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When Job Met Peter

2020-02-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 24:1-25.  Let’s go!

Job 24:1-17 (NIV) 
1  “Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment? Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?
2  Men move boundary stones; they pasture flocks they have stolen.
3  They drive away the orphan’s donkey and take the widow’s ox in pledge.
4  They thrust the needy from the path and force all the poor of the land into hiding.
5  Like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go about their labor of foraging food; the wasteland provides food for their children……..

On verses 1-17:  Job sees so much injustice around him – people stealing others’ property (v2), taking advantage of the weak and poor (v3-8), and causing the most vulnerable in society to suffer the most (v9-12).  Job sees murder (v14), adultery (v15), robberies (v16), people reveling in the darkness and avoiding the light (v16-17).  In the face of all this injustice, Job questions why “God charges no one with wrongdoing” (v12) and “Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment?” (v1)

詩篇一百四十八篇

2020-02-09 in /by

1你們要讚美耶和華！從天上讚美耶和華，在高處讚美祂！
2 祂的眾使者都要讚美祂，祂的諸軍都要讚美祂！
3 日頭月亮，你們要讚美祂！放光的星宿，你們都要讚美祂！
4 天上的天和天上的水，你們都要讚美祂！
5 願這些都讚美耶和華的名，因祂一吩咐便都造成。
6 祂將這些立定，直到永永遠遠；祂定了命，不能廢去。
7 所有在地上的，大魚和一切深洋，
8 火與冰雹，雪和霧氣，成就祂命的狂風，
9 大山和小山，結果的樹木和一切香柏樹，
10 野獸和一切牲畜，昆蟲和飛鳥，
11 世上的君王和萬民，首領和世上一切審判官，
12 少年人和處女，老年人和孩童，都當讚美耶和華！
13 願這些都讚美耶和華的名，因為獨有祂的名被尊崇，祂的榮耀在天地之上。
14 祂將祂百姓的角高舉，因此祂一切聖民以色列人，就是與祂相近的百姓，都讚美祂。你們要讚美耶和華！

這一首讚美詩分為兩部份，第一部份是天上的使者和天軍對神的讚美；第二部份是人類對神的讚美。雖然這兩部份都讚美耶和華的名，但是在實質上有何不同呢？

在第一部份神命定祂的創造：眾使者，神的諸軍，日頭月亮，放光的星宿，天上的天和天上的水，都被命定要讚美神，因為耶和華神是它們的創造者，它們好像機器人被安置了設計好的程式，都要讚美神，不能廢去。

You Can’t See God and Be His Enemy at the Same Time

2020-02-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 23:1-9 (NIV)

1  Then Job replied: 
2  “Even today my complaint is bitter; his hand is heavy in spite of my groaning. 
3  If only I knew where to find him; if only I could go to his dwelling! 
4  I would state my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. 
5  I would find out what he would answer me, and consider what he would say. 
6  Would he oppose me with great power? No, he would not press charges against me. 
7  There an upright man could present his case before him, and I would be delivered forever from my judge.
8  “But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. 
9  When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. 

On verses 1-9:  Job wants to have a word with God.  Job thinks that if he could argue his case before God, plead his innocence, and convince God that he is upright, God would come to His senses and see that Job is not deserving of such suffering.  Job’s only problem, in his mind at least, is that he can’t find God.

詩篇一百四十七篇

2020-02-07 in /by

1你們要讚美耶和華！因歌頌我們的神為善為美，讚美的話是合宜的。
2 耶和華建造耶路撒冷，聚集以色列中被趕散的人。
3 祂醫好傷心的人，裹好他們的傷處。
4 祂數點星宿的數目，一一稱它的名。
5 我們的主為大，最有能力，祂的智慧無法測度。
6 耶和華扶持謙卑人，將惡人傾覆於地。
7 你們要以感謝向耶和華歌唱，用琴向我們的神歌頌。
8 祂用雲遮天，為地降雨，使草生長在山上。
9 祂賜食給走獸和啼叫的小烏鴉。
10 祂不喜悅馬的力大，不喜愛人的腿快。…….

當新冠狀肺炎漫延得令人難以控制時，人心惶惶，有許多教會都封門了，沒封門的也減少了各樣的聚會，這時你還能讚美神嗎？當詩人寫這些詩篇時，你千萬不要以為他們都是在人生順利或輝煌之時寫的，因為真正感人的詩篇都出自神的熬煉，都是出自靈魂的讚美。

所以麥希真牧師在他的臉書每天都用一些話來鼓勵我們。他己經高齡九十幾，雙眼皆盲，但是他的心還看得見，臉書的文字可能是師母或女兒代打上去的。這是他這幾天來貼上去的：1.早安， 無論生活是否滿意，為我們今天醒來，尚有氣息而感恩。2.在家的窗邊凝望天父所創造的世界15分鐘。3.看新聞看到要爆炸或崩潰時，閉上眼睛深呼吸10下，讓自己靜下來，讓那些引發情諸的人或事祈求主憐憫。

3 Keys to a Blessed Life

2020-02-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 22:21-30. These are Eliphaz’s final recorded words in the book of Job.  If we had to separate the wheat from the chaff in all the words Eliphaz has spoken throughout this book, there would be much unhelpful chaff, but these final words in verses 21 to 30 would be the wheat worth keeping.  If looked at in isolation, verses 21 to 30 might be a helpful sermon for us to hang onto.  But given the context, seeing as these words follow a whole bunch of unfair accusations and judgments Eliphaz has already made against Job, it is likely that Job was not encouraged or helped when Eliphaz spoke these words.  But here let’s give Eliphaz some slack and treat Eliphaz’s words in verses 21-30 as a sermon for us today on how to live a life that God blesses. 

Job 22:21 (NIV) 
21  “Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.

On verse 21:  The first point Eliphaz gives on how to live a blessed life is: surrender to God.  When we keep demanding our own way, we have no peace.  When we surrender to God, the result is peace.  

詩篇一百四十六篇

2020-02-06 in /by

1你們要讚美耶和華！我的心哪，你要讚美耶和華！
2 我一生要讚美耶和華，我還活的時候要歌頌我的神。
3 你們不要倚靠君王，不要倚靠世人，他一點不能幫助。
4 他的氣一斷，就歸回塵土，他所打算的當日就消滅了。
5 以雅各的神為幫助，仰望耶和華他神的，這人便為有福！
6 耶和華造天、地、海和其中的萬物，祂守誠實直到永遠。
7 祂為受屈的申冤，賜食物於飢餓的。耶和華釋放被囚的，
8 耶和華開了瞎子的眼睛，耶和華扶起被壓下的人，耶和華喜愛義人。
9 耶和華保護寄居的，扶持孤兒和寡婦，卻使惡人的道路彎曲。
10 耶和華要做王直到永遠，錫安哪，你的神要做王直到萬代。你們要讚美耶和華！

詩人要我們讚美神，你今天讚美神了嗎？倘若你覺得無法讚美神時，希望你能記得這個我要和你分享的故事：曾經有一個寡婦終日鬱鬱不歡，她覺得自己的命很苦，神對她實在太不公平。因為丈夫很早過世，她一手養大三個孩子，他們長大後各自去別的地方工作。她覺得自己的一生實在可憐，沒有人愛，也沒有人來幫助她。

在她過六十歲生日時，她獨坐家中嘆氣時，忽然有人敲門。她開門一看，是一個好久不見的隣居。她們談起當年的事，寡婦就記起來，當她忙著工作賺錢時，孩子放學後就跑到這位隣居家裡，甚至在那裡吃了晚飯才回家。聊了一會兒，有人按門鈴，原來是個老朋友，有一次她生病時，這個朋友帶她去看病，還為她理三餐。就這樣不停地有人來看她，他們都是來賀喜的，沒有人提起以前的事，但是這些人做過的事卻在她心中一一地浮現出來。最後她忍不住哭起來，原來上帝在她身邊安置了這麼多善良的人，在她需要的時候扶她一把，她卻還覺得自己命苦？

Whose Opinion About You Matters Most?

2020-02-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 21:17-34. Let’s go!

Job 22:1-3 (NIV) 
1  Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2  “Can a man be of benefit to God? Can even a wise man benefit him?
3  What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous? What would he gain if your ways were blameless?
On verses 1-3:  I love Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of Eliphaz’s words in verses 2-3:
2  “Are any of us strong enough to give God a hand, or smart enough to give him advice?
3  So what if you were righteous—would God Almighty even notice? Even if you gave a perfect performance, do you think he’d applaud?” (Job 22:2-3 (MSG))

Job 22:5 (NIV) 
5  Is not your wickedness great? Are not your sins endless? 

On verses 4-11:  After suggesting that Job’s wickedness is great and that his sins are endless (v4-5), Eliphaz finally gets more specific about the sins he believes Job has committed which he thinks have led to Job’s suffering:

– Eliphaz accuses Job of demanding security from his brothers.  Instead of lending money and not asking for anything in return, Job stripped his neighbours bare of what they had, according to Eliphaz (v6);

詩篇一百四十五篇

2020-02-06 in /by

大衛的讚美詩。

1 我的神我的王啊，我要尊崇祢，我要永永遠遠稱頌祢的名！
2 我要天天稱頌祢，也要永永遠遠讚美祢的名！
3 耶和華本為大，該受大讚美，其大無法測度。
4 這代要對那代頌讚祢的作為，也要傳揚祢的大能。
5 我要默念祢威嚴的尊榮，和祢奇妙的作為。
6 人要傳說祢可畏之事的能力，我也要傳揚祢的大德。
7 他們記念祢的大恩就要傳出來，並要歌唱祢的公義。
8 耶和華有恩惠，有憐憫，不輕易發怒，大有慈愛。
9 耶和華善待萬民，祂的慈悲覆庇祂一切所造的。
10 耶和華啊，祢一切所造的都要稱謝祢，祢的聖民也要稱頌祢。……

當我們讀〈詩篇〉時，感覺上好像都是大衛和以色列人和神的關係。但是在這詩篇裡，大衛王向我們顯示了他的異象，他的神不是只愛以色列的神，他的神也是凡有血氣的神。

這首詩篇裡的原文是從希伯來文的第一個字母aleph到最後一個字母tav, 也就是提醒我們，耶和華是創始成終的神，祂也是維持著宇宙萬物循環生存的力量。在原文裡有個字all，即一切，一共出現了16次，通過翻譯我們還是能看到一部份，例如：一切/凡/都，這幾個地方可以讓我們感受到作者所要表達的。

大衛稱頌神，因為神有許多奇妙的特質：神的偉大，神的威嚴，祂奇妙的作為，祂的能力，祂的大德和公義，慈愛和憐憫，等等，包括了世人可以想到的最美好的用詞，神都可以當之無愧。

Everything Equalizes in Eternity

2020-02-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 21:17-34. Let’s go!

Job 21:17-21 (NIV) 
17  “Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out? How often does calamity come upon them, the fate God allots in his anger? 
18  How often are they like straw before the wind, like chaff swept away by a gale? 
19  [It is said,] ‘God stores up a man’s punishment for his sons.’ Let him repay the man himself, so that he will know it! 
20  Let his own eyes see his destruction; let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty. 
21  For what does he care about the family he leaves behind when his allotted months come to an end?
 
On verses 17-21:  Whereas Zophar insists that the wicked are cut down in their youth (Job 20), Job has a different perspective.  Job finds that wicked people are rarely punished, at least in this lifetime (v17-18).  Job wishes that there would be clearer punishment from God of the wicked (v19-21).  Job finds that in death, those who prospered while living wicked lives (v23-24) and those who bent over backwards to be righteous (v25) are both treated the same: “side by side they lie in the dust, and worms cover them both.” (v26)  Contrary to his friends’ words about how God wipes out the wicked (v27-28), Job finds that there is no clear denunciation of wicked people (v29-30).