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詩篇第十四篇

2019-08-12 in /by

詩篇第14篇

大衛的詩，交於伶長。

1 愚頑人心裡說：「沒有神！」他們都是邪惡，行了可憎惡的事，沒有一個人行善。
2 耶和華從天上垂看世人，要看有明白的沒有，有尋求神的沒有。
3 他們都偏離正路，一同變為汙穢；並沒有行善的，連一個也沒有。
4 作孽的都沒有知識嗎？他們吞吃我的百姓，如同吃飯一樣，並不求告耶和華。
5 他們在那裡大大地害怕，因為神在義人的族類中。
6 你們叫困苦人的謀算變為羞辱，然而耶和華是他的避難所。
7 但願以色列的救恩從錫安而出！耶和華救回他被擄的子民，那時雅各要快樂，以色列要歡喜。

網上傳出這樣的一個故事：有一位無神論者有一次搭飛機時，他的旁邊坐了一個小女孩。他對女孩說：「我們來聊天吧，這樣會讓人覺得旅程不會那麼枯燥乏味。」小女孩其實剛剛打開一本書想看，便禮貌地回答：「您想聊什麼呢？」無神論者說：「隨便吧!例如根本沒有神或在人死後有沒有天堂或地獄？」

「好啊，」小女孩說：「這話題很有意思，但是我先問你，你知不知道馬、牛和鹿都是草食動物，為什麼鹿的大便是小顆粒狀，而牛的大便卻是一個大餅似的形狀？馬的則是一團塊的？」無神論者對小女孩的問題很感驚奇，想了一下說：「我也不知道為什麼會這樣。」小女孩回答他：「你連大便都不懂，那你覺得自己有資格去討論有沒有神存在，有沒有天堂和地獄的問題嗎? 」說完就自顧自地看書去了。

Are You An Artist? Use Your Talents to Build God’s House

2019-08-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Chronicles 2:1-18.  Let’s go!
 
2 Chronicles 2:7 (NIV) 
7  “Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled craftsmen, whom my father David provided.
 
2 Chronicles 2:13-14 (NIV) 
13  “I am sending you Huram-Abi, a man of great skill, 
14  whose mother was from Dan and whose father was from Tyre. He is trained to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, and with purple and blue and crimson yarn and fine linen. He is experienced in all kinds of engraving and can execute any design given to him. He will work with your craftsmen and with those of my lord, David your father.
 
On verses 1-16:  In 1 Kings 5, we read of the same situation where King Solomon gets ready to build the temple in Jerusalem.  He enlists the help of Hiram king of Tyre, forming an economic partnership with Hiram whereby Hiram would provide cedar and pine logs from Lebanon for the temple and in exchange Solomon would send wheat, barley, wine and olive oil. 

詩篇第十三篇

2019-08-11 in /by

詩篇13篇

大衛的詩，交於伶長。

1 耶和華啊，祢忘記我要到幾時呢？要到永遠嗎？祢掩面不顧我要到幾時呢？
2 我心裡籌算，終日愁苦，要到幾時呢？我的仇敵升高壓制我，要到幾時呢？
3 耶和華我的神啊，求祢看顧我，應允我，使我眼目光明，免得我沉睡至死，
4 免得我的仇敵說「我勝了他」，免得我的敵人在我搖動的時候喜樂。
5 但我倚靠祢的慈愛，我的心因祢的救恩快樂。
6 我要向耶和華歌唱，因祂用厚恩待我。

在這首詩篇裡，大衛用了四次 “How long, O Lord”  (要到幾時呢)， 來表明他心裡的沉痛訴求。司布真將此詩篇稱為“多長時間的詩篇， 或者“嚎叫的詩篇”，因為這是心靈的吶喊。有神學家認為這是在大衛的兒子押沙龍反叛，大衛逃亡時寫的，但是有更多說法，認為大衛王此詩可以應用於一個人生活中的每一種情境。

因為大衛王經歷了他的苦難，藉著詩篇表達他的感受，每個人都可以在這些詩篇中找到回應自己經歷的話語。在大衛的詩篇裡，讓我們看到無論大衛經歷了怎樣的苦難，即使是在人生的最低點，在他感到被棄和氣餒時，他都記得仰望神，不停地仰望神，也因而永遠抱著希望，相信神一定會拯救。

Worship God, Then Reign with God

2019-08-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today we begin the book of 2 Chronicles and there are many powerful lessons we can learn from today’s passage, 2 Chronicles 1:1-17. Let’s go!

2 Chronicles 1:3-6 (NIV)
3 and Solomon and the whole assembly went to the high place at Gibeon, for God’s Tent of Meeting was there, which Moses the LORD’s servant had made in the desert.
4 Now David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.
5 But the bronze altar that Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was in Gibeon in front of the tabernacle of the LORD; so Solomon and the assembly inquired of him there.
6 Solomon went up to the bronze altar before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

On verses 1-6: Solomon is now the new king of Israel in place of his father David (v1). After speaking with his leaders, Solomon’s first order of business is to go and worship the Lord and inquire of Him. But then here’s a question: where should Solomon go to inquire of God?

詩篇第十二篇

2019-08-09 in /by

詩篇第八篇

大衛的詩，交於伶長。調用第八。

1 耶和華啊，求祢幫助，因虔誠人斷絕了，世人中間的忠信人沒有了。
2 人人向鄰舍說謊，他們說話是嘴唇油滑，心口不一。
3 凡油滑的嘴唇和誇大的舌頭，耶和華必要剪除。
4 他們曾說：「我們必能以舌頭得勝，我們的嘴唇是我們自己的，誰能做我們的主呢？」
5 耶和華說：「因為困苦人的冤屈和貧窮人的嘆息，我現在要起來，把他安置在他所切慕的穩妥之地。」
6 耶和華的言語是純淨的言語，如同銀子在泥爐中煉過七次。
7 耶和華啊，祢必保護他們，祢必保佑他們永遠脫離這世代的人。
8 下流人在世人中升高，就有惡人到處遊行。

這首詩篇也是大衛寫的，他真是一個很有才華的人。調用第八是指以男低音低八度的音調，或是用有第八弦之樂器發音，可見這首詩篇唱起來極為深沉。

在這詩篇裡大衛對人的謊言和油嘴滑舌感到極其不耐，不知你有沒有聽過那樣的言語，你的感覺又是如何？在〈雅各書〉裡，說到舌頭在百體中最小，卻能說大話，又可以點起地獄之火。

Jesus Your Sacrificial Lamb and the Paul’s In Your Life

2019-08-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Philemon 1:17-25.  Let’s go!

Philemon 1:17-19 (NIV) 
17  So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.
18  If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.
19  I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back–not to mention that you owe me your very self.

On verses 17-19:  Earlier in verses 8 to 16 we saw Paul acting as a mediator between Philemon and Onesimus, trying to help Philemon and Onesimus reconcile with one another.  But here in these verses we see Paul going beyond what a typical mediator would do.  For while a mediator’s role is help two warring sides reach an agreement, a mediator normally does not sacrifice himself just so that the two sides can reconcile.  But that’s what Paul does.  Paul writes in verses 17-18, “So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.  If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.” To emphasize how serious he is about this, Paul even takes his secretary Timothy’s pen and writes these words himself on the scroll: “I will pay it back” (v19).

詩篇第十一篇

2019-08-08 in /by

詩篇第十一篇

大衛的詩，交於伶長。

1 我是投靠耶和華，你們怎麼對我說：「你當像鳥，飛往你的山去！
2 看哪，惡人彎弓，把箭搭在弦上，要在暗中射那心裡正直的人。
3 根基若毀壞，義人還能做什麼呢？」
4 耶和華在祂的聖殿裡，耶和華的寶座在天上，祂的慧眼察看世人。
5 耶和華試驗義人，唯有惡人和喜愛強暴的人，祂心裡恨惡。
6 祂要向惡人密布網羅，有烈火、硫磺、熱風做他們杯中的份。
7 因為耶和華是公義的，祂喜愛公義，正直人必得見祂的面。

這首詩篇雖然說是大衛的作品，但有不少學者認為這是在巴比倫之囚回歸耶路撒冷後的作品。在這首詩篇裡分了三部份，第一部份在第1節的上半：「我是投靠耶和華」，這是作者的立場。人必須先有立場，才能決定怎樣面對遇件的事，採取怎樣的方法或心態去走前面的路。作者有了立場，所以對關心他的朋友們之建議有不同的反應。

他拒絕了朋友的建議在第1節下半到第3節：「你當像鳥，飛往你的山去！看哪，惡人彎弓，把箭搭在弦上，要在暗中射那心裡正直的人。根基若毀壞，義人還能做什麼呢？」朋友的建議是叫他回去躲起來，留得青山在，不怕沒柴燒。但是作者在4-7節裡表明對神的信任，所以他要勇往直前。

Your Gentle Mediator is Jesus

2019-08-08 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Philemon 1:8-16.  Let’s go!

Philemon 1:8-11 (NIV) 
8  Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do,
9  yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul–an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus–

On verses 8-9:  Paul had a special role in Philemon’s life.  For one, Paul was the one whom God used to lead Philemon to Christ (v19).  In this way Paul was like a spiritual father to Philemon.  Not only that, Paul’s disciple Epaphras was the one who started the church in Colosse that met in Philemon’s home and so, like a spiritual grandfather to the Colossian Christians, Paul’s words carried special weight.  Yet instead of throwing his weight around and using his rights and authority to order Philemon to do what he should do (v8), Paul appeals to Philemon gently and meekly “on the basis of love” (v9) – not as an authoritarian apostle, but as “an old man” and as “a prisoner of Christ Jesus” (v9).   From this I learn an important lesson:

詩篇第十篇

2019-08-07 in /by

詩篇第十篇

1耶和華啊，祢為什麼站在遠處？在患難的時候為什麼隱藏？
2 惡人在驕橫中把困苦人追得火急，願他們陷在自己所設的計謀裡。
3 因為惡人以心願自誇，貪財的背棄耶和華，並且輕慢他。
4 惡人面帶驕傲，說：「耶和華必不追究。」他一切所想的，都以為沒有神。
5 凡他所做的，時常穩固，祢的審判超過他的眼界。至於他一切的敵人，他都向他們噴氣。
6 他心裡說：「我必不動搖，世世代代不遭災難。」
7 他滿口是咒罵、詭詐、欺壓，舌底是毒害、奸惡。
8 他在村莊埋伏等候，他在隱密處殺害無辜的人，他的眼睛窺探無倚無靠的人。
9 他埋伏在暗地，如獅子蹲在洞中。他埋伏，要擄去困苦人；他拉網，就把困苦人擄去。
10 他屈身蹲伏，無倚無靠的人就倒在他爪牙之下。…………

在希臘七十士譯本裡，詩篇第9/10篇是同一詩篇，但是在國王詹姆斯(King James)版本裡分成了兩個詩篇。從內容來看，第10篇更注重在個人與神的關係。通常以色列人在吹角節到贖罪日的十天裡，會朗讀這首詩歌。

在香港的局勢如此不穩定時，讀這詩篇似乎很合此時的心境。誰是惡人？誰是義人？似乎在每個團體裡都有惡人，也有義人。我們看到港警一些不合宜的作法，也看到有些港警試著偷偷地保護民眾，叫他們快跑不要被抓到；我們看到港民和平示威，也看到有港民作亂。在我們不知如何為香港禱告時，這首詩篇似乎派上了用場。因為只有監察人心的神知道誰是惡人，誰是義人。

If You Love That Person, Do THIS Before You Challenge or Criticize Them

2019-08-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs,
 
Today we begin the book of Philemon, a letter Paul wrote during his first imprisonment in Rome between 61 to 63 AD (imprisoned for preaching the gospel).  Here is some background you will find helpful: 

Paul wrote this letter to a man called Philemon.  Who was Philemon?  Philemon lived in the city of Colosse and came to faith in Christ through the ministry of Paul (v19).  Later on Philemon would open up his home for the church in Colosse to use as their meeting place.  The fact that Philemon had a home large enough to host a church and owned slaves like Onesimus suggests that Philemon was wealthy.
Paul’s reason for writing Philemon personally is because one of Philemon’s slaves, called Onesimus, had stolen something from Philemon, ran away, only to meet Paul in Rome and become a Christian under his ministry.  Onesimus becomes useful to Paul’s ministry, but Paul feels it is best to send Onesimus back to Philemon, encouraging Philemon to forgive his former slave and take him in again.