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When the Tables Turn

2019-12-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Esther 9:1-18.  Let’s go!

Esther 9:1 (NIV) 
1  On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them. 

On verses 1-10:  The thirteenth day of the twelfth month was supposed to be a day of great weeping and destruction for the Jews, a day when their enemies had legal authority to annihilate them.  But due to a new edict that Mordecai helped put into effect, the legal situation changed, allowing the Jews to assemble, defend themselves and attack their attackers.  Due to this change in the law, “the tables were turned” and now the Jews go on the offensive and “attack those who determined to destroy them.”  Mordecai himself also grows in prominence, while the ten sons of Haman are killed so as not to eliminate any further threat from Haman’s family.

Sow in Tears, Reap in Joy

2019-12-16 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Esther 8:1-17.  Let’s go!

Esther 8:8 (NIV) 
8  “Now write another decree in the king’s name in behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s signet ring–for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.”

On verses 1-13:  Now with Haman dead, Esther once again pleads with King Xerxes to do something to save the Jews from annihilation.  But according to the law of the Persians and Medes, any edict sealed with the king’s signet ring could not be revoked. Unable to overturn the edict he had previously sealed to have the Jews annihilated, King Xerxes does the next best thing:  he gives Mordecai his signet ring to approve any law Mordecai wants to counteract the first edict (v8).  So Mordecai uses King Xerxes’ signet ring to seal a new edict that allows the Jews to assemble and defend themselves, to annihilate any armed force that might attack them, and to plunder their property.

詩篇一百十九篇25-32節

2019-12-16 in /by

ד Daleth (第四段)

25我的性命幾乎歸於塵土，求祢照祢的話將我救活。
26我述說我所行的，祢應允了我，求祢將祢的律例教訓我。
27求祢使我明白你的訓詞，我就思想祢的奇事。
28我的心因愁苦而消化，求祢照祢的話使我堅立。
29求祢使我離開奸詐的道，開恩將祢的律法賜給我。
30我揀選了忠信的道，將祢的典章擺在我面前。
31我持守祢的法度，耶和華啊，求祢不要叫我羞愧！
32祢開廣我心的時候，我就往祢命令的道上直奔。

曾經患過鼻咽癌的賴建鵬牧師在〈如果我能唱— 聽後感〉一文裡分享，在廿年前要接受化療的前一晚，師母提醒他，作了化療很可能會失去聲音，不能再唱聖詩，因此他們決定那晚由兒子司琴，一起留下了美好的聲音。逾廿三年後的今天，賴牧師在今年12月13日剛剛被主接去，結束了在世上的勞苦。我們在記念他時，同時感謝他把這首詩歌介紹給我們。

〈如果我能唱〉這首詩是一個殘障者所寫。她的名字叫黃美廉，出生時因為醫生的疏忽，腦部神經受到嚴重傷害，以致顏面和四肢肌肉都失去正常的功能。但是她認為“別強求生活順利平易，應祈求成為一個堅強的人”，因此藉著倚靠上帝，她走出了醫生宣判可能只有的短暫生命，以及一生無法正常行動，一生無法與人溝通的局限，不但在加州州立大學洛杉磯分校獲得藝術博士，曾獲得1993年中華民國十大傑出青年，並多次舉行畫展，著有《心靈的顏色》、《畫家畫話-黃美廉的彩筆世界》等書，現任藝術工作室負責人。

How Jesus is Like Haman

2019-12-15 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Esther 7:1-10.  Let’s go!

Esther 7:10 (NIV) 
10  So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.

On verses 1-10:  Here Esther risks her life and stands in the gap on behalf of her people, pleading with King Xerxes for the deliverance of the Jews from sure destruction.  Similarly, Jesus would later stand in the gap for us as our advocate in the presence of God the king.  He would sacrifice His life so that we could be delivered from sure destruction for our sin.  Like Esther was to the Jews, Jesus is the hero of our story.

Here we also see Haman being accused and convicted of doing evil.   As punishment Haman is publicly killed by being hung from the crosspiece of a gallows for all to see.  Only then did the king’s fury subside (v10).  This will sound shocking, but in certain ways Jesus is like Haman.  For like Haman, Jesus would be accused, convicted, and punished by being hung from a crosspiece for all to see.  Only upon Jesus’ death would God’s wrath against sinners subside. 

詩篇一百十九篇17-24節

2019-12-15 in /by

ג Gimel (第三段)

17求祢用厚恩待祢的僕人，使我存活，我就遵守祢的話。
18求祢開我的眼睛，使我看出祢律法中的奇妙。
19我是在地上做寄居的，求祢不要向我隱瞞祢的命令。
20我時常切慕祢的典章，甚至心碎。
21受咒詛偏離你命令的驕傲人，祢已經責備他們。
22求祢除掉我所受的羞辱和藐視，因我遵守你的法度。
23雖有首領坐著妄論我，祢僕人卻思想祢的律例。
24祢的法度是我所喜樂的，是我的謀士。

在這段經文裡，大衛求神用厚恩待他，使他存活，他就遵守神的話。你可能覺得他是在妄求，跟神做這樣的交易？但假如你曾經在教會中事奉，做神的僕人，你就明白，每一個神的僕人都需要神的厚恩才能存活。而且若沒有生命，怎能遵守神的話？就像死人不能讚美神一樣。大衛的用句字字精湛，令人回味。

教會或基督教的基構雖然是蒙恩的罪人變成神眼中的義人所成立的，但因為這些義人依然有許多的老我，相處起來真是問題多多。大衛指出，在神的僕人當中，有受咒詛偏離神命令的驕傲人，他們渺視神的僕人，因為他遵守神的法度。

詩篇一百十九篇9-16節

2019-12-13 in /by

ב Beth (第二段)

9少年人用什麼潔淨他的行為呢？是要遵行祢的話。
10我一心尋求了祢，求祢不要叫我偏離祢的命令。
11我將祢的話藏在心裡，免得我得罪祢。
12耶和華啊，祢是應當稱頌的，求祢將祢的律例教訓我。
13我用嘴唇傳揚你口中的一切典章。
14我喜悅祢的法度，如同喜悅一切的財物。
15我要默想祢的訓詞，看重祢的道路。
16我要在祢的律例中自樂，我不忘記祢的話。

這八節是特別寫給少年人的。少年是人生的一個階段，為何在此階段要特別提到要潔淨他的行為呢？少年是一個比較血氣方剛的階段，正在成長摸索，想要成為自己人生主宰的時候。那時聽不進父母的話，對事情的看法也很直接片面，反應也快。

所以這幾個月來香港的民運裡，有許多中大學生被警察抓去，令人十分痛心。因為那是人生最美，正在萌芽要開花的時段，卻好像活生生地被掐下來。在這個人生的階段裡要安全度過，要走得正行得直，便會成為人生最美好的土壤，孕育出美好的將來；若是行差踏錯，就有可能在人生裡留下很大的污點，甚至影響到將來。

You Won’t Be Satisfied If You Live That Way

2019-12-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Esther 6:1-14. Let’s go!

Esther 6:1 (NIV) 
1  That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him.

On verses 1-13:  I’m not sure if King Xerxes ordered that the history of his reign be read to him in bed so that it would bore him to sleep or excite him to action.  In any event while he is listening to the history of his own reign as king, King Xerxes is reminded of how Mordecai exposed a plot to assassinate King Xerxes.   When King Xerxes discovers that nothing was done to honour Mordecai for this noble deed, King Xerxes consults Haman about what should be done for a man that the king delights to honor.  Haman assumes that King Xerxes is thinking about honouring him, so Haman suggests an elaborate celebration that includes letting the man wear one of the king’s robes, ride on the king’s horse, and having a noble lead that horse while shouting, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honour!” (v9).  King Xerxes, as usual, accepts his advisor’s suggestion.  Xerxes commands that Mordecai be honoured in just that way, ironically with Haman being the one to lead the horse that Mordecai will be riding on.

Put On Those Royal Robes

2019-12-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Esther 5:1-14.  There are many great lessons we can learn from this passage.  Let’s go!

Esther 5:1-2 (NIV) 
1  On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. 
2  When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

On verses 1-2:  Before approaching the king, Esther puts on her royal robes.  By putting on her royal robes, this reminded everyone – especially Esther herself and her husband the king – who Esther was: that Esther is royalty.  When Esther approaches King Xerxes, King Xerxes is pleased with her, accepts her into his presence and addresses her “Queen Esther” (v3).  Likewise, when you approach your Father’s throne in heaven, put on your royal robes.  In other words, remember who you are in Christ.  Remember that you are robed in Christ’s righteousness, endowed with Christ’s authority, chosen and precious to God, pleasing and acceptable in His sight.  When you see yourself that way, it changes the way you pray.  You can approach God with confidence, authority, love and authenticity when you know who you are in Christ.

詩篇一百十九篇1-8節

2019-12-12 in /by

א Aleph (第一段)

1行為完全，遵行耶和華律法的，這人便為有福！

2遵守祂的法度，一心尋求祂的，這人便為有福！

3這人不做非義的事，但遵行祂的道。

4耶和華啊，祢曾將祢的訓詞吩咐我們，為要我們殷勤遵守。

5但願我行事堅定，得以遵守祢的律例！

6我看重祢的一切命令，就不至於羞愧。

7我學了祢公義的判語，就要以正直的心稱謝祢。

8我必守祢的律例，求祢總不要丟棄我。

在〈詩篇〉119篇裡有176節的經文，假如我們每天讀八節，便要用廿二天才能讀完。我本來想把它分成四段，四天裡把它解決。但是有一個想法勝過我，究竟我在趕什麼進度呢？讀神的話語重在吸收，而不是囫圇吞嚥，快速地把它讀完，對我們有何益處呢？更何況，再找不到這樣好的機會，慢慢來品嚐這詩篇裡的精華。有一天，你可以很神氣地宣告：我曾經很仔細地讀過〈詩篇〉119篇，那時可能會有不少人很佩服你哦！因此，讓我們倒杯茶，安靜心，一起來看詩人怎樣看神的話語。希望每一天都有一節經文成為你當天力量的泉源。

詩篇一百十八篇

2019-12-11 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 願以色列說：「祂的慈愛永遠長存！」
3 願亞倫的家說：「祂的慈愛永遠長存！」
4 願敬畏耶和華的說：「祂的慈愛永遠長存！」
5 我在急難中求告耶和華，祂就應允我，把我安置在寬闊之地。
6 有耶和華幫助我，我必不懼怕，人能把我怎麼樣呢？
7 在那幫助我的人中，有耶和華幫助我，所以我要看見那恨我的人遭報。
8 投靠耶和華，強似倚賴人。
9 投靠耶和華，強似倚賴王子。
10 萬民圍繞我，我靠耶和華的名必剿滅他們。……

這是哈利路亞讚美詩的最後一首，也是猶太人慶祝一年一度的逾越節唱的詩歌。很有可能，這也是當日主與祂的門徒在最後晚餐要結束時唱的詩歌。在最後的晚餐裡，主耶穌引用了此詩篇的第22-23節：“耶穌說：經上寫著：匠人所棄的石頭，已做了房角的頭塊石頭。這是主所做的，在我們眼中看為稀奇。”因此它也是一首彌賽亞詩篇。

有聖經學者認為，從代上16章和本詩篇的部份經文比較，可以想像是大衛的詩班，在慶祝神的約櫃安放在錫安山時唱的。同時幾乎可確 定，在被擄後獻聖殿的敬拜中，有時也會引用此詩篇。在匠人立耶和華殿根基的時候，祭司吹號、利未人敲鈸，照大衛所定的例，都站著讚美耶和 華。他們彼此唱和、讚美稱謝耶和華說：“因祂本為善、祂的慈愛永遠長存。”眾民大聲呼喊，因耶和華殿的根基已經立定(拉3:10,11)。在這些場面中，詩篇的經文會以進行曲形式和輪唱的形式對唱，就像第2-4節裡，詩人呼籲三個不同的團體來讚美耶和華。