出埃及記18:1-12

18:1 摩西的岳父，米甸祭司葉忒羅，聽見上帝為摩西和上帝的百姓以色列所行的一切事，就是耶和華將以色列從埃及領出來的事，
18:2 便帶著摩西的妻子西坡拉，就是摩西從前打發回去的，
18:3 又帶著西坡拉的兩個兒子，一個名叫革舜，因為摩西說：「我在外邦作了寄居的」；
18:4 一個名叫以利以謝，因為他說：「我父親的上帝幫助了我，救我脫離法老的刀。」
18:5 摩西的岳父葉忒羅帶著摩西的妻子和兩個兒子來到上帝的山，就是摩西在曠野安營的地方。
18:6 他對摩西說：「我是你岳父葉忒羅，帶著你的妻子和兩個兒子來到你這裡。」
18:7 摩西迎接他的岳父，向他下拜，與他親嘴，彼此問安，都進了帳棚。
18:8 摩西將耶和華為以色列的緣故向法老和埃及人所行的一切事，以及路上所遭遇的一切艱難，並耶和華怎樣搭救他們，都述說與他岳父聽。
18:9 葉忒羅因耶和華待以色列的一切好處，就是拯救他們脫離埃及人的手，便甚歡喜。
18:10 葉忒羅說：「耶和華是應當稱頌的；他救了你們脫離埃及人和法老的手，將這百姓從埃及人的手下救出來。
18:11 我現今在埃及人向這百姓發狂傲的事上得知，耶和華比萬神都大。」
18:12 摩西的岳父葉忒羅把燔祭和平安祭獻給上帝。亞倫和以色列的眾長老都來了，與摩西的岳父在上帝面前吃飯。

Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.

² After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her ³ and her two sons. One son was named Gershom,^[a] for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”; ⁴ and the other was named Eliezer,^[b] for he said, “My father’s God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
⁵ Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain of God. ⁶ Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”
⁷ So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. ⁸ Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved them.
⁹ Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹⁰ He said, “Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹ Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.” ¹² Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.

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    在出埃及的過程中摩西的家人還在米甸，而當摩西將百姓帶到平安之處以後，岳父葉忒羅將家人帶到摩西面前。

    摩西看見岳父葉忒羅之後，將上帝如何拯救以色列人的過程述說出來，葉忒羅聽完之後馬上說：「和華是應當稱頌的；他救了你們脫離埃及人和法老的手，將這百姓從埃及人的手下救出來。我現今在埃及人向這百姓發狂傲的事上得知，耶和華比萬神都大。」

    雖然葉忒羅是米甸的祭司，不認識耶和華上帝。但是，通過摩西的見證，也成為敬畏耶和華的人！因此，我們蒙了上帝的恩典一定要述說上帝的大能和讚美上帝，向列邦和萬國萬民述說：上帝大能的同在！

箴言27:19

水中照臉，彼此相符；人與人，心也相對。

As water reflects the face,
    so one’s life reflects the heart.

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    你怎樣對待人，別人有怎樣對待你，就像在水邊，水像鏡子一樣反映出我們的面貌一般，這是很正常的事情！所以你感到別人對你好，表示你對人不錯！反過來，人都對你不好，表示你對人不好！

    也因為這樣，有許多人為了不讓自己被冷落，處處討好人，生活沒有原則，這也是另一種迷失！

    因此，我們需要回到上帝面前，重新認識我們該如何生活，而不是一味討好人！而上帝已經透過耶穌基督讓我們看見，我們必須靠耶穌基督的救贖與上帝和好，以榮耀上帝為我們一生努力的目標，如此才能重拾我們的尊嚴！

出埃及記17:8-16

17:8 那時，亞瑪力人來在利非訂，和以色列人爭戰。
17:9 摩西對約書亞說：「你為我們選出人來，出去和亞瑪力人爭戰。明天我手裡要拿著上帝的杖，站在山頂上。」
17:10 於是約書亞照著摩西對他所說的話行，和亞瑪力人爭戰。摩西、亞倫，與戶珥都上了山頂。
17:11 摩西何時舉手，以色列人就得勝，何時垂手，亞瑪力人就得勝。
17:12 但摩西的手發沉，他們就搬石頭來，放在他以下，他就坐在上面。亞倫與戶珥扶著他的手，一個在這邊，一個在那邊，他的手就穩住，直到日落的時候。
17:13 約書亞用刀殺了亞瑪力王和他的百姓。
17:14 耶和華對摩西說：「我要將亞瑪力的名號從天下全然塗抹了；你要將這話寫在書上作紀念，又念給約書亞聽。」
17:15 摩西築了一座壇，起名叫「耶和華尼西」（就是耶和華是我旌旗的意思），
17:16 又說：「耶和華已經起了誓，必世世代代和亞瑪力人爭戰。」

⁸ The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. ⁹ Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”
¹⁰ So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. ¹¹ As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. ¹² When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. ¹³ So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”
¹⁵ Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. ¹⁶ He said, “Because hands were lifted up against^[c] the throne of the Lord,^[d] the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”

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   禱告本身沒有什麼力量，可是禱告發出來得力量可大了！因為能力是來自上帝，是上帝使約書亞的勝利，不是禱告使約書亞勝過亞瑪力人！這是我們要認識清楚，禱告的人才不會居功，才不會奪去上帝的榮耀！

    許多基督喜歡見證禱告很有效果，勸人要多多禱告！其是，不是勸人多多禱告，而是要勸人仰望上帝！人仰望與信靠上帝，就自然會禱告和尋求上帝，不必人的勸說！可見，禱告之前須要接受上帝所賜的信心，就知道當如何求、如何仰望上帝了！

    親愛的弟兄姐妹，要靠主耶穌的名，在聖靈的引導下，向天父上帝禱告，上帝必成就大事在我們中間！

出埃及記17章

                出埃及記17:1-7   ,

               出埃及記17:4-7   ,

               出埃及記17:8-16  , 

               出埃及記17章8-16節   ,

出埃及記17:1-7

17:1 以色列全會眾都遵耶和華的吩咐，按著站口從汛的曠野往前行，在利非訂安營。百姓沒有水喝，
17:2 所以與摩西爭鬧，說：「給我們水喝吧！」摩西對他們說：「你們為甚麼與我爭鬧？為甚麼試探耶和華呢？」
17:3 百姓在那裡甚渴，要喝水，就向摩西發怨言，說：「你為甚麼將我們從埃及領出來，使我們和我們的兒女並牲畜都渴死呢？」
17:4 摩西就呼求耶和華說：「我向這百姓怎樣行呢？他們幾乎要拿石頭打死我。」
17:5 耶和華對摩西說：「你手裡拿著你先前擊打河水的杖，帶領以色列的幾個長老，從百姓面前走過去。
17:6 我必在何烈的磐石那裡，站在你面前。你要擊打磐石，從磐石裡必有水流出來，使百姓可以喝。」摩西就在以色列的長老眼前這樣行了。
17:7 他給那地方起名叫瑪撒（就是試探的意思），又叫米利巴（就是爭鬧的意思）；因以色列人爭鬧，又因他們試探耶和華，說：「耶和華是在我們中間不是？」

The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. ² So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”

Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”
³ But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”
⁴ Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
⁵ The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. ⁶ I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. ⁷ And he called the place Massah^[a] and Meribah^[b] because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

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    以生活需要為重的人，遇到沒有水可喝，沒有東西可以吃，他們的反應當然是爭鬧與發怨言；而不是大家一起來禱告，求主賞賜水源和糧食！

    當然我們不能批判摩西沒有牧養好這一群百姓，以致於他們只知道爭鬧，不知道要仰望上帝！牧者再怎樣屬靈或優秀，也不是馬上可以把一群剛被拯救的人教導得很好！這也是今日牧者在教會要面對的問題，每一位在教會出入的人，生命程度、信仰表現不盡相同，需要照每個人的程度和方式來引導，不是一年或兩年馬上可以看見成果的！

    願上帝的家中，有循循善意的良牧，使每個弟兄姊妹學習仰望上帝，而不是爭鬧與發怨言，這是上帝安排牧者的重要意義！