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The Difference Between Love and Lust

2024-12-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 13:1-22.  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 Samuel 13:1 (NIV)
1 In the course of time, Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom son of David. 

On verse 1:  Verse 1 says that David’s son Amnon fell in love with her beautiful half sister Tamar.  But make no mistake about it.  What Amnon had for Tamar was not love but lust.  We’ll see the difference between love and lust clearly through this passage.

智者拜见智者

2024-12-19 in , /by

马太福音 2:1-12 当希律王的时候，耶稣生在犹太的伯利恒。有几个博士从东方来到耶路撒冷，说： 2 「那生下来做犹太人之王的在哪里？我们在东方看见他的星，特来拜他。」 3 希律王听见了，就心里不安，耶路撒冷合城的人也都不安。 4 他就召齐了祭司长和民间的文士，问他们说：「基督当生在何处？」 5 他们回答说：「在犹太的伯利恒。因为有先知记着说： 6 『犹大地的伯利恒啊，你在犹大诸城中并不是最小的，因为将来有一位君王要从你那里出来，牧养我以色列民。』」

谁来探访耶稣？马太福音2:1-12记载，当希律王的时候，耶稣生在犹太的伯利恒。有几个博士（可译为智者、或星象家）从东方来到耶路撒冷，说：「那生下来作犹太人之王的在哪里？我们在东方看见他的星，特来拜他。」

希律王听见了，心里不安，询问祭司长和文士：「基督当生在何处？」他们回答有先知记载（弥迦书5:2）说：「犹大地的伯利恒啊，你在犹大诸城中并不是最小的；因为将来有一位君王要从你那里出来，牧养我以色列民。」于是，希律王暗地召来智者，细问那星何时出现，要他们去伯利恒寻访小孩子，寻得后回来报信。

根据学者考证，耶稣出生于西元前6至4年间，几个智者来到耶路撒冷的时候，耶稣约两岁。路加福音2:1-20记载牧羊人寻见耶稣，是用婴儿来形容耶稣，但是马太福音2:1-12记载智者寻访耶稣，是以小孩子来形容耶稣。

Surrendering to God Sets You Free

2024-12-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 12:15-31.  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 Samuel 12:15 (NIV)
15 After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill.

On verse 15:  Whenever a person has a miscarriage, or a child gets sick and dies prematurely, does that mean that God is actively giving the baby a sickness and punishing a child for their parent’s sins?  No.  Remember that in the Old Testament, the mindset of people was that everything — both good and bad — comes from God.  In a way they’re correct insofar as without God there wouldn’t be anything.  But when you read the New Testament, rather than emphasizing that everything good and bad comes directly from God, Jesus and the New Testament writers make a couple distinctions.  First, everything good is from God (James 1:17).  Second, when it comes to things that we consider bad, like sickness, sin, the death of a baby, an evil spirit or someone going to hell, these are not things that God wants. 

犹太的伯利恒

2024-12-18 in , /by

马太福音 2:5-6 他们回答说：「在犹太的伯利恒。因为有先知记着说：  『犹大地的伯利恒啊，你在犹大诸城中并不是最小的，因为将来有一位君王要从你那里出来，牧养我以色列民。』」

根据台湾圣光神学院的资料，圣经中至少有两个伯利恒：其一是位于拿撒勒西北方约11公里、现代名为Beit Lahm之处。这村镇在约书亚分地时，是在西布伦境内（书19:15）。这地很可能是士师以比赞（Ibzan）的家乡（士12:8, 10）。其二就是大家所熟知、耶稣诞生之处的伯利恒。这市镇位于分水岭路偏东、在耶路撒冷以南8公里，海拔约762公尺之处。

伯利恒这名的「伯」字，源于希伯来文的bayit，意思是house（家或庙宇）。至于「利恒」的lehem，据说是由于在远古时代，这里曾供奉著米所波大米的两位与农业有关的神明、名叫Lahmu和Lahamu。

在「七十士译本」中，雅各把伯利恒列在分为犹大土地中的第九区，并说迦勒从第二任的妻子以法他所生的孙子萨玛（Selma）被称为「伯利恒之祖」（代上2:51）。

伯利恒有几个小故事，一是士师记记载的，有一位利未人在伯利恒寄居。「这人离开犹大伯利恒城，要找一个可住的地方；行路的时候到了以法莲山地，走到米迦的家…」（士17:7-9）。其二，伯利恒又是以法莲山地那边的一位利未人之妾的家乡。由于这个人的妾之被基比亚人凌辱至死而引起的一场支派战争，使得便雅悯支派险些被灭绝（士19-20）。其三，伯利恒原是以利米勒和拿俄米的家乡，他们曾因伯利恒地遭遇饥荒而移居摩押地。

God Is For You, Not Against You

2024-12-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 12:1-14.  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 Samuel 12:1 (NIV)
1 The LORD sent Nathan to David…

On verse 1a:  Nathan the prophet was David’s friend and pastor.  Previously it was through Nathan that God spoke some powerful and encouraging promises to David about his future (2 Samuel 7:4-17).  Now Nathan was to confront David to speak the truth in love regarding David’s adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband. 

I like what Pastor Jon Courson puts it:
“God didn’t send an enemy of David to talk to him about his sin. He sent a friend. This is most often the way of the Lord. When He has a word of correction to bring us, inevitably it will be by someone who has a heart for us. Conversely, unless your heart is filled with compassion for the person you are about to correct, it is probably not your responsibility to correct him.” [1]

希律的恐惧

2024-12-17 in , /by

马太福音 2:3 希律王听见了，就心里不安，耶路撒冷合城的人也都不安。

一个在当时最有权势的希律王，竟然因为一个小小婴孩的降生而心生恐惧。他害怕什么呢？

不能不说，大希律是一个很有才华的人，他是很著名的建筑师，他扩建了第二圣殿，修建了希律宫，又盖了马赛大，等等，都是非常巨大的工程。希律的父亲是己皈依犹太人的以东人，母亲是犹太人，因此希律从小就被当作犹太人抚育成长。

因希律的父亲和罗马皇帝凯撒关系很好，因此希律被委任为加利利省长，后来又被封王。在罗马的帮助之下，又打败了想夺位的安提柯二世，结束了哈斯蒙尼王朝(马加比王朝)，犹大地再度成为罗马附属国。希律也被任命为犹太人的王, 大希律。他统治犹大地共33 年。

虽然位在万人之上，希律却有无法克服的疑心，总是害怕被人谋杀篡位。他的妻子和儿子都成为他疑心的犠牲品，被他杀了。所以史书有「当希律王的猪比当他的儿子更好」的说法。现在听到有个万王之王要降生了，他怎能不害怕？又有人要来抢他的位置了吗？即使只是个婴儿，他也害怕不己。有很多人和希律有类似的恐惧，他们要做自己的王，不愿意有人来取代。所以耶路撒冷合城的人也都不安，他们以为又要有政变了。生活在政局动荡不安的人们，实在很值得同情，太没有安全感了。

智者之旅

2024-12-16 in , /by

马太福音 2:1 当希律王的时候，耶稣生在犹太的伯利恒。有几个博士从东方来到耶路撒冷。

在英文圣经里的东方博士是wise men, 意思是智者，也有人说是来自东方王国的王。至于他们的数目，没有人知道，例来都是因为他们献上的三件礼物而认为是三位智者，或是三个博士，或三位君王。在此我们暂称他们为智者吧。

因为这几位都是当时有智慧的人，他们通达天文学，懂得观天象。他们对天文学的知识使这个小小的伯利恒成为宇宙关心的焦点。他们所寻找的不是科学数据，而是崇拜的对象；他们寻找的不是金银财宝，而是人生的导航。

心理学大师佛洛伊德说：「宗教是人类心理上的拐杖。」 马克思认为宗教是人们精神上的鸦片；中青报报导爱恩斯坦认为所有的宗教都是最幼稚的迷信。但是宗教和信仰是不一样的。 宗教可能是拐杖，没了它不能走；宗教可能是精神鸦片，没了它无棈打采；宗教可能是幼稚的迷信，没了它就变成傻子。

但是信仰不一样，信仰让人寻找到人生的指引。寻访耶稣的智者都是当时代非常有智慧的人，他们上通天文，下达地理。所以他们发现天上有一颗“万王之王 ”的星辰出现时，他们的心就振奋了。他们知道这是可遇不可求的时机，他们要把握这时机，为自己的生命留下一份灿烂。

God Sees It All and He’ll Use It All

2024-12-16 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 11:14-27.  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 Samuel 11:14-27 (NIV)
14  In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.
15  In it he wrote, “Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.”
16  So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were.

On verses 14-27:  David has been unable to get Uriah to sleep with his wife Bathsheba whom David had made pregnant.  So David comes up with an even more sinister and coldblooded plan: murder Uriah.  David writes a letter to his general Joab instructing Joab to place Uriah on the frontlines of battle and then withdraw from Uriah so that he will be easily killed (v15).  And guess who David gets to send that letter to Joab? 

What To Do With This Chance?

2024-12-15 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 11:1-13.  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 Samuel 11:1-4 (NIV)
1  In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.
2  One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful,
3  and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”
4  Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home.
 
On verses 1-4:  Notice the factors that led to David’s fall into adultery:

小耶稣和大希律

2024-12-15 in , /by

马太福音2:1  当希律王的时候，耶稣生在犹太的伯利恒。

当耶稣降生时，犹大的掌权者是大希律。

主前163年，犹太人奋起反抗希腊的统治，成立了马加比王朝。在这段时期里，他们曾经征服了以东人(以扫的后裔)，但是他们不像大卫当年统治以东人，而是接纳了以东人，并强迫以东人受割礼，意欲同化以东人。从此以后，以东人住在以色列境内，被称为以土买人。

马加比王朝因为内乱被罗马消灭后，罗马占领犹大，改为罗马的犹大省，希律被任命为加利利的总督。主前43年，帕提亚人侵袭犹大，希律逃到罗马，后由该撒亚古士督指派去收复巴勒斯坦。希律借助罗马势力，在主前33年被封为犹太王，并娶了马加比的重孙女马利亚米为第二王后，因此他有了以色列国的王位继承权。