)

9少年人用什么洁净他的行为呢？是要遵行祢的话。
10我一心寻求了祢，求祢不要叫我偏离祢的命令。
11我将祢的话藏在心里，免得我得罪祢。
12耶和华啊，祢是应当称颂的，求祢将祢的律例教训我。
13我用嘴唇传扬你口中的一切典章。
14我喜悦祢的法度，如同喜悦一切的财物。
15我要默想祢的训词，看重祢的道路。
16我要在祢的律例中自乐，我不忘记祢的话。

这八节是特别写给少年人的。少年是人生的一个阶段，为何在此阶段要特别提到要洁净他的行为呢？少年是一个比较血气方刚的阶段，正在成长摸索，想要成为自己人生主宰的时候。那时听不进父母的话，对事情的看法也很直接片面，反应也快。

所以这几个月来香港的民运里，有许多中大学生被警察抓去，令人十分痛心。因为那是人生最美，正在萌芽要开花的时段，却好像活生生地被掐下来。在这个人生的阶段里要安全度过，要走得正行得直，便会成为人生最美好的土壤，孕育出美好的将来；若是行差踏错，就有可能在人生里留下很大的污点，甚至影响到将来。

You Won’t Be Satisfied If You Live That Way

2019-12-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Esther 6:1-14. Let’s go!

Esther 6:1 (NIV) 
1  That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him.

On verses 1-13:  I’m not sure if King Xerxes ordered that the history of his reign be read to him in bed so that it would bore him to sleep or excite him to action.  In any event while he is listening to the history of his own reign as king, King Xerxes is reminded of how Mordecai exposed a plot to assassinate King Xerxes.   When King Xerxes discovers that nothing was done to honour Mordecai for this noble deed, King Xerxes consults Haman about what should be done for a man that the king delights to honor.  Haman assumes that King Xerxes is thinking about honouring him, so Haman suggests an elaborate celebration that includes letting the man wear one of the king’s robes, ride on the king’s horse, and having a noble lead that horse while shouting, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honour!” (v9).  King Xerxes, as usual, accepts his advisor’s suggestion.  Xerxes commands that Mordecai be honoured in just that way, ironically with Haman being the one to lead the horse that Mordecai will be riding on.

Put On Those Royal Robes

2019-12-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Esther 5:1-14.  There are many great lessons we can learn from this passage.  Let’s go!

Esther 5:1-2 (NIV) 
1  On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. 
2  When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

On verses 1-2:  Before approaching the king, Esther puts on her royal robes.  By putting on her royal robes, this reminded everyone – especially Esther herself and her husband the king – who Esther was: that Esther is royalty.  When Esther approaches King Xerxes, King Xerxes is pleased with her, accepts her into his presence and addresses her “Queen Esther” (v3).  Likewise, when you approach your Father’s throne in heaven, put on your royal robes.  In other words, remember who you are in Christ.  Remember that you are robed in Christ’s righteousness, endowed with Christ’s authority, chosen and precious to God, pleasing and acceptable in His sight.  When you see yourself that way, it changes the way you pray.  You can approach God with confidence, authority, love and authenticity when you know who you are in Christ.

诗篇一百十九篇1-8节

2019-12-12 in /by

א Aleph (第一段)

1行为完全，遵行耶和华律法的，这人便为有福！

2遵守祂的法度，一心寻求祂的，这人便为有福！

3这人不做非义的事，但遵行祂的道。

4耶和华啊，祢曾将祢的训词吩咐我们，为要我们殷勤遵守。

5但愿我行事坚定，得以遵守祢的律例！

6我看重祢的一切命令，就不至于羞愧。

7我学了祢公义的判语，就要以正直的心称谢祢。

8我必守祢的律例，求祢总不要丢弃我。

在〈诗篇〉119篇里有176节的经文，假如我们每天读八节，便要用廿二天才能读完。我本来想把它分成四段，四天里把它解决。但是有一个想法胜过我，究竟我在赶什么进度呢？读神的话语重在吸收，而不是囫囵吞咽，快速地把它读完，对我们有何益处呢？更何况，再找不到这样好的机会，慢慢来品尝这诗篇里的精华。有一天，你可以很神气地宣告：我曾经很仔细地读过〈诗篇〉119篇，那时可能会有不少人很佩服你哦！因此，让我们倒杯茶，安静心，一起来看诗人怎样看神的话语。希望每一天都有一节经文成为你当天力量的泉源。

诗篇一百十八篇

2019-12-11 in /by

1你们要称谢耶和华，因祂本为善，祂的慈爱永远长存！
2 愿以色列说：「祂的慈爱永远长存！」
3 愿亚伦的家说：「祂的慈爱永远长存！」
4 愿敬畏耶和华的说：「祂的慈爱永远长存！」
5 我在急难中求告耶和华，祂就应允我，把我安置在宽阔之地。
6 有耶和华帮助我，我必不惧怕，人能把我怎么样呢？
7 在那帮助我的人中，有耶和华帮助我，所以我要看见那恨我的人遭报。
8 投靠耶和华，强似倚赖人。
9 投靠耶和华，强似倚赖王子。
10 万民围绕我，我靠耶和华的名必剿灭他们。……

这是哈利路亚赞美诗的最后一首，也是犹太人庆祝一年一度的逾越节唱的诗歌。很有可能，这也是当日主与祂的门徒在最后晚餐要结束时唱的诗歌。在最后的晚餐里，主耶稣引用了此诗篇的第22-23节：“耶稣说：经上写着：匠人所弃的石头，已做了房角的头块石头。这是主所做的，在我们眼中看为稀奇。”因此它也是一首弥赛亚诗篇。

有圣经学者认为，从代上16章和本诗篇的部份经文比较，可以想像是大卫的诗班，在庆祝神的约柜安放在锡安山时唱的。同时几乎可确 定，在被掳后献圣殿的敬拜中，有时也会引用此诗篇。在匠人立耶和华殿根基的时候，祭司吹号、利未人敲钹，照大卫所定的例，都站着赞美耶和 华。他们彼此唱和、赞美称谢耶和华说：“因祂本为善、祂的慈爱永远长存。”众民大声呼喊，因耶和华殿的根基已经立定(拉3:10,11)。在这些场面中，诗篇的经文会以进行曲形式和轮唱的形式对唱，就像第2-4节里，诗人呼吁三个不同的团体来赞美耶和华。

Gain Confidence to Approach the King

2019-12-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Esther 4:1-17.  Let’s go!

Esther 4:1-3 (NIV) 
1  When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. 
2  But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. 
3  In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

On verses 1-3:  In King Xerxes’ kingdom, you were not allowed to get close to the king if you were mourning or grieving.  That’s why Mordecai could not go past the king’s gate while wearing sackcloth and ashes, the traditional garb for someone in grief.  I’m so thankful that in the kingdom we live in, where Jesus is king, we can approach our King just as we are.  If we are grieving, mourning or burdened, we can come to Him just the same.  In fact, our King welcomes us to come to Him with our burdens.  He says, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).   You can “cast your cares upon the Lord because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).