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三個十四代

2024-12-08 in , /by

馬太福音 1 : 3-6

猶大從她瑪氏生法勒斯和謝拉，法勒斯生希斯崙，希斯崙生亞蘭，5 撒門從喇合氏生波阿斯，波阿斯從路得氏生俄備得，俄備得生耶西， 6 耶西生大衛王。大衛從烏利亞的妻子(拔示巴)生所羅門。

聖經在很多人心中具有很神聖的地位，耶穌是彌賽亞，人類的救贖主，祂的地位更是無比崇高。因此當許多人看到耶穌的家譜上出現了四個女人的名字，都大感驚訝。
她瑪，喇合，路得，拔示巴，她們代表的是怎樣的社會地位呢？

她瑪，曾經是猶大的媳婦，猶大是雅各的四子。因為猶大的長子早死，按照猶太人的規矩，次子要為長子留後，免得長子的產業無人繼承。猶大的次子與她瑪結婚，卻不肯為哥哥留後，因此神也不給他長留人世。猶大還有一個小兒子，尚未成年；成年後，猶大卻不捨得讓他和她瑪成婚，怕萬一他又得罪神。她瑪看到小叔己成長，卻沒有來娶她，她立刻明白公公的意思。

某天她聽到公公會經過某條路去剪羊毛，於是她打扮成一個妓女蒙著臉，引誘她公公上床。因為猶大當時沒準備，所以把他的印、帶子和手杖放在她那裡。等猶大派人帶著羊羔去找她時，卻找不到她了；反而聽到她瑪懷孕的消息。他本來要懲罰她，卻不料她瑪派人把他的當頭送來。

Worship the Lord With All Your Might

2024-12-08 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 6:12-23.  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 Samuel 6:12 (NIV) 
12 Now King David was told, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing.

On verse 12:   For a season David was afraid to get near God’s presence (v9-10), but when he saw how much God had blessed Obed-Edom because Obed-Edom drew near to God’s presence, David decided that he needed the presence of God no matter what the cost.

Longing for God’s Presence

2024-12-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 6:1-11.  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 6:1-2 (NIV) 
1 David again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all. 
2 He and all his men set out from Baalah of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark.

On verses 1-2:   The ark here was a gold covered box 2.5 feet wide, 2.5 feet high, and 4 feet long.  It was where centuries before Moses would meet with God on behalf of the people (Exodus 25:22).  Why did David want to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem?  It’s because the ark of God represented the presence of God.  David longed for God’s presence to fill Jerusalem and his entire kingdom.  So he leads a massive processional of 30,000 men where together they would bring the ark of God into Jerusalem.
Like David, our greatest longing should be for God’s presence and glory to fill our marriages, homes, churches, and cities.

四個女人

2024-12-06 in , /by

馬太福音 1 : 3-6

猶大從她瑪氏生法勒斯和謝拉，法勒斯生希斯崙，希斯崙生亞蘭，5 撒門從喇合氏生波阿斯，波阿斯從路得氏生俄備得，俄備得生耶西， 6 耶西生大衛王。大衛從烏利亞的妻子(拔示巴)生所羅門。

聖經在很多人心中具有很神聖的地位，耶穌是彌賽亞，人類的救贖主，祂的地位更是無比崇高。因此當許多人看到耶穌的家譜上出現了四個女人的名字，都大感驚訝。
她瑪，喇合，路得，拔示巴，她們代表的是怎樣的社會地位呢？

她瑪，曾經是猶大的媳婦，猶大是雅各的四子。因為猶大的長子早死，按照猶太人的規矩，次子要為長子留後，免得長子的產業無人繼承。猶大的次子與她瑪結婚，卻不肯為哥哥留後，因此神也不給他長留人世。猶大還有一個小兒子，尚未成年；成年後，猶大卻不捨得讓他和她瑪成婚，怕萬一他又得罪神。她瑪看到小叔己成長，卻沒有來娶她，她立刻明白公公的意思。

某天她聽到公公會經過某條路去剪羊毛，於是她打扮成一個妓女蒙著臉，引誘她公公上床。因為猶大當時沒準備，所以把他的印、帶子和手杖放在她那裡。等猶大派人帶著羊羔去找她時，卻找不到她了；反而聽到她瑪懷孕的消息。他本來要懲罰她，卻不料她瑪派人把他的當頭送來。

耶穌基督的家譜

2024-12-05 in , /by

馬太福音 1:1 亞伯拉罕的後裔、大衛的子孫耶穌基督的家譜：

2 亞伯拉罕生以撒，以撒生雅各，雅各生猶大和他的弟兄， 3 猶大從她瑪氏生法勒斯和謝拉，法勒斯生希斯崙，希斯崙生亞蘭， 4 亞蘭生亞米拿達，亞米拿達生拿順，拿順生撒門， 5 撒門從喇合氏生波阿斯，波阿斯從路得氏生俄備得，俄備得生耶西， 6 耶西生大衛王。
大衛從烏利亞的妻子生所羅門， 7 所羅門生羅波安，羅波安生亞比雅，亞比雅生亞撒， 8 亞撒生約沙法，約沙法生約蘭，約蘭生烏西亞， 9 烏西亞生約坦，約坦生亞哈斯，亞哈斯生希西家， 10 希西家生瑪拿西，瑪拿西生亞們，亞們生約西亞， 11 百姓被遷到巴比倫的時候，約西亞生耶哥尼雅和他的弟兄。

這段簡單的記錄便是神救恩的藍圖：亞伯拉罕 — 信心之父；大衛 –- 合神心意的人；耶穌，神的兒子，祂為亞伯拉罕和大衛的一生做了總結，並彰顯神為我們所做的一切。

誰說先祖的記錄不重要呢？

耶穌來了，讓我們看到在歷史上一系列的名字，不是日子，不是節期 – 藉著這些人名，祢以恩慈和責任揀選了他們，也揀選了我們。因此，我們也以相信和喜樂的心接受祢的名，耶穌。

聖經裡所列的家譜並不像一般人所感覺的無聊和沒有意義， 相反的，這些名字所代表的，是神在他們每一個人身上的磨鍊，顯明他們和神的關係，還有神的應許怎樣一一應驗在他們身上的史實。

Don’t Just Rely On Your Experience. Look to God.

2024-12-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 5:17-25.  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 5:17-25 (NIV)
17  When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold.
18  Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim;
19  so David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” The LORD answered him, “Go, for I will surely hand the Philistines over to you.”

On verses 17-25:   There was a season in David’s life when for 16 months David had allied himself with the Philistines, such that King Achish of the Philistines thought David was fighting for them (1 Samuel 27).  So when the Philistines hear that David has now been anointed king over Israel, they must have felt in some ways betrayed and rejected by David.  So the Philistines come in full force, spreading their entire army across the Valley of Rephaim to fight David.  David inquires of the Lord, gets God’s signal to attack the Philistines, obeys God’s signal, and is victorious over the Philistines (v19-20). 

祂來（待降節期的渴慕）

2024-12-04 in , /by

腓立比書 2:6-7  祂本有神的形象，不以自己與神同等為強奪的， 7 反倒虛己，取了奴僕的形象，成為人的樣式。

「待降」(Advent)拉丁文的意思是「來臨」，就是等待耶穌基督的降臨，一方面紀念祂曾降臨，另方面則期待祂二次降臨。「待降」節期包含四個禮拜，就是聖誕節的前四個禮拜，一般都從十一月最後主日算起，持續四個主日，直到聖誕節達到節慶高潮。

祂在耶和華面前生長如嫩芽，像根出於乾地。祂無佳形美容；我們看見祂的時候，也無美貌使我們羨慕祂。祂被藐視，被人厭棄；多受痛苦，常經憂患。祂被藐視，好像被人掩面不看的一樣；我們也不尊重祂。祂誠然擔當我們的憂患，背負我們的痛苦；我們卻以為祂受責罰，被神擊打苦待了。哪知祂為我們的過犯受害，為我們的罪孽壓傷。因祂受的刑罰，我們得平安；因祂受的鞭傷，我們得醫治。我們都如羊走迷；各人偏行己路；耶和華使我們眾人的罪孽都歸在祂身上。（以賽亞書53:2-6）

祂來，本有神的形象，反到虛己，撇下天上榮華，成為世人模樣，
如此榮耀的君王，竟降生在馬槽，謙謙卑卑，靜靜悄悄。

祂來，願做罪人良友，為世人的罪過，流血犧牲，愛到毫無保留，
而祂深愛的人啊，悖逆不認識祂，我主耶穌，曾否心傷？

祂來，使罪奴得釋放，應許凡擔勞苦，重擔的人，就近祂得輕省，
人們為何不肯 放手全交給祂，寧願受苦，寧願疲乏！

God Promotes You For The Sake of Others

2024-12-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 5:1-16.  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 Samuel 5:1-5 (NIV)
1  All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood.
2  In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the LORD said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.'”
3  When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a compact with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel.
4  David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.
5  In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

On verses 1-5:  Here David finally becomes the official king over all of Israel.  Notice that when David finally became king over all of Israel, it wasn’t because he single-handedly grabbed that title and forced himself upon the nation.  Rather verses 1-2 say it was the tribes of Israel — all of them — who approached David and who affirmed the calling God had on David’s life for David to be their shepherd and ruler.  Then all the elders of Israel came to David and anointed him king (v3).

One Way NOT to Build God’s Kingdom

2024-12-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 4:1-12.  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 4:1-12 (NIV)
1  When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed.
2  Now Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding bands. One was named Baanah and the other Recab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the tribe of Benjamin–Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin,
3  because the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim and have lived there as aliens to this day.

On verses 1-12:  In the book of 2 Samuel, David must contend with men who think they are helping David establish his kingdom by doing some very evil things.  For example, in 2 Samuel 3, Joab tells David that he does not trust Abner and then murders Abner.  Here in 2 Samuel 4 we see two brothers called Baanah and Recab who do something horrendous in the name of “building David’s kingdom”.

生命的糧

2024-12-03 in , /by

約翰福音6:35   耶穌說：我就是生命的糧。

糧食給人帶來飽足，持續人的生命，給人力量，維持人的生命力。所有生物，都需要糧食，需要吃，生命才能維繫。

上帝給人的設定，就是要吃，才能活。吃的背後，有千萬個化學反應，才能使人得供應。這些反應，我們不全然知道。而且是我們不知道時，已經設定在我們內。

「信耶穌」得到新生命，也是一樣，信主之後，我們有多少生命的作用與反應，我們也不知道。單純的信與單純的吃，是生命的所需。「耶穌說：我就是生命的糧。」，是何等寶貴的應許。信耶穌，是就受主，有主的生命，活出主生命。