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聽得見且聽得懂

2024-10-06 in , /by

撒母耳記下 12:1-13

1耶和華差遣拿單去見大衛。拿單到了大衛那裡，對他說：「在一座城裡有兩個人，一個是富戶，一個是窮人。 2 富戶有許多牛群羊群。 3 窮人除了所買來養活的一隻小母羊羔之外，別無所有。羊羔在他家裡和他兒女一同長大，吃他所吃的，喝他所喝的，睡在他懷中，在他看來如同女兒一樣。 4 有一客人來到這富戶家裡，富戶捨不得從自己的牛群羊群中取一隻預備給客人吃，卻取了那窮人的羊羔，預備給客人吃。」 5 大衛就甚惱怒那人，對拿單說：「我指著永生的耶和華起誓：行這事的人該死！ 6 他必償還羊羔四倍，因為他行這事，沒有憐恤的心。」

大衛犯姦淫，謀殺烏利亞，再娶拔示巴為妻，大衛所行的這些事，耶和華甚不喜悅（原文：在雅威眼中看為惡）（撒下11:27）。神差遣先知拿單去見大衛。

拿單以大衛熟悉的羊羔當背景，說了一個比喻：一個富戶為了招待客人，捨不得從自己的牛群羊群中取一隻預備給客人吃，卻取了窮人僅有的小羊羔，預備給客人吃。大衛聽了，義憤填膺，對拿單說：「…行這事的人該死！他必償還羊羔四倍；因為他行這事，沒有憐恤的心。」拿單對大衛說：「你就是那人！…。」拿單揭發大衛暗中所行的事，宣告神對大衛家的懲罰，大衛回應拿單說：「我得罪耶和華了！」（撒下12:1-13）

God and The Little Mermaid

2024-10-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 4:12-22.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

1 Samuel 5:1-5 (NIV)
1  After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.
2  Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon.
3  When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! They took Dagon and put him back in his place.

Verses 1-5: To me this is one of the funniest sequences in the Bible. Having captured the Israelites’ ark of the covenant, the Philistines took it to Ashdod, a major Philistine city, and placed it in the temple of their god Dagon.  They put the ark beside the statue of Dagon (who looked like a half-man, half-fish and whose name apparently means “little fish” — he was the original “Little Mermaid”!)  Yet the next morning, the Dagon statue was face-to-the-ground bowing before the ark (v3)!

罪如墨暈開

2024-10-04 in , /by

撒母耳記下 11:14-27

14 次日早晨，大衛寫信於約押，交烏利亞隨手帶去， 15 信內寫著說：「要派烏利亞前進，到陣勢極險之處，你們便退後，使他被殺。」 16 約押圍城的時候，知道敵人那裡有勇士，便將烏利亞派在那裡。 17 城裡的人出來和約押打仗，大衛的僕人中有幾個被殺的，赫人烏利亞也死了。 18 於是，約押差人去將爭戰的一切事告訴大衛， 19 又囑咐使者說：「你把爭戰的一切事對王說完了， 20 王若發怒，問你說：『你們打仗為什麼挨近城牆呢？豈不知敵人必從城上射箭嗎？ 21 從前打死耶路比設[a]兒子亞比米勒的是誰呢？豈不是一個婦人從城上拋下一塊上磨石來，打在他身上，他就死在提備斯嗎？你們為什麼挨近城牆呢？』你就說：『王的僕人赫人烏利亞也死了。』」

始祖亞當的兒子該隱，因為耶和華看中了弟弟亞伯和他的供物，就大大地發怒，變了臉色。神提醒他說：「…你若行得好，豈不蒙悅納？你若行得不好，罪就伏在門前。它必戀慕你，你卻要制伏它。」（創4:1-7）行得不好只是個起頭，接著發怒變臉色，罪就伏門前戀慕該隱，他無力制伏，後來在田間殺了亞伯（創4:8），並向神掩飾推託他的罪行（創4:9）。大衛犯姦淫罪之後，罪如墨暈開，他也走與該隱同樣的路，繼續犯罪…

Nothing Compares to God’s Presence

2024-10-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 4:12-22.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 
 
1 Samuel 4:12-22 (NIV)
12  That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line and went to Shiloh, his clothes torn and dust on his head.
13  When he arrived, there was Eli sitting on his chair by the side of the road, watching, because his heart feared for the ark of God. When the man entered the town and told what had happened, the whole town sent up a cry.

On verses 12-22:  An unnamed Benjamite returns from the Israelites’ battle against the Philistines with a report for the priest Eli. He reports that (1) the Philistines inflicted heavy losses on the Israelites, (2) his sons Hophni and Phinehas were killed in battle, and (3) the ark of God has been captured.  It’s when Eli hears the news about the ark’s capture that Eli’s response is the most dramatic, and fatal: he falls back off his chair, breaks his neck and dies. 

罪悄然而入

2024-10-03 in , /by

撒母耳記下 11:1-5

1過了一年，到列王出戰的時候，大衛又差派約押，率領臣僕和以色列眾人出戰。他們就打敗亞捫人，圍攻拉巴。大衛仍住在耶路撒冷。

2 一日，太陽平西，大衛從床上起來，在王宮的平頂上遊行，看見一個婦人沐浴，容貌甚美。 3 大衛就差人打聽那婦人是誰，有人說：「她是以連的女兒，赫人烏利亞的妻拔示巴。」 4 大衛差人去，將婦人接來，那時她的月經才得潔淨。她來了，大衛與她同房，她就回家去了。 5 於是她懷了孕，打發人去告訴大衛說：「我懷了孕。」

掃羅陣亡後，兒子伊施波設登基作以色列王，大衛則到希伯崙，作了猶大人的王（撒下2:1-11）。掃羅家和大衛家爭戰許久，大衛家日見強盛，掃羅家日見衰弱（撒下3:1）。大衛最後征服了掃羅家，在耶路撒冷被擁立爲以色列的王。大衛登基時年30歲，在位40年；在希伯崙作猶大王7年6個月，在耶路撒冷作以色列和猶大王33年（撒下5:1-5）。大衛作王之後，接續擊敗了非利士人、摩押人、亞蘭人、亞捫人（撒下5:17-10:19）。

當大衛的元帥約押率領以色列人攻打亞捫人首邑拉巴期間，大衛仍住耶路撒冷。一日，太陽平西，大衛睡醒，在王宮的平頂遊行，看見拔示巴沐浴，大衛與她同房，她就懷了孕（撒下11:1-5）。

Don’t Put Your Faith in a Box

2024-10-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 4:1-11.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

1 Samuel 4:1 (NIV)
1 And Samuel’s word came to all Israel. Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines at Aphek. 

On verse 1: Here’s some background for you.  The Philistines were Israel’s most prominent adversaries during the time of Judges and 1 Samuel.  During this time, there was ongoing conflict between the Philistines and Israel, including a period of 40 years when the Philistines occupied Israel and subjected the Israelites to oppression and servitude (Judges 13:1).   

離了祂，我們就不能做甚麼

2024-10-02 in , /by

詩篇51篇

1 神啊，求祢按祢的慈愛憐恤我，按祢豐盛的慈悲塗抹我的過犯！
2 求祢將我的罪孽洗除淨盡，並潔除我的罪！
3 因為我知道我的過犯，我的罪常在我面前。
4 我向祢犯罪，唯獨得罪了祢，在祢眼前行了這惡，以致祢責備我的時候顯為公義，判斷我的時候顯為清正。
5 我是在罪孽裡生的，在我母親懷胎的時候就有了罪。

耶穌勉勵祂的門徒說：「我是葡萄樹，你們是枝子。常在我裡面的，我也常在他裡面，這人就多結果子；因為離了我，你們就不能做甚麼。（約15:5）」離了神，神的靈不在我們裡面，我們就不能做甚麼，掃羅王給了我們深刻的學習。

神膏抹掃羅為王，賜給他一個新心，變為新人；但是，掃羅面對壓力（多如海沙般的非利士人）就自行獻祭（撒上13:1-14），為了利益（上好的牛羊和一切美物）竟推託獻給神（撒上15:1-21）。神厭棄掃羅作王，差遣撒母耳膏抹大衛為王，從此，耶和華的靈離開掃羅，有惡魔從耶和華那裡來擾亂他（撒上16:13-14）。

God Is Speaking. Are You Listening?

2024-10-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 3:1-21.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 
 
1 Samuel 3:1 (NIV)
1 The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions. 
 
On verse 1:   Why was God so rarely heard (or seen) during this time?  Is it because God was not speaking or because the people were not listening?  I believe it was the latter.  This was a time when hardly anyone truly feared God.  As Judges 21:25 tells us, instead of listening to God, “everyone did as he saw fit.” Moreover, the first chapters of 1 Samuel show us that the spiritual leaders of the nation were so set in their ways and so engrossed in their sinful practices that they did not hear God’s voice or have any perspective or insight into what God wanted to do.  There was no room for God in them.  But God was still speaking and waiting for someone to tune in.  The question is not so much: “Is God speaking?”  The question is “Are we listening?”

The Effects of Poor Parenting

2024-10-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 2:27-36.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

1 Samuel 2:27-29 (NIV)
27  Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your father’s house when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh?
28  I chose your father out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your father’s house all the offerings made with fire by the Israelites.
29  Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’

On verses 27-29:  Eli had warned and rebuked his sons for their wicked behaviour, including how they kept taking for themselves the fat parts of the offerings that were meant for the Lord (v. 16-17).  Yet beyond giving them a warning and a rebuke (v 22-25), Eli did nothing to stop his sons.  Given his sons’ corrupt and unrepentant behaviour (sleeping with the servant girls, stealing offerings, and as verse 28 says taking for granted the honour and benefits of being priests in God’s house), Eli should have removed his sons from office. 

在我敵人面前，祢為我擺設筵席

2024-10-01 in , /by

撒母耳記上 27:1-12

1大衛心裡說：「必有一日我死在掃羅手裡，不如逃奔非利士地去。掃羅見我不在以色列的境內，就必絕望，不再尋索我。這樣我可以脫離他的手。」 2 於是大衛起身，和跟隨他的六百人投奔迦特王瑪俄的兒子亞吉去了。 3 大衛和他的兩個妻，就是耶斯列人亞希暖和做過拿八妻的迦密人亞比該，並跟隨他的人，連各人的眷屬，都住在迦特亞吉那裡。 4 有人告訴掃羅說，大衛逃到迦特，掃羅就不再尋索他了。

大衛躲避掃羅的追殺，四處逃亡，最後他選擇了逃奔非利士地去，投靠迦特王亞吉，在洗革拉住了一年零四個月。掃羅知道大衛逃到非利士人那裏，就不再尋索他了（撒上27:1-12）。

這是一個聰明，也是困難的決定。大衛殺死的歌利亞是迦特人，他應該是迦特王亞吉和他的臣僕的死敵，大衛躲避掃羅，初次逃至迦特時，他藉著假裝瘋癲，被逐出亞吉家而免遭殺害（撒上21:10-15）。再次投靠迦特王亞吉，大衛需要向亞吉顯示效忠，他攻擊基述人、基色人、亞瑪力人之地，且不留活口，讓亞吉相信自己搶掠了猶大人，取得亞吉王的信賴（撒上27:1-12），甚至被立為亞吉的護衛長（撒上28:1-2）。