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Blaze the Trail

2025-05-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 18:1-16.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 18:1-16 (NIV)
1  In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.
2  He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.

On verses 1-16:  After Judah had been led by a handful of spiritually rotten, idol-worshiping kings, Hezekiah bursts onto the scene.  Hezekiah courageously breaks with his predecessors’ idol worshiping traditions.  He begins to use his authority as king of Judah to remove idolatry from his land.  Hezekiah also courageously stands up to the king of Assyria, even while Hezekiah’s counterpart Hoshea king of Israel was being defeated by Assyria.

上帝使萬事互相效力

2025-05-07 in , /by

「萬事都互相效力，叫愛神的人得益處。」（羅馬書8:28）這句話常被理解為，不管發生了甚麼，無論是好事、壞事，愛上帝的人都會在其中得到好處。這句常出現於安慰告白失敗、失戀被甩的人，或求職工作不順利。

最後一次用到這句，是在數年前。我維持讀書、打電腦的姿勢太久，沒有起來走走，做一下伸展運動，結果肩膀沾黏。這是壞事。那陣子全世界COVID-19肆虐，我們家打疫苗，丈夫和孩子們都肩膀腫痛哀哀叫。這也是壞事。我就用了這句話：「肩膀沾黏的徒手治療更痛，打疫苗的痛真是小菜一碟。真是萬事都互相效力，叫愛神的人得益處啊。」說自己更倒楣，多了肩膀沾黏的壞事，但負負得正，壞壞變好。

這句話被節錄，然後濫用、亂用。直到我閱讀希臘文聖經羅馬書第八章，才知道自己對這句話理解錯誤三十多年。

首先，「萬事都互相效力」是不正確的翻譯。「萬事」成為主詞，具有泛靈論或古代斯多葛主義的思想，以為事情有它自己的力量。許多中文聖經都做了修訂。《現代中文譯本》2019版「…上帝使萬事互相效力…」、《中文標準譯本》「…神使萬事相輔相成…」。

「萬事」πάντα是直接受格，主詞「上帝」被隱藏了。這種句法是猶太人的習慣，因為上帝太偉大了。事實上，有些古代抄本有「上帝」ὁ θεὸς。所以，不是「萬事」自己有甚麼想法意念，而是上帝使萬事互相效力。

God Is Our Deliverer and Strength

2025-05-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 17:34-41.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 17:34-41 (NIV)
34  To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the LORD nor adhere to the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel.
35  When the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them.

On verses 34-41:  We see some of the main lessons of 2 Kings reiterated here in these verses:

1.  We were made to worship the Lord alone (v36).  Three times in this short passage it says “Do not worship other gods” (v35, 37, 38).

結出聖靈的果子-節制

2025-05-06 in , /by

加拉太書5:22-23  聖靈所結的果子，就是仁愛、喜樂、和平、忍耐、恩慈、良善、信實、溫柔、節制；這樣的事沒有律法禁止。

哥林多前書9:25-27  凡較力爭勝的，諸事都有節制。他們不過是要得能壞的冠冕，我們卻是要得不能壞的冠冕。26 所以，我奔跑不像無定向的，我鬥拳不像打空氣的。 27 我是攻克己身，叫身服我，恐怕我傳福音給別人，自己反被棄絕了。

「節制」是保羅在加拉太書5:22-23談到結出聖靈的果子的最後一項，它常被忽略，卻是極其重要的基督徒品格。節制的原文意思是「自我控制」或「自律」，它不在於壓抑慾望，而是靠著聖靈的能力，在思想、情緒、行為上有智慧的選擇與克制。

本應上戰場的大衛王留在宮中，睡到太陽平西，眼目看到拔示巴後，沒有節制自己的情慾，結果犯了姦淫，為掩蓋罪又謀殺她丈夫烏利亞（撒母耳記下11章）。這悲劇的開端，就是他沒有節制自己的眼目與情慾。

以掃因一時飢餓，賣掉了神所賜的長子名分，他說：「我將要死，這長子的名分於我有什麼益處呢？」（創世記25:29-34）他沒節制口腹之慾，輕看屬靈福分，後來想要承受父所祝的福，竟被棄絕，雖然號哭切求，卻得不著門路使他父親的心意回轉（希伯來書12:16-17）。

Keep It Simple

2025-05-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 17:24-33.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 17:24-26 (NIV)
24  The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns.
25  When they first lived there, they did not worship the LORD; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people.
26  It was reported to the king of Assyria: “The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires.”
 
On verses 24-26:  Shalmaneser king of Assyria has deported the Israelites from Samaria (Israel’s capital city) and replaces them with people from foreign lands.  These foreigners do not worship the Lord in Samaria and are attacked, and in some cases killed, by lions. 

結出聖靈的果子-溫柔

2025-05-05 in , /by

撒迦利亞書9:9  錫安的民哪，應當大大喜樂！耶路撒冷的民哪，應當歡呼！看哪，你的王來到你這裡，祂是公義的，並且施行拯救，謙謙和和地騎著驢，就是騎著驢的駒子。

約翰福音8:1-11

於是各人都回家去了。耶穌卻往橄欖山去。 2 清早又回到殿裡，眾百姓都到他那裡去，他就坐下教訓他們。 3 文士和法利賽人帶著一個行淫時被拿的婦人來，叫她站在當中， 4 就對耶穌說：「夫子，這婦人是正行淫之時被拿的。 5 摩西在律法上吩咐我們把這樣的婦人用石頭打死，你說該把她怎麼樣呢？」 6 他們說這話乃試探耶穌，要得著告他的把柄。耶穌卻彎著腰，用指頭在地上畫字。

加拉太書5:23談到「溫柔」是聖靈所結的果子之一，這裡的「溫柔」（希臘文原文為prautēs）指的是謙卑、溫順，但並非懦弱無能，而是剛柔並濟，一種受控的力量，在真理與愛中表現出來的謙和態度。

柏拉圖在《理想國》(Republic)中，利用守衛犬(guardian dog) 來比喻勇猛與溫柔並存的理想品德；對敵人兇猛、果斷（勇敢、具有攻擊性），對熟悉的人親切、和善（溫柔、友好）；而這看似矛盾行為的核心，就在於這種犬隻能辨別敵人與朋友。

2 Kings in a Nutshell

2025-05-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 17:14-23.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 17:14-23 (NIV)
14  But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who did not trust in the LORD their God.
15  They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, “Do not do as they do,” and they did the things the LORD had forbidden them to do.

On verses 14-23:  These verses summarize the overall story of 2 Kings, which is that despite the Lord warning His people about the consequences that would result if they kept on sinning, the Israelites both in Israel and in Judah persisted in all forms of sinning against the Lord (v14 to 19). 

結出聖靈的果子-信實

2025-05-04 in , /by

你要知道耶和華─你的神，祂是神，是信實的神；向愛祂、守祂誡命的人守約，施慈愛，直到千代。（申命記7:9）

因為耶和華本為善。祂的慈愛存到永遠；祂的信實直到萬代。（詩篇100:5）

我們的天父是守約、施慈愛，信實的神，祂的兒女因為相信祂，就擁有延續到永遠的慈愛，而這「信實」（可信、可靠）的確據則一直延伸到萬代。

使徒保羅在加拉太書5:22談到「信實」是聖靈所結的果子之一，它的原文就是「信心」一字。天父的兒女相信天父是信實的神，這信心讓聖靈改變我們的生命，也讓我們能承載天父的「信實」屬性，成為「信實」的人。

一個信實的人要在日常生活中表現忠誠、信實、可靠，這不僅僅是對神的信靠，也體現在與他人的關係中。信實的表現包括對家庭的忠誠、對工作的責任感、對朋友的真誠，無論在順境還是逆境中，保持對神的信心和倚靠，且和他人都能持守忠誠和真誠。

God Is So Much More Merciful Than People

2025-05-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 17:1-13.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

2 Kings 17:1-13 (NIV)
1  In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years.
2  He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.
3  Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up to attack Hoshea, who had been Shalmaneser’s vassal and had paid him tribute.

On verses 1-13:  One thing that strikes me as I read this passage is how much more merciful and gracious the Lord is compared to Shalmaneser king of Assyria.  King Hoshea of Israel had been Shalmaneser’s vassal. 

結出聖靈的果子-恩慈(Kindness)

2025-05-02 in , /by

以弗所書4:32  要以恩慈相待，存憐憫的心，彼此饒恕，正如神在基督裡饒恕了你們一樣。

馬丁·路德·金恩博士是美國歷史上重要的民權運動領袖之一，他也是一位敬虔的基督徒牧師。面對種族歧視、暴力與不公，他選擇非暴力抗爭與愛的回應，顯出聖靈結出的「恩慈」果子。

在1950-60年代，金恩博士與他的追隨者常常面對辱罵、暴力攻擊、甚至死亡威脅。然而，他堅持以「恩慈」來回應仇恨。他在演講中不止一次提到：

「黑暗不能驅逐黑暗，只有光可以做到；仇恨不能驅逐仇恨，只有愛可以做到。(Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.)」

金恩博士相信，基督徒蒙召要以「恩慈的心腸」對待敵人。他不以惡報惡，而是選擇原諒攻擊他的人。他堅信：「即使別人用仇恨來對待我，我仍然選擇以愛來回應他們。」這「恩慈」，不是出於人的本能，而是聖靈的工作，使他在極其艱難的環境中仍能活出基督的樣式。

「要以恩慈相待，存憐憫的心，彼此饒恕，正如神在基督裡饒恕了你們一樣。」（以弗所書4:32）