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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).   

诗篇一百十七篇

2019-12-10 in /by

1万国啊，你们都当赞美耶和华！万民哪，你们都当颂赞祂！
2 因为祂向我们大施慈爱，耶和华的诚实存到永远。你们要赞美耶和华！

诗篇117篇是整本《圣经》里最短的一章，只有两节。其意义简明扼要，就是让万民都颂赞耶和华，因为祂的慈爱和信实存到永远。

第二节里，虽然和合本译为‘耶和华的诚实’，但是英文都是faithfulness / faithful，感觉上用‘信实’更为贴切。诚实是做人的一种品质，但信实更表达了对他人的一种心态。

《圣经》虽然强调耶和华是以色列人的神，但也经常提醒我们，祂是万国的神，万民的主宰。因为祂创造宇宙和大地，是为了所有住在其上的居民，让所有的生物都可以敬拜祂，并不只是为了以色列人而存在。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华神，更确切地说，是在新耶路撒冷。

神的慈爱和诚实（信实）不只施给以色列人，祂的阳光雨露也同样施恩给一切住在地上的人。没有阳光，连恶人的膀臂也会失去力量；没有雨露，就没有农作物的生产。神的慈爱和信实借着大自然的转换，每时每刻都在向我们印证祂的真实。因此保罗说：“自从造天地以来，神的永能和神性是明明可知的，虽是眼不能见，但借着所造之物就可以晓得，叫人无可推诿。（罗1:20）”因为天上地下只有一位神，祂是这个宇宙唯一的主宰，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.

诗篇一百十六篇

2019-12-09 in /by

1我爱耶和华，因为祂听了我的声音和我的恳求。
2 祂既向我侧耳，我一生要求告他。
3 死亡的绳索缠绕我，阴间的痛苦抓住我，我遭遇患难愁苦。
4 那时我便求告耶和华的名说：「耶和华啊，求祢救我的灵魂！」
5 耶和华有恩惠，有公义，我们的神以怜悯为怀。
6 耶和华保护愚人，我落到卑微的地步，祂救了我。
7 我的心哪，你要仍归安乐，因为耶和华用厚恩待你。
8 主啊，祢救我的命免了死亡，救我的眼免了流泪，救我的脚免了跌倒。
9 我要在耶和华面前行活人之路。
10 我因信，所以如此说话：「我受了极大的困苦。」……

这一首诗篇的主题是：耶和华用厚恩待我。诗人谈到经历了生命、死亡和苦难之后，祂更爱耶和华。因为在人生的许多时候，他向神祷告，神都听了他的恳求；也因为他经历到神的信实，他决定一生要求告神。你有没有这样的经历呢？我们实在需要倚靠神来经历神的信实，让我们的信心永不偏离。

你怎样知道所信的是真神呢？你怎样认识耶和华是有恩惠，有公义，以怜悯为怀的神呢？世界上有那么多不公义的事，基督徒到处被逼迫被杀害，你怎能相信耶和华神是全能的神？

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.

诗篇一百十五篇

2019-12-08 in /by

1耶和华啊，荣耀不要归于我们，不要归于我们，要因祢的慈爱和诚实归在祢的名下！
2 为何容外邦人说：「他们的神在哪里呢？」
3 然而我们的神在天上，都随自己的意旨行事。
4 他们的偶像是金的银的，是人手所造的。
5 有口却不能言，有眼却不能看，
6 有耳却不能听，有鼻却不能闻，
7 有手却不能摸，有脚却不能走，有喉咙也不能出声。
8 造他的要和他一样，凡靠他的也要如此。
9 以色列啊，你要倚靠耶和华！祂是你的帮助和你的盾牌。
10 亚伦家啊，你们要倚靠耶和华！祂是你们的帮助和你们的盾牌。……

此诗篇是《埃及赞美诗Egyptian hallel》（哈利路亚诗歌）的第三首。有人认为这诗篇的背景是犹太人被掳归回后所作，也有人认为是在第二圣殿（希律王建的圣殿）建成后，祭司献祭之时所吟唱。这两个时期都是以色列人亡国之后，重新看见神的怜悯而作。面对千疮百孔的圣城，以及重建后的圣殿，不免百感交集，想念往日的荣耀，以及外邦人的讥讽，遗民的心情十分复杂。但有一点他们肯定的，就是他们所信奉的是耶和华真神，是有能力的真神，和人手所的偶像完全不同。因此在此诗篇里，有点像是在跟外邦人解释，真神和偶像的区别。

在〈以赛亚书〉第40章19-20节也有如此描述：“偶像是匠人铸造，银匠用金包裹，为它铸造银链。穷乏献不起这样供物的，就拣选不能朽坏的树木，为自己寻找巧匠，立起不能摇动的偶像。”

诗篇一百十四篇

2019-12-06 in /by

1以色列出了埃及，雅各家离开说异言之民。
2 那时，犹大为主的圣所，以色列为祂所治理的国度。
3 沧海看见就奔逃，约旦河也倒流。
4 大山踊跃如公羊，小山跳舞如羊羔。
5 沧海啊，你为何奔逃？约旦哪，你为何倒流？
6 大山哪，你为何踊跃如公羊？小山哪，你为何跳舞如羊羔？
7 大地啊，你因见主的面，就是雅各神的面，便要震动。
8 祂叫磐石变为水池，叫坚石变为泉源。

这是《埃及赞美诗Egyptian hallel》的第二首。《七十士译本》将113篇的最后一句“你们要赞美耶和华”＝（哈利路亚），放在本篇的开始，作为首句。这样，这组诗篇，就每一篇都有一句“哈利路亚”了。此诗篇的1,2节点出神带领以色列人出埃及到迦南建国的目的；3-8节则是简短扼要的叙述在过程中，神怎样彰显大能，印证祂的带领。有人认为在逾越节唱最合适，也有人说是用于住棚节。

‘异言之民’是指埃及，因为以色列人又称为希伯来人(渡过河来的人)，所用的语言也是希伯来文，一直到现在还是用希伯来文，并没有被埃及人同化。这是因为神让他们在埃及居住时，住在独成一格的歌珊地，并没有和埃及人混居的缘故。神使以色列人在埃及住了四百卅年，因为有这一段时期，以色列人才有可能成为一个民族，组成一个国家。

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.

诗篇一百十三篇

2019-12-05 in /by

1你们要赞美耶和华！耶和华的仆人哪，你们要赞美，赞美耶和华的名！
2 耶和华的名是应当称颂的，从今时直到永远！
3 从日出之地到日落之处，耶和华的名是应当赞美的！
4 耶和华超乎万民之上，祂的荣耀高过诸天！
5 谁像耶和华我们的神呢？祂坐在至高之处，
6 自己谦卑，观看天上地下的事。
7 祂从灰尘里抬举贫寒人，从粪堆中提拔穷乏人，
8 使他们与王子同坐，就是与本国的王子同坐。
9 祂使不能生育的妇人安居家中，为多子的乐母。你们要赞美耶和华！

〈诗篇〉113到118篇俗称“埃及赞美诗Egyptian hallel”，大概是以色列人纪念他们出埃及所写的赞美诗歌。通常他们在庆祝时，吃饭之前唱113、114，吃饭之后唱115到118。当然，赞美诗不是从113篇才开始，111、112篇都是，只是以色列人习惯这样用。有圣经学者指出：“你们要赞美耶和华”这八个字，原文就是“哈利路亚”一个字。所以“哈利路亚”就是“你们要赞美耶和华”，是一个吩咐、勉励的命令句，叫大家一起来赞美耶和华。

这诗篇写给服侍神的仆人，要他们懂得赞美神。你有没有听过赞美主人的仆人呢？可能你会想，若不是为了生活，谁愿意当仆人？因此，仆人在意义上和主人是有阶级之分，并且主人多数是剥削的，而仆人是被剥削的。在这样的情况下，仆人怎能赞美他们的主人？