We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us

Ezra 10:1-44

While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites—men, women and children—gathered around him. They too wept bitterly. Then Shekaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel. Now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all these women and their children, in accordance with the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law. Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it.”

A proclamation was then issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem for all the exiles to assemble in Jerusalem. Anyone who failed to appear within three days would forfeit all his property, in accordance with the decision of the officials and elders, and would himself be expelled from the assembly of the exiles.

Within the three days, all the men of Judah and Benjamin had gathered in Jerusalem. And on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people were sitting in the square before the house of God, greatly distressed by the occasion and because of the rain. Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, adding to Israel’s guilt. Now honor[a] the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives.

The whole assembly responded with a loud voice: “You are right! We must do as you say. But there are many people here and it is the rainy season; so we cannot stand outside. Besides, this matter cannot be taken care of in a day or two, because we have sinned greatly in this thing. Let our officials act for the whole assembly. Then let everyone in our towns who has married a foreign woman come at a set time, along with the elders and judges of each town, until the fierce anger of our God in this matter is turned away from us.” Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, supported by Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite, opposed this.

by the first day of the first month they finished dealing with all the men who had married foreign women.

Why?

People of Israel confessed their sins to marrying foreign women, so they agreed to obey the commands of the Lord. But it needs time to do it, so they let the leader of each tribe make clear who married a foreign woman.

This is a difficult mission and it is hard to separate family from everyone. But they did it for the word of the Lord is higher than their family love.

How?

Obey the word of the Lord is more important than any others. May my heart and my mind always follow with word of the Lord.

Shall we then break your commands again and intermarry with the peoples who commit such detestable practices?

Ezra 9:1-15

After these things had been done, the leaders came to me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices, like those of the Canaanites, Hittites,...They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness.”

When I heard this, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled. Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of this unfaithfulness of the exiles. And I sat there appalled until the evening sacrifice.

Then, at the evening sacrifice, I rose from my self-abasement, with my tunic and cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the Lord my God and prayed: I am too ashamed and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens. From the days of our ancestors until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.

What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins deserved and have given us a remnant like this. Shall we then break your commands again and intermarry with the peoples who commit such detestable practices? Would you not be angry enough with us to destroy us, leaving us no remnant or survivor? Lord, the God of Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence.”

Why?

People of Israel were signed in their marriage, so Ezra was sad about this.

Because of their sins, they could not stand before the Lord, so they had to face their sins. So am I.

How?

Dear Lord may your Holy Spirit remind me, do I have any sins in me and I do not know, make me clean before the Lord. May your mercy come upon me.

By the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God

Ezra 8:1-36

These are the family heads and those registered with them who came up with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:

I assembled them at the canal that flows toward Ahava, and we camped there three days. When I checked among the people and the priests, I found no Levites there.

I ordered them to go to Iddo, the leader in Kasiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo and his fellow Levites, the temple servants in Kasiphia, so that they might bring attendants to us for the house of our God. Because the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah, a capable man, from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sherebiah’s sons and brothers, 18 in all; and Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and nephews, 20 in all. They also brought 220 of the temple servants—a body that David and the officials had established to assist the Levites. All were registered by name.

There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.

So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, namely, Sherebiah, Hashabiah and ten of their brothers, and I weighed out to them the offering of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his advisers, his officials and all Israel present there had donated for the house of our God. 

On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way. So we arrived in Jerusalem, where we rested three days.

They also delivered the king’s orders to the royal satraps and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, who then gave assistance to the people and to the house of God.

Why?

Ezra under grace proclaimed a fast, the Lord protected them safely returned from exile, and came to Jerusalem. safely and they may return to the promised land with the protection of King's army. Fast is humbling ourselves to serve the Lord.

Ezra served the Lord and led the people of Isreal with order and he searched the Levits for servants of the Temple. Set apart twelve of the leading priest and bring the offering of silver and gold and the articles that the king, advisers, officials and all Israel present to the house of the Lord.

How?

Serve the Lord needs wisdom and humility to do everything.

Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel

 Ezra 7:1-28

After these things, during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia.

Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him. Some of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, musicians, gatekeepers and temple servants, also came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.

For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.

You and your fellow Israelites may then do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, in accordance with the will of your God. Deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles entrusted to you for worship in the temple of your God. And anything else needed for the temple of your God that you are responsible to supply, you may provide from the royal treasury.

And you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God, which you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people of Trans-Euphrates—all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach any who do not know them. Whoever does not obey the law of your God and the law of the king must surely be punished by death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.

Why?
Devote himself, study, and observance of the Law of the Lord, teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.

Under the King's letter, Ezra can do anything good to worship the Lord and reach the word of the Lord in Jerusalem.

The Lord through King of Persia, Artaxerxes, gives a letter to all Israelites in his kingdom. And he has the authority to use financial support from the royal treasury.

How?

The Lord is the master of Christians and non-Christians. God's power over all in the world.

Stay away from there. Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God

 Ezra 6:1-22

King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives stored in the treasury at Babylon. A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it:

In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem: Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid. It is to be sixty cubits[a] high and sixty cubits wide, with three courses of large stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid by the royal treasury. Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, are to be returned to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; they are to be deposited in the house of God.

Now then, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and you other officials of that province, stay away from there. Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site.

Their expenses are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury, from the revenues of Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop.

Furthermore, I decree that if anyone defies this edict, a beam is to be pulled from their house and they are to be impaled on it. And for this crime their house is to be made a pile of rubble. May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem.

Why?

It is the Lord who made King Darius issued an order to search in the archives stored in the treasury and found it.

Then the same order is issued, and everyone stays away from there. Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. And the costs are to be paid by the royal treasury.

The people of Israel obey the order of King Darius, and King Darius under the order of the Lord. So every Christian do not be frustrated or discouraged to our environment, for the Lord is our savior and strongholder.

How?

Praise the Lord and obey God's word for my Lord is Great and beyond this world, everyone should come to worship the Lord.

We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago

Ezra 5:1-17

Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.

This is the answer they gave us: “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, one that a great king of Israel built and finished. But because our ancestors angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.

“However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild this house of God. He even removed from the temple of Babylon the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple in Babylon. Then King Cyrus gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor, and he told him, ‘Take these articles and go and deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem. And rebuild the house of God on its site.’

Now if it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives of Babylon to see if King Cyrus did in fact issue a decree to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this matter.

Why?

Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, and  Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

Everything needs some people to be brave and encouraged to do the right things. Zerubbabel is the one who has bravery and wisdom to lead people to rebuild the Temple.

Even the governor of Trans-Ephrates sent a message to the King of Babylon and the elders have wisdom to answer, we are the servants of the God of heaven and earth.

Actually, it is true that king Crrus did issue a decree to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem.

How?

Do not be afraid to do the right things in the Name of the Lord and under the permission of the government.

the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building

 Ezra 4:1-24

When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.”

But Zerubbabel, Joshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.”

Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, they lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

The letter you sent us has been read and translated in my presence. I issued an order and a search was made, and it was found that this city has a long history of revolt against kings and has been a place of rebellion and sedition. Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over the whole of Trans-Euphrates, and taxes, tribute and duty were paid to them. Now issue an order to these men to stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order. Be careful not to neglect this matter. Why let this threat grow, to the detriment of the royal interests?

Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Why?

During the people of Judah and Benjamin building the temple for the Lord, The enemies accused King Xerxes, of the false accusation. And because there is the history of Isreal rebelled so the king ordered them to stop rebuilding the Temple until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

It is the work of Satan, they always don't like the Temple rebuilt. So there are false accusations to Israelites and Christians.

We are fighting with the dark world and Satan, not the people of this world.

How?

Only Love can conquer the evil of this world! May the Lord help us and give us the strength to face this world.

When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they sang to the Lord: “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.”

Ezra 3:1-13

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled together as one in Jerusalem. Then Joshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices. Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles with the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day. After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon sacrifices and the sacrifices for all the appointed sacred festivals of the Lord, as well as those brought as freewill offerings to the Lord. On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, though the foundation of the Lord’s temple had not yet been laid.

Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and gave food and drink and olive oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.

They appointed Levites twenty years old and older to supervise the building of the house of the Lord. Joshua and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah[a]) and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together in supervising those working on the house of God.

When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as prescribed by David king of Israel. With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: “He is good;  his love toward Israel endures forever.”

But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.

Why?

After many Israel paid attention to rebuilding the Temple of the Lord, in the Seventh month, they laid the foundation of the Temple of the Lord. 

It seems impossible to Israel they may rebuild the Temple of the Lord, so many people weeping and shouting joy.

After loss people of Isreal learned much more to love the Lord, for the grace of the Lord comes upon them so they may return from exile.

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1)v1-7 照神的律法書建祭壇、獻祭：只要有祭壇就可以獻祭，不是一定要有聖殿。祭壇即我們服事的禾場。他們服事如同一人，合一是復興的記號，神就會同在。

原有的根基上築壇在那裏跌倒，就在那裏起來，現已經立好的根基就是耶穌基督。早晚獻燔祭、住棚節（紀念曠野的日子）、甘心祭（即平安祭，思想神的恩典充滿、感恩奉獻）

奉獻之後繼續往前走，準備買建殿的材料。

2)v8-13 建立聖殿的根基：祭司、利未人、族長。喜極而泣！曾經失去過再回來更感到寶貴。更體會到神沒有離開他們。被擄70年，在政府鼓勵下再回來重建聖殿。難道我們也要經歷這樣的苦難才認識神的恩典?

思想我們的祭壇有祭物嗎？有火嗎？求神再次降下火來在祭壇上。

How?

Keep following the word of the Lord and meditating meaning of God's word in my daily life and be a good witness to honor the Lord.

The list of the Exiles who returned

Ezra:1-70

 Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive to Babylon (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to their own town,  in company with Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah)

The priests: the descents of Jedaiah.

The Levites:

The temple servants:

The musicians The descendants of Hobiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai. These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. The governor ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there was a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.

The priests, the Levites, the musicians, the gatekeepers and the temple servants settled in their own towns, along with some of the other people, and the rest of the Israelites settled in their towns.

Why?
The servants of the Temple are important, so everything and every one of the Temple servants has to be set up first and prepared for service. Even the identity has to be clarified to make sure they have this identity to serve the Lord.

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神仍然掌權在外邦人當中。

尼提寧：在聖殿做打雜、粗重工作。

沒有被擄的名單，卻有歸回的名單，這歸回代表得救，所以詳細記載每個家族。

以斯拉以嚴謹的態度在看聖殿及服事者的條件，唯一條件是亞倫的後代，以現代在看是屬靈的血統純正，即是否真正重生得救?成為聖潔，其次服事的動機是否正確?

服事神不僅是祭司的事也是全體百姓的事，因此捐獻，同心建造。

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How?

We also need to clean ourselves to serve the church, not only for our identity but also for our motivation to serve is correct.

Ezra 1:1-11 Fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah

Ezra 1:1-11

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:

This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.

Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.

Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god. Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.

Why?

The Lord proved that the prophet Jeremiah said is the true word of the Lord.

It is the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing. This can be a record of Cyrus, no one can change it.

People of Israel can go back to Jerusalem and build the Temple of the Lord. Except for the motion of the Lord, it is impossible to come true.

Not only Cyrus king of Persia claimed this order, but also the family heads od Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites whose hearts God had moved- prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem.

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歸回耶路撒冷，重建聖殿最重要。

神激動波斯王古列的心：塞魯士王。神也可以使用外邦人，神在以色列人，萬民中掌權。

許多人被激動也參加這工作。聖殿不能只有建築物，更要有服事的人員。所以第一章記載多少人回來，又記載所有在聖殿服事的人員。服事人員寧缺勿濫。雖有人願意服事於教會，但是事奉動機是否純正更重要?今天是否潔淨在於我們是否沾染世俗的想法?

聖殿的服事不僅是利未人的職責，也是其他人所承擔的奉獻等工作。

聖殿代表神的同在。重建聖殿，恢復與神的關係，回到神面前。使命： 成為祭司的國度。

信仰的恢復、信仰的恢復，恢復與神的關係比自己的家更重要！

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How?

God has his time to make everything come true.  All of us should listen and wait for the Lord and prepare ourselves to work with the Lord.

Keep me safe, Lord, from the hands of the wicked

Psalm 140:1-18

Rescue me, Lord, from evildoers; protect me from the violent, who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day.

Keep me safe, Lord, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent, who devise ways to trip my feet. The arrogant have hidden a snare for me; they have spread out the cords of their net and have set traps for me along my path.

I say to the Lord, “You are my God.” Hear, Lord, my cry for mercy. Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, you shield my head in the day of battle. Do not grant the wicked their desires, Lord; do not let their plans succeed.

May slanderers not be established in the land; may disaster hunt down the violent.

I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy. Surely the righteous will praise your name, and the upright will live in your presence.

Why?

David knew the plot of the enemies, and David knew only the Lord could save him.

The relationship of the Lord and us is You are my God, my sovereign Lord, my strong deliver.

David knows that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy. So as we should help the needy, the poor.

How?

Do what the Lord pleases and what the Lord loves. Have mercy on the needy.

See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting

 Psalm 139:16-24

17 How precious to me are your thoughts,God!  How vast is the sum of them.

19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty! They speak of you with evil intent;  your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.  Search me, God, and know my heart test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

Why?

Do I hate what the Lord hates? Do I love to do what The Lord delights? May my thoughts go with the Lord!

Always meditate myself, may the Lord lead me in the way everlasting.

Don’t care too much about this world, the temporary ways and things.

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睡醒時神與我同在：表示神一直在我身旁！

神全然聖潔，恨惡惡人。大衛為主大發熱心。不是只有檢視別人，也要檢討自己！

求神鑑查我！

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How?

May the Lord lead me, show me any offensive way in me.

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me

Psalm 139:1-16

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise;  you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Why?

The Lord knows all of my mind, my situation, and my emotions. Even if the word is on my tongue, the Lord knows it completely.

The relationship between me and the Lord is no darkness, time, or place difference.

Even my unformed body the Lord has known me.

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1. v1-6神是無所不知:

2.v7-12神無所不在: 神充滿在我們生活的空間中，按手有保護的含義。飛到海極居住，引導；扶持

神的同在、充滿很難描述。飛到地極即是逃離的意思，如孩子不願在家，想離家出走，父母還為孩子安排的生活安全，孩子卻不知道。我們逃出的這段路也是神在扶持。

黑暗的地方： 甚至廟裏，黑社會中。神依然在這些黑暗處。

3.v13-16神眷顧保護：從胎兒來比喻未誕生前已經安排、細細的安排、帶領我們

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How? 

What I can do is worship the Lord and come closer to the Lord, honor the Holy name of the Lord in my daily life.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life

Psalm 138:1-8

I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness, or you have so exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame. When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me.

May all the kings of the earth praise you, Lord, when they hear what you have decreed. May they sing of the ways of the Lord, for the glory of the Lord is great.

Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, he sees them from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;  with your right hand you save me.
8 The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever—  do not abandon the works of your hands.

Why?

David praises the Lord for his unfailing love and faithfulness.

Even the Lord is exalted, but he looks kindly on the lowly, so we can be saved through Jesus Christ.

Without the protection and guidance of the Lord, I wouldn't be saved and free now.

The Lord who greatly emboldened me, made me bold and stouthearted.

How?

Praise the Lord for his unfailing love and faithfulness.

If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill

Psalm 137:1-9

By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land? If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.

Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down,” they cried, “tear it down to its foundations!” Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us. Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.

Why?

This is a song that cried out for the destruction of Zion, 

The psalmist remember the hometown and what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. Even though they were brother.

It is worse to seize infants and dash them against the rocks, it shows the hatred of Israel they had suffered.

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在巴比倫河邊，被擄在那裏的以色列百姓，被迫唱歌、彈琴！沒有心情唱歌！

離開了主，才知道有主多麼好。人常常太習慣有神，有神的恩典，習慣於每天有嗎哪，不認為嗎哪是恩典。只有神自己才能給人美善、喜樂，否則人心是不會滿足的。

忘了神，忘了主，會彈琴又有什麼用！寧可不會彈琴、唱歌能在耶路撒冷也甘願。

猶太人記得國仇家恨，我們面對邪惡，抵擋神的人，罪惡等，我們是否如同詩人一般痛恨惡勢力！

人在異邦，心不由己！

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How?

Be aware that the Lord is my fortress and my savior. The word of the Lord is my foundation and guidens.

His love endures forever

Psalm 136:1-26

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.

to him who alone does great wonders, who by his understanding made the heavens, who spread out the earth upon the waters, who made the great lights—

to him who divided the Red Sea asunder, and brought Israel through the midst of it, but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;  His love endures forever.

to him who struck down great kings, and killed mighty kings—

and gave their land as an inheritance, an inheritance to his servant Israel.

He remembered us in our low estate. and freed us from our enemies. He gives food to every creature. 

Give thanks to the God of heaven.

Why?

My Lord, my God is the great king beyond this world. No one can compare with Him before and after now. 

His love endures forever, because of the love of the Lord so we can survive and may know God's mighty.

How?

Praise the Lord and give thanks to the Lord! My God is my way and my Shepher guiding my way.

Give thanks to the Lord!