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Gain Confidence to Approach the King

2019-12-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Esther 4:1-17.  Let’s go!

Esther 4:1-3 (NIV) 
1  When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. 
2  But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. 
3  In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

On verses 1-3:  In King Xerxes’ kingdom, you were not allowed to get close to the king if you were mourning or grieving.  That’s why Mordecai could not go past the king’s gate while wearing sackcloth and ashes, the traditional garb for someone in grief.  I’m so thankful that in the kingdom we live in, where Jesus is king, we can approach our King just as we are.  If we are grieving, mourning or burdened, we can come to Him just the same.  In fact, our King welcomes us to come to Him with our burdens.  He says, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).   You can “cast your cares upon the Lord because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).   

詩篇一百十七篇

2019-12-10 in /by

1萬國啊，你們都當讚美耶和華！萬民哪，你們都當頌讚祂！
2 因為祂向我們大施慈愛，耶和華的誠實存到永遠。你們要讚美耶和華！

詩篇117篇是整本《聖經》裡最短的一章，只有兩節。其意義簡明扼要，就是讓萬民都頌讚耶和華，因為祂的慈愛和信實存到永遠。

第二節裡，雖然和合本譯為‘耶和華的誠實’，但是英文都是faithfulness / faithful，感覺上用‘信實’更為貼切。誠實是做人的一種品質，但信實更表達了對他人的一種心態。

《聖經》雖然強調耶和華是以色列人的神，但也經常提醒我們，祂是萬國的神，萬民的主宰。因為祂創造宇宙和大地，是為了所有住在其上的居民，讓所有的生物都可以敬拜祂，並不只是為了以色列人而存在。必有一天，以色列人和外邦人都要一起在耶路撒冷敬拜耶和華神，更確切地說，是在新耶路撒冷。

神的慈愛和誠實（信實）不只施給以色列人，祂的陽光雨露也同樣施恩給一切住在地上的人。沒有陽光，連惡人的膀臂也會失去力量；沒有雨露，就沒有農作物的生產。神的慈愛和信實藉著大自然的轉換，每時每刻都在向我們印證祂的真實。因此保羅說：“自從造天地以來，神的永能和神性是明明可知的，雖是眼不能見，但藉著所造之物就可以曉得，叫人無可推諉。（羅1:20）”因為天上地下只有一位神，祂是這個宇宙唯一的主宰，祂也必然是世人的主宰。

Haman’s Plot to Destroy the Jews

2019-12-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Esther 2:1-23.  Let’s go! Today’s content is taken from Matthew Henry’s Bible Commentary (concise)

Commentary on Esther 3:1-6

Mordecai refused to reverence Haman. The religion of a Jew forbade him to give honours to any mortal man which savoured of idolatry, especially to so wicked a man as Haman. By nature all are idolaters; self is our favourite idol, we are pleased to be treated as if every thing were at our disposal.

Though religion by no means destroys good manners, but teaches us to render honour to whom honour is due, yet by a citizen of Zion, not only in his heart, but in his eyes, such a vile person as Haman was, is contemned, Psalm 15:4.

The true believer cannot obey edicts, or conform to fashions, which break the law of God. He must obey God rather than man, and leave the consequences to him. Haman was full of wrath. His device was inspired by that wicked spirit, who has been a murderer from the beginning; whose enmity to Christ and his church, governs all his children.

詩篇一百十六篇

2019-12-09 in /by

1我愛耶和華，因為祂聽了我的聲音和我的懇求。
2 祂既向我側耳，我一生要求告他。
3 死亡的繩索纏繞我，陰間的痛苦抓住我，我遭遇患難愁苦。
4 那時我便求告耶和華的名說：「耶和華啊，求祢救我的靈魂！」
5 耶和華有恩惠，有公義，我們的神以憐憫為懷。
6 耶和華保護愚人，我落到卑微的地步，祂救了我。
7 我的心哪，你要仍歸安樂，因為耶和華用厚恩待你。
8 主啊，祢救我的命免了死亡，救我的眼免了流淚，救我的腳免了跌倒。
9 我要在耶和華面前行活人之路。
10 我因信，所以如此說話：「我受了極大的困苦。」……

這一首詩篇的主題是：耶和華用厚恩待我。詩人談到經歷了生命、死亡和苦難之後，祂更愛耶和華。因為在人生的許多時候，他向神禱告，神都聽了他的懇求；也因為他經歷到神的信實，他決定一生要求告神。你有沒有這樣的經歷呢？我們實在需要倚靠神來經歷神的信實，讓我們的信心永不偏離。

你怎樣知道所信的是真神呢？你怎樣認識耶和華是有恩惠，有公義，以憐憫為懷的神呢？世界上有那麼多不公義的事，基督徒到處被逼迫被殺害，你怎能相信耶和華神是全能的神？

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？