2021年8月21日 星期六
使徒行傳21:1-16
21:1 我們離別了眾人，就開船一直行到哥士。第二天到了羅底，從那裡到帕大喇，
21:2 遇見一隻船要往腓尼基去，就上船起行。
21:3 望見塞浦路斯，就從南邊行過，往敘利亞去，我們就在泰爾上岸，因為船要在那裡卸貨。
21:4 找著了門徒，就在那裡住了七天。他們被聖靈感動，對保羅說：「不要上耶路撒冷去。」
21:5 過了這幾天，我們就起身前行。他們眾人同妻子兒女，送我們到城外，我們都跪在岸上禱告，彼此辭別。
21:6 我們上了船，他們就回家去了。
21:7 我們從泰爾行盡了水路，來到多利買，就問那裡的弟兄安，和他們同住了一天。
21:8 第二天，我們離開那裡，來到凱撒利亞，就進了傳福音的腓利家裡，和他同住。他是那七個執事裡的一個。
21:9 他有四個女兒，都是處女，是說預言的。
21:10 我們在那裡多住了幾天，有一個先知，名叫亞迦布，從猶太下來，
21:11 到了我們這裡，就拿保羅的腰帶捆上自己的手腳，說：「聖靈說：猶太人在耶路撒冷，要如此捆綁這腰帶的主人，把他交在外邦人手裡。」
21:12 我們和那本地的人聽見這話，都苦勸保羅不要上耶路撒冷去。
21:13 保羅說：「你們為甚麼這樣痛哭，使我心碎呢？我為主耶穌的名，不但被人捆綁，就是死在耶路撒冷也是願意的。」
21:14 保羅既不聽勸，我們便住了口，只說：「願主的旨意成就」，便了。
21:15 過了幾日，我們收拾行李上耶路撒冷去。
21:16 有凱撒利亞的幾個門徒和我們同去，帶我們到一個久為（久為：或譯老）門徒的家裡，叫我們與他同住；他名叫拿孫，是塞浦路斯人。
After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. 2 We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail. 3 After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. 4 We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5 When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. 6 After saying goodbye to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.
7 We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for a day. 8 Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. 9 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.
10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”
12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”
15 After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples.
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雖然保羅這一趟回耶路撒冷，有許多人預言保羅到耶路撒冷會受到迫害；但是保羅卻回答他們：「你們為甚麼這樣痛哭，使我心碎呢？我為主耶穌的名，不但被人捆綁，就是死在耶路撒冷也是願意的。」
從保羅的回答我們知道，我們信耶穌和世人求的平安是不同的。世人求的是不遭受災難，凡事都順利與亨通，但是基督徒求的平安是有上帝的同在！只要有主的同在，即使是為主耶穌的名，被人捆綁，甚至被迫害至死在也是願意的。因為，寧可為主喪失性命，也無所謂，因為主應許為祂喪失性命的，必得著永生！太過於保護自己的性命，反而得不著永生！
這對今日的基督徒也是如此，尤其是阿富汗的事件，讓人擔憂神學士會殺害基督徒，卻不知基督徒是以為主名受逼迫、被殺害為榮耀！這是基督徒與其他宗教信仰不同之處！
基督徒要向保羅一樣，不要畏懼為主名被人捆綁、被人殺害，主正在榮耀處迎接為祂名被害的人呢！這才是真正的榮歸天家！
2021年8月20日 星期五
尼希米記6:1-19
6:1 參巴拉、多比雅、阿拉伯人基善和我們其餘的仇敵聽見我已經修完了城牆，其中沒有破裂之處（那時我還沒有安門扇）的，
6:2 參巴拉和基善就打發人來見我，說：「請你來，我們在阿挪平原的一個村莊相會。」他們卻想害我。
6:3 於是我差遣人去見他們，說：「我現在辦理大工，不能下去。焉能停工下去見你們呢？」
6:4 他們這樣四次打發人來見我，我都如此回答他們。
6:5 參巴拉第五次打發僕人來見我，手裡拿著未封的信，
6:6 信上寫著說：「外邦人中有風聲，迦施慕（就是基善，見二章十九節）也說，你和猶大人謀反，修造城牆，你要作他們的王；
6:7 你又派先知在耶路撒冷指著你宣講，說在猶大有王。現在這話必傳與王知；所以請你來，與我們彼此商議。」
6:8 我就差遣人去見他，說：「你所說的這事，一概沒有，是你心裡捏造的。」
6:9 他們都要使我們懼怕，意思說，他們的手必軟弱，以致工作不能成就。上帝啊，求你堅固我的手。
6:10 我到了米希大別的孫子、第來雅的兒子示瑪雅家裡；那時，他閉門不出。他說：「我們不如在上帝的殿裡會面，將殿門關鎖；因為他們要來殺你，就是夜裡來殺你。」
6:11 我說：「像我這樣的人豈要逃跑呢？像我這樣的人豈能進入殿裡保全生命呢？我不進去！」
6:12 我看明上帝沒有差遣他，是他自己說這話攻擊我，是多比雅和參巴拉賄買了他。
6:13 賄買他的緣故，是要叫我懼怕，依從他犯罪，他們好傳揚惡言毀謗我。
6:14 我的上帝啊，多比雅、參巴拉、女先知挪亞底，和其餘的先知要叫我懼怕，求你記念他們所行的這些事。
6:15 以祿月二十五日，城牆修完了，共修了五十二天。
6:16 我們一切仇敵、四圍的外邦人聽見了便懼怕，愁眉不展；因為見這工作完成是出乎我們的上帝。
6:17 在那些日子，猶大的貴冑屢次寄信與多比雅，多比雅也來信與他們。
6:18 在猶大有許多人與多比雅結盟；因他是亞拉的兒子，示迦尼的女婿，並且他的兒子約哈難娶了比利迦兒子米書蘭的女兒為妻。
6:19 他們常在我面前說多比雅的善行，也將我的話傳與他。多比雅又常寄信來，要叫我懼怕。
When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates— 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages[a] on the plain of Ono.”
But they were scheming to harm me; 3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” 4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.
5 Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 6 in which was written:
“It is reported among the nations—and Geshem[b] says it is true—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king 7 and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us meet together.”
8 I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.”
9 They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”
But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”
10 One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.”
11 But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” 12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.
14 Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets have been trying to intimidate me. 15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.
16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.
17 Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them. 18 For many in Judah were under oath to him, since he was son-in-law to Shekaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. 19 Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.
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尼希米修建城牆，所面對到的一群敵人是何等的奸詐與陰險，不只是他們在外面叫囂，也在猶太人的當中收買許多人，製造假消息、假預言，就是要讓尼希米和猶太人害怕，以至於工程進度耽延！
其實「製造恐懼」和「不實的控告」也是魔鬼的伎倆，牠也像尼西米的眾敵人一樣，用這些虛謊的事情來攻擊我們，使我們因為懼怕而不敢向前奔跑，以致沒有跟上上帝的腳步！
當然我們對岸的強國也是用這些方法來恫嚇我們，我們突破的方式當然是要仰望上帝，靠主不要懼怕，因為主耶穌必保守我們十分平安！正如主耶穌所說：「我將這些事告訴你們，是要叫你們在我裡面有平安。在世上，你們有苦難；但你們可以放心，我已經勝了世界。」(約翰福音16:33)
詩篇37:3-4
37:3 你當倚靠耶和華而行善，住在地上，以他的信實為糧；
37:4 又要以耶和華為樂，他就將你心裡所求的賜給你。
3 Trust in the Lord
and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
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將NIV的經文放進GOOGLE翻譯得出的結果如下：
倚靠耶和華行善；
住在土地上，享受安全的牧場。
以耶和華為樂，
他會給你你內心的渴望。
其實希伯來文的原文和NIV經文翻譯出來得很接近。這也就是說，我們要如同羊群讓耶和華來牧養我們，我們就會過得安穩自在。雖然我們要付出代價，不可以載靠自己的努力，要靠上帝的恩典，但是這反而讓我們更安穩、更不缺乏！
而倚靠上帝的結果是讓自己心裡所求的成就，但是這時候心裡所求的，並不是自私的想法，而是樂意喜悅上帝的旨意，盼望上帝所賜的永遠福樂可以臨到我們，讓我永遠居住在上帝的家中。