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The King and The Lamb

2019-10-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Chronicles 35:1-27.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-19:  King Josiah leads his nation of Judah in celebrating the Feast of the Passover, a time when God’s people remembered the way that He saved them and delivered them from certain death through the sacrifice of a Passover lamb.  King Josiah provides 30,000 lambs and young goats as the people’s Passover offerings, along with 3,000 cattle, all from the king’s own flocks and herds (v7).  The celebration is done as prescribed in the Book of Moses (v12).  Never had there been such a Passover celebration since the time that Samuel led as judge over Israel (v18). 

What can we learn from this?  Centuries later another king would make a costly sacrifice on Passover weekend.  But rather than sacrificing lambs, goats and cattle of his own, this king would make a far greater sacrifice: Jesus would become the Passover lamb and sacrifice himself on the cross to take away our sins and to save us from certain death.

On verses 20-27:  King Neco of Egypt is getting ready to fight another nation, but King Josiah musters his army to confront King Neco.  King Neco warns King Josiah that God has told King Neco to hurry and that Josiah should best get out of the way lest he get hurt.  But King Josiah refuses to listen.  He disguises himself in battle and is fatally wounded.  

詩篇五十八篇

2019-10-02 in /by

大衛的金詩，交於伶長。調用休要毀壞。

1 世人哪，你們默然不語，真合公義嗎？施行審判，豈按正直嗎？
2 不然！你們是心中作惡，你們在地上稱出你們手所行的強暴。
3 惡人一出母胎，就與神疏遠；一離母腹，便走錯路，說謊話。
4 他們的毒氣好像蛇的毒氣，他們好像塞耳的聾虺，
5 不聽行法術的聲音，雖用極靈的咒語，也是不聽。
6 神啊，求祢敲碎他們口中的牙！耶和華啊，求祢敲掉少壯獅子的大牙！
7 願他們消滅如急流的水一般，他們瞅準射箭的時候，願箭頭彷彿砍斷。
8 願他們像蝸牛消化過去，又像婦人墜落未見天日的胎。
9 你們用荊棘燒火，鍋還未熱，祂要用旋風把青的和燒著的一齊颳去。
10 義人見仇敵遭報就歡喜，要在惡人的血中洗腳。
11 因此，人必說：「義人誠然有善報，在地上果有施行判斷的神。」

在這篇詩篇裡，大衛經歷著一場內心的交戰，正如我們有時也會有的交戰一樣；就是當義人受苦，看到惡人或壓迫他們的人越來越強盛時的不理解和不服氣。為什麼惡人不遭報應，反得祝福？有時我們覺得自己做得比別人好，生活也比他人敬虔，為什麼神反而讓那些不比我們敬虔的人得意呢？義人真的會有善報嗎？在世上真有施行判斷的神嗎？

再一次，畢德生牧師的翻譯讓我們可以從另一個角度來看這段經文1-2節： Is this any way to run a country? Is there an honest politician in the house? Behind the scenes you brew cauldrons of evil, behind closed doors you make deals with demons. 這是統治一個國家的方法嗎？難道一個誠實的政治人物都沒有？他們在私底下釀造邪惡的大鍋，在關閉的門後與魔鬼談交易。

If You Want to Experience More of God, THIS Is Crucial

2019-10-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Chronicles 34:14-33.  Let’s go!

2 Chronicles 34:27 (NIV) 
27  Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD.

On verses 14-33:  While bringing out money that was stored in the temple, Hilkiah the priest finds and brings out the most precious treasure of all: God’s Word as contained in the Book of the Law.  He gives it to Shaphan the secretary who reads the Book of the Law in King Josiah’s presence.  In response to the reading of God’s Word, Josiah weeps, tears his robes and orders Hilkiah the priest, Shaphan the secretary and other servants to inquire of God as what they should do, since they have not kept much of what was written in the Book.  They in turn consult Huldah the prophetess who tells them that indeed disaster is awaiting the people of Judah for their failure to obey God’s commands.  However, because Josiah was humble and responsive to God’s Word, that disaster would not take place during his lifetime (v28). 

Josiah responds again to God’s Word, this time spoken through the prophet Huldah.  He gathers all of Judah for an assembly where he reads God’s Word to the people.  Then he stands at the pillar in the temple where a king would usually stand when making an important proclamation and commits to personally obeying God’s Word. 

詩篇五十七篇

2019-10-01 in /by

大衛逃避掃羅，藏在洞裡。那時，他作這金詩，交於伶長。調用休要毀壞。

1 神啊，求祢憐憫我，憐憫我，因為我的心投靠祢。我要投靠在祢翅膀的蔭下，等到災害過去。
2 我要求告至高的神，就是為我成全諸事的神。
3 那要吞我的人辱罵我的時候，神從天上必施恩救我，也必向我發出慈愛和誠實。
4 我的性命在獅子中間，我躺臥在性如烈火的世人當中，他們的牙齒是槍、箭，他們的舌頭是快刀。
5 神啊，願祢崇高過於諸天，願祢的榮耀高過全地！
6 他們為我的腳設下網羅，壓制我的心。他們在我面前挖了坑，自己反掉在其中。（細拉）
7 神啊，我心堅定，我心堅定！我要唱詩，我要歌頌！
8 我的靈啊，你當醒起！琴瑟啊，你們當醒起！我自己要極早醒起。
9 主啊，我要在萬民中稱謝你，在列邦中歌頌你。
10 因為祢的慈愛高及諸天，祢的誠實達到穹蒼。
11 神啊，願祢崇高過於諸天，願祢的榮耀高過全地！

這篇詩也是大衛的金詩之一，金詩的意思就是經過生命的熬煉所產生的詩篇，特別寶貴。這篇詩寫的是大衛一個極特別的經歷。

在隱基底的曠野裡，掃羅帶了三千軍兵去追捕大衛，希望把大衛和跟隨他的人一舉殲滅。這樣的陣仗真的嚇到大衛了，三千軍兵不是普通人，個個都驍勇善戰，而且離大衛藏躲之處甚近。近到怎樣的一個地步呢？掃羅竟然跑進了大衛他們藏躲的一個山洞裡大解了。

大衛形容他的敵人像獅子，是性如烈火的世人，他們的牙齒是槍、箭，舌頭是快刀，件件能殺人。他們設下天網羅要殺他，不料卻自投羅網，把自己送到大衛面前。大衛只要一出手，掃羅就必死無疑。但是大衛敬畏神，只割下了掃羅的衣襟。

詩篇五十六篇

2019-09-30 in /by

非利士人在迦特拿住大衛。那時，他作這金詩，交於伶長。調用遠方無聲鴿。

1 神啊，求祢憐憫我，因為人要把我吞了，終日攻擊欺壓我。
2 我的仇敵終日要把我吞了，因逞驕傲攻擊我的人甚多。
3 我懼怕的時候要倚靠祢。
4 我倚靠神，我要讚美祂的話。我倚靠神，必不懼怕，血氣之輩能把我怎麼樣呢？
5 他們終日顛倒我的話，他們一切的心思都是要害我。
6 他們聚集、埋伏，窺探我的腳蹤，等候要害我的命。
7 他們豈能因罪孽逃脫嗎？神啊，求祢在怒中使眾民墮落！
8 我幾次流離，你都記數，求祢把我眼淚裝在你的皮袋裡。這不都記在祢冊子上嗎？
9 我呼求的日子，我的仇敵都要轉身退後。神幫助我，這是我所知道的。…….

在大衛逃亡的日子裡，有兩次逃到非利士人的迦特，第一次是在逃亡的初期，第二次是在快要結束逃亡時。第一次到迦特時，非利士人對他有很強的敵意，因為他們還記得大衛殺了歌利亞，所以大衛查覺到他們的敵意和殺機勝騰騰，因此扮瘋逃離。第二次再去迦特時，可能非利士人都己經知道他是個流亡之人，正被掃羅追殺，所以亞吉把大衛留下來，他們也不再反對。

這詩篇裡所記載的，大家一般都認為是第一次在迦特的經歷。我覺得畢德生牧師的信息聖經翻譯得特別傳神：take my side, God— I’m getting kicked round,  stomped on every day. Not a day goes by but somebody beats me up; They make it their duty to beat me up. When I get really afraid  ，I come to you in trust. I’m proud to praise God;    fearless now, I trust in God. What can mere mortals do? 神啊，請祢站在我這邊。我終日被人踢來跺去。每一天都有人打我，以打我為己任。當我萬分恐懼時，我憑信心來到祢的面前，我驕傲地讚美祢，毫不膽怯。我倚靠神，必不懼怕，血氣之輩能把我怎麼樣呢？

Seek Jesus While You Are Young

2019-09-30 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Chronicles 34:1-13.  Let’s go!

2 Chronicles 34:1-3 (NIV) 
1  Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years.
2  He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.
3  In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David. In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles, carved idols and cast images.

On verses 1-3:  At eight years old, Josiah becomes king of Judah in place of his murdered father Amon. At 16, “while he was still young”, Josiah begins to seek the Lord (v3).  At 20, Josiah is initiating a nation wide campaign to cleanse his kingdom of idols.

What can we learn from this?  It is good to seek the Lord while you are still young.  The earlier you seek hard after God, the earlier and the longer God can use your life to impact this world for His glory.  The apostle Paul would have been proud of Josiah, for Paul once wrote to another young leader Timothy, “Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).  Josiah did just that.

詩篇五十五篇

2019-09-29 in /by

大衛的訓誨詩，交於伶長。用絲弦的樂器。

1 神啊，求祢留心聽我的禱告，不要隱藏不聽我的懇求。
2 求祢側耳聽我，應允我。我哀嘆不安，發聲唉哼，
3 都因仇敵的聲音，惡人的欺壓。因為他們將罪孽加在我身上，發怒氣逼迫我。
4 我心在我裡面甚是疼痛，死的驚惶臨到我身。
5 恐懼戰兢歸到我身，驚恐漫過了我。
6 我說：「但願我有翅膀像鴿子，我就飛去，得享安息。
7 我必遠遊，宿在曠野。（細拉）
8 我必速速逃到避所，脫離狂風暴雨。」
9 主啊，求祢吞滅他們，變亂他們的舌頭，因為我在城中見了強暴爭競的事。
10 他們在城牆上晝夜繞行，在城內也有罪孽和奸惡。……

讀完這詩篇，你心裡可能會開始搜索，那個曾經是大衛的同伴，可以當上大衛知己的朋友，可以和大衛經常彼此談論，後來又背叛大衛的人會是誰呢？我第一個想到的就是亞西多弗。他曾經是大衛的總參謀長，聖經上說那時亞希多弗所出的主意好像人問神的話一樣。他和大衛曾經在一起多年，大衛靠他的計謀打了不少勝仗。但是大衛從來沒有想到，自己得罪了這個智謀雙全的老伙伴。

原來亞希多弗是拔示巴的祖父，大衛和拔示巴通姦，又和元帥約押設計謀殺了拔示巴的丈夫烏利亞，然後娶了拔示巴為妻。這件事看在亞希多弗的眼裡，必然十分憤怒，而想找機會報復。因此押沙龍一叛變，他就投靠過去了。令大衛痛不欲生。當然，大衛有錯，神也懲罰他了；但是死罪可免，活罪難逃。大衛的家中開始有了刀劍的陰影，血光的瀰漫。大衛開始感到恐懼戰兢，被驚恐所罩。他的心在他裡面疼痛，死的驚惶也抓住大衛不放。一個曾經高高在上的王，叱吒風雲的英雄，此時彷彿過街老鼠，人人喊打。