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听得见且听得懂

2024-10-06 in , /by

撒母耳记下 12:1-13

1耶和华差遣拿单去见大卫。拿单到了大卫那里，对他说：「在一座城里有两个人，一个是富户，一个是穷人。 2 富户有许多牛群羊群。 3 穷人除了所买来养活的一只小母羊羔之外，别无所有。羊羔在他家里和他儿女一同长大，吃他所吃的，喝他所喝的，睡在他怀中，在他看来如同女儿一样。 4 有一客人来到这富户家里，富户舍不得从自己的牛群羊群中取一只预备给客人吃，却取了那穷人的羊羔，预备给客人吃。」 5 大卫就甚恼怒那人，对拿单说：「我指著永生的耶和华起誓：行这事的人该死！ 6 他必偿还羊羔四倍，因为他行这事，没有怜恤的心。」

大卫犯奸淫，谋杀乌利亚，再娶拔示巴为妻，大卫所行的这些事，耶和华甚不喜悦（原文：在雅威眼中看为恶）（撒下11:27）。神差遣先知拿单去见大卫。

拿单以大卫熟悉的羊羔当背景，说了一个比喻：一个富户为了招待客人，舍不得从自己的牛群羊群中取一只预备给客人吃，却取了穷人仅有的小羊羔，预备给客人吃。大卫听了，义愤填膺，对拿单说：「…行这事的人该死！他必偿还羊羔四倍；因为他行这事，没有怜恤的心。」拿单对大卫说：「你就是那人！…。」拿单揭发大卫暗中所行的事，宣告神对大卫家的惩罚，大卫回应拿单说：「我得罪耶和华了！」（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)!

罪如墨晕开

2024-10-04 in , /by

撒母耳记下 11:14-27

14 次日早晨，大卫写信于约押，交乌利亚随手带去， 15 信内写着说：「要派乌利亚前进，到阵势极险之处，你们便退后，使他被杀。」 16 约押围城的时候，知道敌人那里有勇士，便将乌利亚派在那里。 17 城里的人出来和约押打仗，大卫的仆人中有几个被杀的，赫人乌利亚也死了。 18 于是，约押差人去将争战的一切事告诉大卫， 19 又嘱咐使者说：「你把争战的一切事对王说完了， 20 王若发怒，问你说：『你们打仗为什么挨近城墙呢？岂不知敌人必从城上射箭吗？ 21 从前打死耶路比设[a]儿子亚比米勒的是谁呢？岂不是一个妇人从城上抛下一块上磨石来，打在他身上，他就死在提备斯吗？你们为什么挨近城墙呢？』你就说：『王的仆人赫人乌利亚也死了。』」

始祖亚当的儿子该隐，因为耶和华看中了弟弟亚伯和他的供物，就大大地发怒，变了脸色。神提醒他说：「…你若行得好，岂不蒙悦纳？你若行得不好，罪就伏在门前。它必恋慕你，你却要制伏它。」（创4:1-7）行得不好只是个起头，接着发怒变脸色，罪就伏门前恋慕该隐，他无力制伏，后来在田间杀了亚伯（创4:8），并向神掩饰推托他的罪行（创4:9）。大卫犯奸淫罪之后，罪如墨晕开，他也走与该隐同样的路，继续犯罪…

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

撒母耳记下 11:1-5

1过了一年，到列王出战的时候，大卫又差派约押，率领臣仆和以色列众人出战。他们就打败亚扪人，围攻拉巴。大卫仍住在耶路撒冷。

2 一日，太阳平西，大卫从床上起来，在王宫的平顶上游行，看见一个妇人沐浴，容貌甚美。 3 大卫就差人打听那妇人是谁，有人说：「她是以连的女儿，赫人乌利亚的妻拔示巴。」 4 大卫差人去，将妇人接来，那时她的月经才得洁净。她来了，大卫与她同房，她就回家去了。 5 于是她怀了孕，打发人去告诉大卫说：「我怀了孕。」

扫罗阵亡后，儿子伊施波设登基作以色列王，大卫则到希伯仑，作了犹大人的王（撒下2:1-11）。扫罗家和大卫家争战许久，大卫家日见强盛，扫罗家日见衰弱（撒下3:1）。大卫最后征服了扫罗家，在耶路撒冷被拥立为以色列的王。大卫登基时年30岁，在位40年；在希伯仑作犹大王7年6个月，在耶路撒冷作以色列和犹大王33年（撒下5:1-5）。大卫作王之后，接续击败了非利士人、摩押人、亚兰人、亚扪人（撒下5:17-10:19）。

当大卫的元帅约押率领以色列人攻打亚扪人首邑拉巴期间，大卫仍住耶路撒冷。一日，太阳平西，大卫睡醒，在王宫的平顶游行，看见拔示巴沐浴，大卫与她同房，她就怀了孕（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).   

离了祂，我们就不能做甚么

2024-10-02 in , /by

诗篇51篇

1 神啊，求祢按祢的慈爱怜恤我，按祢丰盛的慈悲涂抹我的过犯！
2 求祢将我的罪孽洗除净尽，并洁除我的罪！
3 因为我知道我的过犯，我的罪常在我面前。
4 我向祢犯罪，唯独得罪了祢，在祢眼前行了这恶，以致祢责备我的时候显为公义，判断我的时候显为清正。
5 我是在罪孽里生的，在我母亲怀胎的时候就有了罪。

耶稣勉励祂的门徒说：「我是葡萄树，你们是枝子。常在我里面的，我也常在他里面，这人就多结果子；因为离了我，你们就不能做甚么。（约15:5）」离了神，神的灵不在我们里面，我们就不能做甚么，扫罗王给了我们深刻的学习。

神膏抹扫罗为王，赐给他一个新心，变为新人；但是，扫罗面对压力（多如海沙般的非利士人）就自行献祭（撒上13:1-14），为了利益（上好的牛羊和一切美物）竟推托献给神（撒上15:1-21）。神厌弃扫罗作王，差遣撒母耳膏抹大卫为王，从此，耶和华的灵离开扫罗，有恶魔从耶和华那里来扰乱他（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. 

在我敌人面前，祢为我摆设筵席

2024-10-01 in , /by

撒母耳记上 27:1-12

1大卫心里说：「必有一日我死在扫罗手里，不如逃奔非利士地去。扫罗见我不在以色列的境内，就必绝望，不再寻索我。这样我可以脱离他的手。」 2 于是大卫起身，和跟随他的六百人投奔迦特王玛俄的儿子亚吉去了。 3 大卫和他的两个妻，就是耶斯列人亚希暖和做过拿八妻的迦密人亚比该，并跟随他的人，连各人的眷属，都住在迦特亚吉那里。 4 有人告诉扫罗说，大卫逃到迦特，扫罗就不再寻索他了。

大卫躲避扫罗的追杀，四处逃亡，最后他选择了逃奔非利士地去，投靠迦特王亚吉，在洗革拉住了一年零四个月。扫罗知道大卫逃到非利士人那里，就不再寻索他了（撒上27:1-12）。

这是一个聪明，也是困难的决定。大卫杀死的歌利亚是迦特人，他应该是迦特王亚吉和他的臣仆的死敌，大卫躲避扫罗，初次逃至迦特时，他借着假装疯癫，被逐出亚吉家而免遭杀害（撒上21:10-15）。再次投靠迦特王亚吉，大卫需要向亚吉显示效忠，他攻击基述人、基色人、亚玛力人之地，且不留活口，让亚吉相信自己抢掠了犹大人，取得亚吉王的信赖（撒上27:1-12），甚至被立为亚吉的护卫长（撒上28:1-2）。