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诗篇九十六篇

2019-11-15 in /by

1你们要向耶和华唱新歌，全地都要向耶和华歌唱！
2 要向耶和华歌唱，称颂祂的名，天天传扬祂的救恩。
3 在列邦中述说祂的荣耀，在万民中述说祂的奇事。
4 因耶和华为大，当受极大的赞美，祂在万神之上，当受敬畏。
5 外邦的神都属虚无，唯独耶和华创造诸天。
6 有尊荣和威严在祂面前，有能力与华美在祂圣所。
7 民中的万族啊，你们要将荣耀、能力归给耶和华，都归给耶和华！
8 要将耶和华的名所当得的荣耀归给祂，拿供物来进入祂的院宇！
9 当以圣洁的装饰敬拜耶和华，全地要在祂面前战抖！
10 人在列邦中要说：「耶和华做王！」世界就坚定，不得动摇，祂要按公正审判众民。
11 愿天欢喜，愿地快乐，愿海和其中所充满的澎湃，
12 愿田和其中所有的都欢乐！那时林中的树木都要在耶和华面前欢呼，
13 因为祂来了，祂来要审判全地。祂要按公义审判世界，按祂的信实审判万民。

有圣经学者说，诗篇96篇的背景是住棚节，在住棚节的第一天，以色列民会唱这首诗篇；当大卫王迎接约柜，从俄别以东的家到大卫帐幕时，亦是唱这首诗篇。这首诗篇是迎接荣耀的君王，是记念神在以色列当中，祂所作的一切荣耀作为的诗。

这诗篇说到我们要用三种方式来赞美敬拜耶和华神。一是要用口向祂唱新歌，不是老调重弹，而是在每一天的生活里，去体会神赐下的新恩典。最近有一些朋友回香港，也有一些朋友从香港来。

5 Questions to Ask Before You Give (or Accept) A Big Assignment

2019-11-15 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezra 7:11-28.  Let’s go!

On verses 11-26:  One underrated reason for Ezra’s success in ministry is the help he got from King Artaxerxes.  In his letter to Ezra, King Artaxerxes sends Ezra on a royal assignment to see how Jerusalem and Judah are progressing in relation to following the law of the Lord (v14).  In sending Ezra on this mission, King Artaxerxes does so many things to set up Ezra for success on his venture:

–        Artaxerxes lets Ezra choose a team of Levites, priests and other Israelites to go with him to Jerusalem (v13).

–        Artaxerxes gives Ezra generous amounts of silver and gold from his own treasury as well as from his advisors (v15), “together with all the silver and gold you may obtain from the province of Babylon” (v16) as well as the freewill offerings given by people and priests for the temple in Jerusalem (v16).  Artaxerxes entrusts Ezra with these financial resources and tells him to use them to buy livestock to make sacrifices at the temple (v17).  He tells Ezra to do whatever Ezra thinks best with the rest of the money (v18).

The Key to God’s Special Favour and Protection

2019-11-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

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

On verses 1-5:  57 years have passed between the end of chapter 6 and these verses in chapter 7.  During this 57 year gap, the events described in the book of Esther take place.  

Now in chapter 7 Artaxerxes is king over Persia, while Ezra, a Jewish priest who grew in Babylon, is accompanying a second group of Jewish exiles from Babylon back to Jerusalem (v7).

Notice that we are seven chapters into the book of Ezra, and it is here – over halfway through the book – that Ezra, the man after whom this book is entitled, appears on the scene.   If Ezra wrote this book, the fact that Ezra’s name and appearance are not mentioned until here shows Ezra’s humility.    

Ezra’s genealogy is listed in verses 1-5.  Ezra’s genealogy shows that Ezra’s story did not begin or end with him, but that Ezra was part of something bigger that God was doing.  Ezra’s genealogy also shows Ezra’s priestly lineage, how he came from a long line of priests originating with Aaron the first high priest.

诗篇九十五篇

2019-11-14 in /by

1来啊，我们要向耶和华歌唱，向拯救我们的磐石欢呼！
2 我们要来感谢祂，用诗歌向祂欢呼！
3 因耶和华为大神，为大王，超乎万神之上。
4 地的深处在祂手中，山的高峰也属祂。
5 海洋属他，是祂造的，旱地也是祂手造成的。
6 来啊，我们要屈身敬拜，在造我们的耶和华面前跪下！
7 因为祂是我们的神，我们是祂草场的羊，是祂手下的民。唯愿你们今天听祂的话：
8 「你们不可硬着心，像当日在米利巴，就是在旷野的玛撒。
9 那时你们的祖宗试我探我，并且观看我的作为。
10 四十年之久，我厌烦那世代，说：『这是心里迷糊的百姓，竟不晓得我的作为。』
11 所以我在怒中起誓说：『他们断不可进入我的安息。』」

希伯来语中的“歌曲”一词是zemirot，即zemer（זמר）的复数形式。 虽然歌曲是该词最常见的定义，但词根ז-מ-ר也有另一种含义：「通过去除多余的树枝来“修剪”植物。」 这些含义之间的联系最初并不很明显，但是由于希伯来语单词已触及对象的本质，因此仔细观察即可发现它们之间的相关性。

一棵大树修剪掉沉重的树枝和多余的叶子后会蓬勃发展，因此可以将其营养资源用于其最需要的地方。 同样，音乐也不是随机收集的音符的组成。 要创作一首优美的歌曲，必须“修剪”多余的声音。 同样的原则也可以适用于我们自己的生活。 为了适当地将我们的整个生活变成一首圣歌，我们必须除掉生活中繁重且多余的部份。

诗篇九十四篇

2019-11-13 in /by

1耶和华啊，祢是申冤的神。申冤的神啊，求祢发出光来！
2 审判世界的主啊，求祢挺身而立，使骄傲人受应得的报应！
3 耶和华啊，恶人夸胜要到几时呢？要到几时呢？
4 他们絮絮叨叨说傲慢的话，一切作孽的人都自己夸张。
5 耶和华啊，他们强压祢的百姓，苦害祢的产业。
6 他们杀死寡妇和寄居的，又杀害孤儿。
7 他们说：「耶和华必不看见，雅各的神必不思念。」
8 祢们民间的畜类人当思想！祢们愚顽人到几时才有智慧呢？
9 造耳朵的，难道自己不听见吗？造眼睛的，难道自己不看见吗？
10 管教列邦的，就是叫人得知识的，难道自己不惩治人吗？…….

诗篇93-99篇是一系列“耶和华坐着为王”的诗篇(Royal Psalms)，让我们看到神掌权的几个特质。诗篇94篇第1节以“耶和华啊，祢是申冤的神；申冤的神啊，求祢发出光来！”开始，而96篇的最后一节，以“因为祂来了，祂来要审判全地。祂要按公义审判世界，按祂的信实审判万民。”为呼应，真的很有意思。

这诗篇里诗人一开始就求神申冤，让敌人得报应，换句话就是求神报仇。诗人感到非常痛苦，因为在极度的痛苦中得不到神的回应，看不见神的作为。他抨击恶人的作为，但得不到任何支持。最后诗人在跟神的理论中转向神，开始明白有时候苦难确实是一种礼物。苦苁提醒人，这有可能是从神来的管教。

Your Answer is in the Royal Treasury of God’s Word

2019-11-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezra 6:1-22.  Let’s go!

Ezra 6:1 (NIV) 
1  King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives stored in the treasury at Babylon.

On verses 1-12:  King Darius is in need of guidance on an issue: are the Jews authorized to rebuild the temple or not?  Further to the suggestion of Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates and another official Shethar-Bozenai in chapter 5, King Darius searches the archives stored in Babylon’s royal treasury.  There he discovers a memo from a king who came before him – King Cyrus – who clearly authorized the rebuilding of the temple as a place to present sacrifices (v3), decrees the size of the temple (v3b-4) and commands that the costs of the rebuilding be paid by the royal treasury (v3-4).  King Darius found the specific answer to his question by searching the royal archives.  Based on that, he decrees that no one interfere with the Jews’ rebuilding the temple, and further commands that whatever the Jews need is to be provided by the royal treasury (v7-12).

诗篇九十三篇

2019-11-12 in /by

1耶和华做王，祂以威严为衣穿上。耶和华以能力为衣，以能力束腰，世界就坚定，不得动摇。
2 祢的宝座从太初立定，祢从亘古就有。
3 耶和华啊，大水扬起，大水发声，波浪澎湃。
4 耶和华在高处大有能力，胜过诸水的响声，洋海的大浪。
5 耶和华啊，祢的法度最的确，祢的殿永称为圣是合宜的。

考门夫人说：「我们所走的路，上面舖著的是神的怜悯，两旁是代表神慈爱和信实的树。」这句话对经常在森林健行的我，颇有同感。在这个世界上生活到处都能感受到造物的恩典和奇妙。

在〈启示录〉一章8 节里，神说：「我是阿拉法，我是俄梅戛，是今在、昔在、以后永在的全能者。」回应了这诗篇的第2节：「祢的宝座从太初立定，祢从亘古就有。」诗人又用想像力形容，神以威严为衣，以能力为衣，以能力束腰，感觉上这个王，这个神就是满有力量，使世界坚的神。倘若神没有威严和能力，这世界岂不乱成一通？

第3和第4节在犹太人中有个传说。因为圣殿当年所需的木料来自黎巴嫩，然后经过海上送到以色列。从黎巴嫩带来大雪松以建造神殿的水手们背诵了这首诗。作为路线的一部分，他们经过了以色列与黎巴嫩接壤的边界北部海域，在那里听到海浪冲撞岩石的声音，惊叹于大海的美丽和力量，因此赞扬耶和华神让他们有份参与建造圣殿的工作。

The Authority God Gives You

2019-11-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezra 5:1-17.  Let’s go!

Ezra 5:1-2 (NIV) 
1  Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 
2  Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them. 

On verses 1-2:  The Jews had spent six years trying to rebuild the temple, but in 530 BC their work came to a standstill after much opposition from Samaritans (Ezra 4:1-16) and an order by King Artaxerxes to halt the work (Ezra 4:17-24).  Soon dust was settling on the unfinished work and apathy set into the people’s hearts.  Ezra 5 picks up the action a decade later, in approximately 520 BC, when God raises up prophets like Haggai and Zechariah to encourage the Jews (Ezra 5:1).  Inspired by their prophetic messages, governor Zerubabbel and Joshua the high priest lead the Jews to resume the work of rebuilding the temple.    

诗篇九十二篇

2019-11-11 in /by

安息日的诗歌。

1 称谢耶和华，歌颂祢至高者的名，
2 用十弦的乐器和瑟，用琴弹幽雅的声音，早晨传扬祢的慈爱，每夜传扬祢的信实，这本为美事。
4 因祢耶和华借着祢的作为叫我高兴，我要因祢手的工作欢呼。
5 耶和华啊，祢的工作何其大！祢的心思极其深！
6 畜类人不晓得，愚顽人也不明白：
7 恶人茂盛如草，一切作孽之人发旺的时候，正是他们要灭亡，直到永远。
8 唯祢耶和华是至高，直到永远。
9 耶和华啊，祢的仇敌都要灭亡，一切作孽的也要离散。
10 祢却高举了我的角，如野牛的角；我是被新油膏了的。……

诗篇92篇是一首安息日的诗歌，预备在安息日的早晨在圣殿献早祭时歌唱用，是一篇感恩诗，见证神的诗歌。

神做事充满了幽默感。在创造世界和人之后，把第七天订为祂自己的安息日，不是为了去玩或休息或办杂事，而是为了与人相会。神的意思仿佛在告诉我们：你看，像我这样忙（创造世界的工作比牛毛要多得多囉！），我都要找一天来与你们相聚，那么你们是否也应该在这天与我相会？又仿佛在为我们立榜样，事情再忙，也不要忘了和你的家人聚一聚！

When the Enemy Attacks

2019-11-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezra 4:1-24.  Let’s go!

This passage shows that when God is at work in your life and you are joining Him in the work He is doing, you will very likely face opposition from the enemy.  That is because the enemy despises seeing God’s kingdom expand and people turning to the Lord.  In his application commentary, Pastor Jon Courson does an excellent job of showing how this passage illustrates some of the ways that our enemy Satan tries to attack you when you are trying to go in God’s direction for your life.  I’ll summarize those ways in the verses that follow.
 
Ezra 4:1 (NIV)
When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel…

On verse 1:  When the Jews returned to Jerusalem and settled in their towns, their enemies made no issue of it.  It was only when they saw that the Jews were building a temple for the Lord that they now tried to distract, discourage and delay their progress.