約書亞記 第20章 中英摘要

  約書亞率領以色列人用了六、七年時間將迦南地打下來,仍有許多未得之地。但是,神宣告那塊地已賜給以色列人,要他們憑信心先分地。

  今天有這麼多朋友聚集於此,相信有些人正經歷著某些困難,也許是感情上的不順遂,也許是工作的壓力,或是健康的問題、是錢財的困難……,請大家要相信,神給我們的不是困難,而是越過困難之後所帶來的祝福,這不是阿Q精神,不是故意欺哄自己,在《聖經》裡是有確據的。剛剛敬拜時,唱了一首《我知道誰掌管明天》,歌詞說:「許多事明天將臨到,許多事難以明瞭,但我知誰掌管明天,祂必要領我向前。」

  神,神掌管明天,這是我們的信心,經常來小組或教會,你就會認識這個宇宙真神,因而生出無比的信心。神其實很願意祝福每一個人,可是如果你不信祂,不接受祂,盡跟不認識神的人在一起,遇到問題就以為世界末日,你的心鎖在痛苦裡,怎麼能走出痛苦呢?所以不要看環境,要望向神引領我們去的目的地。

  何謂逃城?逃城是神的美意,使那無心而誤殺人的,可以逃避報血仇的人,可以站在會眾面前聽審判的地方。生為人,我們會軟弱,會做出錯誤的事情,若不是故意,神給我們機會接受公平的審判;如果是故意當然就要為自己的行為付出代價。《申命記》、《民數記》以及今天的《約書亞記》都有記錄「逃城」這件事,神曉諭摩西,摩西告知以色列人。原先預計設立六座逃城,約旦河東、西兩岸各設立三座,由利未人管理,城裡有自己的祭司,都有通往逃城的道路、橋樑,而且還規定要通暢,指標要清楚。河東的三座逃城依序是:流便支派的比悉;迦得支派基列的拉末;瑪拿西支派巴珊的哥蘭。西岸則分定:拿弗他利支派的基低斯;以法蓮支派的示劍;猶大支派的基列.亞巴。可惜,以色列人進入迦南分地後,竟忘了神的心意,僅約旦河東岸有逃城,約旦河西岸的三座逃城並未實現。

  以色列人踏上流奶與蜜之地後,許多事都沒有遵守神的命令,心反被迦南人消化,隨著當地的敗壞起舞,墮落放肆遠離神,國家終至分裂為二,最後也都走向滅亡的道路。我們怎能不警醒呢?

  神是慈愛的神,只要你悔改,誠心來到祂的面前,今日,神依然為我們設立逃城,恩典的大門仍舊敞開。屬世的逃城,城樓會毀壞,審判會做假,祭司會誤判,但神的逃城沒有漏失,必定公義。這逃城在哪裡?就在耶穌基督裡,耶穌用祂的寶血救贖我們,讓我們在祂裡面得著永遠的生命。

  弟兄姊妹們,讓我們進入耶穌基督裡,不要隨意離開,主掌管明天,生命何等美好!

2015/12/10 葉長老 風美小組信息/ 方儀 摘錄整理

tree-220664_1280-1000Joshua 20

  Following Joshua’s lead, the Israelites spent 6-7 years to take the land of Canaan. Although there are still many land to be taken, God had promised to give the land to the Israelites, and God asked them to distribute the land in faith before they actually had the land.

  Today, I believe that many people who are listening to or reading this message are under great pressure, or are facing difficulties. Some people may have troubles in their relationships, some may suffer huge pressure at work, some may have health problems, and some may have worries about finical issues. Please believe this: God’s purpose is not to strike us with difficulties, but to bless us after we overcome those hardships. This is not taking up the spirit of Forrest Gump; nor is this lying to ourselves. Instead, there are evidences in the Bible. In the worship just now, we sang the song “I Know who Holds Tomorrow,” the lyrics go like this, “Many things will take place tomorrow, and the future is unpredictable, yet I know who holds tomorrow. He will guide me forward.”

  God holds tomorrow; this is our faith! Attend church services or group meetings more often, then you will know the only true God in the universe, and then you will have faith. In fact, God is more than happy to bless every soul on earth, but if you do not believe in or accept Him, if you only hang out with those who do not know God, if you consider every difficulty the end of the world, and if you lock your heart in suffering and bitterness, how can you get over the hardships? Let us stop looking at our environments, instead, let us focus on the destination God is leading us to.

  What are the cities of refuge? They are the good purpose of God. Those who killed a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee to those cities and find protection from the avenger of blood. Also, they would have a chance to stand trial before the assembly. As human beings, we all have our weaknesses, and we all do wrong things. If we make mistakes by accident, God will give us a chance of fair trial. Of course, we will have to pay the price if we intentionally sin against God. The cities of refuge were documented in Deuteronomy, Numbers, and Joshua; God spoke to Moses about the cities, and Moses conveyed it to the Israelites. Originally, there were 6 cities of refuge to be built; three on the east side of the Jordan, and three on the west side. The cities were governed by the Levites, and the cities were assigned its own priests. All the roads and bridges that lead to the cities of refuge had to be accessible, and the signs must be clear. The three cities of refuge on the east side of the Jordan are Bezer in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan in the tribe of Manasseh. The three cities of refuge on the west side of the Jordan are Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba in the hill country of Judah. It’s a pity that the Israelites forgot God’s will after they entered the land of Canaan. Three cities of refuge were built on the east side of Jordan, but the three cities of refuge were not established on the west side.

  After the Israelites got to the land flowing with milk and honey, they forgot many of God’s commands. The hearts of the Israelites were melted away by the people originally living there, and they were corrupted by the Canaanites. The Israelites turned away from God, so their country was divided into two, which both walked toward their doom. After seeing this, how can we not be alert?

  Our God is merciful. There is still the city of refuge today! If you repent and come before Him earnestly, the door that lead to God’s grace will still be opened to you. The wall of the city of refuge belonging to this world can be damaged, the judges in this world can be biased, and even priests can misjudge people. However, there is no mistake, only justice, in the city of refuge in God’s kingdom. Where is this city of refuge? It is in Jesus Christ! Jesus saved us with His Holy Blood, and so we find eternal life in Him.

  My dear brothers and sisters, let us live in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Let us stay in God’s kingdom and never leave it. Our God holds tomorrow; how bright is our future! How wonderful life is!

2015/12/10 Message by Elder Yeh