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From Old Covenant to New Covenant, From Fear to Joy

2019-11-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Hebrews 12:12-29.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 12:12-13 (NIV) 
12  Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 
13  “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

On verses 12-13:  Continuing with the theme that God is our personal trainer who allows pain and pressure to make us stronger, the writer of Hebrews tells us to “strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees” (v12).  When you allow pressure and pain to make you stronger, you “make level paths for your feet”, as the writer of Hebrews says quoting Proverbs 4:26.  But even more, when you allow pressure and pain to make you stronger, God can use you to be a blessing to others “so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.” (v13)

詩篇八十五篇

2019-11-03 in /by

可拉後裔的詩，交於伶長。

1 耶和華啊，祢已經向祢的地施恩，救回被擄的雅各。
2 祢赦免了祢百姓的罪孽，遮蓋了他們一切的過犯。（細拉）
3 祢收轉了所發的憤怒，和祢猛烈的怒氣。
4 拯救我們的神啊，求祢使我們回轉，叫祢的惱恨向我們止息。
5 祢要向我們發怒到永遠嗎？祢要將祢的怒氣延留到萬代嗎？
6 祢不再將我們救活，使祢的百姓靠祢歡喜嗎？
7 耶和華啊，求祢使我們得見祢的慈愛，又將祢的救恩賜給我們。
8 我要聽神耶和華所說的話，因為祂必應許將平安賜給祂的百姓他的聖民，他們卻不可再轉去妄行。
9 祂的救恩誠然與敬畏祂的人相近，叫榮耀住在我們的地上。
10 慈愛和誠實彼此相遇，公義和平安彼此相親。
11 誠實從地而生，公義從天而現。
12 耶和華必將好處賜給我們，我們的地也要多出土產。
13 公義要行在祂面前，叫祂的腳蹤成為可走的路。

這首詩的背景很可能是在猶大國滅亡七十年之後，神的應許應驗，波斯王居魯士下詔讓被擄到巴比倫的猶大人回歸耶路撒冷之時。因此詩人感謝神：“祢已經向祢的地施恩，救回被擄的雅各”。因為居魯士王不僅讓所羅巴伯等人回去重建耶路撒冷的聖殿，並且在各方面也盡量資助他們。這些事情的發生讓詩人感覺到神已經不再發怒，並且赦免了百姓的罪孽。

How to Persevere Through a Painful Season

2019-11-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Hebrews 12:1-11.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 12:1 (NIV) 
1  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
 
On verse 1:  What “great cloud of witnesses” is the writer of Hebrews talking about?  He’s referring to every one of the heroes of faith he mentioned in Hebrews 11 and all of heaven as well, the greatest crowd ever assembled.  Here the writer of Hebrews evokes the image of the Olympic games where people are watching in the stands while the runners run.  I believe that while we are running our race on earth, heaven is watching and cheering us on, encouraging us to keep on going and not give up.  When I know that heaven is watching and cheering me on, it gives me extra fuel to keep on running.

詩篇八十四篇

2019-11-01 in /by

可拉後裔的詩，交於伶長。用迦特樂器。

1 萬軍之耶和華啊，祢的居所何等可愛！
2 我羨慕渴想耶和華的院宇，我的心腸、我的肉體向永生神呼籲[a]。
3 萬軍之耶和華，我的王我的神啊，在祢祭壇那裡，麻雀為自己找著房屋，燕子為自己找著抱雛之窩。
4 如此住在祢殿中的，便為有福！他們仍要讚美祢。（細拉）
5 靠祢有力量，心中想往錫安大道的，這人便為有福！
6 他們經過流淚谷，叫這谷變為泉源之地，並有秋雨之福蓋滿了全谷。
7 他們行走，力上加力，各人到錫安朝見神。
8 耶和華萬軍之神啊，求祢聽我的禱告！雅各的神啊，求祢留心聽！（細拉）
9 神啊，祢是我們的盾牌，求祢垂顧觀看祢受膏者的面。
10 在祢的院宇住一日，勝似在別處住千日。寧可在我神殿中看門，不願住在惡人的帳篷裡。……

讀過了亞薩為以色列人所做的許多詩歌，再讀可拉的詩歌，你會不會有柳暗花明的感覺？亞薩的詩歌裡充滿了悲情，因為以色列人的悖逆，以致於被仇敵所困，亞薩不停地向神呼救。但是可拉的詩歌何等明朗，一開始就是：“萬軍之耶和華啊，你的居所何等可愛！”這兩句話是否有點衝突呢？萬軍之耶和華形容的是一個充滿威嚴的軍事領袖，假如你面對的是一個國防部長或三軍統帥，會不會用“可愛”去形容他的居所？所以這裡說的“居所”和“可愛”可以想見是指耶和華的所在，而其“可愛”是因為耶和華的本質是公義，沒有罪惡的可愛。

What Faith in the Lord Can Do

2019-11-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Hebrews 11:30-40.  Let’s go!
 
As we complete our look at Hebrews 11, notice that the phrase that gets repeated far more than any other in Hebrews 11 is “by faith”.  Over and over the writer of Hebrews describes instances when someone “by faith” did something.  What does it mean to do something “by faith”?  It means that faith is the fuel behind your action or decision.  God wants us to live by faith every day.   In the verses that follow, we see more examples of what living by faith can do.

Hebrews 11:30 (NIV) 
30  By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

On verse 30:  After talking about Moses and how he led the Israelites out of Egypt, Joshua led the Israelites to break through and conquer the city of Jericho by obeying the Lord’s command to march around the city for seven days (Joshua 5-6).  What can we learn from this?  Faith in the Lord is the key to experiencing breakthrough and victory.

詩篇八十三篇

2019-10-31 in /by

亞薩的詩歌。

1 神啊，求祢不要靜默！神啊，求祢不要閉口，也不要不作聲！
2 因為祢的仇敵喧嚷，恨祢的抬起頭來。
3 他們同謀奸詐，要害祢的百姓；彼此商議，要害祢所隱藏的人。
4 他們說：「來吧，我們將他們剪滅，使他們不再成國，使以色列的名不再被人記念。」
5 他們同心商議，彼此結盟，要抵擋祢。
6 就是住帳篷的以東人和以實瑪利人，摩押和夏甲人，
7 迦巴勒、亞捫和亞瑪力、非利士，並推羅的居民。
8 亞述也與他們聯合，他們做羅得子孫的幫手。（細拉）
9 求祢待他們如待米甸，如在基順河待西西拉和耶賓一樣，
10 他們在隱多珥滅亡，成了地上的糞土。……

這是祭司亞薩的最後一首詩歌，對以色列人而言，這是一首預言詩，因為這首詩的預言在今天都應驗了。亞薩當年所寫的“就是住帳棚的以東人和以實瑪利 人，摩押和夏甲人，迦巴勒、亞捫、亞瑪力、非利士並推羅的居民，等等；便是今天的阿拉伯聯盟、約旦、土耳其、伊朗、黎巴嫩、敘利亞、伊拉克，等國。他們經常向世界公告，要把以色列趕出地中海，要消滅以色列，使人永遠不再提起。就像這詩篇裡的第4和12節說的：“他們說：來吧，我們將他們剪滅，使他們不再成國，使以色列的名不再被人記念。／我們要得神的住處，作為自己的產業。”

詩篇八十二篇

2019-10-31 in /by

亞薩的詩。

1 神站在有權力者的會中，在諸神中行審判，
2 說：「你們審判不秉公義，徇惡人的情面，要到幾時呢？（細拉）
3 你們當為貧寒的人和孤兒申冤，當為困苦和窮乏的人施行公義。
4 當保護貧寒和窮乏的人，救他們脫離惡人的手。
5 你們仍不知道，也不明白，在黑暗中走來走去，地的根基都搖動了。
6 我曾說：『你們是神，都是至高者的兒子。』
7 然而你們要死，與世人一樣；要仆倒，像王子中的一位。」
8 神啊，求祢起來，審判世界，因為祢要得萬邦為業。

在這詩篇裡，最引起你注意的是什麼？你覺得亞薩是否在比較眾神？雖然許多英文聖經的翻譯也是gods(諸神)，但是我覺得信息聖經的譯文比較貼切一點。其原文如下：1God calls the judges into his courtroom,    he puts all the judges in the dock.畢牧師把它譯為法官，或審判者。從希伯來文直接譯為英文，猶太拉比採用divine(神聖者)，比喻審判者位置的神聖。

從整篇的內容來看，你覺得亞薩在講什麼？很明顯地，亞薩是在指責那些坐在審判位置的人，不是神。所以第6-7節畢牧師譯為6-7 “I commissioned you judges, each one of you,    deputies of the High God, But you’ve betrayed your commission    and now you’re stripped of your rank, busted.” (我委託你們每個法官， 作為至高神的代表。可是你出賣了你被託付的權柄，現在你的身份地位被剝奪了，被淘汰了。”

When Faith Empowers Your Life

2019-10-30 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Hebrews 11:20-29.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 11:20-22 (NIV) 
20  By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
21  By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
22  By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.

On verses 20-22:  When your life is empowered by God-pleasing faith, you will have a heart to encourage and help the next generation.  That’s what happened in the case of Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.  At the end of their lives they each spoke words to bless, protect and guide the generation coming after them.  These men saw their story as being connected to and continued by those in the next generation.  Likewise, may you have a heart to bless, protect and prepare the next generation, and may you see the next generation not as competition but as a continuation of the story God is writing in and through your life.