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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);

诗篇一百四十五篇

2020-02-06 in /by

大卫的赞美诗。

1 我的神我的王啊，我要尊崇祢，我要永永远远称颂祢的名！
2 我要天天称颂祢，也要永永远远赞美祢的名！
3 耶和华本为大，该受大赞美，其大无法测度。
4 这代要对那代颂赞祢的作为，也要传扬祢的大能。
5 我要默念祢威严的尊荣，和祢奇妙的作为。
6 人要传说祢可畏之事的能力，我也要传扬祢的大德。
7 他们记念祢的大恩就要传出来，并要歌唱祢的公义。
8 耶和华有恩惠，有怜悯，不轻易发怒，大有慈爱。
9 耶和华善待万民，祂的慈悲覆庇祂一切所造的。
10 耶和华啊，祢一切所造的都要称谢祢，祢的圣民也要称颂祢。……

当我们读〈诗篇〉时，感觉上好像都是大卫和以色列人和神的关系。但是在这诗篇里，大卫王向我们显示了他的异象，他的神不是只爱以色列的神，他的神也是凡有血气的神。

这首诗篇里的原文是从希伯来文的第一个字母aleph到最后一个字母tav, 也就是提醒我们，耶和华是创始成终的神，祂也是维持着宇宙万物循环生存的力量。在原文里有个字all，即一切，一共出现了16次，通过翻译我们还是能看到一部份，例如：一切/凡/都，这几个地方可以让我们感受到作者所要表达的。

大卫称颂神，因为神有许多奇妙的特质：神的伟大，神的威严，祂奇妙的作为，祂的能力，祂的大德和公义，慈爱和怜悯，等等，包括了世人可以想到的最美好的用词，神都可以当之无愧。

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).  

诗篇一百四十四篇

2020-02-05 in /by

大卫的诗。

1 耶和华我的磐石是应当称颂的！祂教导我的手争战，教导我的指头打仗。
2 祂是我慈爱的主，我的山寨，我的高台，我的救主，我的盾牌，是我所投靠的，祂使我的百姓服在我以下。
3 耶和华啊，人算什么，祢竟认识他？世人算什么，祢竟顾念他？
4 人好像一口气，他的年日如同影儿快快过去。
5 耶和华啊，求祢使天下垂，亲自降临；摸山，山就冒烟。
6 求祢发出闪电，使他们四散，射出祢的箭，使他们扰乱。
7 求祢从上伸手救拔我，救我出离大水，救我脱离外邦人的手。
8 他们的口说谎话，他们的右手起假誓。
9 神啊，我要向祢唱新歌，用十弦瑟向祢歌颂。
10 祢是那拯救君王的，祢是那救仆人大卫脱离害命之刀的。…….

这是一首战士的诗篇。接下来的诗篇145-150都是赞美耶和华的诗篇，所以144篇可以说是前面所有诗篇的缩影。诗篇第一篇说到人应该离开邪恶的道路，并因为喜爱神的话语，遵从神的律法而蒙福。而大卫借着诗篇写下自己的生命因为跟随神，而胜过了一切的仇敌，征服了许多敌人，得回许多土地，建立了一个强大的以色列国的经历。

在这过程中有许多的艰苦和眼泪，有许多大卫的祷告，让我们知道他在神面前深刻的信仰，以及他和神紧密的关系。耶稣说，“信的人必有神蹟随着他们”(可16:17)。人要先相信，神的作为就显现了。这就是大卫平生的见证，他相信神，所以不怕巨人歌利亚；他相信神，所以他放羊时不怕来袭的野兽。因为他相信，所以他凡事求问神，在每一个重要事情上，他不求问神就不行动。所以他很清楚地告诉世人，不是因为他的智慧或能力比人强，而是“祂教导我的手争战，教导我的指头打仗”。

Renew Your Perspective in God’s Presence

2020-02-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 21:1-16.  Let’s go!

Job 21:1-16 (NIV) 
1  Then Job replied: 
2  “Listen carefully to my words; let this be the consolation you give me. 
3  Bear with me while I speak, and after I have spoken, mock on. 
4  “Is my complaint directed to man? Why should I not be impatient? 
5  Look at me and be astonished; clap your hand over your mouth. 
6  When I think about this, I am terrified; trembling seizes my body. 
7  Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power? 
8  They see their children established around them, their offspring before their eyes. 
9  Their homes are safe and free from fear; the rod of God is not upon them. 
10  Their bulls never fail to breed; their cows calve and do not miscarry. ……

On verses 1-16:  Contrary to Zophar’s assertion in Job 20 that the wicked always die young, Job can’t understand why God allows some wicked people to prosper, living seemingly comfortable lives “growing old and increasing in power” (v7), all the while being indifferent and rebellious toward God (v14-15).

While Job wants nothing to do with the wicked and believes any prosperity they enjoy is ultimately due to the hand of God and “not in their own hands” (v16), still Job is disturbed when he sees those who seem to live rich, prosperous and comfortable lives despite not trusting or even believing in God. 

诗篇一百四十三篇

2020-02-03 in /by

大卫的诗。

1 耶和华啊，求祢听我的祷告，留心听我的恳求，凭祢的信实和公义应允我！
2 求祢不要审问仆人，因为在祢面前，凡活着的人没有一个是义的。
3 原来仇敌逼迫我，将我打倒在地，使我住在幽暗之处，像死了许久的人一样。
4 所以我的灵在我里面发昏，我的心在我里面悽惨。
5 我追想古时之日，思想祢的一切作为，默念祢手的工作。
6 我向祢举手，我的心渴想祢，如干旱之地盼雨一样。（细拉）
7 耶和华啊，求祢速速应允我，我心神耗尽！不要向我掩面，免得我像那些下坑的人一样。
8 求祢使我清晨得听祢慈爱之言，因我倚靠祢；求祢使我知道当行的路，因我的心仰望祢。
9 耶和华啊，求祢救我脱离我的仇敌，我往祢那里藏身。
10 求祢指教我遵行祢的旨意，因祢是我的神。祢的灵本为善，求祢引我到平坦之地。
11 耶和华啊，求祢为祢的名将我救活，凭祢的公义将我从患难中领出来。
12 凭祢的慈爱剪除我的仇敌，灭绝一切苦待我的人，因我是祢的仆人。

在〈诗篇〉中有七篇被历代教会定为忏悔诗，为了在复活节之前让会众默想，以准备迎接复活节。它们分别是第6、第32、第38、第51，第102、第130、第143篇。第六篇是病中的祈祷，32篇是认罪与蒙赦免的祈祷，38篇是受苦者的祈祷，51篇是认罪悔改的祈祷，102篇是吐露苦情的祈祷，130篇是在深处的祈祷，最后一篇就是143篇，是灵里发昏的祈祷。

The Hyphen In Between

2020-02-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 20:1-29.

Job 20:5-8 (NIV) 
5  …the mirth of the wicked is brief, the joy of the godless lasts but a moment. 
6  Though his pride reaches to the heavens and his head touches the clouds, 
7  he will perish forever, like his own dung; those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’ 
8  Like a dream he flies away, no more to be found, banished like a vision of the night. 

On verses 1-29:  Here Zophar echoes the same message that Eliphaz and Bildad have spoken in Job 15 and Job 18 respectively: that terror, calamity and disaster are the fate of the wicked.  Zophar, in particular, emphasizes how the wicked die young – how they prosper briefly only to be cut down in the prime of their youth and at the height of their power.  For example, in verse 5 Zophar says, “the mirth of the wicked is brief, the joy of the godless lasts only a moment”.  About the wicked man Zophar says “the youthful vigor that fills his bones will lie with him in the dust” (v11). 

诗篇一百四十二篇

2020-02-03 in /by

大卫在洞里作的训诲诗，乃是祈祷。

1 我发声哀告耶和华，发声恳求耶和华。
2 我在祂面前吐露我的苦情，陈说我的患难。
3 我的灵在我里面发昏的时候，祢知道我的道路。在我行的路上，敌人为我暗设网罗。
4 求祢向我右边观看，因为没有人认识我；我无处避难，也没有人眷顾我。
5 耶和华啊，我曾向祢哀求，我说：「祢是我的避难所，在活人之地祢是我的福分。」
6 求祢侧耳听我的呼求，因我落到极卑之地；求祢救我脱离逼迫我的人，因为他们比我强盛。
7 求祢领我出离被囚之地，我好称赞祢的名。义人必环绕我，因为祢是用厚恩待我。

这诗篇是大卫写的诗篇，而且是在洞里写的。根据希伯来文的诗篇，这里的“洞”是指亚杜兰洞，也就是大卫在躲避扫罗的追杀时所躲的山洞。那时的大卫非常孤单，他逃到迦特非利士王亚吉那里，但是亚吉的手下记得大卫杀死歌利亚一事，因此大卫害怕亚吉会因而杀他，只好装疯。后来亚吉就把他放了。他就逃回以色列境内，伯利恒附近的亚杜兰洞里。

Your Redeemer Is For You, Not Against You

2020-02-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 15:17-35. 

Job 19:1-4 (NIV) 
1  Then Job replied: 
2  “How long will you torment me and crush me with words? 
3  Ten times now you have reproached me; shamelessly you attack me. 
4  If it is true that I have gone astray, my error remains my concern alone.
 
On verses 1-4:  Job continues to fight against his friends’ persistent and hurtful attacks.  At the end of this chapter, Job will have a stern warning for his friends.
 
Job 19:5-7 (NIV) 
5  If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me and use my humiliation against me, 
6  then know that God has wronged me and drawn his net around me. 
7  “Though I cry, ‘I’ve been wronged!’ I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice.