2/4/2020
Judges 14:1-3
14 參 孫 下 到 亭 拿 ， 在 那 裡 看 見 一 個 女 子 ， 是 非 利 士 人 的 女 兒 。
2 參 孫 上 來 稟 告 他 父 母 說 ： 我 在 亭 拿 看 見 一 個 女 子 ， 是 非 利 士 人 的 女 兒 ， 願 你 們 給 我 娶 來 為 妻 。
3 他 父 母 說 ： 在 你 弟 兄 的 女 兒 中 ， 或 在 本 國 的 民 中 ， 豈 沒 有 一 個 女 子 ， 何 至 你 去 在 未 受 割 禮 的 非 利 士 人 中 娶 妻 呢 ？ 參 孫 對 他 父 親 說 ： 願 你 給 我 娶 那 女 子 ， 因 我 喜 悅 他 。
對我的單身朋友：我認為對年輕單身人士來說，最艱難的考驗之一是在約會/結婚時聽取父母的建議。 但是，請記住，上帝出於某種原因使他們成為您的父母，並可以通過他們與您說話。 他們很了解你。 因此，在拒絕他們的建議之前，請三思。 沙洛姆。 :)-邁克

2/5/2020
Judges 15:18-19 Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the LORD, “You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19 Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore, and it is still there in Lehi.
士師記15 ：18－19
18 參 孫 甚 覺 口 渴 ， 就 求 告 耶 和 華 說 ： 你 既 藉 僕 人 的 手 施 行 這 麼 大 的 拯 救 ， 豈 可 任 我 渴 死 、 落 在 未 受 割 禮 的 人 手 中 呢 ？
19 神 就 使 利 希 的 窪 處 裂 開 ， 有 水 從 其 中 湧 出 來 。 參 孫 喝 了 ， 精 神 復 原 ； 因 此 那 泉 名 叫 隱 哈 歌 利 ， 那 泉 直 到 今 日 還 在 利 希 。

It really encourages me to see no matter the sins/mistakes of Samson, when he cried out to the LORD, the LORD hears his prayers. No matter what sins/mistakes you have done in the distant past or even just now, God cares how you are relating to Him at this moment. Are you willing to turn to Him, cry out to Him, receive His mercy and grace to continue to live for and serve Him?
It really encourages me to see no matter the sins/mistakes of Samson, when he cried out to the LORD, the LORD hears his prayers. No matter what sins/mistakes you have done in the distant參孫的罪惡，這實在鼓舞著我，當他向耶和華呼求時，耶和華聽見了他的祈禱。 無論您在遙遠的過去或什至是剛剛犯下的過錯/過失，上帝都在乎您此時與祂的關係。 您願意轉向他，向他大聲呼喊，接受他的憐憫和恩典繼續為他生活和服務嗎？
參孫的罪惡，這實在鼓舞著我，當他向耶和華呼求時，耶和華聽見了他的祈禱。 無論您在遙遠的地方犯了什麼罪/錯

2/6/2020
Judges 16:4-5 Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. 5 The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”
士師記16：4－5
4 後 來 ， 參 孫 在 梭 烈 谷 喜 愛 一 個 婦 人 ， 名 叫 大 利 拉 。
5 非 利 士 人 的 首 領 上 去 見 那 婦 人 ， 對 他 說 ： 求 你 誆 哄 參 孫 ， 探 探 他 因 何 有 這 麼 大 的 力 氣 ， 我 們 用 何 法 能 勝 他 ， 捆 綁 剋 制 他 。 我 們 就 每 人 給 你 一 千 一 百 舍 客 勒 銀 子 。

Judges 16 is packed with lessons for us through the story of Samson and Delilah. Actually, the story is not about Delilah (a lost sinner in need of the knowing of God) but about Samson’s sins unchecked which lead to his ultimate downfall. Some lessons: 1) Giving our heart to someone who is opposed to God is dangerous 2) Samson was blinded by his lust before ever being blinded physically by his enemies 3) Get out of an abusive dating relationship quickly 4) Samson forgot his abilities by the grace of God 5) God’s grace is available even when we have ruined our life.

士師記16章通過參孫和得拉的故事為我們提供了很多教訓。 實際上，這個故事不是關於Delilah（一個需要了解上帝的迷失的罪人），而是關於Samson的罪惡，他們導致了他的最終覆滅。 一些教訓：1）給與上帝對立的人一顆心是危險的2）參孫在被敵人敵人蒙蔽之前就被他的慾望蒙蔽了3）很快擺脫了虐待性約會關係4）參孫由於忘記了自己的能力 神的恩典5）即使我們毀了我們的生活，神的恩典也是可以得到的。

2/7/2020
Judges 7:1-2 Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim 2 said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have that silver with me; I took it.”

Then his mother said, “The LORD bless you, my son!”
士 師 記 7:1-2
7 耶 路 巴 力 就 是 基 甸 ， 他 和 一 切 跟 隨 的 人 早 晨 起 來 ， 在 哈 律 泉 旁 安 營 。 米 甸 營 在 他 們 北 邊 的 平 原 ， 靠 近 摩 利 岡 。
2 耶 和 華 對 基 甸 說 ： 跟 隨 你 的 人 過 多 ， 我 不 能 將 米 甸 人 交 在 他 們 手 中 ， 免 得 以 色 列 人 向 我 誇 大 ， 說 ： 是 我 們 自 己 的 手 救 了 我 們 。

Judges 17 certainly recorded some strange things: 1) A son steals from his mom 2) A mom encourages her son to make an idol 3) A Levite (Priest) goes rogue and sells his service to whoever would hire him 4) All these things happening while they are correctly calling God’s name - LORD (translate from Hebrew “Yaweh”).
The writer of Judges knows the people reading this would think this is weird, so he explains in vs. 6 “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.”

Could these things happen today? You bet. As long as people don’t make a habit of checking their decisions with God’s word, they can easily fall into similar sins - stealing, idolatry, spiritual corruption, etc.. Most importantly is asking God, what are things I have not checked with Your word and done them my own way? May the LORD guide all of our decisions - big and small. Shalom. :)

士師記17當然記錄了一些奇怪的事情：1）一個兒子從他媽媽那裡偷竊2）一個媽媽鼓勵她的兒子做偶像3）一個勒維特（牧師）流氓向任何僱用他的人出售服務4）所有這些 當他們正確地稱呼神的名字-耶和華時發生（從希伯來語“ Yaweh”翻譯而來）。
法官的作者知道讀這本書的人會覺得這很奇怪，因此他在第6節中解釋說：“那時以色列沒有國王； 每個人都按照自己認為合適的方式做。”

這些事情今天會發生嗎？ 你打賭 只要人們不習慣用神的話語來檢查自己的決定，他們就很容易陷入類似的罪惡中，例如偷竊，偶像崇拜，精神腐敗等。最重要的是問神，我沒有檢查過哪些東西 你說了算，用自己的方式做到了嗎？ 願耶和華指導我們所有大小的決定。 沙洛姆。 :
2/8/2020

Judges 18:19 They answered him, “Be quiet! Don’t say a word. Come with us, and be our father and priest. Isn’t it better that you serve a tribe and clan in Israel as priest rather than just one man’s household?” 20 The priest was very pleased. He took the ephod, the household gods and the idol and went along with the people.
士 師 記 18:19
19 他 們 回 答 說 ： 不 要 作 聲 ， 用 手 摀 口 ， 跟 我 們 去 罷 ！ 我 們 必 以 你 為 父 、 為 祭 司 。 你 作 一 家 的 祭 司 好 呢 ？ 還 是 作 以 色 列 一 族 一 支 派 的 祭 司 好 呢 ？
士 師 記 18:20
20 祭 司 心 裡 喜 悅 ， 便 拿 著 以 弗 得 和 家 中 的 神 像 ， 並 雕 刻 的 像 ， 進 入 他 們 中 間 。

What lessons can we learn from the corrupt Levite priest? The love of fame, power, money, and pleasures have always been the snares of mankind from the beginning of history. Only by the grace of God and the Spirit of God can we escape these temptations. Even people who don’t know the LORD should know that it is by the grace of God that they can escape these traps. I can only credit the grace of God that before I became a Christian, God by His mercy and grace protect me from many sins. Take a moment to thank the LORD for the multitude of sins He has rescued you from in your life! Shalom. :)

我們可以從腐敗的利未祭司那裡學到什麼教訓？ 從歷史開始，對名利，權力，金錢和享樂的熱愛一直是人類的陷阱。 只有靠上帝的恩典和上帝的靈，我們才能擺脫這些試探。 即使是不認識耶和華的人也應該知道，靠著上帝的恩典，他們才能擺脫這些陷阱。 我只能讚美上帝的恩典，在我成為基督徒之前，上帝藉著他的憐憫和恩典保護我免受許多罪惡。 花點時間感謝耶和華為您救出的許多罪孽！ 沙洛姆。 :)

2/9/2020
Judges 19:22 While they were celebrating, behold, the men of the city, certain worthless fellows, surrounded the house, pounding the door; and they spoke to the owner of the house, the old man, saying, “Bring out the man who came into your house that we may have relations with him.” (NASB)
士 師 記 19:
22 他 們 心 裡 正 歡 暢 的 時 候 ， 城 中 的 匪 徒 圍 住 房 子 ， 連 連 叩 門 ， 對 房 主 老 人 說 ： 你 把 那 進 你 家 的 人 帶 出 來 ， 我 們 要 與 他 交 合 。

This scene in Judges 19 is strikingly similar to what Lot encountered when the 2 angels visited him before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19). No one would imagine Sodom and Gomorrah could happen again among the 12 tribes. Yet it did, except this time God did not judge them in the same way. Let’s pray today that Sodom and Gomorrah will not happen in our days. Pray for God to cleanse people and bring them back to a right relationship with Him.
士師記19中的場面與羅得在所多瑪和蛾摩拉（創世紀19）被毀之前兩個天使探訪他時所遇到的場景極為相似。 沒有人會想到多瑪和戈莫拉會在這12個部落中再次發生。 但事實確實如此，只是這次上帝沒有以同樣的方式審判他們。 今天，我們祈禱索多瑪和戈莫拉在我們的時代不會發生。 祈求上帝潔淨人們，使他們回到與祂的正確關係。

2/10/2020
Judges 20:34 When ten thousand choice men from all Israel came against Gibeah, the battle became fierce; but Benjamin did not know that disaster was close to them. 35 And the LORD struck Benjamin before Israel, so that the sons of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin that day, all who draw the sword. (NASB)
士 師 記 20:34
34 有 以 色 列 人 中 的 一 萬 精 兵 ， 來 到 基 比 亞 前 接 戰 ， 勢 派 甚 是 凶 猛 ； 便 雅 憫 人 卻 不 知 道 災 禍 臨 近 了 。
士 師 記 20:35
35 耶 和 華 使 以 色 列 人 殺 敗 便 雅 憫 人 。 那 日 ， 以 色 列 人 殺 死 便 雅 憫 人 二 萬 五 千 一 百 ， 都 是 拿 刀 的 。

The tribe of Benjamin “did not know that disaster was close to them.” How can we know if disaster is close to us? Or in other words, how can we not know when disaster is close to us? Have you ignored anything God is saying to you? Have you ignored anything people have been saying to you? When we ignore warnings from God or people, then disaster may be close to us. Sometimes, the disaster takes a while, or sometimes it comes suddenly. Most importantly is do we heed the warnings and avoid the disaster? Shalom. :)
本傑明部落“不知道災難就在他們附近。” 我們怎麼知道災難是否臨近我們？ 或者換句話說，我們怎麼不知道何時災難臨近？ 你有沒有忽略上帝對你說的話？ 您是否忽略了別人對您說的任何話？ 當我們無視來自上帝或人民的警告時，災難可能就在我們身邊。 有時，災難需要一段時間，或者有時會突然發生。 最重要的是我們是否注意警告並避免災難？ 沙洛姆。 :)

2/11/2020
Judges 21:16 Then the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?” 17 They said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe will not be blotted out from Israel.
士 師 記 21:16
16 會 中 的 長 老 說 ： 便 雅 憫 中 的 女 子 既 然 除 滅 了 ， 我 們 當 怎 樣 辦 理 、 使 那 餘 剩 的 人 有 妻 呢 ？
士 師 記 21:17
17 又 說 ： 便 雅 憫 逃 脫 的 人 當 有 地 業 ， 免 得 以 色 列 中 塗 抹 了 一 個 支 派 。

As Valentine’s Day approaches, young single people may be thinking about relationships. What is the purpose of marriage? It’s to raise up a godly family that would fear and serve the LORD. Sometimes the search can become so complicated. I remember as a young single Christian, when I meet sisters in the fellowship, I would be excited at first to know them, but after a while would start to see this flaw or that flaw in them, and then take them off my list. Is the goal to find the “flawless” person? Maybe that “flawless” person is just someone who is better at hiding their flaws. Regardless, the most important question is whether they have a relationship with the LORD? If so, God can take care of the details and just trust in Him! Shalom. :)
隨著情人節的臨近，年輕的單身人士可能正在思考戀愛關係。 結婚的目的是什麼？ 是要建立一個敬畏敬畏耶和華的家庭。 有時搜索可能變得如此復雜。 我還記得，作為一個年輕的單身基督徒，當我在團契中遇到姐妹時，我首先會很高興認識他們，但是過了一會兒就會開始看到他們中的缺陷或缺陷，然後將他們從我的名單上刪除。 尋找“完美”人的目標是？ 也許那個“完美無瑕”的人只是一個善於掩飾自己缺點的人。 無論如何，最重要的問題是他們是否與耶和華有關係？ 如果是這樣，上帝可以照顧細節，只相信他！ 沙洛姆。 :)

2/12/2020

Ruth 1:16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.”
路 得 記 1:16
16 路 得 說 ： 不 要 催 我 回 去 不 跟 隨 你 。 你 往 哪 裡 去 ， 我 也 往 那 裡 去 ； 你 在 哪 裡 住 宿 ， 我 也 在 那 裡 住 宿 ； 你 的 國 就 是 我 的 國 ， 你 的 神 就 是 我 的 神 。
路 得 記 1:17
17 你 在 哪 裡 死 ， 我 也 在 那 裡 死 ， 也 葬 在 那 裡 。 除 非 死 能 使 你 我 相 離 ！ 不 然 ， 願 耶 和 華 重 重 地 降 罰 與 我 。

Ruth’s commitment to her dead husband’s mother-in-law is nothing short of extraordinary. What caused her to be so committed? I believe her commitment started the moment she, as a Moabitess, decided to marry an Israelite (God’s people) husband . She already decided to follow her husband when she got married. Even though her husband died, she continues to be committed to her decision to follow her husband’s family. May God give us wisdom from the example of Ruth. Shalom. :)
露絲（Ruth）對已故丈夫的婆婆的承諾無與倫比。 是什麼使她如此忠誠？ 我相信她的承諾始於她作為Moabites成員決定與一個以色列人（上帝的人民）丈夫結婚的那一刻。 結婚後，她已經決定跟隨丈夫。 即使丈夫去世了，她仍然繼續致力於跟隨丈夫的家人。 願上帝從露絲的榜樣中給我們智慧。 沙洛姆。 :)

2/13/2020

Ruth 3:11 Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. 12 May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” (NIV)
路 得 記 3:11
11 女 兒 啊 ， 現 在 不 要 懼 怕 ， 凡 你 所 說 的 ， 我 必 照 著 行 ； 我 本 城 的 人 都 知 道 你 是 個 賢 德 的 女 子 。
路 得 記 3:12
12 我 實 在 是 你 一 個 至 近 的 親 屬 ， 只 是 還 有 一 個 人 比 我 更 近 。

May the LORD reward you for your faithfulness and struggles to keep His word. When you received Christ as your LORD and Savior, you have come under the wings of the LORD, the God of Israel to seek refuge. You have left the old way of life under the bondage of sin, being set free to serve the living God. In your struggles against sin and in keeping His word, remember your reward is from God, not from man. There may be encouragement from fellow brothers/sisters as you follow the LORD, but those are never the source of your satisfaction. Your satisfaction is in a deeper communion with the LORD
. 願耶和華因你的忠心和為遵守他的道而作的努力回報你。 當你接受基督作為你的耶和華和救主時，你就來到以色列的上帝耶和華的翅膀下尋求庇護。 你們在罪的束縛下離開了舊的生活方式，被釋放為服務永生的上帝。 在你與罪惡作鬥爭並遵守他的話時，要記住你的獎賞是來自上帝，而不是人。 當您跟隨耶和華時，可能會得到兄弟姐妹的鼓勵，但這些從來都不是您滿意的源頭。 您的滿意是與耶和華的更深交流。

2/14/2020
Ruth 3:5 “I will do whatever you say,” Ruth answered. 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.
11 And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character.

路 得 記 3:5-6
5 路 得 說 ： 凡 你 所 吩 咐 的 ， 我 必 遵 行 。
6 路 得 就 下 到 場 上 ， 照 他 婆 婆 所 吩 咐 他 的 而 行 。
路 得 記 3:11 11 女 兒 啊 ， 現 在 不 要 懼 怕 ， 凡 你 所 說 的 ， 我 必 照 著 行 ； 我 本 城 的 人 都 知 道 你 是 個 賢 德 的 女 子 。

Ruth has shown she is a woman of noble character by her commitment to her dead husband’s mother Naomi. She has embraced Naomi’s people and the God of Israel. She has followed all that her mother-in-law told her to do. She is truly a woman of noble character. We can be people of noble character - if we are submissive to the LORD and to each other in Christ, not seeking only our own interests, but also the interests of others, seeing others as more important than ourselves. May the LORD do a great work in our hearts to make us people of noble character. Shalom. :)
露絲（Ruth）對已故丈夫的母親內奧米（Naomi）的承諾表明，她是一位高尚的女人。 她擁抱了納奧米的人民和以色列的上帝。 她一直按照婆婆的指示去做。 她確實是一位高尚的女人。 我們可以成為高尚品格的人-如果我們順服耶和華，在基督裡彼此順服，不僅追求自己的利益，也追求他人的利益，認為他人比我們自己更重要。 願耶和華在我們心中做偉大的工作，使我們成為高尚的人。 沙洛姆。 :)

2/15/2020
Ruth 4:16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. 17 The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
路 得 記 4:16-17
16 拿 俄 米 就 把 孩 子 抱 在 懷 中 ， 作 他 的 養 母 。
17 鄰 舍 的 婦 人 說 ： 拿 俄 米 得 孩 子 了 ！ 就 給 孩 子 起 名 叫 俄 備 得 。 這 俄 備 得 是 耶 西 的 父 ， 耶 西 是 大 衛 的 父 。

The ultimate purpose of the Book of Ruth is to tell us how God provided the Redeemer for the world through the line of king David. Through the tragedy of the deaths of Naomi’s husband and sons, selflessness and commitment of Ruth to her mother-in-law, generosity and kindness of Boaz, obedience of Ruth to Naomi, and the supernatural acts of God to bring Ruth to Boaz and Boaz to redeem the inheritance of Naomi’s family, we see God’s hands in every single details of their lives. Do you see God’s hands in every single detail of your life? Whatever you went through and are going through right now will not be wasted if you place all of your life into God’s hands. May He weave a beautiful story in your life for His glory. Shalom. :)
《路得記》的最終目的是告訴我們上帝如何通過大衛王的路線向世界提供救贖主。 經歷了娜奧米丈夫和兒子去世的悲劇，露絲對婆婆的無私奉獻和承諾，波阿斯的慷慨與善良，露絲對拿俄米的服從以及上帝將露絲帶給波阿斯和波阿斯的超自然行為 為了贖回拿俄米一家的遺產，我們在他們生活的每個細節中都看到了上帝的手。 您在生活的每個細節中都看到神的手嗎？ 如果您將一生都投入上帝的手中，那麼無論您經歷了什麼，現在正在經歷的一切，都不會浪費。 願他為你的榮耀編織一個美麗的故事。 沙洛姆。 :)

2/16/2020
1 Samuel 1:22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “I will not go up until the child is weaned; then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD and stay there forever.” 23 Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you. Remain until you have weaned him; only may the LORD confirm His word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him.
撒 母 耳 記 上 1:22-23
22 哈 拿 卻 沒 有 上 去 ， 對 丈 夫 說 ： 等 孩 子 斷 了 奶 ， 我 便 帶 他 上 去 朝 見 耶 和 華 ， 使 他 永 遠 住 在 那 裡 。
23 他 丈 夫 以 利 加 拿 說 ： 就 隨 你 的 意 行 罷 ！ 可 以 等 兒 子 斷 了 奶 。 但 願 耶 和 華 應 驗 他 的 話 。 於 是 婦 人 在 家 裡 乳 養 兒 子 ， 直 到 斷 了 奶 ；

Reading again the story of Hannah praying for a son from God and vowing to dedicated her son to serve the LORD all the days of his life as a Nazirite, touched my heart to see how she kept her vow to the LORD even though it means giving up her first-born son to serve the LORD, not being with him and see him grow up in her home. Not only did Hannah keep her vow to God, but her husband agreed to keep her vow as well. In the OT, the husband can nullify the vow of his wife (refer to Numbers 30:13-15). Yet, Elkanah did not do that because he knows it is God’s will. May God help us to be people of integrity, let our “yes” be “yes” and “no” be “no.” Shalom. :)
再讀一次漢娜為納粹祈禱的兒子的故事，並誓言要獻出自己的兒子為納粹分子一生奉獻給耶和華，這使我感動不已，儘管她意味著 她的長子要服侍耶和華，不要與他同在，要看見他在她家里長大。 漢娜不僅向上帝宣誓，而且丈夫也同意向上帝宣誓。 在舊約中，丈夫可以廢除妻子的誓言（請參閱民數記30：13-15）。 但是，以利加那並沒有這麼做，因為他知道這是上帝的旨意。 願上帝幫助我們成為正直的人，讓我們的“是”為“是”，“不”為“不”。 沙洛姆。 :)

2/17/2020
1 Samuel 2:29 Why do you kick at My sacrifice and at My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling, and honor your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the choicest of every offering of My people Israel?’ 30 Therefore the LORD God of Israel declares, ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever’; but now the LORD declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed.
撒 母 耳 記 上 2:29-30
29 我 所 吩 咐 獻 在 我 居 所 的 祭 物 ， 你 們 為 何 踐 踏 ？ 尊 重 你 的 兒 子 過 於 尊 重 我 ， 將 我 民 以 色 列 所 獻 美 好 的 祭 物 肥 己 呢 ？
30 因 此 ， 耶 和 華 ─ 以 色 列 的 神 說 ： 我 曾 說 ， 你 和 你 父 家 必 永 遠 行 在 我 面 前 ； 現 在 我 卻 說 ， 決 不 容 你 們 這 樣 行 。 因 為 尊 重 我 的 ， 我 必 重 看 他 ； 藐 視 我 的 ， 他 必 被 輕 視

God has made His principle very clear - “for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed.” There is no way to get around this. No matter how great we become in our life, this principle remains. Whether we have done great things for God in the past or attain great positions in the world, we can’t escape this principle. In Eli’s case, he failed to discipline his sons for their disregard of the holy things of the LORD and even joined in what they were doing. May God grant us a humble heart, so that every day we will look to the LORD and say, “Here I am, I have come to do Your will.”
上帝已經清楚地表明了他的原則：“對於那些尊敬我的人，我將予以尊敬，而那些鄙視我的人將受到輕視。” 沒有辦法解決這個問題。 不管我們在生活中變得多麼偉大，這個原則仍然存在。 無論我們過去為上帝做過偉大的事情，還是在世界上獲得了重要地位，我們都無法逃脫這一原則。 在以利的情況下，他未能對兒子們進行管教，因為他們無視耶和華的聖潔事物，甚至加入了他們所做的事情。 願上帝賜予我們謙卑的心，以便我們每天仰望耶和華說：“我在這裡，我來遵行了您的旨意。”

2/18/2020
1 Samuel 3: 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor had the word of the LORD yet been revealed to him. 8 So the LORD called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli discerned that the LORD was calling the boy. 9 And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
撒 母 耳 記 上 3:7-9
7 那 時 撒 母 耳 還 未 認 識 耶 和 華 ， 也 未 得 耶 和 華 的 默 示 。
8 耶 和 華 第 三 次 呼 喚 撒 母 耳 。 撒 母 耳 起 來 ， 到 以 利 那 裡 ， 說 ： 你 又 呼 喚 我 ？ 我 在 這 裡 。 以 利 才 明 白 是 耶 和 華 呼 喚 童 子 。
9 因 此 以 利 對 撒 母 耳 說 ： 你 仍 去 睡 罷 ； 若 再 呼 喚 你 ， 你 就 說 ： 耶 和 華 啊 ， 請 說 ， 僕 人 敬 聽 ！ 撒 母 耳 就 去 ， 仍 睡 在 原 處 。

In 1 Samuel 3, we see the story of how Samuel was called to be a prophet of the LORD. Samuel did not yet have a personal relationship with the LORD, even though he was serving in the temple. He didn’t know it was the LORD who was calling him. The only one he knew would be calling his name is his boss - Eli the priest. Jesus’ disciples have the responsibility to help others to first have a personal relationship with the LORD, and then disciple them to listen to and obey the LORD through prayer, reading the Bible, spiritual counsel, and other ways God speaks. I learned a lot of this through the workbook “Experiencing God” by Henry Blackaby. May God help us to know Him more. Shalom. :)
在《撒母耳記》第1章3中，我們看到了有關撒母耳是如何被稱為耶和華的先知的故事。 撒母耳雖然在聖殿中服事，但尚未與耶和華建立私人關係。 他不知道是耶和華在呼喚他。 他唯一會叫他名字的人是他的老闆-祭司以利。 耶穌的門徒有責任幫助其他人先與耶和華建立個人關係，然後再通過祈禱，閱讀聖經，靈性建議和其他上帝說話的方式，使他們門徒去聽並服從耶和華。 我通過亨利·布萊克比（Henry Blackaby）的“體驗上帝”工作簿中學到了很多。 願上帝幫助我們更多地了解他。 沙洛姆。 :)

2/19/2020
1 Samuel 4:3 When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us take to ourselves from Shiloh the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that it may come among us and deliver us from the power of our enemies.”
撒 母 耳 記 上 4:3
3 百 姓 回 到 營 裡 ， 以 色 列 的 長 老 說 ： 耶 和 華 今 日 為 何 使 我 們 敗 在 非 利 士 人 面 前 呢 ？ 我 們 不 如 將 耶 和 華 的 約 櫃 從 示 羅 抬 到 我 們 這 裡 來 ， 好 在 我 們 中 間 救 我 們 脫 離 敵 人 的 手 。

10 So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent; and the slaughter was very great, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
撒 母 耳 記 上 4:10-11
10 非 利 士 人 和 以 色 列 人 打 仗 ， 以 色 列 人 敗 了 ， 各 向 各 家 奔 逃 ， 被 殺 的 人 甚 多 ， 以 色 列 的 步 兵 仆 倒 了 三 萬 。
11 神 的 約 櫃 被 擄 去 ， 以 利 的 兩 個 兒 子 何 弗 尼 、 非 尼 哈 也 都 被 殺 了 。

In 1 Samuel 4, the LORD fulfilled His judgment on Eli and his 2 sons for their sins of not regarding the things of the LORD as holy. It started with the defeat of Israel by the Philistines. Then they made a huge mistake of taking the ark of the covenant of the LORD to the battle field. Not only were they defeated, but the ark was captured by the Philistines. Eli was worried about the ark even more than about his sons because he knows his chief responsibility is to guard the ark of God as the priest. There are a lot of things that can be said about what happened. Eli first lost control of his sons, then Eli lost control of his spiritual authority by letting the elders have their way with the ark, finally Eli lost his life after hearing the news the ark was taken, and Eli lost his daughter-in-law as she bears a son. His daughter-in-law lost all hope saying, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God was taken.” (v.22)

What should we do after a major spiritual defeat? First, recognize God is not defined by the thing that failed, whether it is a ministry, spiritual commitments, relationships, etc... The spiritual defeat does not mean God is gone. God is still there and His glory will not be defined by anything that we can see. Even in utter darkness, God is still glorious. So, let us not look at anything in the world as what “defines” God for you. Whether it is a church, ministry, spiritual commitments, relationships, etc.. God’s glory remains if we are willing to continue seeking Him. Shalom. :) 在撒母耳記下4章，耶和華對以利和他的兩個兒子沒有按耶和華的事為聖的罪完成了他的審判。它始於非利士人擊敗以色列。然後他們犯了一個重大錯誤，把耶和華的約櫃帶到戰場上。他們不僅被擊敗，而且方舟被非利士人俘虜。以利比他的兒子更擔心方舟，因為他知道他的主要責任是守護神的方舟。關於發生的事情，有很多事情可以說。以利首先失去了對兒子的控制權，然後讓長者與方舟相依，從而失去了精神權威的控制，在聽到方舟被捕的消息後，以利最終喪生，以利失去了兒daughter婦因為她有一個兒子。他的daughter婦失去了所有希望，說：“榮耀已經離開以色列，因為上帝的約櫃被奪了。” （第22節）

在重大精神挫敗之後我們該怎麼辦？首先，認識到上帝不是由失敗的事物所定義的，無論是事工，屬靈的承諾，人際關係等。屬靈的失敗並不意味著上帝已經消失。上帝仍在那兒，我們所能看到的一切都不會定義他的榮耀。即使在完全黑暗中，上帝仍然是光榮的。因此，讓我們不要看世界上任何事物為您“定義”上帝。無論是教堂，事工，屬靈的承諾，人際關係等等。如果我們願意繼續尋求神，神的榮耀依然存在。沙洛姆。 :)

2/20/2020
5:1 Now the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.
6 Now the hand of the LORD was heavy on the Ashdodites, and He ravaged them and smote them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territories.
5 非 利 士 人 將 神 的 約 櫃 從 以 便 以 謝 抬 到 亞 實 突 。
6 耶 和 華 的 手 重 重 加 在 亞 實 突 人 身 上 ， 敗 壞 他 們 ， 使 他 們 生 痔 瘡 。 亞 實 突 和 亞 實 突 的 四 境 都 是 如 此 。

After the Philistines captured the ark of God from Israel, they tried to first place it in their temple, but found their god’s statute was cut to pieces during the night. Then God started to afflict them with tumors and many Philistines died. Today, getting a tumor or cancer in the body is very scary. Yet, I hope through the story, you see that God is in control of the tumors. When we know God is in control of all these things, then we can have faith that our loving God will not leave us at the mercy of any deadly sickness, but He has power over all these diseases. Shalom. :)
非利士人從以色列手中奪取了上帝的約櫃之後，他們試圖首先將其放置在他們的聖殿中，但發現他們的上帝的法規在夜間被粉碎了。 然後上帝開始用腫瘤折磨他們，許多非利士人死了。 如今，體內出現腫瘤或癌症非常令人恐懼。 但是，我希望通過這個故事，您可以看到上帝控制了這些腫瘤。 當我們知道上帝控制了所有這些事情時，我們就可以相信，我們慈愛的上帝不會讓我們任由任何致命的疾病擺佈，但他擁有控制所有這些疾病的能力。 沙洛姆。 :)

2/21/2020
1 Samuel 6:2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we shall send it to its place.” 3 They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty; but you shall surely return to Him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you.”
2 非 利 士 人 將 祭 司 和 占 卜 的 聚 了 來 ， 問 他 們 說 ： 我 們 向 耶 和 華 的 約 櫃 應 當 怎 樣 行 ？ 請 指 示 我 們 用 何 法 將 約 櫃 送 回 原 處 。
3 他 們 說 ： 若 要 將 以 色 列 神 的 約 櫃 送 回 去 ， 不 可 空 空 地 送 去 ， 必 要 給 他 獻 賠 罪 的 禮 物 ， 然 後 你 們 可 得 痊 愈 ， 並 知 道 他 的 手 為 何 不 離 開 你 們 。

5 So you shall make likenesses of your tumors and likenesses of your mice that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will ease His hand from you, your gods, and your land. 6 Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had severely dealt with them, did they not allow the people to go, and they departed? 撒 母 耳 記 上 6:5 Chinese Union Version (Traditional) (CUV)
5 所 以 當 製 造 你 們 痔 瘡 的 像 和 毀 壞 你 們 田 地 老 鼠 的 像 ， 並 要 歸 榮 耀 給 以 色 列 的 神 ， 或 者 他 向 你 們 和 你 們 的 神 ， 並 你 們 的 田 地 ， 把 手 放 輕 些 。

9 Watch, if it goes up by the way of its own territory to Beth-shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us; it happened to us by chance.” 撒 母 耳 記 上 6:9 Chinese Union Version (Traditional) (CUV)
9 你 們 要 看 看 ： 車 若 直 行 以 色 列 的 境 界 到 伯 示 麥 去 ， 這 大 災 就 是 耶 和 華 降 在 我 們 身 上 的 ； 若 不 然 ， 便 可 以 知 道 不 是 他 的 手 擊 打 我 們 ， 是 我 們 偶 然 遇 見 的 。

During this time, 1 Samuel chapter 6 provides us some truths for us to reflect on.
1. The plague of the Philistines was an example from God to show the plagues of Egypt was a lesson for all nations not to oppress God’s people and allow them to worship Him. Notice this plague involved mice which ravaged the land.
2. The plagues of Egypt is the lesson for all nations to learn from when they experience a plague from God.
3. God is willing to accept guilt offerings even from pagan people and their rulers.
4. God wants the Philistines to know clearly that this plague was from Him and not “by chance”, not by accident.
5.God’s ultimate purpose for the plague is for all people to repent of their sins and know Him as their LORD and Savior.
在這段時間內，撒母耳記下的第六章為我們提供了一些值得我們反思的真理。
1.非利士人的災難是上帝的榜樣，表明埃及的災難是所有國家的教訓，不要壓迫上帝的子民並允許他們敬拜上帝。 請注意，這場瘟疫涉及破壞土地的老鼠。
2.埃及的瘟疫是所有國家從上帝那裡遭受瘟疫的教訓。
3.上帝也願意接受異教徒及其統治者的內祭。
4.上帝希望非利士人清楚地知道這場瘟疫是來自他的，而不是“偶然”而不是偶然。
5.上帝對瘟疫的最終目的是讓所有人悔改自己的罪過，並將他視為耶和華和救主。

2/22/2020
1 Samuel 7:5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah and I will pray to the LORD for you.” 6 They gathered to Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah.

7 Now when the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered to Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the sons of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 Then the sons of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it for a whole burnt offering to the LORD; and Samuel cried to the LORD for Israel and the LORD answered him.
撒 母 耳 記 上 7:5-7
5 撒 母 耳 說 ： 要 使 以 色 列 眾 人 聚 集 在 米 斯 巴 ， 我 好 為 你 們 禱 告 耶 和 華 。
6 他 們 就 聚 集 在 米 斯 巴 ， 打 水 澆 在 耶 和 華 面 前 ， 當 日 禁 食 ， 說 ： 我 們 得 罪 了 耶 和 華 。 於 是 撒 母 耳 在 米 斯 巴 審 判 以 色 列 人 。
7 非 利 士 人 聽 見 以 色 列 人 聚 集 在 米 斯 巴 ， 非 利 士 的 首 領 就 上 來 要 攻 擊 以 色 列 人 。 以 色 列 人 聽 見 ， 就 懼 怕 非 利 士 人 。
As we turned to the LORD in repentance and pray for His work of salvation and revival, there will inevitably be spiritual opposition. Why would Satan want people taken out of his dominion? In these verses, we see that the people prayed and fasted and repented before the LORD. This is all good. However, immediately, they were attacked. Then they kept crying out to God and offered up a whole burnt offering. The lamb represents the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. His blood cleanses us from our sins so that we can be holy vessels to serve the LORD. A whole burnt offering symbolizing a total dedication of a person to the LORD. What I see from these verses is that in spiritual warfare, either you totally dedicated yourself to the LORD, or don’t engage until you are ready. If you are only in it half-heartedly, don’t expect God to grant you victory. Of course, you may point out how half-hearted Jonah preached in Nineveh and the whole city repented. It just shows God can do anything to accomplish His purposes despite our sins. However, it is not an example for us to follow. Shalom. :)

當我們悔改轉向耶和華並為他的救恩和復興而祈禱時，不可避免地會有屬靈的反對。撒旦為什麼要讓人們擺脫他的統治？在這些經文中，我們看到百姓在耶和華面前禱告，禁食，悔改。一切都很好。但是，他們立即遭到攻擊。然後他們不斷向上帝呼求，並獻出了全部burn祭。羔羊代表耶穌基督在十字架上的犧牲。祂的血使我們從罪孽中洗淨，使我們成為服務耶和華的聖器。整個whole祭象徵著一個人完全奉獻給耶和華。從這些經文中我看到的是，在屬靈爭戰中，您要么全心全意奉獻給耶和華，要么就不准備好投入。如果您只是半心半意地呆在裡面，不要指望上帝會賜予您勝利。當然，您可能會指出喬納斯在尼尼微宣講的事是多麼無聊，整個城市都city悔了。它只表明儘管我們有罪，上帝仍可以做任何事情來實現他的目的。但是，這不是我們可以效仿的例子。沙洛姆。 :)
02/23/2020
1 Samuel 8:7 The LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. 8 Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also.
撒 母 耳 記 上 8:7-8
7 耶 和 華 對 撒 母 耳 說 ： 百 姓 向 你 說 的 一 切 話 ， 你 只 管 依 從 ； 因 為 他 們 不 是 厭 棄 你 ， 乃 是 厭 棄 我 ， 不 要 我 作 他 們 的 王 。
8 自 從 我 領 他 們 出 埃 及 到 如 今 ， 他 們 常 常 離 棄 我 ， 事 奉 別 神 。 現 在 他 們 向 你 所 行 的 ， 是 照 他 們 素 來 所 行 的 。

Samuel felt really rejected that the people didn’t want him to judge over them, but wanted a king like the other nations. God comforted Samuel to let him know that the people didn’t reject Samuel, but they are rejecting God. God has His plan to raise up a king who would be after His own heart - who is King David. However, the people wanted a king first before God was ready to give them a king. Again, this shows sometimes we want something based on our own desires based on our own schedule, however, God has His own timing to prepare something better for us. Let us not reject the leadership and Lordship of the LORD, falling into the sins of forsaking the LORD and serving other gods. Shalom. :)
塞繆爾（Samuel）感到非常拒絕人民不希望他審判他們，而是希望像其他國家一樣成為國王。 上帝安慰塞繆爾，讓他知道人民並沒有拒絕塞繆爾，但他們是在拒絕上帝。 上帝有計劃養育一位將跟隨他自己的心的國王-大衛王。 但是，在上帝準備給他們國王之前，人民首先要國王。 同樣，這表明有時我們希望根據自己的日程根據自己的願望來尋求某些東西，但是，上帝有自己的時機為我們準備更好的東西。 讓我們不要拒絕耶和華的領導和主權，陷入拋棄耶和華和事奉其他神靈的罪過。 沙洛姆。 :)

02/24/2020
1 Samuel 9:1 Now there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor. 2 He had a son whose name was Saul, a choice and handsome man, and there was not a more handsome person than he among the sons of Israel; from his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people.
撒 母 耳 記 上 9:1-2
9 有 一 個 便 雅 憫 人 ， 名 叫 基 士 ， 是 便 雅 憫 人 亞 斐 亞 的 玄 孫 ， 比 歌 拉 的 曾 孫 ， 洗 羅 的 孫 子 ， 亞 別 的 兒 子 ， 是 個 大 能 的 勇 士 （ 或 譯 ： 大 財 主 ） 。
2 他 有 一 個 兒 子 ， 名 叫 掃 羅 ， 又 健 壯 、 又 俊 美 ， 在 以 色 列 人 中 沒 有 一 個 能 比 他 的 ； 身 體 比 眾 民 高 過 一 頭 。

Why did God choose Saul to be the first king of Israel? From the description of Saul and his family background, he would be a natural choice. His father was a “mighty man of valor.” Saul was the most handsome and tallest man in Israel. A true stud! A man people will look up to and follow. Born to be a leader. But don’t God judge by the heart and not by outward appearance? Could it be God was just giving the people what they wanted? They wanted a king like the other nations, so God gave them what they wanted. Saul’s look and stature will satisfy questions about why God chose him to be king over Israel. Even Samuel did not ask God, “Why did you choose this person?” Samuel must have also been impressed with Saul’s appearance. This story really reminds us not to let “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16) direct our life. That we will not be people who just look at the outward appearance and not at the heart. Shalom. :)
上帝為何選擇掃羅為以色列的第一任國王？ 從索爾及其家庭背景的描述來看，他將是一個自然的選擇。 他的父親是一個“英勇的人”。 掃羅是以色列最英俊，最高的男人。 一個真正的螺柱！ 一個人會仰望並跟隨。 天生就是一個領導者。 但是神不是憑心判斷，不是憑外表判斷嗎？ 難道是上帝只是在給人們他們想要的東西？ 他們想要像其他國家一樣的國王，所以上帝給了他們他們想要的。 掃羅的容貌和身材將滿足有關上帝為何選擇他為以色列國王的疑問。 甚至塞繆爾也沒有問上帝，“你為什麼選擇這個人？” 塞繆爾（Samuel）一定也對掃羅（Saul）的出現印象深刻。 這個故事確實提醒我們不要讓“肉體的慾望，眼睛的慾望和生命的驕傲”（約翰一書2:16）指導我們的生活。 我們不會成為只看外表而不是內心的人。 沙洛姆。 :)

02/28/2020
1Samuel 13:10 As soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. 11 But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, 12 therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the LORD.’ So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.” (NASB)
撒 母 耳 記 上 13:10-12
10 剛 獻 完 燔 祭 ， 撒 母 耳 就 到 了 。 掃 羅 出 去 迎 接 他 ， 要 問 他 好 。
11 撒 母 耳 說 ： 你 做 的 是 甚 麼 事 呢 ？ 掃 羅 說 ： 因 為 我 見 百 姓 離 開 我 散 去 ， 你 也 不 照 所 定 的 日 期 來 到 ， 而 且 非 利 士 人 聚 集 在 密 抹 。
12 所 以 我 心 裡 說 ： 恐 怕 我 沒 有 禱 告 耶 和 華 。 非 利 士 人 下 到 吉 甲 攻 擊 我 ， 我 就 勉 強 獻 上 燔 祭 。

In our walk with the LORD, He tests us to see whether we will obey Him and wait for him instead of trying to “fix” things on our own. Saul knew he should wait for Samuel to come and it is not his role to offer the sacrifice, which only Samuel the priest can do. Yet, in the moment of fear and false urgency, Saul went ahead to “fix” the situation by himself, even though he is the king, not the priest. Today, God made us His priests on earth with different roles in the church, which we need to follow. In all things, we need to wait for God’s directions. Waiting for God’s directions is a big home work, but God is testing us to see whether we will trust Him to lead, instead of trying to “fix” things without Him. Shalom. :)
在我們與耶和華同行時，他測試我們看我們是否會服從他並等待他，而不是試圖自己“修理”東西。 掃羅知道他應該等撒母耳來，獻祭不是他的職責，只有祭司撒母耳才能做。 然而，在恐懼和錯誤的緊急時刻，掃羅繼續親自“解決”局勢，儘管他是國王，而不是牧師。 今天，上帝讓我們在世上的神職人員在教會中扮演了不同的角色，我們需要遵循這一角色。 無論如何，我們都需要等待神的指示。 等待神的指示是一項艱鉅的家庭工作，但神正在測試我們是否願意相信他的領導，而不是試圖在沒有神的情況下“解決”問題。 沙洛姆。 :)

02/29/2020
1 Samuel 14:47 Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, the sons of Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines; and wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment. 48 He acted valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, and delivered Israel from the hands of those who plundered them. (NASB)
撒 母 耳 記 上 14:47-48
47 掃 羅 執 掌 以 色 列 的 國 權 ， 常 常 攻 擊 他 四 圍 的 一 切 仇 敵 ， 就 是 摩 押 人 、 亞 捫 人 、 以 東 人 ， 和 瑣 巴 諸 王 ， 並 非 利 士 人 。 他 無 論 往 何 處 去 ， 都 打 敗 仇 敵 。
48 掃 羅 奮 勇 攻 擊 亞 瑪 力 人 ， 救 了 以 色 列 人 脫 離 搶 掠 他 們 之 人 的 手 。

1 Samuel 14 chronicles the chaotic leadership of Saul. Even his own son did not consult him and went first to fight against the Philistines and God was with Jonathan and caused earthquakes to defeat the Philistines. Saul put the people under oath not to eat anything to satisfy his own desire to take out the Philistines as quickly as possible, not thinking how it will weaken his whole army so they won’t have the energy to keep fighting. God was still with Saul to accomplish his purposes. However, Saul did not reflect and repent of his own sins and this kind of unrepentant lifestyle leads to his downfall despite his “successes” in battle for the LORD. May we be ever sensitive to our sins and short-comings so we can constantly do course corrections to keep a straight path in following the LORD. Shalom. :)
塞繆爾14記載了掃羅的混亂領導。 甚至連自己的兒子也沒有去諮詢他，而是首先與非利士人作戰。上帝與約拿單同在，並造成地震擊敗了非利士人。 掃羅宣誓要人民不要吃任何東西，以滿足自己盡快消滅非利士人的願望，不認為這會削弱他的整個部隊，使他們沒有精力繼續戰鬥。 上帝仍然與掃羅一起實現他的目的。 然而，掃羅並沒有反映和悔改自己的罪過，儘管他為耶和華而戰“成功”，但這種re悔的生活方式導致了他的垮台。 願我們對自己的罪惡和缺點更加敏感，因此我們可以不斷進行路線糾正，以保持跟隨耶和華的正確道路。 沙洛姆。 :)
03/02/2020
1 Samuel 16:18 Then one of the young men said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and the Lord is with him.”
撒 母 耳 記 上 16:18
18 其 中 有 一 個 少 年 人 說 ： 我 曾 見 伯 利 恆 人 耶 西 的 一 個 兒 子 善 於 彈 琴 ， 是 大 有 勇 敢 的 戰 士 ， 說 話 合 宜 ， 容 貌 俊 美 ， 耶 和 華 也 與 他 同 在 。

Saul was looking for someone who can play the harp to drive out the evil spirit that was tormenting him. One of the young men recommended David. We see David was 1) a skillful musician 2) a mighty man of valor 3) a warrior 4) one prudent in speech 5), and a handsome man. I believe we can possess these things as we faithfully follow the Lord. If we work hard to improve in the skills God has gifted us with, we can become skillful in what we do. By relying on God’s power, we can become people of valor. By faith we can become powerful prayer warriors. By submitting our thoughts and words to God’s word, we can become people who are prudent in speech. By cultivating a joyful and gentle spirit, we can become people who are attractive because we exhibit the beautiful characters of Christ in us. Shalom. :)
掃羅正在尋找可以彈奏豎琴來驅除折磨他的惡魔的人。 其中一位年輕人推薦戴維。 我們看到大衛是1）熟練的音樂家2）英勇的勇士3）戰士4）謹慎的演講5）和英俊的男人。 我相信當我們忠實地跟隨主時，我們可以擁有這些東西。 如果我們努力提高上帝賜予我們的技能，我們就會在做事上變得熟練。 依靠上帝的力量，我們可以成為英勇的人。 憑著信心，我們可以成為強大的禱告戰士。 通過將我們的思想和言語服從上帝的話語，我們就可以成為言語謹慎的人。 通過培養一種快樂而溫柔的精神，我們可以成為有魅力的人，因為我們在我們身上展現了基督的美麗品格。 沙洛姆。 :)

03/06/2020
1 Samuel 20:17 Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own life.(NASB)
撒 母 耳 記 上 20:17
17 約 拿 單 因 愛 大 衛 如 同 愛 自 己 的 性 命 ， 就 使 他 再 起 誓 。

When we hear Jesus say “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39), we immediately know it is not something we can truly do apart from the grace of God. If we want to know what loving “our neighbor as ourselves” means, we can look at the example of Jonathan - the way he loved David as he loved his own life. We see how Jonathan risked his own life to defend David in front of his father Saul, even though he almost got speared for it. He risked his life to tell David about his father’s evil intentions. Jonathan’s father warned him against helping David - “For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established.” (1 Samuel 20:31a) However, Jonathan considers David’s safety more important than keeping the kingship in his own family. This is a great example of unselfish love! May God’s word encourage our hearts to have this kind of love for others. Shalom. :)
當我們聽到耶穌說“愛鄰居如自己”（馬太福音22:39）時，我們立即知道，除了上帝的恩典之外，我們還不能真正做到這一點。 如果我們想知道愛“鄰居就是我們自己”的含義，我們可以看看喬納森（Jonathan）的例子-喬納森（David）愛戴自己的生活的方式。 我們看到喬納森（Jonathan）如何冒著生命危險，在父親索爾（David Saul）面前保衛大衛，儘管他差點為此付出了代價。 他冒著生命危險告訴大衛有關父親的邪惡意圖。 喬納森（Jonathan）的父親警告他不要幫助戴維（David）–“只要傑西（Jesse）的兒子生活在世上，您和您的王國就不會建立。” （撒母耳記20：31a）然而，喬納森（Jonathan）認為戴維（David）的安全比保持王權在自己的家庭中更為重要。 這是無私的愛的一個很好的例子！ 願上帝的話語鼓勵我們的心對他人有這種愛。 沙洛姆。 :)

03/12/2020
1 Samuel 26:24 Now behold, as your life was highly valued in my sight this day, so may my life be highly valued in the sight of the Lord, and may He deliver me from all distress.” (NASB)
撒 母 耳 記 上 26:24
24 我 今 日 重 看 你 的 性 命 ， 願 耶 和 華 也 重 看 我 的 性 命 ， 並 且 拯 救 我 脫 離 一 切 患 難 。

In this chapter, Saul is again pursuing David even though David has already spared his life before. Can you remember a movie where the villain keeps going after the hero and the hero keeps sparing the villain’s life? That’s what David was doing because Saul kept wanting to get rid of him. Notice in this verse that David is not asking Saul to value David’s life, even though David highly valued Saul’s life. David is looking to God to highly value his life and looking to God to deliver him from all dangers. David learned from his time of fleeing from Saul that his only deliverance is not from man, but from God. May we learn this attitude that our deliverance is not from man, but from the Lord. Shalom. :)
在本章中，掃羅再次追尋大衛，即使大衛以前已經度過了生命。 您還記得一部電影，其中小人不斷追隨英雄，而英雄卻不斷犧牲小人的生活嗎？ 大衛之所以這樣做，是因為掃羅一直想擺脫他。 請注意，在這節經文中，儘管大衛高度重視掃羅的生活，但大衛並沒有要求掃羅重視大衛的生活。 大衛期望上帝高度重視自己的生命，並期待上帝使他擺脫一切危險。 大衛從逃避掃羅的時候得知，他唯一的拯救不是來自人，而是來自上帝。 願我們學習這種態度，認為我們的得救不是來自人，而是來自主。 沙洛姆。 :)

03/13/2020
1 Samuel 27:1 Then David said to himself, “Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand.”
撒 母 耳 記 上 27:1
27 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 。

Did David lose this faith in God’s protection by escaping to the land of the Philistines? We see even David’s faith in God can be weak at times. However, from the Psalms, we see David still putting his trust in the Lord even when he was hiding in the Philistines territory. The question for us is, “Do we still trust in the Lord during our times of weakness?” Even when we are spiritually weak, do we still entrust ourselves to the Lord? May God give us that faith, even as small as the mustard seed, which can move mountains. Shalom. :)
大衛逃離非利士人的土地，失去了對上帝保護的信心嗎？ 我們甚至看到大衛對上帝的信仰有時也會很弱。 但是，從詩篇中，我們看到戴維仍然躲在非利士人的領土上，仍然信靠耶和華。 對我們來說，問題是：“我們在軟弱時期仍然信靠主嗎？” 即使我們在精神上虛弱，我們仍將自己託付給主嗎？ 願上帝賜給我們這種信念，甚至可以像芥菜籽一樣小，它可以移動山脈。 沙洛姆。 :)

03/14/2020
1 Samuel 28:1 Now it came about in those days that the Philistines gathered their armed camps for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, “Know assuredly that you will go out with me in the camp, you and your men.” 2 David said to Achish, “Very well, you shall know what your servant can do.” So Achish said to David, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.”
撒 母 耳 記 上 28:1-2
28 那 時 ， 非 利 士 人 聚 集 軍 旅 ， 要 與 以 色 列 人 打 仗 。 亞 吉 對 大 衛 說 ： 你 當 知 道 ， 你 和 跟 隨 你 的 人 都 要 隨 我 出 戰 。
2 大 衛 對 亞 吉 說 ： 僕 人 所 能 做 的 事 ， 王 必 知 道 。 亞 吉 對 大 衛 說 ： 這 樣 ， 我 立 你 永 遠 作 我 的 護 衛 長 。

It would be unimaginable for David to be fighting for Philistines against Israel, his own people. David, the Philistine giant slayer! Yet, through various unexpected turn of events and David’s own weaknesses, he was put into this position, which he has to go forward with, because he had been pretending to King Achish that he was fighting his own people. We will see how later how God rescued him from this predicament. Sometimes, “little” sins can pile up into our life until suddenly one day we are faced with a situation we would never imagined could happen. Let us take heed to address any sins before they balloon into something we would have a much harder time to deal with. Shalom. :)
大衛為非利士人與自己的人民以色列作鬥爭是不可想像的。 大衛，非利士人大殺手！ 然而，由於各種意外的轉折和大衛自身的弱點，他被推上了這個職位，必須繼續前進，因為他一直在向阿奇什國王假裝自己正在與自己的人民作戰。 我們將看到上帝以後如何從這種困境中解救他。 有時，“小小的”罪惡會堆積在我們的生活中，直到突然有一天我們面對一種我們從未想過會發生的情況。 讓我們注意在罪惡膨脹成某種東西之前解決它們，我們將很難處理。 沙洛姆。 :)

03/17/2020
1 Samuel 31:3 The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was badly wounded by the archers. (NASB)
撒 母 耳 記 上 31:3
3 勢 派 甚 大 ， 掃 羅 被 弓 箭 手 追 上 ， 射 傷 甚 重 ，

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2/5/2020
Judges 15:18-19 Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the LORD, “You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19 Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore, and it is still there in Lehi.

It really encourages me to see no matter the sins/mistakes of Samson, when he cried out to the LORD, the LORD hears his prayers. No matter what sins/mistakes you have done in the distant past or even just now, God cares how you are relating to Him at this moment. Are you willing to turn to Him, cry out to Him, receive His mercy and grace to continue to live for and serve Him?

2/6/2020
Judges 16:4-5 Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. 5 The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”

Judges 16 is packed with lessons for us through the story of Samson and Delilah. Actually, the story is not about Delilah (a lost sinner in need of the knowing of God) but about Samson’s sins unchecked which lead to his ultimate downfall. Some lessons: 1) Giving our heart to someone who is opposed to God is dangerous 2) Samson was blinded by his lust before ever being blinded physically by his enemies 3) Get out of an abusive dating relationship quickly 4) Samson forgot his abilities by the grace of God 5) God’s grace is available even when we have ruined our life.

2/7/2020
Judges 7:1-2 Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim 2 said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have that silver with me; I took it.”

Then his mother said, “The LORD bless you, my son!”

Judges 17 certainly recorded some strange things: 1) A son steals from his mom 2) A mom encourages her son to make an idol 3) A Levite (Priest) goes rogue and sells his service to whoever would hire him 4) All these things happening while they are correctly calling God’s name - LORD (translate from Hebrew “Yaweh”).
The writer of Judges knows the people reading this would think this is weird, so he explains in vs. 6 “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.”

Could these things happen today? You bet. As long as people don’t make a habit of checking their decisions with God’s word, they can easily fall into similar sins - stealing, idolatry, spiritual corruption, etc.. Most importantly is asking God, what are things I have not checked with Your word and done them my own way? May the LORD guide all of our decisions - big and small. Shalom. :)

2/8/2020
Judges 18:19 They answered him, “Be quiet! Don’t say a word. Come with us, and be our father and priest. Isn’t it better that you serve a tribe and clan in Israel as priest rather than just one man’s household?” 20 The priest was very pleased. He took the ephod, the household gods and the idol and went along with the people.

What lessons can we learn from the corrupt Levite priest? The love of fame, power, money, and pleasures have always been the snares of mankind from the beginning of history. Only by the grace of God and the Spirit of God can we escape these temptations. Even people who don’t know the LORD should know that it is by the grace of God that they can escape these traps. I can only credit the grace of God that before I became a Christian, God by His mercy and grace protect me from many sins. Take a moment to thank the LORD for the multitude of sins He has rescued you from in your life! Shalom. :)

2/9/2020
Judges 19:22 While they were celebrating, behold, the men of the city, certain worthless fellows, surrounded the house, pounding the door; and they spoke to the owner of the house, the old man, saying, “Bring out the man who came into your house that we may have relations with him.” (NASB)

This scene in Judges 19 is strikingly similar to what Lot encountered when the 2 angels visited him before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19). No one would imagine Sodom and Gomorrah could happen again among the 12 tribes. Yet it did, except this time God did not judge them in the same way. Let’s pray today that Sodom and Gomorrah will not happen in our days. Pray for God to cleanse people and bring them back to a right relationship with Him.

2/10/2020
Judges 20:34 When ten thousand choice men from all Israel came against Gibeah, the battle became fierce; but Benjamin did not know that disaster was close to them. 35 And the LORD struck Benjamin before Israel, so that the sons of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin that day, all who draw the sword. (NASB)

The tribe of Benjamin “did not know that disaster was close to them.” How can we know if disaster is close to us? Or in other words, how can we not know when disaster is close to us? Have you ignored anything God is saying to you? Have you ignored anything people have been saying to you? When we ignore warnings from God or people, then disaster may be close to us. Sometimes, the disaster takes a while, or sometimes it comes suddenly. Most importantly is do we heed the warnings and avoid the disaster? Shalom. :)

2/11/2020
Judges 21:16 Then the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?” 17 They said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe will not be blotted out from Israel.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, young single people may be thinking about relationships. What is the purpose of marriage? It’s to raise up a godly family that would fear and serve the LORD. Sometimes the search can become so complicated. I remember as a young single Christian, when I meet sisters in the fellowship, I would be excited at first to know them, but after a while would start to see this flaw or that flaw in them, and then take them off my list. Is the goal to find the “flawless” person? Maybe that “flawless” person is just someone who is better at hiding their flaws. Regardless, the most important question is whether they have a relationship with the LORD? If so, God can take care of the details and just trust in Him! Shalom. :)

2/12/2020

Ruth 1:16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.”

Ruth’s commitment to her dead husband’s mother-in-law is nothing short of extraordinary. What caused her to be so committed? I believe her commitment started the moment she, as a Moabitess, decided to marry an Israelite (God’s people) husband . She already decided to follow her husband when she got married. Even though her husband died, she continues to be committed to her decision to follow her husband’s family. May God give us wisdom from the example of Ruth. Shalom. :)
2/13/2020

Ruth 3:11 Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. 12 May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” (NIV)

May the LORD reward you for your faithfulness and struggles to keep His word. When you received Christ as your LORD and Savior, you have come under the wings of the LORD, the God of Israel to seek refuge. You have left the old way of life under the bondage of sin, being set free to serve the living God. In your struggles against sin and in keeping His word, remember your reward is from God, not from man. There may be encouragement from fellow brothers/sisters as you follow the LORD, but those are never the source of your satisfaction. Your satisfaction is in a deeper communion with the LORD.

2/14/2020
Ruth 3:5 “I will do whatever you say,” Ruth answered. 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.
11 And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character.

Ruth has shown she is a woman of noble character by her commitment to her dead husband’s mother Naomi. She has embraced Naomi’s people and the God of Israel. She has followed all that her mother-in-law told her to do. She is truly a woman of noble character. We can be people of noble character - if we are submissive to the LORD and to each other in Christ, not seeking only our own interests, but also the interests of others, seeing others as more important than ourselves. May the LORD do a great work in our hearts to make us people of noble character. Shalom. :)

2/15/2020
Ruth 4:16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. 17 The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

The ultimate purpose of the Book of Ruth is to tell us how God provided the Redeemer for the world through the line of king David. Through the tragedy of the deaths of Naomi’s husband and sons, selflessness and commitment of Ruth to her mother-in-law, generosity and kindness of Boaz, obedience of Ruth to Naomi, and the supernatural acts of God to bring Ruth to Boaz and Boaz to redeem the inheritance of Naomi’s family, we see God’s hands in every single details of their lives. Do you see God’s hands in every single detail of your life? Whatever you went through and are going through right now will not be wasted if you place all of your life into God’s hands. May He weave a beautiful story in your life for His glory. Shalom. :)
2/16/2020
1 Samuel 1:22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “I will not go up until the child is weaned; then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD and stay there forever.” 23 Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you. Remain until you have weaned him; only may the LORD confirm His word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him.

Reading again the story of Hannah praying for a son from God and vowing to dedicated her son to serve the LORD all the days of his life as a Nazirite, touched my heart to see how she kept her vow to the LORD even though it means giving up her first-born son to serve the LORD, not being with him and see him grow up in her home. Not only did Hannah keep her vow to God, but her husband agreed to keep her vow as well. In the OT, the husband can nullify the vow of his wife (refer to Numbers 30:13-15). Yet, Elkanah did not do that because he knows it is God’s will. May God help us to be people of integrity, let our “yes” be “yes” and “no” be “no.” Shalom. :)

2/17/2020
1 Samuel 2:29 Why do you kick at My sacrifice and at My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling, and honor your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the choicest of every offering of My people Israel?’ 30 Therefore the LORD God of Israel declares, ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever’; but now the LORD declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed.

God has made His principle very clear - “for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed.” There is no way to get around this. No matter how great we become in our life, this principle remains. Whether we have done great things for God in the past or attain great positions in the world, we can’t escape this principle. In Eli’s case, he failed to discipline his sons for their disregard of the holy things of the LORD and even joined in what they were doing. May God grant us a humble heart, so that every day we will look to the LORD and say, “Here I am, I have come to do Your will.”

2/18/2020
1 Samuel 3: 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor had the word of the LORD yet been revealed to him. 8 So the LORD called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli discerned that the LORD was calling the boy. 9 And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

In 1 Samuel 3, we see the story of how Samuel was called to be a prophet of the LORD. Samuel did not yet have a personal relationship with the LORD, even though he was serving in the temple. He didn’t know it was the LORD who was calling him. The only one he knew would be calling his name is his boss - Eli the priest. Jesus’ disciples have the responsibility to help others to first have a personal relationship with the LORD, and then disciple them to listen to and obey the LORD through prayer, reading the Bible, spiritual counsel, and other ways God speaks. I learned a lot of this through the workbook “Experiencing God” by Henry Blackaby. May God help us to know Him more. Shalom. :)

2/19/2020
1 Samuel 4:3 When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us take to ourselves from Shiloh the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that it may come among us and deliver us from the power of our enemies.”
10 So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent; and the slaughter was very great, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

In 1 Samuel 4, the LORD fulfilled His judgment on Eli and his 2 sons for their sins of not regarding the things of the LORD as holy. It started with the defeat of Israel by the Philistines. Then they made a huge mistake of taking the ark of the covenant of the LORD to the battle field. Not only were they defeated, but the ark was captured by the Philistines. Eli was worried about the ark even more than about his sons because he knows his chief responsibility is to guard the ark of God as the priest. There are a lot of things that can be said about what happened. Eli first lost control of his sons, then Eli lost control of his spiritual authority by letting the elders have their way with the ark, finally Eli lost his life after hearing the news the ark was taken, and Eli lost his daughter-in-law as she bears a son. His daughter-in-law lost all hope saying, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God was taken.” (v.22)

What should we do after a major spiritual defeat? First, recognize God is not defined by the thing that failed, whether it is a ministry, spiritual commitments, relationships, etc... The spiritual defeat does not mean God is gone. God is still there and His glory will not be defined by anything that we can see. Even in utter darkness, God is still glorious. So, let us not look at anything in the world as what “defines” God for you. Whether it is a church, ministry, spiritual commitments, relationships, etc.. God’s glory remains if we are willing to continue seeking Him. Shalom. :)

2/20/2020
5:1 Now the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.
6 Now the hand of the LORD was heavy on the Ashdodites, and He ravaged them and smote them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territories.

After the Philistines captured the ark of God from Israel, they tried to first place it in their temple, but found their god’s statute was cut to pieces during the night. Then God started to afflict them with tumors and many Philistines died. Today, getting a tumor or cancer in the body is very scary. Yet, I hope through the story, you see that God is in control of the tumors. When we know God is in control of all these things, then we can have faith that our loving God will not leave us at the mercy of any deadly sickness, but He has power over all these diseases. Shalom. :)

2/21/2020
1 Samuel 6:2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we shall send it to its place.” 3 They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty; but you shall surely return to Him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you.”
5 So you shall make likenesses of your tumors and likenesses of your mice that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will ease His hand from you, your gods, and your land. 6 Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had severely dealt with them, did they not allow the people to go, and they departed?
9 Watch, if it goes up by the way of its own territory to Beth-shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us; it happened to us by chance.”

During this time, 1 Samuel chapter 6 provides us some truths for us to reflect on.
The plague of the Philistines was an example from God to show the plagues of Egypt was a lesson for all nations not to oppress God’s people and allow them to worship Him. Notice this plague involved mice which ravaged the land.
The plagues of Egypt is the lesson for all nations to learn from when they experience a plague from God.
God is willing to accept guilt offerings even from pagan people and their rulers.
God wants the Philistines to know clearly that this plague was from Him and not “by chance”, not by accident.
God’s ultimate purpose for the plague is for all people to repent of their sins and know Him as their LORD and Savior.

2/22/2020
1 Samuel 7:5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah and I will pray to the LORD for you.” 6 They gathered to Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah.

7 Now when the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered to Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the sons of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 Then the sons of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it for a whole burnt offering to the LORD; and Samuel cried to the LORD for Israel and the LORD answered him.

As we turned to the LORD in repentance and pray for His work of salvation and revival, there will inevitably be spiritual opposition. Why would Satan want people taken out of his dominion? In these verses, we see that the people prayed and fasted and repented before the LORD. This is all good. However, immediately, they were attacked. Then they kept crying out to God and offered up a whole burnt offering. The lamb represents the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. His blood cleanses us from our sins so that we can be holy vessels to serve the LORD. A whole burnt offering symbolizing a total dedication of a person to the LORD. What I see from these verses is that in spiritual warfare, either you totally dedicated yourself to the LORD, or don’t engage until you are ready. If you are only in it half-heartedly, don’t expect God to grant you victory. Of course, you may point out how half-hearted Jonah preached in Nineveh and the whole city repented. It just shows God can do anything to accomplish His purposes despite our sins. However, it is not an example for us to follow. Shalom. :)

02/23/2020
1 Samuel 8:7 The LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. 8 Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also.

Samuel felt really rejected that the people didn’t want him to judge over them, but wanted a king like the other nations. God comforted Samuel to let him know that the people didn’t reject Samuel, but they are rejecting God. God has His plan to raise up a king who would be after His own heart - who is King David. However, the people wanted a king first before God was ready to give them a king. Again, this shows sometimes we want something based on our own desires based on our own schedule, however, God has His own timing to prepare something better for us. Let us not reject the leadership and Lordship of the LORD, falling into the sins of forsaking the LORD and serving other gods. Shalom. :)

02/24/2020
1 Samuel 9:1 Now there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor. 2 He had a son whose name was Saul, a choice and handsome man, and there was not a more handsome person than he among the sons of Israel; from his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people.

Why did God choose Saul to be the first king of Israel? From the description of Saul and his family background, he would be a natural choice. His father was a “mighty man of valor.” Saul was the most handsome and tallest man in Israel. A true stud! A man people will look up to and follow. Born to be a leader. But don’t God judge by the heart and not by outward appearance? Could it be God was just giving the people what they wanted? They wanted a king like the other nations, so God gave them what they wanted. Saul’s look and stature will satisfy questions about why God chose him to be king over Israel. Even Samuel did not ask God, “Why did you choose this person?” Samuel must have also been impressed with Saul’s appearance. This story really reminds us not to let “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16) direct our life. That we will not be people who just look at the outward appearance and not at the heart. Shalom. :)

02/28/2020
1Samuel 13:10 As soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. 11 But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, 12 therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the LORD.’ So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.” (NASB)

In our walk with the LORD, He tests us to see whether we will obey Him and wait for him instead of trying to “fix” things on our own. Saul knew he should wait for Samuel to come and it is not his role to offer the sacrifice, which only Samuel the priest can do. Yet, in the moment of fear and false urgency, Saul went ahead to “fix” the situation by himself, even though he is the king, not the priest. Today, God made us His priests on earth with different roles in the church, which we need to follow. In all things, we need to wait for God’s directions. Waiting for God’s directions is a big home work, but God is testing us to see whether we will trust Him to lead, instead of trying to “fix” things without Him. Shalom. :)

02/29/2020
1 Samuel 14:47 Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, the sons of Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines; and wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment. 48 He acted valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, and delivered Israel from the hands of those who plundered them. (NASB)

1 Samuel 14 chronicles the chaotic leadership of Saul. Even his own son did not consult him and went first to fight against the Philistines and God was with Jonathan and caused earthquakes to defeat the Philistines. Saul put the people under oath not to eat anything to satisfy his own desire to take out the Philistines as quickly as possible, not thinking how it will weaken his whole army so they won’t have the energy to keep fighting. God was still with Saul to accomplish his purposes. However, Saul did not reflect and repent of his own sins and this kind of unrepentant lifestyle leads to his downfall despite his “successes” in battle for the LORD. May we be ever sensitive to our sins and short-comings so we can constantly do course corrections to keep a straight path in following the LORD. Shalom. :)

03/02/2020
1 Samuel 16:18 Then one of the young men said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and the Lord is with him.”

Saul was looking for someone who can play the harp to drive out the evil spirit that was tormenting him. One of the young men recommended David. We see David was 1) a skillful musician 2) a mighty man of valor 3) a warrior 4) one prudent in speech 5), and a handsome man. I believe we can possess these things as we faithfully follow the Lord. If we work hard to improve in the skills God has gifted us with, we can become skillful in what we do. By relying on God’s power, we can become people of valor. By faith we can become powerful prayer warriors. By submitting our thoughts and words to God’s word, we can become people who are prudent in speech. By cultivating a joyful and gentle spirit, we can become people who are attractive because we exhibit the beautiful characters of Christ in us. Shalom. :)

03/06/2020
1 Samuel 20:17 Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own life.(NASB)

When we hear Jesus say “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39), we immediately know it is not something we can truly do apart from the grace of God. If we want to know what loving “our neighbor as ourselves” means, we can look at the example of Jonathan - the way he loved David as he loved his own life. We see how Jonathan risked his own life to defend David in front of his father Saul, even though he almost got speared for it. He risked his life to tell David about his father’s evil intentions. Jonathan’s father warned him against helping David - “For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established.” (1 Samuel 20:31a) However, Jonathan considers David’s safety more important than keeping the kingship in his own family. This is a great example of unselfish love! May God’s word encourage our hearts to have this kind of love for others. Shalom. :)

03/12/2020
1 Samuel 26:24 Now behold, as your life was highly valued in my sight this day, so may my life be highly valued in the sight of the Lord, and may He deliver me from all distress.” (NASB)

In this chapter, Saul is again pursuing David even though David has already spared his life before. Can you remember a movie where the villain keeps going after the hero and the hero keeps sparing the villain’s life? That’s what David was doing because Saul kept wanting to get rid of him. Notice in this verse that David is not asking Saul to value David’s life, even though David highly valued Saul’s life. David is looking to God to highly value his life and looking to God to deliver him from all dangers. David learned from his time of fleeing from Saul that his only deliverance is not from man, but from God. May we learn this attitude that our deliverance is not from man, but from the Lord. Shalom. :)

03/13/2020
1 Samuel 27:1 Then David said to himself, “Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand.”
Did David lose this faith in God’s protection by escaping to the land of the Philistines? We see even David’s faith in God can be weak at times. However, from the Psalms, we see David still putting his trust in the Lord even when he was hiding in the Philistines territory. The question for us is, “Do we still trust in the Lord during our times of weakness?” Even when we are spiritually weak, do we still entrust ourselves to the Lord? May God give us that faith, even as small as the mustard seed, which can move mountains. Shalom. :)

03/14/2020
1 Samuel 28:1 Now it came about in those days that the Philistines gathered their armed camps for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, “Know assuredly that you will go out with me in the camp, you and your men.” 2 David said to Achish, “Very well, you shall know what your servant can do.” So Achish said to David, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.”

It would be unimaginable for David to be fighting for Philistines against Israel, his own people. David, the Philistine giant slayer! Yet, through various unexpected turn of events and David’s own weaknesses, he was put into this position, which he has to go forward with, because he had been pretending to King Achish that he was fighting his own people. We will see how later how God rescued him from this predicament. Sometimes, “little” sins can pile up into our life until suddenly one day we are faced with a situation we would never imagined could happen. Let us take heed to address any sins before they balloon into something we would have a much harder time to deal with. Shalom. :)

As we prepare to go into 2020, do you expect to receive new things from God and do new things for God? If we want to do new things for God, we need to first know why we can do new things. We can do new things for God because we are a new creation.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
The Greek word for “creation” is used 19 times in New Testament. It can mean created thing 受 造之物(1), creation 造天地 (14), creature 造的人(3), and institution 制度(1). It is interesting 1 Peter 2:13 uses this word to mean institution制度, like in human institution (人的一切制度). However, in most cases, it means something created by God. Things created by humans are all created from God. Even Apple’s Steve Jobs in his biography admits “I didn’t invent the language or mathematics I use… Everything I do depends on other members of our species and the shoulders that we stand on.” Actually, everything depends on the Creator. God created humans and gave humans the ability to shape things from the world that He created out of nothing. We are just using the resources given to us by God who created us.
In 2 Corinthians 5:17, the new creation is also translated “new creature”. We can be called a new creature, just as it is translated in the Chinese Bible. We are the new creature God has created in Jesus Christ, people who have the Holy Spirit, who can bring the good news of salvation to the world, the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ? Being the new creation is the most important thing to the apostle Paul. In Galatians 6:15, Paul says, “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.”

We need to distinguish between the old creation and the new creation. Romans 8:22 says the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. The whole creation has been subject to futility. The old creation is waiting for the new creation to come. Romans 8:23 says we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly. We are the new creation, but we are also looking forward to the new creation, when Christ will come back again and everything will be made new. Brothers and sisters, in Christ, you have experienced the new creation and will continue to experience more and more until it is fully realized when Christ comes back. What does it mean that we are a new creation? It means we have a new life; a regenerated life with God’s life in us; we have the eternal life in us; we are a new person no longer controlled by the sinful nature; we have the Holy Spirit living inside us; we have a new identity as God’s children; we are heirs of God; fellow heirs with Christ; adopted children of God; sons of God. We have been re-created in Christ through a new spiritual birth.

How should we carry this identity as a new creation into the new year? How should we live as a new creation in the new year? Let’s look at three things from verses 15, 16, and 20.
The first thing is that we should no longer live for ourselves but for the Lord.

I. We should no longer live for ourselves but for the Lord (vs. 15)
15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (NIV)

The key here is Christ died for all so that we no longer have to live for ourselves. It is a great burden to live for yourself. Just think of all the burdens you have. Can you really make your children successful? Can you really make your marriage happy? Can you really guarantee your finances? When we start living for the Lord, we no longer have all these burdens. Jesus says, “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). Decide this new year you will live for the Lord. Let the Lord be in control of your life. Give all your burdens to the Lord. You will no longer try to control others, but you can love others and let the Lord be in control. When your children come home, you can have a peaceful spirit and enjoy being with them. Your worries are not from the Lord. The Lord wants to give you rest. What pressures do you face here? What burdens you need to give to the Lord right now? You will be happy when you no longer live for yourself but for the Lord. Because Jesus died for all, we should no longer live for ourselves but for Him who died for us all and was raised again and was victorious over death. Amen?

The second thing is we should no longer look at Christ and people the same way.

II. We should no longer look at Christ and people the same way (vs. 16)

16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. (NIV)
Do you see Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? What does it mean that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior? It means you have a master, right? It means you have Someone who rules over you, right? It means you have Someone who can save you, right? Do you see the Lord as Someone you can turn to whenever you have trouble or do you see the Lord as the One who truly knows what is best for you and can meet all your needs?

There is a a movie called “Tortured for Christ” based on the book by a Romanian Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, who was imprisoned and tortured for his faith during the Communist rule. He started the ministry that is now called the Voice of the Martyrs. He quoted Savonarola, an Italian Dominican friar and preacher during the time of the Renaissance in Florence. “He said there were two kinds of Christians: those who sincerely believe in God and those who, just as sincerely, believe that they believe. You can tell them apart by their actions in decisive moments.” ― Richard Wurmbrand, In God's Underground

This is a good question to ask ourselves. Do I sincerely believe in God or do I just sincerely believe that I believe in God? In other words, how real is God to me? Let us walk like the saints before us, so we can truly know how real God is to us. Amen?
In the coming new year, I hope God will give you a fresh pair of eyes as you look at people so you no longer focus on the differences, the things you don’t like, the things you are not familiar with, but you will see people as people you can serve, people you can help.

In Mark 8:22-25 there is an unusual story of a healing of a blind man, because the healing wasn’t immediate. Let’s read this story.
22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” 24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” 25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.

Are we blind to the people around us? Are people just like walking trees to us? We need God to heal our sight completely so we can see people as they truly are and how precious they are in God’s sight.

The third thing is we are ambassadors for Christ.

III. We are ambassadors for Christ (vs. 20)

2 Corinthians 5:20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

You are in the world because God has a mission for you. What is God’s mission for you? You are an ambassadors for Christ. It is a high status in God’s eyes, but it is not something to be arrogant about. It means we need to the servant of all. Like Jesus, we are here to serve and not to be served. We are here to bring people to the Lord. Andrew told his brother Peter, “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41) and then Philip found Nathanel and said, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote” (John 1:45). So we too have found the Savior of the world. How can we tell this good news to other people?

Are you an ambassador for Christ in your family, among your relatives, at your work, at your school? As the culture try to change the ways of God, we need to hold firmly to the word of God. Remember that we are God’s creation. We are here to glorify God, not to rebel against God’s design. Praise the Lord that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We also need a clear message that communicates the grace and love of Christ to world. So much of the confusion today is confusing the freedom to sin or not to sin. We can use our freedom to live according to God’s ways. Yet, the emphasis now seems to be how to live contrary to God’s ways. The world desperately needs Christians to stand up for the truth in love, who can speak the words of grace and truth, just as Jesus is full of grace and truth.

We need to speak about our need for a Savior, Jesus Christ, God the Son, who came down to earth, born as a man, to give His life to die on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead on the third day to show us He has won the battle for us. We need to communicate the gospel more and more clearly starting from God’s creation, how God made men and women in His image to rule over the earth, how man sinned and rebelled against God, how God worked to save the world through His Son. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of the people. All over the world, people need the Lord! There is no hope for sinners apart from the salvation in Jesus Christ. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). The apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 4:12-14, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” Don’t be surprised or alarmed by what you see happening, but rejoice that you can live for the Lord, to represent the Lord, to speak for the Lord in this world. You are a new creation and ambassador for Christ. Amen?

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In other English translations, we get more details about this offering. NIV calls this the Fellowship offering. It says the thin loaves are made without yeast and thick loaves of bread are made with yeast. This makes sense since the yeast makes the bread rise. The “flesh of the sacrifice” means the animal’s “meat.” The NET bible says the bread is ring-shaped, and is a grain offering. The KJV mentions this is a heave offering (舉祭). Heave offering (舉祭) means to present it in an up and down motion, lifting it up to the Lord and receiving it back from Him. The sacrifice of thanksgiving is a type of Peace or Fellowship offering, also called Praise offering. The Peace offering is the only offering with both unleaven and leaven bread. Usually you can only offer unleaven bread to God. Leaven is usually a symbol of evil. The unleaven bread represents the sinlessness of Christ, while the leaven bread may represent the sins of the people offering the sacrifice. Or someone says that we should thank God for both the good and bad, represented by the leaven and unleaven bread. In the thanksgiving sacrifice, God, the priest, the priests’ children, the worshipper, the worshipper’s family, and others who are ceremonially clean share in the meal together. How is this possible for everyone to fellowship with God? Because their sins have been atoned for. It is a Peace Offering because the worshippers have peace with God. It is a Fellowship Offering because the worshippers have fellowship with God. It is a Praise Offering because the worshippers can praise God for His goodness. Some sees the Priest represents Christ and the Priest’s children represents the church. Christ offered Himself as the sacrifice, so that we as the church can share in the peace and fellowship with God and offer God praise.
There are 5 main offerings in the Old Testament. (舊約5種獻祭) 1) The Burnt offering (燔祭) is for atonement of sin and complete dedication of a person to God, so the animal is completely burnt. 2) The Grain or Meal (素祭)offering accompanied all burnt offerings and is for thanksgiving to God and complete dedication of a person’s work to God. 3) The Peace or Fellowship offering (平安祭)is for fellowship between the worshipper and God. The 3 types are 1) Thank offering (感謝祭) to express gratitude for deliverance or blessing. 2) Votive offering (還願祭)to express gratitude for a blessing granted when a vow was made asking for the blessing. Hannah made this offering in 1 Samuel 1:24 after God granted her Samuel. 3) Freewill offering (甘心祭)to express gratitude to God without regard to any specific blessing. The sacrifice of thanksgiving is the first type of the Peace offering. 4) Sin offering (贖罪祭)is for atonement of sins committed unknowingly. 5) Trespass or Guilt offering (贖愆祭)is for atonement of sins committed unknowingly and some sins committed intentionally where restitution is possible. Atonement means to pay for the penalty of our sins to God. Jesus Christ did that for us on the cross by being the atonement for our sins. Nothing offered to God can atone for our sins except the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We will never enter into God’s acceptance and fellowship based on any sacrifice we offer to Him. The only thing God will accept is the unblemished offering of Christ’ life. This is the gospel. This is the core of what Christians believe.

Christ is the peace of believers. His sacrifice on the cross brought us peace with God. All the animals used in the thanksgiving offering represent different aspects of the person of Christ: The cattle (牛) shows Christ is our burden-bearer. The lamb shows He is our perfect sacrifice. The goat shows He is the One who takes away sin. The inward parts of these animals offered shows God sees the inner parts of Christ are acceptable to Him. The death of Christ made peace and fellowship possible with God, made peace and fellowship possible with one another, and peace possible in our hearts.

Do you know where is the first time the word “thank” appeared in the Bible? It is in Lev. 7:12. The word in Hebrew is Todah. Even today, when you go to Israel, if you want to say “thank you” in Hebrew, you would say “Todah.”

The word todah has a richer meaning than just “thanks.” It means confession, praise, and thanksgiving. Confession means to tell about God’s goodness publicly. Praise means to declare God’s goodness publicly. The term thanksgiving basically means “public acknowledgement.” In thanksgiving, we are publicly acknowledging God’s goodness. Therefore, our whole life is a confession, praise, and thanksgiving to God for all that He has done for us.