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You Can Run But You Can’t Hide from God

2019-04-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 22:29-40.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 22:30 (NIV) 
30 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will enter the battle in disguise, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. 

On verses 29-40: King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah get ready to fight the King of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. Knowing that the Lord’s prophets had prophesied that he would die instead of the King of Aram (e.g. 1 Kings 20:42), King Ahab disguises himself so that people cannot readily recognize him to be the king.  Despite that, “someone” (we don’t know who — it could have been an Aramean, and it also could have been a newbie Israelite soldier) draws his bow at random and ends up hitting King Ahab, wounding him fatally.  The king dies and dogs lick up his blood, just as the prophet Elijah had predicted (1 Kings 21:19).

What can we learn from this?  You can try to run from God, but you can’t hide from Him. 

藏寶於田與尋珠的比喻

2019-04-21 in /by

馬太福音13: 44_46藏寶於田與尋珠的比喻

44 「天國好像寶貝藏在地裡，人遇見了就把它藏起來，歡歡喜喜地去變賣一切所有的，買這塊地。

45 「天國又好像買賣人尋找好珠子， 46 遇見一顆重價的珠子，就去變賣他一切所有的，買了這顆珠子。

昨天4月21日是世界各地基督徒慶祝復活節的主日，但是在Sri Lanka斯里蘭卡有三間教堂被攻擊。據「敞開的門」（Open Door）在當地的同工表示，對這個國家的基督徒而言，原本歡欣快樂的復活節變成一個令人心碎的時刻。斯里蘭卡基督徒遭受迫害多是來自於社區，基督教會經常成為鄰居的目標，反覆有暴力、抗議和教堂遭襲擊事件，特別是在農村地區。據斯里蘭卡國家基督教福音派聯盟（National Christian Evangelical Alliance）表示，基督徒被攻擊的事件急速增加，包括經常有暴徒的暴力襲擊。然而，在生命受到威脅的情況下，當地基督徒仍然勇敢一同敬拜主。此時，還沒有人聲稱對這些攻擊負責。當地同工呼籲，請為當地所有受害者、受傷者禱告，同時為那些因此而心碎的家庭禱告。

從耶穌被釘十字架以來，基督徒就不斷地受逼迫。經過了兩千多年，各地逼迫依然不斷擴展，但是“在生命受到威脅的情況下，基督徒仍然勇敢一同敬拜主”的情況也依然持續發生。

Does God Put Deceiving Spirits in People?

2019-04-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 22:13-28.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 22:13-14 (NIV) 
13 The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, as one man the other prophets are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably.”
14 But Micaiah said, “As surely as the LORD lives, I can tell him only what the LORD tells me.” 

On verses 13-14:  Despite pressure to just say what the king wants to hear, Micaiah the prophet refuses to give any “prophecy” unless Micaiah truly believes it is from God.  Micaiah had integrity.  He understood his role as God’s prophet was not to please people and to speak whatever they want to hear, but to please God and to communicate God’s heart and mind to the people.  Like Micaiah, may you be a man/woman of integrity and a lover of truth, seeking to please God over and above people.

When You Need to Make an Important Decision

2019-04-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 22:1-12.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 22:1-3 (NIV) 
1 For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. 
2 But in the third year Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to see the king of Israel. 
3 The king of Israel had said to his officials, “Don’t you know that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us and yet we are doing nothing to retake it from the king of Aram?” 

On verses 1-3:  For years Israel and Aram had been at war with one another.  Then God gave Israel an amazing victory over Aram.  However, in the heat of victory, instead of executing Ben-Hadad King of Aram and disabling the Arameans as a future threat, King Ahab signed an economic treaty with the Arameans and let their king go free (1 Kings 20:30-34).   

麵酵的比喻

2019-04-19 in /by

馬太福音13: 33_35麵酵的比喻

33 他又對他們講個比喻說：「天國好像麵酵，有婦人拿來藏在三斗麵裡，直等全團都發起來。」 34 這都是耶穌用比喻對眾人說的話，若不用比喻，就不對他們說什麼。 35 這是要應驗先知的話說：「我要開口用比喻，把創世以來所隱藏的事發明出來。」

這個比喻只有一節經文，但是卻至少有四種不同的解釋，可見人與人之間的看法真的很不一樣。所以當我們在一起查經時，有了不同的見解要怎樣處理呢？我個人認為最好就是大家都安靜下來，先把爭論放到一邊，繼續看主怎麼說。因為沒有人是完全的，只有主知道祂講這個比喻的意思。有一天我們都會明白，恍然大悟，所以何必爭在此時，反而破壞了在主裡那種和平學習的情緒。

第一種解釋認為耶穌在這章裡所講的比喻主題是一致的，都是講到天國的發展，所以拿麵酵來比喻天國在世上的隱藏滲透力。至於酵在聖經裡並不一定是負面的用法，在〈利未記〉裡有酵的餅也可以獻給神作為初熟的供物，例如：為感謝而獻上平安祭，可以用有酵的餅，與供物一同獻上，供祭司與獻祭者一同享用（利7：13-14；何4：5）。又如在五旬節時，將新素祭獻給神，要拿細麵加酵，烤成兩個搖祭的餅，當作初熟之物獻給神（利23:17）。天國的發展過程，就像發酵的過程，開始時規模很小，過了一段時間，漸漸擴展開來，直到全團發起；就像從主耶穌在地上的工作開始，漸漸擴張，隨着歷史的發展，直到末世，才完全成就。

芥菜種的比喻

2019-04-18 in /by

馬太福音13: 31_32芥菜種的比喻

31 他又設個比喻對他們說：「天國好像一粒芥菜種，有人拿去種在田裡。 32 這原是百種裡最小的，等到長起來，卻比各樣的菜都大，且成了樹，天上的飛鳥來宿在它的枝上。」

對許多基督徒而言，不能明白「芥菜」如何能長成一棵樹？尤其是廣東人；因為有俗諺說：「十月火歸臟，不離芥菜湯」。在一般南方人的認知中，芥菜是青菜類，不會長大變成大樹。

聖經中的「芥菜種」，是當初翻譯聖經的譯者為中國北方人，而當地不產芥菜，因不瞭解，沒想到造成誤會。事實上，聖經所說的芥菜，乃是「芥 子菜」(mustard)，即用來製造 「芥醬」(一般港式茶樓所用黃色辣醬）的原料。這種芥子菜的種子和無花果的子一樣小。在以色列地方，可長成一棵高過人的樹，甚至到八尺、十尺。

芥菜種，原文為SINAPI，可以音譯為「辛辣鼻」（黃色芥末）。當時猶太人有這樣的諺語，每說到一件事情微小時，便說「一粒芥菜種」，等於中國人所說的「芝麻綠豆」一樣。

主耶穌以芥菜種比喻信心的微小，但這微小的信心是可以長大的，甚至可以把大山移開。我們不怕信心小，最怕沒有信心。

What A True Friend Does

2019-04-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 21:15-29.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 21:25-29 (NIV) 
25 (There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, urged on by Jezebel his wife. 
26 He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the LORD drove out before Israel.) 
27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly. 
28 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite: 
29 “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.” 

On verses 15-24:  Having murdered Naboth, at Jezebel’s urging Ahab takes possession of Naboth’s vineyard.  God sends Elijah to speak a word of retribution against Ahab for the way he murdered Naboth and stole his vineyard. 

God Will Make Sure Justice Is Served

2019-04-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 21:1-14. Let’s go!

On verses 1-14:  In these verses we see Ahab’s selfishness and Jezebel’s cunning in full bloom. Ahab wants to take the vineyard of another man, Naboth.  This vineyard was a precious family property that Naboth’s ancestors had passed down to him.  It was likely Naboth’s main source of income, whereas Ahab merely wanted to use it for a vegetable garden!  When Naboth refuses to sell the vineyard to Ahab, Ahab sulks. Ahab’s wife Jezebel devises an evil and elaborate plan to call a fast (using religion as a means to do evil) and have two scoundrels falsely accuse Naboth of cursing God and the king.  The plan is executed and Naboth is stoned for treason which he did not commit.  Presumably there is no one left in Naboth’s family to inherit Naboth’s vineyard.  (Or, if Naboth had heirs, Ahab and Jezebel find a way to bypass them.)  Ahab is then able to take possession of Naboth’s vineyard.  

What can we learn from this?  Similar to Naboth’s time, we live in a period in history where at times it seems evil runs rampant and unchecked. 

稗子的比喻

2019-04-17 in /by

馬太福音13: 24_30 / 36_43稗子的比喻

24 耶穌又設個比喻對他們說：「天國好像人撒好種在田裡， 25 及至人睡覺的時候，有仇敵來，將稗子撒在麥子裡就走了。 26 到長苗吐穗的時候，稗子也顯出來。 27 田主的僕人來告訴他說：『主啊，你不是撒好種在田裡嗎？從哪裡來的稗子呢？』 28 主人說：『這是仇敵做的。』僕人說：『你要我們去薅出來嗎？』 29 主人說：『不必，恐怕薅稗子，連麥子也拔出來。 30 容這兩樣一齊長，等著收割。當收割的時候，我要對收割的人說：先將稗子薅出來，捆成捆，留著燒，唯有麥子要收在倉裡。』」

有一場戰爭，已經持續了好幾千年。從過去打到現今，在世界不同的地方打，而且還會繼續打下去，這場戰爭的結果攸關許多人的生存。如此重大事件，報紙卻少有刊登，媒體也少有報導，也許他們儘揀不重要的報導，重要的卻瀘過去。

麥子是世界上最主要的農作物之一。目前世界上生產量最多的三種作物，依序是玉米，年產七百八十四百萬噸；水稻，年產六百五十一百萬噸；麥子，年產六百零七百萬噸。這三種農作物以麥子的營養分最高，是製作麵包主要的材料。不只人類需要麥子，許多家畜也以麥子為主食。在田間，看到麥子生長旺盛，是值得感恩的景致，因為千萬個化學反應、物理作用、生物代謝在那裡靜悄悄地進行。在這世界，悄悄完成的事情，遠比喧鬧中完成的事情多。

His Life for Your Life

2019-04-16 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 20:35-43.  Let’s go!

On verses 35-36:  This is an odd story, but what can we learn from it?  When you don’t obey God’s Word, you become vulnerable to the attack of the enemy, whom the Bible describes elsewhere as a lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).  As strange as God’s Word might sometimes seem to finite people like us, God’s Word is there for our protection.  We’re much better off trusting in God’s Word than trusting in ourselves.

On verses 37-43:  Disguising himself as a wounded soldier, the prophet meets King Ahab and tells him, “I agreed to guard a prisoner with my life, but the prisoner got away.”  King Ahab responds, “Then you must pay with your life since you let the prisoner get away.”  The prophet takes off his disguise and tells King Ahab that King Ahab is guilty of the same sin: Ahab let King Ben-Hadad of Aram get away when the Lord had intended that Ben-Hadad should die (v42). As a result, King Ahab would be destined to die in place of Ben-Hadad and the Israelites would suffer in place of the Arameans.  Upon hearing this news Ahab returns home “sullen and angry” (v43).