Daily Devotion||每日靈修

YEAR 1||第一年 YEAR 2||第二年 YEAR 3||第三年 YEAR 4||第四年 YEAR 5||第五年
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書
卷
 Matthew||馬太福音 Mark||馬可福音 Luke||路加福音 John||約翰福音 Deuteronomy||申命記
Genesis||創世記 Exodus||出埃及記 Leviticus||利未記 Numbers||民數記 Ephesians||以弗所書
Acts||使徒行傳 1 Corinthians||哥林多前書 James||雅各書 1 Kings||列王紀上 Philippians||腓立比書
Joshua||約書亞記 2 Corinthians||哥林多後書 1 Samuel||撒母耳記上 2 Kings||列王紀下 Colossians||歌羅西書
Romans||羅馬書 Judges||士師記 2 Samuel||撒母耳記下 Titus||提多書 Philemon||腓利門書
Ruth||路得記 1 Thessalonians||帖撒羅尼迦前書 1 Timothy||提摩太前書 1 John||約翰壹書 1 Chronicles||歷代志上
Jonah||約拿書 2 Thessalonians||帖撒羅尼迦後書 2 Timothy||提摩太後書 2 John||約翰貳書 2 Chronicles||歷代志下
Jude||猶大書 Ezra||以斯拉記 Hosea||何西阿書 3 John||約翰叄書 Hebrews||希伯來書
Nehemiah||尼希米記 Amos||阿摩司書 Jeremiah||耶利米書 Ezekial||以西結書
Daniel||但以理書 Obadiah||俄巴底亞書 Lamentation||耶利米哀歌 Haggai||哈該書
Esther||以斯帖記 Ecclesiates||傳道書 Zechariah||撒迦利亞書
Isaiah||以賽亞書 1 Peter||彼得前書 Habakkuk||哈巴谷書
2 Peter||彼得後書 Nahum||那鴻書
Micah||彌迦書 Zephaniah||西番雅書
Joel||約珥書 Revelation||啟示錄
Malachi||瑪拉基書 Galatians||加拉太書

■Old Testament||■舊約 ■New Testament||■新約

OLD TESTAMENT||舊約 NEW TESTAMENT||新約
Genesis||創世記 Ezra||以斯拉記 Micah||彌迦書 Matthew||馬太福音 1 Timothy||提摩太前書
Exodus||出埃及記 Nehemiah||尼希米記 Nahum||那鴻書 Mark||馬可福音 2 Timothy||提摩太後書
Leviticus||利未記 Esther||以斯帖記 Habakkuk||哈巴谷書 Luke||路加福音 Titus||提多書
Numbers||民數記 Ecclesiates||傳道書 Zephaniah||西番雅書 John||約翰福音 Philemon||腓利門書
Deuteronomy||申命記 Isaiah||以賽亞書 Haggai||哈該書 Acts||使徒行傳 Hebrews||希伯來書
Joshua||約書亞記 Jeremiah||耶利米書 Zechariah||撒迦利亞書 Romans||羅馬書 James||雅各書
Judges||士師記 Lamentation||耶利米哀歌 Malachi||瑪拉基書 1 Corinthians||哥林多前書 1 Peter||彼得前書
Ruth||路得記 Ezekial||以西結書 2 Corinthians||哥林多後書 2 Peter||彼得後書
1 Samuel||撒母耳記上 Daniel||但以理書 Galatians||加拉太書 1 John||約翰壹書
2 Samuel||撒母耳記下 Hosea||何西阿書 Ephesians||以弗所書 2 John||約翰貳書
1 Kings||列王紀上 Joel||約珥書 Philippians||腓立比書 3 John||約翰叄書
2 Kings||列王紀下 Amos||阿摩司書 Colossians||歌羅西書 Jude||猶大書
1 Chronicles||歷代志上 Obadiah||俄巴底亞書 1 Thessalonians||帖撒羅尼迦前書 Revelation||啟示錄
2 Chronicles||歷代志下 Jonah||約拿書 2 Thessalonians||帖撒羅尼迦後書

ERROR: please enter search term.||錯誤：請輸入搜尋關鍵字。

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Ⅰ. Invocation and Adoration||Ⅰ. 禱告與敬拜

  • Invocation Prayer||開始禱告

    "Gracious God, we humbly thank you for all your gifts so freely bestowed on us, for life and health and safety, for freedom to work and leisure to rest, and for all that is beautiful in creation and in human life. But, above all, we thank you for our Savior, Jesus Christ, for His death and resurrection, for the gift of Your Spirit, and for the hope of glory. Fill our hearts with all joy and peace in believing; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

    (A Prayer Book of Australia, 1995)

    「恩慈的神，我們謙卑地為祢白白所賜的各樣恩典來感謝祢：為賜生命、健康、安全、工作的自由、安舒的休息、並祢創造的一切和人類生命的美麗。但我們更為我們的救主耶穌基督：祂的死和復活，並祢恩賜的聖靈和榮耀的盼望來感謝祢。求祢因我們的信以喜樂和平安充滿我們；奉主耶穌基督的名。阿們。」(A Prayer Book of Australia,1995)

  • Adoration through Psalm 96藉詩篇第96篇來敬拜

    We'll use this Psalm, not for today's Bible reading, but for the sake of focusing our thoughts on God.

    Read slowly this passage at least three times and each day gather one thought about this psalm that points to God's character and translate it into a prayer of adoration.

    現在細讀這篇其中一小段三次，本週每日如是，但每天掌握詩中有關神的美善之一作默想，然後化所得為讚美的禱告。

Ⅱ. Confession||Ⅱ. 認罪

Pause now and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you your sins and ask for forgiveness.

現在停下來，求聖靈光照你，讓你看見自己的罪，並求主饒恕。

Ⅲ. Thanksgiving||Ⅲ. 感恩

List, one by one, things for which you should give thanks.||逐一列出你當感恩的事項。

Ⅳ. Scriptural Reflection||Ⅳ. 經文默想

Ezra||以斯拉記 vv.1:1-4 (Isaiah 44:28-45:13)（及以賽亞書44:28-45:13）
Read slowly and reflectively the assigned passage twice at least and consider the questions below.||請慢慢細心讀經文至少兩遍，然後反復思考問題。

We shall begin the study of the book of Ezra of the Old Testament this week.

Preface to the Book of Ezra

Ezra and Nehemiah originally existed as one book with Ezra considered as the author of both books plus 1 & 2 Chronicles. In fact, the last two verses of the last chapter of 2 Chronicles are identical to the opening verses of the book of Ezra. Origen (3rd century A.D.) was the first to divide Ezra-Nehemiah into two books. Like the book of Daniel, part of Ezra was written in Aramaic: 4:8-6:18; 7:12-26. It is worth noting that the (Hebrew) Masoretic notes of Ezra-Nehemiah were placed only at the end of the Nehemiah section, proving that the Masoretes regarded Ezra-Nehemiah as one book.

The Scriptures record three groups of returnees from Babylon to Jerusalem:

  1. Around 538 B.C. under the leadership of Jeshua, the high priest and Zerubbabel, the governor over the region (the Babylonian empire fell into the hands of Cyrus, the Persian, in 539 B.C.);
  2. Around 458 B.C. with Ezra
    1. Cyrus died in 529 B.C. and was
    2. succeeded by Cambyses who died in 522 B.C. and was
    3. succeeded by Darius in 519 B.C. during whose reign the edict of Cyrus for the rebuilding of Jerusalem temple was rediscovered and honored. He was succeeded by
    4. Xerxes who reigned from 486-465 B.C. — the long reign that served as the background to the story of Esther; and
    5. Followed by Artaxerxes who reigned from 465-424 B.C.
  3. Around 445 B.C. accompanying Nehemiah (still under the reign of Artaxerxes).

When Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C., he carried many Jews into exile to Babylon, leaving behind only the poorest of the poor. Archeological findings have confirmed the utter destruction in the land of Judah. Many of the remaining Jews later fled to Egypt.

The book of Ezra begins with the miraculous call by Cyrus to the Jews in Babylon to return to rebuild their temple in Jerusalem. A great number of Jews chose to remain in Babylon, presumably because they had become prosperous and were satisfied with their alien status as they enjoyed freedom and success in business. Archeology tells us that more than a century later, the Murashu family among these exiles started the first banking-house in human history.

  1. As we read the miraculous order of a foreign king to accomplish the will of God for His people, let's take a look at the precise prophecies of Isaiah who prophesied well before the fall of Jerusalem and the rise of Cyrus in Isaiah 44:28–45:13.
  2. If you were Cyrus, upon your conquering of Babylon and coming into contact with the Jews in exile, especially with Daniel who would still be alive at Cyrus' conquest (See Dan. 6:1):
    1. What was the chance that Daniel and others would read to you these words of Isaiah?
    2. How would you have reacted to the reading of your name prophesied at least 150 years before your birth?
  3. Besides the prophecies of Isaiah, there is the prophecy of Jeremiah in Jeremiah 29:10:
    1. How did Daniel take the prophecy of Jeremiah? (See Dan. 9:1-3)
    2. What did he do about it?
    3. According to Ezra 1:1, how did God cause His prophetic promise to come to pass?
  4. What is the most spectacular part of this event to you?
  5. How then should you look at the current history of the world? (Read Prov. 21:1 as well)
  6. Read this royal decree in details:
    1. What did Cyrus call the LORD (i.e. Yahweh), the God of Israel?
    2. How did he see his role (and mission) in the hand of the LORD ?
    3. What would be the specific mission of these Jews who would return to Jerusalem?
    4. How would this project be funded?
  7. The Persians, no doubt, had their own gods:
    1. Why then would Cyrus give credit to the LORD (i.e. Yahweh) for his success?
    2. What might be the political impact on his own people, especially the priests who served at the temples of their gods in Persia?
  8. If you were one of the Jews in exile in Babylon:
    1. What would be your reaction to the hearing of this decree?
    2. Would you, therefore, jump at the first opportunity to return to Jerusalem?
      1. What would be the reasons for you to return?
      2. What might be the reason that you would hesitate to return? (Remember that it has been 70 years since your exile and that you have listened to the exhortation of Jeremiah in Jer. 29:4-7).
  9. Pause and reflect on the main message to you today. How may you apply it to your life?

本週我們開始研讀舊約以斯拉記。

引言：以斯拉記和尼希米記原是被列為同一卷書，猶太傳統是以以斯拉為作者，並認為他也是歷代志上、下的作者。(參代下36:22-23與拉1:1-3這兩處完全相同的記載)。希伯來舊約聖經的以斯拉/尼希米記抄本的著釋也把備注放在兩書之後。主後第三世紀教父Origen把這兩本書分開。像但以理書一樣，以斯拉記部份是用亞蘭文寫的(4:8-6:18;7:12-26)。

聖經記載以色列人從被擄回歸分成三個階段：

  1. 主前538年：在大祭司耶書亞和省長所羅巴伯的領導下回歸(主前539年波斯古列王Cyrus推翻巴比倫。)
  2. 主前458年：以斯拉領導一批人回歸(見第七章)——
    1. 主前529年古列終，由Cambyses接上；
    2. 主前522年Cambyses終；
    3. 主前519年大利烏正式作王——在這期間，因重尋到古列之聖旨而聖殿工程得繼續；
    4. 主前486-465亞哈隨魯王執政——即以斯帖時代；
    5. 主前465-424年：亞達薛西執政時期。
  3. 主前445年：在亞達薛西的允許下，尼希米回歸耶路撒冷。

當尼布甲尼撒在主前586年摧毀耶路撒冷時，把大批猶太人擄到巴比倫去，只餘非常貧窮的人留在本地。考古學的發掘證明猶大地當時是全然被毀壞的。及後餘下的猶太人也多有逃往埃及。

以斯拉記就記述古列下旨容許猶太人回歸、重建聖殿。但大部份猶太人似乎因已落地生根，決定留在巴比倫。特別因為他們享有經濟的自由，故樂於寄居異地。考古學的發掘更證明了人類的第一間銀行是這批留在巴比倫的Murashu家族所創辦的。

  1. 古列這位外邦王竟下聖旨去完成神的心意，應驗祂給猶太人超過150年前藉先知以賽亞的應許，並早已預言古列的出現。在此請用一點時間細閱以賽亞書44:28–45:13這段超奇的預言。
  2. 古列，在征服了巴比倫後，有機會接觸到如但以理這些敬虔的猶太人(見但6:1)：
    1. 你以為但以理等會否把以賽亞的預言告知古列？
    2. 如果你是古列，讀到自己的名字早在150多年前，自己尚未出生時，已在聖經中被提及，你會有什麼反應？
  3. 除以賽亞的預言外，尚有耶利米的預言(像耶29:10)：
    1. 但以理本身怎樣看耶利米的預言呢？(參但9:13)
    2. 他讀到之後，採取了什麼行動？
    3. 按以斯拉記1:1，神怎樣使祂的預言得實現？
  4. 這整件事情，你感到最超奇的地方是什麼？
  5. 既是這樣，你該怎樣看今日的世局？(可參箴21:1)
  6. 請細讀古列所下的聖旨的內容：
    1. 古列怎樣稱呼耶和華這以色列人的神？
    2. 他怎樣看自己在這神手中的位份呢？
    3. 他呼籲猶太人回歸的主要任務是什麼？
    4. 這工程的資源從那裡得來？
  7. 我們知道波斯人是有他們傳統一向敬拜的神的：
    1. 為何古列竟把自己的成就歸功於耶和華神呢？
    2. 這在政治上是否明智之舉？特別會對波斯的祭司們有什麼影響？
  8. 如果你是巴比倫被擄的猶太人之一：
    1. 聽到這聖旨時會有什麼感受？
    2. 你是否立刻作出熱烈的回應？
      1. 你要回歸的原因會包括什麼？
      2. 如果你是猶疑不決的話，原因又會包括什麼？(你和家人可能已移居此地多年，亦讀到耶利米在29:4-7的來書！)
  9. 請停下來思想今日對你主要的提醒是什麼？你可以怎樣應用在自己的生命中？

Ⅴ. Meditative Reflection: The God of History||Ⅴ. 靈修默想小篇：掌管歷史的神

"The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes." (Prov. 21:1)

The Book of Ezra opens with one of the most amazing accounts in the Bible: "In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:"

It is amazing because:

  1. Cyrus, a gentile king, a Persian to be exact, had great ambitions and expanded his power bit by bit: first he gained control over the Indo-Arian Medes and this combination of the Persians and the Medes became a formidable force; then he invaded Asia Minor all the way to India; and finally he took over the powerful Babylonians. But God controls even the heart of such a powerful, gentile king and "turns it wherever He wishes" to accomplish His plan (Prov. 21:1);
  2. But this gentile king did not only comply with the will of God not grudgingly, he even acknowledged that it was this Yahweh, who is not just the God of Israel, but also the God of heaven who had given his kingdom — what a humble admission; and
  3. He also understood that the giving of the kingdom carried with it a purpose and that was to appoint him "to build a temple for Him in Jerusalem (Ezr. 1:2).

It is perhaps not too far-fetched to assume that since Daniel was eventually elevated to a high position in this new Persian kingdom (Dan. 6), he or other Jewish leaders would have the opportunity to inform Cyrus that his name and his rise to power had already been prophesied at least 150 years or more before him by the prophet Isaiah (44:28-45:13). But one has to admire not only the humility of Cyrus, but his courage too, because such a declaration of his gratitude to Yahweh and the decree to re-build His temple would have cost him potentially dearly politically because it would definitely not have sat well with the Persian priests who were very powerful political figures in those days.

Many of the kings in Israel past paled in light of the obedience exemplified by Cyrus. But it also shows that, in spite of the failure of His people which had led to the destruction even of God's temple, our God is still in absolute control — He is indeed not only the faithful God of Israel who honored the promised return of His people exactly seventy years after their exile (Jer. 29:10), but He is the God of human history too.

As He had steered the heart of Cyrus to accomplish His plan for the people of Israel, He will direct the hearts of kings and rulers to bring about the consummation of His plan of salvation for the entire human race and the defeat of Satan with the return of our Lord Jesus Christ one day.

Note: "These seventy years commenced with the first taking of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, when Daniel and other youths of the seed-royal were carried to Babylon (Dan. 1:1, 2) in the fourth year of King Jehoaikim…This year was the year 606 B.C.; hence the seventy years terminate in 536 B.C., the year of the sole rule of Cyrus over the Babylonian empire." (K&D, Ezra, 14)

「王的心在耶和華手中，好像隴溝的水隨意流轉。」(箴21:1)

以斯拉記的開始，就道出聖經中最奇特的歷史片段之一：「波斯王古列元年，耶和華為要應驗藉耶利米口所說的話，就激動波斯王古列的心，使他下詔通告全國說……」

這段記載奇特之處在乎：

  1. 這古列並非猶太人的王，乃是外邦波斯人的王。他的野心使他一步一步的擴張勢力：先是控制了瑪代人，與波斯合併成為強大的勢力；繼而進侵小亞細亞，直到印度；最後成功的推翻了強大的巴比倫，成為當時世界的覇權。但這覇權君主的心竟然都是操在神的手中，隨祂的意思流轉(箴21:1)
  2. 但這覇權的君主不是勉強的被神操縱，乃是謙卑的承認祂不單是以色列的神，乃是「天上的神」、是賜他權勢的神；
  3. 他更明白被賜權柄是有使命的，這使命就是為神重建祂的殿(1:2)。

他之這樣謙卑、公開的承認耶和華神的主權，相信是與讀到以賽亞，在至少150年前，指名道姓的預言到古列的興起有關的(賽44:28–45:13)。我們知道當古列攻勝巴比倫時，但以理尚在，甚至被波斯王重用(見但6章)。故此，他和其他猶太裔的領袖必趁機告訴他，讓王讀到這些預言。但我們仍要欣賞的，不單是他的謙卑，更是他的勇氣，因為這樣公然的承認、感恩，更支持耶和華殿的重建，一定得罪那些甚有勢力的事奉波斯傳統偶像的祭司。在政治的角度上，這並非明智之舉。但古列全不理會。

這樣看來，絕大部份的以色列君王，根本不能與古列相比！同時，也讓我們看到，雖然以色列人因離棄神而遭受亡國、毁殿之災；但神仍然全然掌權——祂不但確是信實的神，守約施慈愛的，使經過整整七十年，引導被擄的百姓能回歸國土(耶29:10)；更是全然掌管全人類歷史的神！

昔日，祂怎樣激動古列的心，去成就祂為百姓所定的計劃，今天，祂仍在掌管世上君王和政要的心，使祂救世的大工，和至終消滅撒但的計劃，在主耶穌再來的時候得以實現。

註：這七十年是由尼布甲尼撒攻取耶路撒冷，帶走但以理等一批人回巴比倫開始計算(但以理書1:1-2)，即約雅敬王第四年……(即主前606年)到主前536年，古列正式獨自取代巴比倫的覇權為止(K&D, Ezra,14)。

Ⅵ. A Time for Silence||Ⅵ. 靜默時刻

You have meditated much with your intellectual faculty today. Now have a moment of silence (the length is up to you, 5 or even 30 minutes), and ask God quietly, "Lord, is there any important message from you today that I might have missed? Show me, your servant is listening?"||今天你用了不少智力技能來默想。現在，就用一點時間靜下來（長、短由你決定：5或30分鐘），安靜地求問神，「主阿，有甚麼我忽略了的重要信息對我說？請說，僕人敬聽。」

Ⅶ. Supplication||Ⅶ. 代求

Use the following chart to cover people and ministries that you want to remember before the Lord:||除為自己有所求外 (在你禱告簿一一記下所求的，作蒙神應允時的對照) ，請填寫以下為人或事工代禱表格：
  Your Family||家人 Other People||其他人 Church Ministries||教會事工 Other Ministries||其他機構 City & World||本市及普世 Others||其他
SUN||星期日            
MON||星期一            
TUE||星期二            
WED||星期三            
THU||星期四            
FRI||星期五            
SAT||星期六            

Ⅷ. Benediction||Ⅷ. 祝福

"In this hour of this day, O Lord, with your mercy, that rejoicing throughout the whole day, we may take delight in your praise; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

(The Sarum Breviary)

「主阿，就在此刻，靠著祢的憐憫，願我在歡樂中渡過今天，不忘向祢發出讚美；奉我們主耶穌基督的名。阿們。」(The Sarum Breviary)

Typo Report