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When Job Saw Jesus. Also, Why God Allows Attacks

2020-01-29 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 16:1-22.  Let’s go!

Job 16:1-6 (NIV) 
1  Then Job replied: 
2  “I have heard many things like these; miserable comforters are you all! 
3  Will your long-winded speeches never end? What ails you that you keep on arguing? 
4  I also could speak like you, if you were in my place; I could make fine speeches against you and shake my head at you. 
5  But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief.
6  “Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved; and if I refrain, it does not go away.
 
On verses 1-6:  Job is in such physical and emotional torment that neither him speaking out nor him trying to stay silent helps (v6).  Job has learned first hand that when a person is experiencing such great pain and loss, what that person needs is to be comforted and encouraged by others, not lectured, judged, accused or argued with him as Job’s friends did with him.  Even if that person’s own poor decisions brought about their suffering, even if their character leaves much to be desired, in the moment of their agony, don’t take that moment to tear them down even more, but hold them up with God’s love.  In so doing, your gentle actions will teach them something about God’s love and grace that your lectures never could.  Save your sermon for later when the pain is less piercing and the grief less agonizing.  
 

詩篇一百卅九篇

2020-01-29 in /by

大衛的詩，交於伶長。

1 耶和華啊，祢已經鑒察我，認識我。
2 我坐下，我起來，祢都曉得，祢從遠處知道我的意念。
3 我行路，我躺臥，祢都細察，祢也深知我一切所行的。
4 耶和華啊，我舌頭上的話，祢沒有一句不知道的。
5 祢在我前後環繞我，按手在我身上。
6 這樣的知識奇妙，是我不能測的；至高，是我不能及的。
7 我往哪裡去躲避祢的靈？我往哪裡逃躲避祢的面？
8 我若升到天上，祢在那裡；我若在陰間下榻，祢也在那裡。
9 我若展開清晨的翅膀，飛到海極居住，
10 就是在那裡，祢的手必引導我，祢的右手也必扶持我。……

有一個阿拉伯人的故事說道：在巴爾克(即今阿富罕北邊)有一位君王名叫以布拉因，家財萬貫，無人可比；但他一心一意想要成為靈性上非常富足的人。有一天午夜，當他正睡得方酣時，被屋頂上踩踏的聲音所驚醒，他驚恐地問：“誰在屋頂上？”屋頂上的人回答：“是一位朋友。我在尋找迷失的駱駝！”以布拉譏笑他：“傻瓜，在屋頂上怎能找到迷失的駱駝？”屋頂上的人反唇相譏：“你才是傻瓜！你穿細絲衣躺在金床上怎能找到上帝呢？”

這句話像針一般刺入以布拉因王的心，讓他看出他是在錯誤的地方，用錯誤的方法來尋找上帝，因此他感受不到上帝的同在。所以他離開了舒適的王宮，來到受苦的人中間，提供食物和衣服給那些不幸的人。就在他謙卑地服事那些社會上不幸、被遺忘的人們時，他感受到上帝的臨在；在人們受苦的聲音中，他听到了上帝的聲音。

Wisdom Is More About EQ Than IQ

2020-01-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 15:17-35.

Job 15:20-26 (NIV) 
20  All his days the wicked man suffers torment, the ruthless through all the years stored up for him.
21  Terrifying sounds fill his ears; when all seems well, marauders attack him.
22  He despairs of escaping the darkness; he is marked for the sword.
23  He wanders about–food for vultures; he knows the day of darkness is at hand.
24  Distress and anguish fill him with terror; they overwhelm him, like a king poised to attack,……..

On verses 17-35:  Here Eliphaz, harking back to what he claims to have seen in the past and heard from other wise men (v17-19), tries to paint a picture for Job with his words.  Eliphaz describes a “wicked man” (v20) who “suffers torment” (v20), who is haunted by terrifying sounds (v21), who has been attacked (v21b), who lives in great fear (v22), who wanders without purpose or hope (v23), and who is filled with distress (v24) all “because he shakes his fist at God” (v25).  

詩篇一百卅八篇

2020-01-28 in /by

大衛的詩。

1 我要一心稱謝祢，在諸神面前歌頌祢。
2 我要向祢的聖殿下拜，為祢的慈愛和誠實稱讚祢的名；因祢使祢的話顯為大，過於祢所應許的。
3 我呼求的日子，祢就應允我，鼓勵我，使我心裡有能力。
4 耶和華啊，地上的君王都要稱謝祢，因他們聽見了祢口中的言語。
5 他們要歌頌耶和華的作為，因耶和華大有榮耀。
6 耶和華雖高，仍看顧低微的人，祂卻從遠處看出驕傲的人。
7 我雖行在患難中，祢必將我救活。我的仇敵發怒，祢必伸手抵擋他們，祢的右手也必救我。
8 耶和華必成全關乎我的事。耶和華啊，祢的慈愛永遠長存，求祢不要離棄祢手所造的。

大衛說他要一心稱謝神，我們都明白，但是為何要在諸神面前歌頌神？難道除了耶和華之外還有神嗎？

這裡是引用〈撒母耳記〉上第26章裡的一句話。那時掃羅在西弗地區追殺大衛，晚上安營睡覺時，大衛和幾個從人到了掃羅的營，從他的頭旁拿走槍和水瓶，然後跑到與他們相距甚遠的一個山頂上，呼叫押尼珥，掃羅的元帥，問他為何沒有好好保護掃羅。然後把掃羅的槍和水瓶拿出來，證明押尼珥的失職。

詩篇一百卅七篇

2020-01-27 in /by

1我們曾在巴比倫的河邊坐下，一追想錫安就哭了。
2 我們把琴掛在那裡的柳樹上。
3 因為在那裡，擄掠我們的要我們唱歌，搶奪我們的要我們作樂，說：「給我們唱一首錫安歌吧！」
4 我們怎能在外邦唱耶和華的歌呢？
5 耶路撒冷啊，我若忘記你，情願我的右手忘記技巧！
6 我若不記念你，若不看耶路撒冷過於我所最喜樂的，情願我的舌頭貼於上膛！
7 耶路撒冷遭難的日子，以東人說：「拆毀！拆毀！直拆到根基！」耶和華啊，求你記念這仇！
8 將要被滅的巴比倫城啊，報復你像你待我們的，那人便為有福！
9 拿你的嬰孩摔在磐石上的，那人便為有福！

這是一首很悲傷的流浪者之歌。當時猶大被滅，許多猶大人被擄到巴比倫。當他們走到迦巴魯河邊坐下來休息時，那些巴比倫的士兵要求他們彈唱作樂，因為猶太人善於歌唱跳舞。這些巴比倫之囚被強迫，在外邦異地做亡國奴，怎能強顏歡唱？當他們回想錫安故土，以及曾經享有的榮耀就忍不住哭了，為何會落到這樣的地步呢?

在〈以西結書〉裡，以西結在異象中看到神怎樣一步步被趕離聖殿。猶大人在聖殿裡拜偶像，拜太陽，污穢聖殿，以致神無法駐留，只得遠離，成為流浪的神（結8-10章）。“耶和華的榮耀從殿的門檻那裡出去（結10:18a ）”，當神在聖殿中不再有地位時，祂就走了。猶大人以為乭以倚靠所拜的偶像和假神，卻嚐到呼天天不應，叫地地不靈的情況。

You Stop Being a Blessing When You Do THIS

2020-01-27 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 15:1-16.  Let’s go!

Job 15:4-9 (NIV) 
4  But you even undermine piety and hinder devotion to God. 
5  Your sin prompts your mouth; you adopt the tongue of the crafty. 
6  Your own mouth condemns you, not mine; your own lips testify against you. 
7  “Are you the first man ever born? Were you brought forth before the hills? 
8  Do you listen in on God’s council? Do you limit wisdom to yourself? 
9  What do you know that we do not know? What insights do you have that we do not have?
 
On verses 1-16:  Even after Job has lost virtually everything and has told his friends exactly what he needs from them – he needs them to shut up and just listen to him (Job 13:5-6) – Eliphaz cannot help himself.  Eliphaz insists on speaking up one more time.  With even more vitriol and accusation on his tongue than before, Eliphaz accuses Job of being foolish (v2-3), undevoted to God (v4), sinful (v5), self-condemning (v6), prideful and arrogant (v7-9), ungrateful to God (v11), rageful (v12-13), vile and corrupt (v14-16). 

The Real Hope of Resurrection

2020-01-26 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 14:13-22.

Job 14:13-15 (NIV) 
13  “If only you would hide me in the grave and conceal me till your anger has passed! If only you would set me a time and then remember me! 
14  If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come. 
15  You will call and I will answer you; you will long for the creature your hands have made.
 
On verses 13-22:  Job longs for life after death, that somehow God would gloriously resurrect his life after he dies (v13-15) and no longer count his sins against him (v16-17).  But as much as Job hopes for this, Job sees resurrection as an unrealistic possibility and concludes that life is hopeless (v18-22).

詩篇一百卅六篇

2020-01-26 in /by

1你們要稱謝耶和華，因祂本為善，祂的慈愛永遠長存！
2 你們要稱謝萬神之神，因祂的慈愛永遠長存！
3 你們要稱謝萬主之主，因祂的慈愛永遠長存！
4 稱謝那獨行大奇事的，因祂的慈愛永遠長存！
5 稱謝那用智慧造天的，因祂的慈愛永遠長存！
6 稱謝那鋪地在水以上的，因祂的慈愛永遠長存！
7 稱謝那造成大光的，因祂的慈愛永遠長存！
8 祂造日頭管白晝，因祂的慈愛永遠長存！
9 祂造月亮星宿管黑夜，因祂的慈愛永遠長存！
10 稱謝那擊殺埃及人之長子的，因祂的慈愛永遠長存！…….

今天是大年初三，在新春讀這首詩篇再合宜不過了，因為它的主題是：「因祂的慈愛永遠長存！」尤其是在新型冠狀病毒肆虐之際，大陸己有十幾個城巿封城；而溫哥華雖然還沒有確診病例，卻己經有一些教會取消春節的慶祝，做禮拜的人數也急速消減。人的心何等軟弱，只要一些風聲，就嚇得心顫腳軟了。

我們都很膽小，不要說有一些人沒膽，膽被拿掉了；就是有膽的人，在疾病和死亡面前也無法明目張膽。平常口花花的人，現在己經把口罩買到斷巿了。這就是人的本相。但是在我們心存恐懼時，我們還可以轉眼仰望神，因為祂的慈愛永遠長存！在古時如此，現今依然如是。人不能靠自己，唯一可靠的只有神。

詩篇一百卅五篇

2020-01-25 in /by

1你們要讚美耶和華！你們要讚美耶和華的名！
2耶和華的僕人站在耶和華殿中，站在我們神殿院中的，你們要讚美祂！
3 你們要讚美耶和華，耶和華本為善；要歌頌祂的名，因為這是美好的。
4 耶和華揀選雅各歸自己，揀選以色列特做自己的子民。
5 原來我知道耶和華為大，也知道我們的主超乎萬神之上。
6 耶和華在天上，在地下，在海中，在一切的深處，都隨自己的意旨而行。
7 祂使雲霧從地極上騰，造電隨雨而閃，從府庫中帶出風來。
8 祂將埃及頭生的，連人帶牲畜都擊殺了。
9 埃及啊，他施行神蹟奇事在你當中，在法老和他一切臣僕身上。
10 祂擊殺許多的民，又殺戮大能的王，……

耶和華的僕人要讚美祂，耶和華的僕人是指誰呢？相信神的人，有誰不是祂的僕人，而是祂的主人呢？這樣一想，我們就明白，我們都是神的僕人，只是事工不同。

詩人談到神的揀選，談到神的本質，神的性情，用來比較外邦人所拜的偶像。今天是農曆年的大年初一，這時候有很多人去廟裡上香拜拜，有很多人預言，有很多人論風水，當我們處在這樣的環境中時，怎樣堅持我們所信的？會不會有人也很想去抽一支籤，來看看自己今年的運道如何？會不會有時心癢癢，好想知道鼠年自己該穿什麼顏色的衣服才會有財運？

Fact Checking Job

2020-01-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 14:1-12.  Let’s go!

Job 14:1-2 (NIV) 
1  “Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. 
2  He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.

On verses 1-2:  In Job’s pain, anger and frustration, not everything that Job says should be taken as gospel.  Just as we had to do with Job’s friends, we need to fact check Job, separating the wheat from the chaff in his words.  Here in verses 1-2 Job speaks of how finite and short man’s life on earth is.  This is true.  It resonates with other verses in Scripture such as Psalm 103:15-16 where it says, “As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.”   Part of living humbly before God is recognizing that life is short and that every day is a gift.  So make the most of today.