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Why God Elevates You

2019-12-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Esther 2:1-23.  Let’s go!

Esther 2:22 (NIV) 
22  But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai.

On verses 1-23:  Approximately four years have passed since the events of chapter 1.  King Xerxes has returned home to Persia after unsuccessfully trying to invade Greece.  His attention now turns to finding a new queen to replace Vashti.  The prettiest girls from all over Xerxes’ kingdom are summoned to be part of an elaborate search contest.  In the end a Jewish orphan called Esther (Jewish name Hadassah) prevails as the winner and is crowned the new queen, although Esther keeps her Jewish identity a secret.

Later on, Mordecai, Esther’s older cousin who raised her and who was like a father to Esther, is sitting at the king’s gate when he overhears a plot by two of King Xerxes’ officers – Bigthana and Teresh – to assassinate the king.  

Jesus, a King Like No Other

2019-12-08 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today we begin the book of Esther.  Here is some background on Esther that you may find helpful:

Despite being allowed by kings like Cyrus and Darius to return to Jerusalem (see Ezra 1 and 6), and despite being urged by prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah to return to Jerusalem after 70 years of captivity as exiles (Isaiah 48:20; Jeremiah 29:10 and 50:8), many Jews chose to stay in Persia.  The book of Esther is about those Jews that stayed in Persia, the threat of genocide the Jews faced while in Persia, and the incredible way God used a Jewish orphan called Esther and her cousin Mordecai to save the Jews from that threat.
Scholars believe that the events described in the book of Esther took place between 483 B.C. and 473 B.C., after the events of Ezra 6 (when the temple was rebuilt in Jerusalem) and before the events of Ezra 7 (when Ezra returns to restore the sacrificial worship system in Jerusalem).

In the book of Esther, the name of God is not mentioned even once.   Yet in this book we see the sovereign hand of God working to protect and save His people.

詩篇一百十五篇

2019-12-08 in /by

1耶和華啊，榮耀不要歸於我們，不要歸於我們，要因祢的慈愛和誠實歸在祢的名下！
2 為何容外邦人說：「他們的神在哪裡呢？」
3 然而我們的神在天上，都隨自己的意旨行事。
4 他們的偶像是金的銀的，是人手所造的。
5 有口卻不能言，有眼卻不能看，
6 有耳卻不能聽，有鼻卻不能聞，
7 有手卻不能摸，有腳卻不能走，有喉嚨也不能出聲。
8 造他的要和他一樣，凡靠他的也要如此。
9 以色列啊，你要倚靠耶和華！祂是你的幫助和你的盾牌。
10 亞倫家啊，你們要倚靠耶和華！祂是你們的幫助和你們的盾牌。……

此詩篇是《埃及讚美詩Egyptian hallel》（哈利路亞詩歌）的第三首。有人認為這詩篇的背景是猶太人被擄歸回後所作，也有人認為是在第二聖殿（希律王建的聖殿）建成後，祭司獻祭之時所吟唱。這兩個時期都是以色列人亡國之後，重新看見神的憐憫而作。面對千瘡百孔的聖城，以及重建後的聖殿，不免百感交集，想念往日的榮耀，以及外邦人的譏諷，遺民的心情十分複雜。但有一點他們肯定的，就是他們所信奉的是耶和華真神，是有能力的真神，和人手所的偶像完全不同。因此在此詩篇裡，有點像是在跟外邦人解釋，真神和偶像的區別。

在〈以賽亞書〉第40章19-20節也有如此描述：“偶像是匠人鑄造，銀匠用金包裹，為它鑄造銀鏈。窮乏獻不起這樣供物的，就揀選不能朽壞的樹木，為自己尋找巧匠，立起不能搖動的偶像。”

詩篇一百十四篇

2019-12-06 in /by

1以色列出了埃及，雅各家離開說異言之民。
2 那時，猶大為主的聖所，以色列為祂所治理的國度。
3 滄海看見就奔逃，約旦河也倒流。
4 大山踴躍如公羊，小山跳舞如羊羔。
5 滄海啊，你為何奔逃？約旦哪，你為何倒流？
6 大山哪，你為何踴躍如公羊？小山哪，你為何跳舞如羊羔？
7 大地啊，你因見主的面，就是雅各神的面，便要震動。
8 祂叫磐石變為水池，叫堅石變為泉源。

這是《埃及讚美詩Egyptian hallel》的第二首。《七十士譯本》將113篇的最後一句“你們要讚美耶和華”＝（哈利路亞），放在本篇的開始，作為首句。這樣，這組詩篇，就每一篇都有一句“哈利路亞”了。此詩篇的1,2節點出神帶領以色列人出埃及到迦南建國的目的；3-8節則是簡短扼要的敘述在過程中，神怎樣彰顯大能，印證祂的帶領。有人認為在逾越節唱最合適，也有人說是用於住棚節。

‘異言之民’是指埃及，因為以色列人又稱為希伯來人(渡過河來的人)，所用的語言也是希伯來文，一直到現在還是用希伯來文，並沒有被埃及人同化。這是因為神讓他們在埃及居住時，住在獨成一格的歌珊地，並沒有和埃及人混居的緣故。神使以色列人在埃及住了四百卅年，因為有這一段時期，以色列人才有可能成為一個民族，組成一個國家。

What Laws Could Never Do, Jesus Did for Us

2019-12-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Nehemiah 13:15-31.  Let’s go!

On verses 15-31:  Earlier in Nehemiah 10 the Israelites had promised to obey all of God’s commands, including not neglecting God’s house (Nehemiah 10:32-39), not working on the Sabbath day (Nehemiah 10:31), and not marrying unbelievers (Nehemiah 10:30).  Here in chapter 13 we see the Israelites breaking each of these commitments.  They neglect God’s house by failing to provide financially for the Levites and servants working in the temple (Nehemiah 13:10-11).  They desecrate the Sabbath by doing work on the Sabbath day (Nehemiah 13:15-18).  They marry unbelieving women from other nations (Nehemiah 13:23-28).

Nehemiah does whatever he can to keep the people from sinning, even if it means shutting the gates on the Sabbath day to keep people from doing business (v19-21) and driving out everything unbelieving and foreign from the priests and Levites (v29-31).  Yet it would just be a matter of time before the Israelites would sin again.

詩篇一百十三篇

2019-12-05 in /by

1你們要讚美耶和華！耶和華的僕人哪，你們要讚美，讚美耶和華的名！
2 耶和華的名是應當稱頌的，從今時直到永遠！
3 從日出之地到日落之處，耶和華的名是應當讚美的！
4 耶和華超乎萬民之上，祂的榮耀高過諸天！
5 誰像耶和華我們的神呢？祂坐在至高之處，
6 自己謙卑，觀看天上地下的事。
7 祂從灰塵裡抬舉貧寒人，從糞堆中提拔窮乏人，
8 使他們與王子同坐，就是與本國的王子同坐。
9 祂使不能生育的婦人安居家中，為多子的樂母。你們要讚美耶和華！

〈詩篇〉113到118篇俗稱“埃及讚美詩Egyptian hallel”，大概是以色列人紀念他們出埃及所寫的讚美詩歌。通常他們在慶祝時，吃飯之前唱113、114，吃飯之後唱115到118。當然，讚美詩不是從113篇才開始，111、112篇都是，只是以色列人習慣這樣用。有聖經學者指出：“你們要讚美耶和華”這八個字，原文就是“哈利路亞”一個字。所以“哈利路亞”就是“你們要讚美耶和華”，是一個吩咐、勉勵的命令句，叫大家一起來讚美耶和華。

這詩篇寫給服侍神的僕人，要他們懂得讚美神。你有沒有聽過讚美主人的僕人呢？可能你會想，若不是為了生活，誰願意當僕人？因此，僕人在意義上和主人是有階級之分，並且主人多數是剝削的，而僕人是被剝削的。在這樣的情況下，僕人怎能讚美他們的主人？

It Matters Who You Let In

2019-12-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Nehemiah 13:1-14.  Let’s go!

Nehemiah 13:6-8 (NIV) 
6  But while all this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Some time later I asked his permission
7  and came back to Jerusalem. Here I learned about the evil thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courts of the house of God.
8  I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room.

On verses 1-9:  While Nehemiah is away in Persia, Eliashib the priest becomes close friends with Tobiah, Nehemiah’s greatest opponent and an unbeliever.  Eliashib even empties out one of the temple storerooms so that Eliashib can stay in the temple.  This was in direct violation of Deuteronomy 23:3-5 which prohibited Moabites and Ammonites who did not worship the Lord from entering the house of God.  It was not until Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem and personally removed Tobiah’s things from the storeroom that the equipment and treasures of the house of God were restored to their rightful place in the store room.

詩篇一百十二篇

2019-12-04 in /by

1你們要讚美耶和華！敬畏耶和華，甚喜愛祂命令的，這人便為有福！
2 他的後裔在世必強盛，正直人的後代必要蒙福。
3 他家中有貨物有錢財，他的公義存到永遠。
4 正直人在黑暗中，有光向他發現，他有恩惠，有憐憫，有公義。
5 施恩於人，借貸於人的，這人事情順利，他被審判的時候，要訴明自己的冤。
6 他永不動搖，義人被記念直到永遠。
7 他必不怕凶惡的信息，他心堅定，倚靠耶和華。
8 他心確定，總不懼怕，直到他看見敵人遭報。
9 他施捨錢財，賙濟貧窮，他的仁義存到永遠。他的角必被高舉，大有榮耀。
10 惡人看見便惱恨，必咬牙而消化，惡人的心願要歸滅絕。

這詩篇也是一首希伯來的字母詩，是三篇“哈利路亞”詩的第二篇。在111篇裡讚美神的奇妙作為，在這篇裡則讚美神，因為敬畏耶和華，喜愛祂命令的人有福了。

有一些人不肯信耶穌，因為有一些誤解，覺得信了主之後束縛太多，這不能做，那也不能做。但是拉比約瑟夫·B·索洛維奇（Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik）說：“猶太人的律法雖然是以神學為中心，但實際上卻是以人類為中心。”他的意思是，雖然神是律法的創始者和中心，但律法實際上是關於人與人，神與人最佳的互動方式。

Worship is a Team Sport

2019-12-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Nehemiah 12:1-47.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-23:  These verses list by name the priests and Levites who led the Israelites in worshiping the Lord.  What can we learn from this?  God sees, remembers and honours those who lead others to worship Jesus.  You were made to lead others in worship too.  You don’t have to be a good singer, musician or speaker to lead others in worship.  Worship is so much more than music and speaking.  Worship is living your life to give God glory in whatever you do or wherever you are.  When you live your life to worship Jesus, you will naturally influence others to worship Jesus too.  Like the people listed in verses 1 to 26, may you be counted among those who led others to worship Jesus.

Nehemiah 12:24-26 (NIV) 
24  And the leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their associates, who stood opposite them to give praise and thanksgiving, one section responding to the other, as prescribed by David the man of God.

詩篇一百十一篇

2019-12-03 in /by

1你們要讚美耶和華！我要在正直人的大會中，並公會中，一心稱謝耶和華。
2 耶和華的作為本為大，凡喜愛的都必考察。
3 祂所行的是尊榮和威嚴，祂的公義存到永遠。
4 祂行了奇事，使人記念，耶和華有恩惠，有憐憫。
5 祂賜糧食給敬畏祂的人，祂必永遠記念祂的約。
6 祂向百姓顯出大能的作為，把外邦的地賜給他們為業。
7 祂手所行的是誠實、公平，祂的訓詞都是確實的，
8 是永永遠遠堅定的，是按誠實、正直設立的。
9 祂向百姓施行救贖，命定祂的約直到永遠，祂的名聖而可畏。
10 敬畏耶和華是智慧的開端，凡遵行祂命令的是聰明人。耶和華是永遠當讚美的！

這篇詩沒有注明作者，但與112篇卻是並合的，兩篇都是拆句式的希伯來文的體裁，又稱為離合體或字母篇。它每句的頭一個字母都是依著希伯來字母的次序排列。這些資料對一般人而言雖然是隔鞋搔癢，沒有感覺，但說不定哪天您學了希伯來文，就會恍然大悟了。