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最大的诫命

2019-06-13 in /by

太福音22: 34_40_最大的诫命

34 法利赛人听见耶稣堵住了撒都该人的口，他们就聚集。 35 内中有一个人是律法师，要试探耶稣，就问他说： 36 「夫子，律法上的诫命哪一条是最大的呢？」 37 耶稣对他说：「你要尽心、尽性、尽意爱主你的神。 38 这是诫命中的第一，且是最大的。 39 其次也相仿，就是要爱人如己。 40 这两条诫命是律法和先知一切道理的总纲。」

这是耶稣在圣城的第二天，犹太人并没有轻易放过祂。从犹太人最高议会的“三和林＂（Sanhedrin）领袖来质问耶稣的权柄，接着由法利赛人和希律党人联手问缴税的问题，接着就是撒都该人问复活，现在轮到律法师（文士）上场。律法师也是圣经学研究师，律法自然是他们最拿手的。他们能不知道这个问题的答案吗？他们是胸有成竹，企图来羞辱耶稣的。因为他们认定在613条诫命中，有248条积极的诫命，365条消极的诫命。积极的诫命是要人当做哪些事，消极的诫命是不可以做哪些事。他们的问题便是针对积极的诫命而发，有那么多该做的事，哪一件是最重要的？若是耶稣的回答不合他们的心意，那他们便可当众羞辱耶稣，说祂没有教导的资格。

其实在律法师当中也有不同的看法，有的人认为守安息日比其他诫命都重要，有的人认为献祭比守诫命重要，有的人认为遵守割礼最重要。因此这也是他们之间一个无法解决的问题。信徒之间不也常常有类似的问题吗？好像敬拜时，应该以仪式为重，或是随意为主；要让人觉得方便好呢？还是要让人感受到敬拜的庄重？

Earthly Kingdoms Will fall, But Christ’s Kingdom Will Last Forever

2019-06-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 25:8-30.  Let’s go!

2 Kings 25:21 (NIV) 
21  There at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed. So Judah went into captivity, away from her land. 

On 2 Kings 25:8-21: King Nebuchadnezzar has captured Judah’s capital city of Jerusalem and has deported Judah’s King Zedekiah along with approximately 10,000 Judahites to Babylon (v1-7). Now in these verses we see King Nebuchadnezzar setting fire to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace, all the houses and every important building in Jerusalem (v8-9).  He destroys Jerusalem’s defensive walls (v10).  He carries off almost all the remaining people back to Babylon with him, except for Jeremiah the prophet (see Jeremiah 39:11-14) and the city’s poorest of the poor who are allowed to stay to work the vineyards (v11-12).  He hollows out the Lord’s temple of everything valuable (v13-17) and executes the priests and leaders in Jerusalem (v18-21).  Jerusalem has fallen.  

How God Expands His Territory in You

2019-06-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 24:8-25:7.  Let’s go!

2 Kings 24:10-14 (NIV) 
10  At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon advanced on Jerusalem and laid siege to it, 
11  and Nebuchadnezzar himself came up to the city while his officers were besieging it. 
12  Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his attendants, his nobles and his officials all surrendered to him. In the eighth year of the reign of the king of Babylon, he took Jehoiachin prisoner. 
13  As the LORD had declared, Nebuchadnezzar removed all the treasures from the temple of the LORD and from the royal palace, and took away all the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made for the temple of the LORD. 
14  He carried into exile all Jerusalem: all the officers and fighting men, and all the craftsmen and artisans–a total of ten thousand. Only the poorest people of the land were left. 

On 2 Kings 24:8-19:  These verses describe how in approximately 597 B.C. while Jehoiachin is king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invades Judah again, this time deporting back to Babylon approximately 10,000 Judahites, including King Jehoiachin, his mother, wives, officials, 7000 soldiers and 1000 craftsmen and artisans. 

辩论复活

2019-06-12 in /by

马太福音22: 23_33_辩论复活

23 撒都该人常说没有复活的事。那天，他们来问耶稣，说： 24 「夫子，摩西说：『人若死了，没有孩子，他兄弟当娶他的妻，为哥哥生子立后。』 25 从前在我们这里有弟兄七人，第一个娶了妻，死了，没有孩子，撇下妻子给兄弟。 26 第二、第三直到第七个，都是如此。 27 末后，妇人也死了。 28 这样，当复活的时候，她是七个人中哪一个的妻子呢？因为他们都娶过她。」 29 耶稣回答说：「你们错了，因为不明白圣经，也不晓得神的大能。 30 当复活的时候，人也不娶也不嫁，乃像天上的使者一样。 31 论到死人复活，神在经上向你们所说的，你们没有念过吗？ 32 他说：『我是亚伯拉罕的神、以撒的神、雅各的神。』神不是死人的神，乃是活人的神。」 33 众人听见这话，就稀奇他的教训。

这是一段很有意思的讨论，让我们看见属天和属地的人之眼光何等不同。

在犹太人的传统里，为了保护各人的地产，有一种条例，就是兄弟之间有义务为死去的兄弟留个后裔，免得因为没有后裔，以致地产被变卖成为他人的。所以他们有这样的疑问，若一个女人和弟兄七人都结过婚，将来到了天上，这女人算是谁的妻子？撒都该人不相信复活，所以用这个例子来考耶稣: 假如有复活的话，将来在天上这些人怎么办？

耶稣的回答是为了让他们明白属天和属地的人之眼光何等不同。为了让他们知道，人到了天上之后和地上的情形完全不同。耶稣说，“人复活之后，不娶也不嫁，乃像天上的使者一样。”耶稣让他们明白，第一，人的确可以复活。因为“神原不是死人的神，乃是活人的神，因为在祂那里人都是活的。(路20:38)”其次，在神那里的活人不再有两性的分别，因为天上的使者是没有性别的。

纳税给该撒

2019-06-11 in /by

马太福音22: 15_22_纳税给该撒

15 当时，法利赛人出去商议，怎样就著耶稣的话陷害他， 16 就打发他们的门徒同希律党的人去见耶稣，说：「夫子，我们知道你是诚实人，并且诚诚实实传神的道，什么人你都不徇情面，因为你不看人的外貌。 17 请告诉我们你的意见如何：纳税给恺撒可以不可以？」

18 耶稣看出他们的恶意，就说：「假冒为善的人哪，为什么试探我？ 19 拿一个上税的钱给我看。」他们就拿一个银钱来给他。 20 耶稣说：「这像和这号是谁的？」21 他们说：「是恺撒的。」耶稣说：「这样，恺撒的物当归给恺撒，神的物当归给神。」 22 他们听见就稀奇，离开他走了。

再一次我们看到耶稣面对难题所表现的智慧。而耶稣回答问题的智慧经常可以给我们很多灵感去面对生活中的一些抉择。读《圣经》时，我们若肯花一点时间去思想，就会发现神就是用祂的话在指引我们人生的方向，生活的选择。但是你若每次读《圣经》只是为了应付必须的“灵修”要求，很可能会觉得味如嚼腊。

在马太和马可的记录中，他们指出法利赛人和希律党人想要陷害耶稣；路加却更进一步指出，他们窥探耶稣，打发奸细装作好人，为要在祂的话上得把柄，好将祂交在巡抚的政权之下。因为犹太人的公会不能定人死罪，只有罗马赋予政权、所指派的巡抚才有权致人于死。在他们三人的记载里，我们不难发现，原本分道扬镳的政客，竟然合作要致耶稣于死地。在这里一共有四群人想害耶稣：法利赛人、希律党人、文士和祭司长。

God Is King Over All + Don’t Just Love with Words but with Action

2019-06-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 23:21-24:7.  There are so many good lessons we can learn from this passage.  Let’s go!

2 Kings 23:21-23 (NIV) 
21  The king gave this order to all the people: “Celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 
22  Not since the days of the judges who led Israel, nor throughout the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah, had any such Passover been observed. 
23  But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was celebrated to the LORD in Jerusalem.
 
On verses 21-23:  In the Book of the Law, God had commanded His people to celebrate the Passover, an annual festival intended to commemorate how God had rescued His people.  As part of ushering a revival (a spiritual awakening) in his land, Josiah leads the people of Judah in celebrating the Passover for the first time in approximately 500 years.
 
What can we learn from this? When revival takes place in a person, group, or community, there is a renewed passion in the people to observe the ceremonies that God has instituted, also known as “ordinances”.  In the Christian church there are two ordinances that Jesus commanded us to observe: baptism and communion. 

娶亲的筵席

2019-06-10 in /by

马太福音22: 1_14_娶亲的筵席

1耶稣又用比喻对他们说： 2 「天国好比一个王为他儿子摆设娶亲的筵席， 3 就打发仆人去，请那些被召的人来赴席，他们却不肯来。 4 王又打发别的仆人，说：『你们告诉那被召的人：我的筵席已经预备好了，牛和肥畜已经宰了，各样都齐备，请你们来赴席。』 5 那些人不理就走了：一个到自己田里去，一个做买卖去，6 其余的拿住仆人，凌辱他们，把他们杀了。 7 王就大怒，发兵除灭那些凶手，烧毁他们的城。 8 于是对仆人说：『喜筵已经齐备，只是所召的人不配。 9 所以你们要往岔路口上去，凡遇见的，都召来赴席。』 10 那些仆人就出去，到大路上，凡遇见的，不论善恶都召聚了来，筵席上就坐满了客。 11 王进来观看宾客，见那里有一个没有穿礼服的， 12 就对他说：『朋友，你到这里来怎么不穿礼服呢？』那人无言可答。 13 于是王对使唤的人说：『捆起他的手脚来，把他丢在外边的黑暗里，在那里必要哀哭切齿了。』 14 因为被召的人多，选上的人少。」

有时，虽然知道了解比喻，要先明白它取喻的重心，但问题是，有些比喻并不容易摸着它的重心，娶亲筵席的比喻（太二二：1-14）正是一例。

　　1. 要明白这比喻的重心，首先不要忽略“天国好比…”这句话是指下文整个比喻，不是单指比喻中的某一个人物或某一件事。就如：天国不是好比一个王为儿子摆设娶亲筵席；也不是好比王打发仆人请被召的人来赴席。而是好比：由第三节到十三节的整段描写的情形，这是了解所有天国比喻非常重要的关键。

　　2. 这比喻很自然的分作两段讲述。首段讲述那王怎样打发人去请被召的人来赴席，而都被拒绝，王大怒而发兵除灭他们。末段讲述王怎样从岔路口邀请人来赴席，在赴席的人中有人不穿礼服而被丢在黑暗里哀哭切齿。

The God of Revival

2019-06-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs,
 
Today’s passage is 2 Kings 23:1-20.  In this passage, King Josiah of Judah has just discovered the long lost Book of the Law (consisting of the first five books of the Old Testament, also known as the Pentateuch).  He realizes that he and his nation of Judah have not lived up to God’s commands contained inside that book.  So King Josiah assembles the nation of Judah, reads the Book of the Law to them, has them pray and pledge in the presence of God that they will obey God’s commands.  He then proceeds to get rid of all the shrines, altars and sites used to worship idols in Judah. 
 
It’s worth noting that before Josiah, three other kings of Judah had tried to cleanse Judah of these idolatrous shrines, altars and sites — Asa in 1 Kings 15, Jehoshaphat in 1 Kings 22 and his grandfather Hezekiah in 2 Kings 18.  But Josiah’s efforts are far more extensive. 
 
What is happening here?  God is using Josiah to usher in a time of revival in the land of Judah.  What is revival?  Revival is a spiritual awakening that takes place in a group of people, such as a family, church, city or country.  When there is revival, people are more passionate about worshiping God, more focused on pleasing God with their lives, more inclined to confess their sins and seek God’s help, and more courageous in sharing Christ with others. 

Have a Soft and Responsive Heart toward God’s Word

2019-06-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 22:1-20.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-20:  At just eight years old Josiah becomes king of Judah.  At age 26, Josiah leads a campaign to repair the temple of the Lord.  As the temple is being repaired, workers in the temple recover an old Book of the Law, which most likely contained the first five books of the Bible, also known as the Pentateuch.  (Some scholars say that during the reign of Josiah’s father King Manasseh, Manasseh tried to destroy all copies of the Pentateuch, and this one copy may have been the only one left.)  

As Josiah reads this Book of the Law, his heart is moved.  In an act of repentance and mourning, Josiah tears his robes and weeps.  Josiah realizes that his nation is incurring the wrath of God because they and their ancestors have not lived in accordance with God’s commands found in this book.  

So Josiah inquires of the Lord by seeking the advice of Huldah, a prophetess.  Huldah informs Josiah that, just as Josiah suspected, disaster is awaiting the people of Judah because they have turned to worship other gods and disobeyed God’s commands.  Huldah also tells Josiah that because Josiah humbled himself in response to God’s Word, tearing his robes and weeping in God’s presence, his generation would not see the disaster that would come to the people of Judah in their lifetime.