使徒行傳11:1-3

 

11:1 使徒和在猶太的眾弟兄聽說外邦人也領受了上帝的道。
11:2 及至彼得上了耶路撒冷，那些奉割禮的門徒和他爭辯說：
11:3 「你進入未受割禮之人的家和他們一同吃飯了。」

 

The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. ² So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him ³ and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”

 

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    彼得到哥泥流家的事情，對當時的猶太人而言，是一個非同小可的事件！雖然，他去是要傳福音，但是這些猶太人卻質問彼得說：「你進入未受割禮之人的家和他們一同吃飯了。」

    我們今天會覺得吃個飯有甚麼大不了的事情？但是對當時的猶太人而言可是不得了的事！因為，猶太人吃飯的規矩和餐中上的食物，是絕然不同的；甚至於，和外邦人同桌吃飯，會干犯潔淨條例，是會得罪上帝的！

    當然這一切都是上帝在做工，是上帝要彼得前往哥泥流的家。也因此，上帝會賜給智慧給彼得，使他可以答的合宜，好使上帝的名得著榮耀！

 

箴言12:16

  

愚妄人的惱怒立時顯露；通達人能忍辱藏羞。

 

 Fools show their annoyance at once,
    but the prudent overlook an insult.

 

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    愚妄人和通達人最大的差別就是面對別人羞辱的時候，是否能夠靜下心來處理，而不是馬上展現怒氣！因為一個人若馬上展現怒氣，讓人覺得這人缺法理智，容易和別人產生衝突，而沒有真正將問題解決。

    人之所以發怒，是因為覺得自己備受威脅，非得自我防衛一下！以為使用怒氣會使人害怕，就會使別人屈服下來。殊不知這樣的表現，使別人看穿你使沒有什麼辦法的人，才會用怒氣來掩飾自己的無能。

    也因為這樣，通達的人可以任氣吞聲，尋求有利於彼此的溝通方式，來使人能折服於自己的才幹和精練，使對方願意真誠來互助合作，達成共同的利益，造成雙贏的局面！

    上帝就是盼望自己的兒女可以如此來見證上帝的同在，使人因我們智慧的處理，而信靠主耶穌。

 

馬太福音11:28

  

凡勞苦擔重擔的人，可以到我這裏來，我就使你們得安息；

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

 

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    這是主耶穌對世人的呼召，讓人來就近祂，然後將重擔交託給祂！但這不是要我們不再為自己的事情負責，乃是邀請主耶穌進入我們的生命中，與我們一起負起重擔，使他成為我們生命的主宰，賜給我們力量、智慧和勇氣，使我們成為真正又承擔的人。

    整如詩人說：「你要把你的重擔卸給耶和華，他必撫養你；他永不叫義人動搖。」(詩篇55:22)「天天背負我們重擔的主，就是拯救我們的上帝，是應當稱頌的！（細拉）」(詩篇68:19)

    因為與我們背負重擔，我們的心才不會受到壓抑、享受真正的自由，如此才能享受安息，才能重新得力，繼續為主耶穌做見證！也因此，我們要知道，我們不是獨自承擔重擔，我們是有主耶穌一起同行的！

士師記6:11-12

  

6:11 耶和華的使者到了俄弗拉，坐在亞比以謝族人約阿施的橡樹下。約阿施的兒子基甸正在酒醡那裡打麥子，為要防備米甸人。

6:12 耶和華的使者向基甸顯現，對他說：「大能的勇士啊，耶和華與你同在！」

 

¹¹ The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. ¹² When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

 

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    基甸並不是一個訓練有素的戰士，但是天使乎召他的時候，卻對他說：「大能的勇士啊，耶和華與你同在！」

    這也讓我們知道我們並不能成就甚麼大事，重要的是上帝的同在！有上帝的同在，我們就可以成為一個見證上帝大能的勇士，如同基甸一樣！

    求主幫助我們，時時刻刻尋求上帝的同在，好為上帝做美好的見證者！

 

詩篇119:162

 

我喜愛你的話，好像人得了許多擄物。

 I rejoice in your promise
    like one who finds great spoil.

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     詩人說到上帝的話是他所喜愛的，這個喜愛不是單單喜歡，在希伯來文是「שָׂשׂ」有「狂喜」的意義！表示是非常強烈的喜愛上帝的話語！

    為什麼會狂喜呢？是因為如帶隊的首領得了許多擄物！表示努力的征戰，不是白花力氣，是會有所得的，而且是豐富的！

    希望我們讀聖經也會有如此的收穫！

 

以斯帖記2:16-18

 

2:16 亞哈隨魯王第七年十月，就是提別月，以斯帖被引入宮見王。
2:17 王愛以斯帖過於愛眾女，她在王眼前蒙寵愛比眾處女更甚。王就把王后的冠冕戴在她頭上，立她為王后，代替瓦實提。
2:18 王因以斯帖的緣故給眾首領和臣僕設擺大筵席，又豁免各省的租稅，並照王的厚意大頒賞賜。

 

 She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

¹⁷ Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. ¹⁸ And the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.

 

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    在這裡向我們宣告以斯帖成為王后，並得王的喜悅！

 

 

以斯帖記2:8-15

  

2:8 王的諭旨傳出，就招聚許多女子到書珊城，交給掌管女子的希該；以斯帖也送入王宮，交付希該。
2:9 希該喜悅以斯帖，就恩待她，急忙給她需用的香品和她所當得的分，又派所當得的七個宮女服事她，使她和她的宮女搬入女院上好的房屋。
2:10 以斯帖未曾將籍貫宗族告訴人，因為末底改囑咐她不可叫人知道。
2:11 末底改天天在女院前邊行走，要知道以斯帖平安不平安，並後事如何。
2:12 眾女子照例先潔淨身體十二個月：六個月用沒藥油，六個月用香料和潔身之物。滿了日期，然後挨次進去見亞哈隨魯王。
2:13 女子進去見王是這樣：從女院到王宮的時候，凡她所要的都必給她。
2:14 晚上進去，次日回到女子第二院，交給掌管妃嬪的太監沙甲；除非王喜愛她，再提名召她，就不再進去見王。
2:15 末底改叔叔亞比孩的女兒，就是末底改收為自己女兒的以斯帖，按次序當進去見王的時候，除了掌管女子的太監希該所派定給她的，她別無所求。凡看見以斯帖的都喜悅她。

 

⁸ When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many young women were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem. ⁹ She pleased him and won his favor. Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven female attendants selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her attendants into the best place in the harem.

¹⁰ Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so. ¹¹ Every day he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her.

¹² Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics. ¹³ And this is how she would go to the king: Anything she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. ¹⁴ In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem to the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name.

¹⁵ When the turn came for Esther (the young woman Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her.

 

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    這段經文是敘述以斯帖當皇后的準備。雖然很繁瑣，但我們看見上帝使她蒙選皇后任務的大臣希該的喜愛，使其成為王后之路順暢！