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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. 

藏宝于田与寻珠的比喻

2019-04-21 in /by

马太福音13: 44_46藏宝于田与寻珠的比喻

44 「天国好像宝贝藏在地里，人遇见了就把它藏起来，欢欢喜喜地去变卖一切所有的，买这块地。

45 「天国又好像买卖人寻找好珠子， 46 遇见一颗重价的珠子，就去变卖他一切所有的，买了这颗珠子。

昨天4月21日是世界各地基督徒庆祝复活节的主日，但是在Sri Lanka斯里兰卡有三间教堂被攻击。据「敞开的门」（Open Door）在当地的同工表示，对这个国家的基督徒而言，原本欢欣快乐的复活节变成一个令人心碎的时刻。斯里兰卡基督徒遭受迫害多是来自于社区，基督教会经常成为邻居的目标，反复有暴力、抗议和教堂遭袭击事件，特别是在农村地区。据斯里兰卡国家基督教福音派联盟（National Christian Evangelical Alliance）表示，基督徒被攻击的事件急速增加，包括经常有暴徒的暴力袭击。然而，在生命受到威胁的情况下，当地基督徒仍然勇敢一同敬拜主。此时，还没有人声称对这些攻击负责。当地同工呼吁，请为当地所有受害者、受伤者祷告，同时为那些因此而心碎的家庭祷告。

从耶稣被钉十字架以来，基督徒就不断地受逼迫。经过了两千多年，各地逼迫依然不断扩展，但是“在生命受到威胁的情况下，基督徒仍然勇敢一同敬拜主”的情况也依然持续发生。

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).   

面酵的比喻

2019-04-19 in /by

马太福音13: 33_35面酵的比喻

33 他又对他们讲个比喻说：「天国好像面酵，有妇人拿来藏在三斗面里，直等全团都发起来。」 34 这都是耶稣用比喻对众人说的话，若不用比喻，就不对他们说什么。 35 这是要应验先知的话说：「我要开口用比喻，把创世以来所隐藏的事发明出来。」

这个比喻只有一节经文，但是却至少有四种不同的解释，可见人与人之间的看法真的很不一样。所以当我们在一起查经时，有了不同的见解要怎样处理呢？我个人认为最好就是大家都安静下来，先把争论放到一边，继续看主怎么说。因为没有人是完全的，只有主知道祂讲这个比喻的意思。有一天我们都会明白，恍然大悟，所以何必争在此时，反而破坏了在主里那种和平学习的情绪。

第一种解释认为耶稣在这章里所讲的比喻主题是一致的，都是讲到天国的发展，所以拿面酵来比喻天国在世上的隐藏渗透力。至于酵在圣经里并不一定是负面的用法，在〈利未记〉里有酵的饼也可以献给神作为初熟的供物，例如：为感谢而献上平安祭，可以用有酵的饼，与供物一同献上，供祭司与献祭者一同享用（利7：13-14；何4：5）。又如在五旬节时，将新素祭献给神，要拿细面加酵，烤成两个摇祭的饼，当作初熟之物献给神（利23:17）。天国的发展过程，就像发酵的过程，开始时规模很小，过了一段时间，渐渐扩展开来，直到全团发起；就像从主耶稣在地上的工作开始，渐渐扩张，随着历史的发展，直到末世，才完全成就。

芥菜种的比喻

2019-04-18 in /by

马太福音13: 31_32芥菜种的比喻

31 他又设个比喻对他们说：「天国好像一粒芥菜种，有人拿去种在田里。 32 这原是百种里最小的，等到长起来，却比各样的菜都大，且成了树，天上的飞鸟来宿在它的枝上。」

对许多基督徒而言，不能明白「芥菜」如何能长成一棵树？尤其是广东人；因为有俗谚说：「十月火归脏，不离芥菜汤」。在一般南方人的认知中，芥菜是青菜类，不会长大变成大树。

圣经中的「芥菜种」，是当初翻译圣经的译者为中国北方人，而当地不产芥菜，因不了解，没想到造成误会。事实上，圣经所说的芥菜，乃是「芥 子菜」(mustard)，即用来制造 「芥酱」(一般港式茶楼所用黄色辣酱）的原料。这种芥子菜的种子和无花果的子一样小。在以色列地方，可长成一棵高过人的树，甚至到八尺、十尺。

芥菜种，原文为SINAPI，可以音译为「辛辣鼻」（黄色芥末）。当时犹太人有这样的谚语，每说到一件事情微小时，便说「一粒芥菜种」，等于中国人所说的「芝麻绿豆」一样。

主耶稣以芥菜种比喻信心的微小，但这微小的信心是可以长大的，甚至可以把大山移开。我们不怕信心小，最怕没有信心。

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

马太福音13: 24_30 / 36_43稗子的比喻

24 耶稣又设个比喻对他们说：「天国好像人撒好种在田里， 25 及至人睡觉的时候，有仇敌来，将稗子撒在麦子里就走了。 26 到长苗吐穗的时候，稗子也显出来。 27 田主的仆人来告诉他说：『主啊，你不是撒好种在田里吗？从哪里来的稗子呢？』 28 主人说：『这是仇敌做的。』仆人说：『你要我们去薅出来吗？』 29 主人说：『不必，恐怕薅稗子，连麦子也拔出来。 30 容这两样一齐长，等著收割。当收割的时候，我要对收割的人说：先将稗子薅出来，捆成捆，留着烧，唯有麦子要收在仓里。』」

有一场战争，已经持续了好几千年。从过去打到现今，在世界不同的地方打，而且还会继续打下去，这场战争的结果攸关许多人的生存。如此重大事件，报纸却少有刊登，媒体也少有报导，也许他们尽拣不重要的报导，重要的却泸过去。

麦子是世界上最主要的农作物之一。目前世界上生产量最多的三种作物，依序是玉米，年产七百八十四百万吨；水稻，年产六百五十一百万吨；麦子，年产六百零七百万吨。这三种农作物以麦子的营养分最高，是制作面包主要的材料。不只人类需要麦子，许多家畜也以麦子为主食。在田间，看到麦子生长旺盛，是值得感恩的景致，因为千万个化学反应、物理作用、生物代谢在那里静悄悄地进行。在这世界，悄悄完成的事情，远比喧闹中完成的事情多。

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).