弟兄姊妹平安。今天所讀的是申命記的第七章下半段，12到26節的經文。
這時候，讓我們稍微了解一下當時的迦南地。它並不是一個蠻荒之地。迦南這個地方一直都是古文明非常看重的一個重要地區。這片土地肥沃，適合發展農業，擁有山脈和平原，左邊有地中海的水域。它位於亞洲、歐洲和非洲這三個大洲的中間地帶，對於文明的發展來說是相當重要的地方。因此，當時已經有許多文明在這裡建立了自己的城邦和社區。當以色列人來到這個地方時，發現已經有很大的城市和強大的人民存在。所以，我們並不是遇到了一群野蠻人，而是與一個高度文明和高度發展的文化相遇。
當時的城邦與宗教關係密切，最重要的幾個城市包括夏瑣、米吉多和基色等。舉例來說，夏瑣這個城市供奉的神就叫做夏瑣。這些文明擁有複雜的城市道路、供水系統，並與周圍的帝國有著往來和貿易。當然，也常常發生衝突。在公元前兩千年到1500年左右的中青銅時代，這片土地的文明已經達到了一個極高的水平，包括文化、技術和建築。他們在冶煉、陶器製作等方面都擁有高度的技術。
就在這樣一個時空背景下，以色列人作為一群弱小的外族人，想要進入這片已經被許多高度發展而且強大的民族掌控的土地時，以色列人為何感到非常驚慌呢？在當時的12名探子中，有10名認為這是不可能的，認為我們無法戰勝他們。
當時，以色列人在宗教和靈性方面還沒有建立非常穩固的基礎。因此，上帝在帶領他們從埃及出來進入曠野後，賜給他們誡命，律法、典章和律例等，一切都是為了幫助以色列人建立信仰，重新建立與唯一的上帝的關係。這是上帝為了建立以色列人的民族特性，並讓他們成為傳播福音的第一個開始，這是上帝的美好計劃。
隨著歷史的發展，我們看到以色列人不斷在這個過程中與外族互動，很多時候轉向信仰那些邪教的神。因此，在歷史中，以色列人受到了巨大的痛苦，但這不是上帝在懲罰他們，而是他們自己去崇拜那些不應崇拜的邪惡之神，導致他們在信仰上一次又一次地跌倒。今天的基督徒也可能面臨類似的情況，儘管我們有對上帝的信仰，但在生活中容易受到這個世界的影響，變成 "腳踏兩條船" 的基督徒。在教會中我們是基督徒，說著教會的語言，敬拜上帝，但在世界中我們為了 "融入" 不同的社交圈子，可能會重新變成屬世的人。
此外，我們需要理解當時的迦南人所崇拜的這些神實際上都是從人的慾望中產生的虛假神。當我們深入理解時，會發現這些神代表的都是人類慾望的具體化身。其他民族也有類似的情況。人們會試圖創造一些神，以合理化他們的慾望。當我們將自己的慾望提升到神的層次時，好像這些事情變得有意義了。有些人甚至會為了考試拜孔子，為了財富拜財神，為了其他想要的東西去拜其他神。實際上，在這一切的背後，我們只是為了滿足自己的私慾而尋求這些神的幫助。我們並不真正尊重這些所謂的神，只是將他們當作一種交易的對象。我們說：「我給你祭品，你就要讓我升官發財。」然而，上帝完全不同，祂是賜予人一切的上帝，是我們的父親，是渴望與我們建立親密關係的神。上帝不需要我們的供奉，祂渴望的是我們建立與祂的關係，聆聽祂的話語。
整章的真正關鍵在於，上帝在第18節告訴以色列人說：「你不要懼怕。」然而，這種不懼怕的根本在於下一節，”要牢牢記念耶和華你神向法老和埃及全地所行的事“ 要以色列人紀念神在埃及所行的一切，以及在曠野中所顯示的神蹟。這些都是上帝要以色列人不斷傳揚和紀念的事情。用真實的歷史提醒他們上帝的作為。一次又一次的拯救。
對基督徒來說，也是一樣的道理，因為在我們的生命中，我們總會面臨各種困難和挑戰，有時甚至會讓我們懷疑上帝，質疑為什麼上帝讓我們經歷這一切。在這些時候，上帝提醒我們要堅守對祂所經歷的恩典，要記住上帝在我們生命中已經成就的大事。當我們回顧、思考並明白上帝一直在我們生命中的作為時，我們就能夠保持信心並繼續前進。因此，這段經文中上帝提醒我們要「牢牢記住上帝的作為」。
當我們讀歷史，我們就會感受到這些遠古的故事和我們今天的生活息息相關。因為我們都是活在世界上，而世界總是不斷地想要拉扯我們。上帝不斷地要以色列人建立一個一神論的民族特性，並讓他們成為傳揚福音給全世界的未來民族的開始，今天上帝也不斷地提醒我們，建立基督徒對於正確信仰的根基，才能夠繼續去分享這個信仰 。感謝各位的聆聽，今天我們完成了第七章的分享，明天我們將開始研讀第八章，”不要忘記上帝”。
Brothers and sisters, peace be with you. Today, we are reading from the second half of Deuteronomy chapter 7, verses 12 to 26.
At this moment, let us take a moment to understand the historical context of ancient Canaan. It was not a barren land; rather, Canaan was a region highly regarded in ancient civilizations. This land was fertile, suitable for agriculture, featuring both mountains and plains, with access to the waters of the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Geographically, it was situated at the crossroads of Asia, Europe, and Africa, making it a vital hub for the development of civilizations. Consequently, many civilizations had established their cities and communities in this area. When the Israelites arrived in Canaan, they encountered significant cities and powerful peoples. So, it wasn't a meeting with a barbaric people, but rather, a meeting with a highly civilized and developed culture.
The city-states in Canaan had a close relationship with religion, and some of the most important cities included Hazor, Megiddo, and Kiriath. For example, the city of Hazor worshiped a god known as Hazor. These civilizations had intricate city roads, water supply systems, and engaged in trade with neighboring empires. However, conflicts were not uncommon. During the Middle to Late Bronze Age, around 2000 to 1500 BCE, this region had reached an exceptionally high level of development in terms of culture, technology, and architecture. They possessed advanced skills in metallurgy, pottery, and more.
In such a historical context, the Israelites, as a small group of foreign people, felt great anxiety about entering a land that was already controlled by many highly developed and powerful nations. Among the twelve spies sent to scout the land, ten of them believed it was an impossible task and thought that they couldn't overcome these nations.
At that time, the Israelites had not yet established a solid foundation in terms of religion and spirituality. Therefore, after leading them out of Egypt into the wilderness, God gave them commandments, laws, statutes, and everything necessary to help them build their faith and re-establish their relationship with the one true God. God's purpose was to establish the unique identity of the Israelite nation and make them the beginning of spreading the Gospel—a beautiful plan of God.
As history unfolded, we see the Israelites constantly interacting with foreign cultures during this process, often turning to the worship of false gods. Therefore, in history, the Israelites suffered greatly, not as a punishment from God, but because they chose to worship these evil gods that they shouldn't have. This led to their repeated stumbling in matters of faith. Today's Christians may also face similar situations, where, despite our faith in God, we can easily be influenced by the world, becoming "double-minded" Christians. In the church, we are Christians, speaking the language of the church, worshiping God, but in the world, we may compromise to fit into different social circles, potentially becoming worldly people once again.
Furthermore, we need to understand that the gods worshiped by the Canaanites at that time were actually creations born out of human desires. When we delve into this understanding, we realize that these gods represented the embodiment of human desires. This phenomenon was not unique to the Canaanites; other nations had similar practices. People would attempt to create gods to rationalize their desires. When we elevate our desires to the level of gods, it seems as though these things become meaningful. Some people even worshiped Confucius for exams, the God of Wealth for riches, and other gods for things they desired. In reality, behind all of this, we were seeking the help of these gods to fulfill our own selfish desires. We didn't truly respect these so-called gods; we merely treated them as objects of trade. We would say, "I'll offer you sacrifices, and in return, you must help me achieve success and wealth." However, God is entirely different. He is the God who generously gives everything to us, our Father, desiring to establish a close relationship with us. God doesn't need our offerings; what He desires is for us to build a relationship with Him and listen to His words.
The real key of this chapter lies in verse 18, where God tells the Israelites, "Do not be afraid." However, the foundation of this lack of fear lies in the next verse, "But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth." The Israelites were to remember everything that God had done in Egypt and the miracles He had shown them in the wilderness. These were the things God wanted the Israelites to constantly proclaim and remember. It was a reminder of God's actions through real history, a reminder of God's continuous acts of salvation.
For Christians today, it is the same principle. In our lives, we will always face various difficulties and challenges, sometimes leading us to doubt God and question why He allows us to go through these experiences. In those times, God reminds us to hold fast to the grace we have experienced with Him, to remember the great things God has already accomplished in our lives. When we look back, reflect, and understand that God has always been at work in our lives, we can maintain our faith and continue moving forward. Therefore, in this passage, God reminds us to "firmly remember the works of the Lord."
As we read history, we feel the connection between these ancient stories and our lives today because we all live in the world, and the world constantly tries to pull us away. God continues to lead the Israelites to establish a monotheistic national identity, making them the beginning of spreading the Gospel to the whole world. Today, God also continually reminds us that establishing a solid foundation of correct faith is necessary to continue sharing this faith. Thank you for listening, and today we have completed our sharing on chapter seven. Tomorrow, we will begin studying chapter eight, "Do Not Forget God."
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