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The Authority God Gives You

2019-11-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezra 5:1-17.  Let’s go!

Ezra 5:1-2 (NIV) 
1  Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 
2  Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them. 

On verses 1-2:  The Jews had spent six years trying to rebuild the temple, but in 530 BC their work came to a standstill after much opposition from Samaritans (Ezra 4:1-16) and an order by King Artaxerxes to halt the work (Ezra 4:17-24).  Soon dust was settling on the unfinished work and apathy set into the people’s hearts.  Ezra 5 picks up the action a decade later, in approximately 520 BC, when God raises up prophets like Haggai and Zechariah to encourage the Jews (Ezra 5:1).  Inspired by their prophetic messages, governor Zerubabbel and Joshua the high priest lead the Jews to resume the work of rebuilding the temple.    

詩篇九十二篇

2019-11-11 in /by

安息日的詩歌。

1 稱謝耶和華，歌頌祢至高者的名，
2 用十弦的樂器和瑟，用琴彈幽雅的聲音，早晨傳揚祢的慈愛，每夜傳揚祢的信實，這本為美事。
4 因祢耶和華藉著祢的作為叫我高興，我要因祢手的工作歡呼。
5 耶和華啊，祢的工作何其大！祢的心思極其深！
6 畜類人不曉得，愚頑人也不明白：
7 惡人茂盛如草，一切作孽之人發旺的時候，正是他們要滅亡，直到永遠。
8 唯祢耶和華是至高，直到永遠。
9 耶和華啊，祢的仇敵都要滅亡，一切作孽的也要離散。
10 祢卻高舉了我的角，如野牛的角；我是被新油膏了的。……

詩篇92篇是一首安息日的詩歌，預備在安息日的早晨在聖殿獻早祭時歌唱用，是一篇感恩詩，見證神的詩歌。

神做事充滿了幽默感。在創造世界和人之後，把第七天訂為祂自己的安息日，不是為了去玩或休息或辦雜事，而是為了與人相會。神的意思彷彿在告訴我們：你看，像我這樣忙（創造世界的工作比牛毛要多得多囉！），我都要找一天來與你們相聚，那麼你們是否也應該在這天與我相會？又彷彿在為我們立榜樣，事情再忙，也不要忘了和你的家人聚一聚！

When the Enemy Attacks

2019-11-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezra 4:1-24.  Let’s go!

This passage shows that when God is at work in your life and you are joining Him in the work He is doing, you will very likely face opposition from the enemy.  That is because the enemy despises seeing God’s kingdom expand and people turning to the Lord.  In his application commentary, Pastor Jon Courson does an excellent job of showing how this passage illustrates some of the ways that our enemy Satan tries to attack you when you are trying to go in God’s direction for your life.  I’ll summarize those ways in the verses that follow.
 
Ezra 4:1 (NIV)
When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel…

On verse 1:  When the Jews returned to Jerusalem and settled in their towns, their enemies made no issue of it.  It was only when they saw that the Jews were building a temple for the Lord that they now tried to distract, discourage and delay their progress.

詩篇九十一篇

2019-11-10 in /by

1住在至高者隱密處的，必住在全能者的蔭下。
2 我要論到耶和華說：「祂是我的避難所，是我的山寨，是我的神，是我所倚靠的。」
3 祂必救你脫離捕鳥人的網羅和毒害的瘟疫。
4 祂必用自己的翎毛遮蔽你，你要投靠在祂的翅膀底下，祂的誠實是大小的盾牌。
5 你必不怕黑夜的驚駭，或是白日飛的箭；
6 也不怕黑夜行的瘟疫，或是午間滅人的毒病。
7 雖有千人仆倒在你旁邊，萬人仆倒在你右邊，這災卻不得臨近你。
8 你唯親眼觀看，見惡人遭報。
9 耶和華是我的避難所，你已將至高者當你的居所，
10 禍患必不臨到你，災害也不挨近你的帳篷。……

這詩篇裡提到神對祂子民的保護。在這裡可能有人會覺得不公平，倘若是造物主，當然要一視同仁，通通保護，怎麼可以只保護祂揀選的子民呢？因此詩人在第一節就說得很清楚：「住在至高者隱密處的，必住在全能者的蔭下」。

我們所處的社會是一個充滿罪惡的社會，充滿了人的詭詐和欺騙。所以人若選擇離開神的隱密處，要跟隨社會的潮流，就不能抱怨得不到神的保護。因為神願意救我們脫離捕鳥人的網羅和毒害的瘟疫，但是我們得聽從祂的教導。

在十四世紀時，黑死病肆虐歐洲，但是住在歐洲的猶太人幾乎沒有人感染黑死病。後來猶太人領袖出來解釋，因為他們的信仰教導他們要怎樣注重衛生習慣，要每週沐浴，飯前洗手。這些在舊約的律法書裡都有記載，願意遵守的猶太人就因而蒙保守了。雖然後來因而激發了反猶運動，那又是另一回事了。

Move Forward Despite Fear

2019-11-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezra 3:1-13.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-6:  After settling into their towns in Jerusalem, the priests led by Joshua and the politicians led by Zerubabbel begin building the altar of the Lord, just as the law of Moses had prescribed.  They celebrate the biggest festival in their calendar, the Feast of Tabernacles (v4), and make regular and ongoing sacrifices to the Lord (v5).  There are two verses that especially stick out to me:
“Despite their fear of the people around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord” (v3)
“they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, though the foundation of the Lord’s temple had not yet been laid.” (v6)

Notice that the leaders of the Israelites built the altar despite their fear of the people around them (v3) and offered burnt offerings even though the foundation of the temple was not yet laid (v6).  In other words, the leaders of God’s people did not let fear or inconvenience stop them from building God’s house or giving their required offerings.   They did it anyways.

Likewise, don’t allow fear or inconvenience stop you from worshiping God and giving God a pleasing offering.  Push through, find a way and do it anyways.  That’s what separates the leader whom God uses to do great things from the one who just goes with the crowd. 

詩篇九十篇

2019-11-09 in /by

神人摩西的祈禱。

1 主啊，祢世世代代做我們的居所。
2 諸山未曾生出，地與世界祢未曾造成，從亙古到永遠，祢是神。

3 祢使人歸於塵土，說：「你們世人要歸回。」

4 在祢看來，千年如已過的昨日，又如夜間的一更。
5 祢叫他們如水沖去，他們如睡一覺。早晨他們如生長的草，
6 早晨發芽生長，晚上割下枯乾。
7 我們因祢的怒氣而消滅，因祢的憤怒而驚惶。
8 祢將我們的罪孽擺在祢面前，將我們的隱惡擺在祢面光之中。
9 我們經過的日子都在祢震怒之下，我們度盡的年歲好像一聲嘆息。
10 我們一生的年日是七十歲，若是強壯可到八十歲，但其中所矜誇的不過是勞苦愁煩；轉眼成空，我們便如飛而去。……

這是詩篇第四卷的第一篇。很多人很喜歡這詩篇，因為覺得摩西說出了我們內心的想法。神是永恒的神，而人是有限的人。神使人歸於塵土，是為了要世人歸回。塵土怎能歸回？不過成為永恒宇宙中的幾粒沙罷了。因此我們知道除了化成塵土的肉體，我們必然還有一個靈體，那是我們用以歸回朝見神的。

God Remembers Your Faith + Your Urim and Thummim

2019-11-08 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezra 2:1-70.  Let’s go!

Ezra 2:1-2 (NIV) 
1  Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive to Babylon (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, 
2  in company with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah): The list of the men of the people of Israel

On verses 3-58, 64-70:   What can we learn from this long list of names of the 40,000 plus people who returned to Jerusalem? The fact that God’s Word lists by name the different families that went back to Jerusalem tells us that God remembers people for their faith. 

詩篇八十九篇

2019-11-07 in /by

以斯拉人以探的訓誨詩。

1 我要歌唱耶和華的慈愛直到永遠，我要用口將祢的信實傳於萬代。
2 因我曾說：「祢的慈悲必建立到永遠，祢的信實必堅立在天上。」
3 「我與我所揀選的人立了約，向我的僕人大衛起了誓：
4 我要建立祢的後裔直到永遠，要建立祢的寶座直到萬代。」（細拉）
5 耶和華啊，諸天要稱讚祢的奇事，在聖者的會中要稱讚祢的信實！
6 在天空，誰能比耶和華呢？神的眾子中，誰能像耶和華呢？
7 祂在聖者的會中是大有威嚴的神，比一切在祂四圍的更可畏懼。
8 耶和華萬軍之神啊，哪一個大能者像祢耶和華？祢的信實是在祢的四圍。
9 祢管轄海的狂傲，波浪翻騰，祢就使他平靜了。
10 祢打碎了拉哈伯，似乎是已殺的人，祢用有能的膀臂打散了祢的仇敵。……

這是一篇彌賽亞詩篇，因為其中提到神對大衛的應許：“我要建立你的後裔直到永遠，要建立你的寶座直到萬代”。這後裔是單數，能坐上寶座直到萬代的，只有彌賽亞，也就是耶穌基督。這是神和大衛所立的約(撒下7:4-16; 代上17:3-15)。這詩篇的作者是以拉人以探。在列王記上第四章31節，作者說所羅門王的智慧勝過萬人，勝過以斯拉人以探並瑪曷的兒子希幔、甲各、達大的智慧。可見在當時以探和希幔（詩篇88篇的作者）都是當時公認的智慧人，因此他們有資格寫訓誨詩給以色列人去學習。

The Heart Mover

2019-11-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

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

Ezra 1:2-3 (NIV) 
2  “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: “‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. 
3  Anyone of his people among you–may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem.

On verses 1-11:  For decades the Jews had been living in exile in the land of Babylon, away from their homeland of Jerusalem.  However, in 539 B.C. Cyrus king of Persia defeats the Babylonians.  In his first year as king, Cyrus is moved in his heart by the Lord and proclaims that all the Jews may return to their homeland and build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.   The remainder of the chapter shows the Jews making their way back to Jerusalem.d covenant did not have.

詩篇八十八篇

2019-11-06 in /by

可拉後裔的詩歌，就是以斯拉人希幔的訓誨詩，交於伶長。調用麻哈拉利暗俄。

1 耶和華拯救我的神啊，我晝夜在祢面前呼籲。
2 願我的禱告達到祢面前，求祢側耳聽我的呼求。
3 因為我心裡滿了患難，我的性命臨近陰間。
4 我算和下坑的人同列，如同無力的人一樣。
5 我被丟在死人中，好像被殺的人躺在墳墓裡，他們是祢不再記念的，與祢隔絕了。
6 祢把我放在極深的坑裡，在黑暗地方，在深處。
7 祢的憤怒重壓我身，祢用一切的波浪困住我。（細拉）
8 祢把我所認識的隔在遠處，使我為他們所憎惡。我被拘困，不得出來。
9 我的眼睛因困苦而乾癟。耶和華啊，我天天求告祢，向祢舉手。
10 祢豈要行奇事給死人看嗎？難道陰魂還能起來稱讚祢嗎？（細拉）……

這是可拉後裔在詩篇裡的最後一篇詩，全文充滿了灰暗的色彩，是所有詩篇裡最沒有盼望和喜樂的詩篇，提醒我們，即使是作為神的子民或神的兒女，有時也會碰到如此的光景。因為我們都是人，既是人，便會碰到人有可能遇見的事，生老病死，無一可免。有時禱告真的彷彿在向空氣講話，因為情況一點都沒有改變；我們彷彿走在流淚谷中，在曠野，在沙漠，甚至是在漫長的黑夜裡，見不到一線曙光。