2025-03-12

March 12 ¶

Reading for Today:
今日读经：

Numbers 21:1–22:41
民数记 21:1–22:41
Psalm 33:10-17
诗篇 33:10-17
Proverbs 11:25-26
箴言 11:25-26
Mark 12:28-44
马可福音 12:28-44

Notes:
注解：

Numbers 22:5 Balaam. Balaam was from Pethor, a city on the Euphrates River, perhaps near Mari, where the existence of a cult of prophets whose activities resembled those of Balaam have been found. Balaam practiced magic and divination (24:1) and eventually led Israel into apostasy (31:16). Later Scripture identifies Balaam as a false prophet (Deut. 23:3–6; Josh. 13:22; 24:9, 10; Neh. 13:1–3; Mic. 6:5; 2 Pet. 2:15, 16; Jude 11; Rev. 2:14).
民数记 22:5 巴兰。 巴兰来自幼发拉底河边的毗夺城，可能靠近马里，该地曾发现与巴兰活动相似的先知群体。巴兰行法术和占卜（24:1），最终引以色列人陷于背道（31:16）。后续经文指认巴兰为假先知（申23:3-6；书13:22；24:9-10；尼13:1-3；弥6:5；彼后2:15-16；犹11；启2:14）。

Mark 12:28 Which is the first commandment...? The rabbis had determined that there were 613 commandments contained in the Pentateuch, one for each letter of the Ten Commandments. Of the 613 commandments, 248 were seen as affirmative and 365 as negative. Those laws were also divided into heavy and light categories, with the heavy laws being more binding than the light ones. The scribes and rabbis, however, had been unable to agree on which were heavy and which were light. This orientation to the law led the Pharisees to think Jesus had devised His own theory. So the Pharisees asked this particular question to get Jesus to incriminate Himself by revealing His unorthodox and unilateral beliefs.
马可福音 12:28 哪一条诫命是第一...？ 拉比们认定摩西五经包含613条诫命，对应十诫每个字母。其中248条为肯定式，365条为否定式。这些律法又被分为轻重两类，重律更具约束力。但文士与拉比对轻重分类始终无法达成共识。这种律法导向使法利赛人认为耶稣自创理论，遂以此问题诱使耶稣暴露其非正统的单边观点而自陷罪责。

Mark 12:40 devour widows’ houses. Jesus exposed the greedy, unscrupulous practice of the scribes. Scribes often served as estate planners for widows, which gave them the opportunity to convince distraught widows that they would be serving God by supporting the temple or the scribe’s own holy work. In either case, the scribe benefited monetarily and effectively robbed the widow of her husband’s legacy to her. long prayers. The Pharisees attempted to flaunt their piety by praying for long periods. Their motive was not devotion to God, but a desire to be revered by the people.
马可福音 12:40 侵吞寡妇的家产。 耶稣揭露文士贪婪无度的行径。文士常为寡妇管理遗产，借此机会说服心神不宁的寡妇：支持圣殿或文士的圣工即事奉神。无论哪种情形，文士都从中牟利，实质上掠夺寡妇从丈夫继承的产业。冗长的祷告。 法利赛人企图以长时间祷告炫耀虔诚，动机非为敬神，乃欲博取百姓尊崇。

DAY 12: Wasn’t it idol worship for the Israelites to look at the bronze serpent in Numbers 21:4–9?
第十二天：以色列人仰望铜蛇（民数记21:4-9）岂不成了拜偶像？

The circumstances leading up to the casting of the bronze serpent were all too familiar. The people were tired and discouraged. They were angry with God and complained to Moses. They were convinced that things couldn’t get any worse, but God showed them otherwise. He sent "fiery serpents" among the people and some of the Israelites died. Others suffered excruciating bites.
铸造铜蛇的背景耳熟能详：百姓疲惫气馁，向神发怒并埋怨摩西，认定处境已糟无可糟，但神以火蛇咬噬众人，致部分人死亡、余者剧痛难当，显明事态可更恶化。

Realizing their mistake, the people came in repentance to Moses and begged for help. They were not worshiping the bronze serpent but were acting in faith, in obedience to God’s and Moses’ directions.
百姓醒悟己过，悔改求助于摩西。他们并非敬拜铜蛇，而是凭信心顺服神与摩西的指示。

In John 3:14, Jesus said, "So must the Son of Man be lifted up." This is a veiled prediction of His death on the cross. It is in reference to the story of where the Israelite people who looked at the serpent lifted up by Moses were healed. The point of this illustration or analogy is in the "lifted up." Just as Moses lifted up the snake on the pole so that all who looked upon it might live physically, those who look to Christ, who was "lifted up" on the cross for the sins of the world, will live spiritually and eternally.
耶稣在约翰福音3:14说："人子也必照样被举起来"，这是对十架受难的隐晦预言。正如仰望摩西所举铜蛇者得医治，"被举"的核心意义在于：摩西举蛇使人得肉体存活，仰望十架上"被举"之基督者，将获属灵与永恒的永生。

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2025-03-12

March 12¶

March 12 ¶