約書亞記18章

      約書亞記18:1-28 ,

約書亞記18:1-28

18:1 以色列的全會眾都聚集在示羅，把會幕設立在那裡，那地已經被他們制伏了。
18:2 以色列人中其餘的七個支派還沒有分給他們地業。
18:3 約書亞對以色列人說：「耶和華－你們列祖的上帝所賜給你們的地，你們耽延不去得，要到幾時呢？
18:4 你們每支派當選舉三個人，我要打發他們去，他們就要起身走遍那地，按著各支派應得的地業寫明（或譯：畫圖），就回到我這裡來。
18:5 他們要將地分做七分；猶大仍在南方，住在他的境內。約瑟家仍在北方，住在他的境內。
18:6 你們要將地分做七分，寫明了拿到我這裡來。我要在耶和華─我們上帝面前，為你們拈鬮。
18:7 利未人在你們中間沒有分，因為供耶和華祭司的職任就是他們的產業。迦得支派、流便支派，和瑪拿西半支派已經在約旦河東得了地業，就是耶和華僕人摩西所給他們的。」
18:8 劃地勢的人起身去的時候，約書亞囑咐他們說：「你們去走遍那地，劃明地勢，就回到我這裡來。我要在示羅這裡，耶和華面前，為你們拈鬮。」
18:9 他們就去了，走遍那地，按著城邑分做七分，寫在冊子上，回到示羅營中見約書亞。
18:10 約書亞就在示羅，耶和華面前，為他們拈鬮。約書亞在那裡，按著以色列人的支派，將地分給他們。
18:11 便雅憫支派，按著宗族拈鬮所得之地，是在猶大、約瑟子孫中間。
18:12 他們的北界是從約旦河起，往上貼近耶利哥的北邊；又往西通過山地，直到伯‧亞文的曠野；
18:13 從那裡往南接連到路斯，貼近路斯（路斯就是伯特利），又下到亞他綠‧亞達，靠近下伯‧和崙南邊的山；
18:14 從那裡往西，又轉向南，從伯‧和崙南對面的山，直達到猶大人的城基列‧巴力（基列‧巴力就是基列‧耶琳）；這是西界。
18:15 南界是從基列‧耶琳的儘邊起，往西達到尼弗多亞的水源；
18:16 又下到欣嫩子谷對面山的儘邊，就是利乏音谷北邊的山；又下到欣嫩谷，貼近耶布斯的南邊；又下到隱‧羅結；
18:17 又往北通到隱‧示麥，達到亞都冥坡對面的基利綠；又下到流便之子波罕的磐石；
18:18 又接連到亞拉巴對面，往北下到亞拉巴；
18:19 又接連到伯‧曷拉的北邊，直通到鹽海的北汊，就是約旦河的南頭；這是南界。
18:20 東界是約旦河。這是便雅憫人按著宗族，照他們四圍的交界所得的地業。
18:21 便雅憫支派按著宗族所得的城邑就是：耶利哥、伯‧曷拉、伊麥‧基悉、
18:22 伯‧亞拉巴、洗瑪臉、伯特利、
18:23 亞文、巴拉、俄弗拉、
18:24 基法‧阿摩尼、俄弗尼、迦巴，共十二座城，還有屬城的村莊；
18:25 又有基遍、拉瑪、比錄、
18:26 米斯巴、基非拉、摩撒、
18:27 利堅、伊利毘勒、他拉拉、
18:28 洗拉、以利弗、耶布斯（耶布斯就是耶路撒冷）、基比亞、基列，共十四座城，還有屬城的村莊。這是便雅憫人按著宗族所得的地業。

 

  The whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The country was brought under their control, ² but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had not yet received their inheritance.

³ So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you? ⁴ Appoint three men from each tribe. I will send them out to make a survey of the land and to write a description of it, according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me. ⁵ You are to divide the land into seven parts. Judah is to remain in its territory on the south and the tribes of Joseph in their territory on the north. ⁶ After you have written descriptions of the seven parts of the land, bring them here to me and I will cast lots for you in the presence of the Lord our God. ⁷ The Levites, however, do not get a portion among you, because the priestly service of the Lord is their inheritance. And Gad, Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. Moses the servant of the Lord gave it to them.”

⁸ As the men started on their way to map out the land, Joshua instructed them, “Go and make a survey of the land and write a description of it. Then return to me, and I will cast lots for you here at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord.” ⁹ So the men left and went through the land. They wrote its description on a scroll, town by town, in seven parts, and returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh. ¹⁰ Joshua then cast lots for them in Shiloh in the presence of the Lord, and there he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their tribal divisions.

¹¹ The first lot came up for the tribe of Benjamin according to its clans. Their allotted territory lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph:

¹² On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan, passed the northern slope of Jericho and headed west into the hill country, coming out at the wilderness of Beth Aven. ¹³ From there it crossed to the south slope of Luz (that is, Bethel) and went down to Ataroth Addar on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon.

¹⁴ From the hill facing Beth Horon on the south the boundary turned south along the western side and came out at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), a town of the people of Judah. This was the western side.

¹⁵ The southern side began at the outskirts of Kiriath Jearim on the west, and the boundary came out at the spring of the waters of Nephtoah. ¹⁶ The boundary went down to the foot of the hill facing the Valley of Ben Hinnom, north of the Valley of Rephaim. It continued down the Hinnom Valley along the southern slope of the Jebusite city and so to En Rogel. ¹⁷ It then curved north, went to En Shemesh, continued to Geliloth, which faces the Pass of Adummim, and ran down to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben. ¹⁸ It continued to the northern slope of Beth Arabah^[a] and on down into the Arabah. ¹⁹ It then went to the northern slope of Beth Hoglah and came out at the northern bay of the Dead Sea, at the mouth of the Jordan in the south. This was the southern boundary.

²⁰ The Jordan formed the boundary on the eastern side.

These were the boundaries that marked out the inheritance of the clans of Benjamin on all sides.

²¹ The tribe of Benjamin, according to its clans, had the following towns:

Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, ²² Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, ²³ Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, ²⁴ Kephar Ammoni, Ophni and Geba—twelve towns and their villages.

²⁵ Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, ²⁶ Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah, ²⁷ Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, ²⁸ Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah and Kiriath—fourteen towns and their villages.

This was the inheritance of Benjamin for its clans.

 

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    在約旦河西的土地要分給以色列10個支派，其中三個比較積極的支派已經佔領好他們的土地，卻仍有七個派還沒有根據地，所約書亞鼓勵他們要積極的去得地為業，並且讓他們去勘查土地，並且劃出地圖之後，將這些未得知地畫分成七分，以拈鬮的方式分配土地！而在這裡有記明便雅憫支派要得那些土地，下一章也會說到其他支派分到哪裡。

 

    而從這樣的記載中感受到以色列人進入迦南地之後，仍然有許「多未竟之事」，讓人覺得約書亞心中的缺憾！這就像我們也面對到人生有許多事要去完成，卻不見得全如所願！人的生命中常常有這樣的問題，若不想到耶穌基督已經得勝了，我們真的會失去生活的勇氣，隨波逐流的過日子，正如這七個支派已進入應許之地，卻無法得地為業！

 

    基督徒不好好堅定信仰，確信上帝的應許，也會落到這樣的境遇！求主幫助我們，我們要確信主耶穌必定再來，新天新帝必降臨，上帝國必定實現！因為，我們面對新和舊世界的消長，唯有靠聖靈的光照，才不會迷惑不知！

 

詩篇101篇

         詩篇101:1-8 ,

詩篇101:1-8

101:1 （大衛的詩）。我要歌唱慈愛和公平；耶和華啊，我要向你歌頌！
101:2 我要用智慧行完全的道。你幾時到我這裡來呢？我要存完全的心行在我家中。
101:3 邪僻的事，我都不擺在我眼前；悖逆人所做的事，我甚恨惡，不容沾在我身上。
101:4 彎曲的心思，我必遠離；一切的惡人（或譯：惡事），我不認識。
101:5 在暗中讒謗他鄰居的，我必將他滅絕；眼目高傲、心裡驕縱的，我必不容他。
101:6 我眼要看國中的誠實人，叫他們與我同住；行為完全的，他要伺候我。
101:7 行詭詐的，必不得住在我家裡；說謊話的，必不得立在我眼前。
101:8 我每日早晨要滅絕國中所有的惡人，好把一切作孽的從耶和華的城裡剪除。

 

Of David. A psalm.

¹ I will sing of your love and justice;
    to you, Lord, I will sing praise.
² I will be careful to lead a blameless life—
    when will you come to me?

I will conduct the affairs of my house
    with a blameless heart.
³ I will not look with approval
    on anything that is vile.

I hate what faithless people do;
    I will have no part in it.
⁴ The perverse of heart shall be far from me;
    I will have nothing to do with what is evil.

⁵ Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret,
    I will put to silence;
whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart,
    I will not tolerate.

⁶ My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,
    that they may dwell with me;
the one whose walk is blameless
    will minister to me.

⁷ No one who practices deceit
    will dwell in my house;
no one who speaks falsely
    will stand in my presence.

⁸ Every morning I will put to silence
    all the wicked in the land;
I will cut off every evildoer
    from the city of the Lord.

 

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    大衛王清楚自己成為以色列王是出於上帝的作為，不是自己努力來的，也因此他十分敬畏上帝，期盼用自己的地位來為上帝做一些事，好教上帝的心意滿足！所以，在這篇詩篇中，我們可以讀出他盼望他的子民是敬畏上帝遠離惡事，因次他恨惡邪惡的人，甚至要將他們除去；他喜愛良善的人，想好好保護與提拔他們！

 

    而他統治以色列的時間，讓人們不僅感受到他的政治清明，更感受到上帝才是以色列真正的王！以色列人覺得自己是活在上帝的國中，成為後代以色列人盼望恢復的一個狀態！正如後來以色列和猶大先後被滅，全國上下許多人被擄到外邦，但是先中盼望彌賽亞早日出現，在地上建立上帝國，就是如同大衛為王的國度！

 

    然而今日彌賽亞也就是基督已經來了，祂不只是以色列的王，祂更是萬王之王！正如主耶穌在復活之後向門徒顯現時說：「天上地下所有的權柄都賜給我了。所以，你們要去，使萬民作我的門徒，奉父、子、聖靈的名給他們施洗（或譯：給他們施洗，歸於父、子、聖靈的名）。凡我所吩咐你們的，都教訓他們遵守，我就常與你們同在，直到世界的末了。」(馬太福音28:18-20)

 

    不僅如此，在升天以前，他們(耶穌和門徒)聚集的時候，問耶穌說：「主啊，你復興以色列國就在這時候嗎？」耶穌對他們說：「父憑著自己的權柄所定的時候、日期，不是你們可以知道的。但聖靈降臨在你們身上，你們就必得著能力，並要在耶路撒冷、猶太全地，和撒馬利亞，直到地極，作我的見證。」(使徒行傳1:6-8)

 

    可見耶穌的門徒心中所盼望的就是以色列人傳統中的盼望，如同大衛一般的以色列再次彰顯，讓上帝的福分再次臨到以色列的子民中間！當然耶穌基督愛帶來的上帝國，不單屬於以色列人，而是屬萬族萬民的！

 

以弗所書4:11-16

4:11 他所賜的，有使徒，有先知，有傳福音的，有牧師和教師，
4:12 為要成全聖徒，各盡其職，建立基督的身體，
4:13 直等到我們眾人在真道上同歸於一，認識上帝的兒子，得以長大成人，滿有基督長成的身量，
4:14 使我們不再作小孩子，中了人的詭計和欺騙的法術，被一切異教之風搖動，飄來飄去，就隨從各樣的異端；
4:15 惟用愛心說誠實話，凡事長進，連於元首基督，
4:16 全身都靠他聯絡得合式，百節各按各職，照著各體的功用彼此相助，便叫身體漸漸增長，在愛中建立自己。

¹⁰ He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) ¹¹ So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

¹⁴ Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. ¹⁵ Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. ¹⁶ From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

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    保羅說的「在愛中建立自己」，不是要我們建立自我，而是教會的建立！而教會的建立是來自哪裡呢﹖不是靠別的就是「百節各按各職，照著各體的功用彼此相助」，這也就是說恩賜的發揮。

    然而教會不是專門注重每個人的個別恩賜，也不是高舉某一種恩賜；因為我們都在基督裡互為肢體，每一個人、每一個恩賜都是非常重要的，正如保羅一開始說到：「他所賜的，有使徒，有先知，有傳福音的，有牧師和教師，為要成全聖徒，各盡其職，建立基督的身體」。

    恩賜發揮的明顯益處，就如保羅所說：「直等到我們眾人在真道上同歸於一，認識上帝的兒子，得以長大成人，滿有基督長成的身量，使我們不再作小孩子，中了人的詭計和欺騙的法術，被一切異教之風搖動，飄來飄去，就隨從各樣的異端」。

    然而恩賜發揮的關鍵是「惟用愛心說誠實話，凡事長進，連於元首基督」，這也是說我們必須在基督裡與上帝相交，這也就是說，我們必須先透過基督與上帝建立合宜的關係，成為重生的人，也就是上帝的兒女，才能參與教會的服事，才能明白服事的目的式建立教會！

    也因為如此，先成為上帝的兒女才能成為教會的長執，這也是我們選長執很重要的原則！願上帝這樣賜福在祂的教會中，阿們！