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苦毒

从押沙龙与大卫身上学到的教训

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2 Fishes

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苦毒是一粒种子,若不加以制止,它就会扎根生长、最终结出毁灭。它会毒害我们的心,使我们走上危险的道路。

我们知道押沙龙的故事吗?当我们读的时候,我们可以看到他是如何在苦毒中挣扎,并且苦毒给他及他的家庭带来的后果。

在撒母耳记下13章中,押沙龙的怒气因着他妹妹她玛所遇到的不公的对待而开始积累。押沙龙保持沉默;但这仅仅是他日渐增长的忌恨的一种掩饰。与其立刻寻求复仇,他反而让苦毒恶化。他策划了整场杀掉同父异母的兄弟暗嫩的复仇。

“生气却不要犯罪,不可含怒到日落。” (以弗所书 4:26)

深埋心底的苦毒,即使有情可原,也可能让我们变成自己曾经最痛恨的那种人。多年之后,押沙龙当年所谴责的罪也正是他在众以色列人眼前所犯下的罪 (撒母耳记下 16:21-22)。

当我们在心中滋养苦毒与怨恨时,我们也同时变得脆弱。我们开始寻求外在的认同,渴望有人支持我们的情绪与立场。

押沙龙知道并且利用了这一点。押沙龙用谄媚的话语迎合百姓的不满,为他们的怨言披上“正义”的外衣,并不断煽动他们对王的仇恨(撒母耳记下 15:2-6)。借着这些手段,押沙龙赢得了民心,最终引发了一场对自己父亲的反叛。

“淫妇用许多巧言诱他随从......少年人立刻跟随她,好像牛往宰杀之地。” (箴言 7:21-22)

我们有多少次让心中的怨恨蒙蔽了双眼?我们是否只愿听那些煽动并合理化我们愤怒的声音,却刻意忽略那些我们对立面的话语?百姓之所以听从押沙龙,并不是因为他的公义,而是因为他完全支持他们的抱怨。

同样地,苦毒也会使我们成为容易被吞噬的猎物。它是一种危险的毒素,静静潜伏,伺机侵蚀我们。

暗嫩的被杀、她玛受到的不义、押沙龙追杀大卫并篡位,这些都发生在了大卫的儿女身上。大卫因与拔示巴犯罪而受神的刑罚时,他是否心存苦毒?他是否质疑神的良善?

并没有。大卫甚至在他所写的几首诗中来赞美神。在他的心里,他坚信神是公义的。

他相信神的决定。

“时间可以疗愈一切的伤口—但前提是我们愿意让神在其中动工。愿神天天鉴察我们的心思意念、知道我们心里的邪念,使我们可以过着蒙神喜悦的生活。”

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但以理书 第五章(英文)

但以理书 第五章(英文)

We see James 4:6 coming to pass in this chapter, through the end of Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans and Daniel being made the third ruler in the kingdom. "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”" James 4:6 V4 they did the wrong thing V7 they brought in ‘the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers’. They either did not know or did not care that they should not be turning to these men to find answers. As many secular beliefs become more prevalent through the media in this day and age, we must guard our heart against these beliefs as they may corrupt our faith. In our lives today, we also should not turn to such men to find answers in our lives. "Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23 V11 & 13 the fact that they still sought counsel from Daniel, someone guided by God, is interesting, because it seemed unexpected for them, given that they turned to ‘the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers’. Let us rely on God through prayer and reading the Bible to find God’s will for our lives. It can also be through people God has placed in our lives, to remind us and nudge us in a certain direction. V17 Daniel did not accept the gifts. He still interpreted the writing, and was not in it for the benefits, but did so with genuineness and a humble heart, for the glory of God, and not for his own praise or glory. V29 by relying on God to interpret the inscription, he was made third ruler in the kingdom. V19 Nebuchadnezzar also took advantage of the power he was given and ‘Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down’. V20-21 God resists the proud and Nebuchadnezzar faced a downfall ‘till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.’ "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”" James 4:6 We must humble our hearts, especially since we know God and His Word. V23 they praised the gods but did not glorify God Is it the same with us today? That we know God is the One ‘who holds our breath in His hand and owns all [our] ways’ yet we have not glorified Him? Do we give praise to other things (e.g. hard work) and people in the face of success? They used what belongs to God to praise the gods of silver and gold. Do we also use what God has given us to praise other things and people? We must remember to give glory to God because God has given and provided us with these. Even what may seem like ours (e.g. our hard work) only exists because God gives us the strength and the days to achieve these things. We merely live on borrowed time, and we are but dust. "For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children," Psalms 103:14-17 Every day we are given to live is a blessing. We should also not misuse our roles to oppress others. V25 the meaning of the inscription came to pass V27 ‘weighed in the balances, and found wanting’ could mean that Belshazzar’s life was wanted and would be taken away soon. We see that his soul was required of him that night. "But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”" Luke 12:20-21 God’s Word will come to pass. We see that V28 also came true in V31. V28 the kingdom was given to Medes and Persians V31 Darius the Mede received the kingdom. It indeed came true. God’s Word coming to pass can be something we are fearful or hopeful about. It depends how prepared we are. Since God’s Word will come to pass, let us prepare ourselves so that we will remain hopeful for what is to come with faith and not fear.

但以理书 第四章(英文)

但以理书 第四章(英文)

The story in Daniel Chapter 4 is perhaps not unfamiliar to many of us. King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of the great Babylonian empire, the king of kings, being turned into a beast, how spectacular is that? It's not until we read through this chapter for ourselves that we realise something even more spectacular: this whole chapter is told by King Nebuchadnezzar himself. Daniel Chapter 4 is King Nebuchadnezzar's own personal testimony! Isn't King Nebuchadnezzar the infamous evil king? How is it that in this chapter he gives praise to the almighty God? Perhaps the first thing that should catch our attention from today's chapter is the repeated phrase in verses 17 and 32. The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He wills. This phrase can even be said to be the theme of the whole Book of Daniel. This book is mostly set in the time of exile, when there seemingly was no longer any king over the people of God. Yet, in the Book of Daniel we see that though there was no earthly king ruling over Israel, God made it clear to these foreign kings that He is the almighty God. He was still the one who was truly the King. The outcome of this is that the evil king Nebuchadnezzar, probably the greatest and most powerful man during his time, writes this testimony for all peoples, nations, and languages to hear (Daniel 4:1-3). Imagine being a subject in the Babylonian empire, and receiving this declaration from king Nebuchadnezzar praising and glorifying the God of Israel. Though God's people sin against Him and are punished by being taken into exile, the name of God is still magnified. God is not put to shame. Today through baptism we have entered into the Kingdom of God. Yet, it is key for us to consider whether God truly is the King of our lives. It's natural to make many plans for our future, out of a desire to lead our dream lives. But for us Christians, the sovereignty and authority of God is something that we must be well-aware of and fully willing to submit to. If God doesn't let me get that job, are we able to accept it? If God closes the path towards our dreams, are we will to say "Let Thy will be done"? If God takes away all that we have, are we able to be like Job and say "Blessed be the name of the Lord"? If all this is causing us to struggle, remember this: God loves us. He knows what's best for us, He knows what we need. He has already given His life for us, and given us His precious Spirit to dwell within us. Having faith in God's love towards us gives us strength to submit to our King with full assurance that this is the best path for us, this is the way to blessing and to eternal life. Since our God is the highest and rules over the kingdom of man, what then should our response ought to be? Nebuchadnezzar begins and ends his testimony by praising and glorifying God. Giving praises to God is something that we have been often taught but perhaps we have not given enough thought to or taken seriously enough. Yet, throughout the Bible, it's clear that praises are a key part of our worship to God (just read the Book of Psalms). What might we praise God for? Like Nebuchadnezzar, we can praise God for His greatness and His almightiness. Just consider the stars, or the intricacies of the human body. We can praise God for His love and wisdom as seen in His creation as well as in His word. The more we study into the holy scriptures, the more we are filled with awe at how complete, connected, and wonderful these life-giving words are. We can also glorify God for His salvation which He has so freely given to us. Imagine how different our lives might be today if not for His grace and mercy! It's when we decide to finally take the importance of praising God seriously and intentionally set aside some time in our daily prayers to praise God, that we truly experience the blessing that comes along with it. We go through life being filled with joy and gratitude, knowing that we have such a great and powerful Heavenly Father who loves us. In fact, it was when Nebuchadnezzar took the glory for Himself rather than giving all glory to God, that the infamous transformation into a beast took place. This brings us nicely to the final point of reflection for this devotional. Pride - when we take glory for ourselves rather than giving glory to God. Nebuchadnezzar's testimony serves as a stark warning for us. Even just a sentence or thought of pride can greatly displease God. How often have we unknowingly taken credit for ourselves for any achievements we have, or for any divine work that we do? Being puffed up with pride and not keeping to one's proper domain is precisely the sin of satan (1 Tim 3:6, Jude 6-7). If we are filled with pride, what difference is there between us and satan? In fact, while satan exalted himself, God on the contrary lowered Himself, coming in the likeness of man and humbling Himself even to the point of death (Phil 2:5-8). Whose example do we want to follow, that of God or of satan? Let us take warning from the story of Nebuchadnezzar and carefully consider who's example we want to follow. Indeed, God opposes the proud while giving grace to the humble. He blesses the meek, that they might inherit the earth .

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