14:1 亞比雅與他列祖同睡,葬在大衛城裡。他兒子亞撒接續他作王。亞撒年間,國中太平十年。
14:2 亞撒行耶和華─他上帝眼中看為善為正的事,
14:3 除掉外邦神的壇和邱壇,打碎柱像,砍下木偶,
14:4 吩咐猶大人尋求耶和華─他們列祖的上帝,遵行他的律法、誡命;
14:5 又在猶大各城邑除掉邱壇和日像,那時國享太平;
14:6 又在猶大建造了幾座堅固城。國中太平數年,沒有戰爭,因為耶和華賜他平安。
14:7 他對猶大人說:「我們要建造這些城邑,四圍築牆,蓋樓,安門,做閂;地還屬我們,是因尋求耶和華─我們的上帝;我們既尋求他,他就賜我們四境平安。」於是建造城邑,諸事亨通。
14:8 亞撒的軍兵,出自猶大拿盾牌拿槍的三十萬人;出自便雅憫拿盾牌拉弓的二十八萬人。這都是大能的勇士。
14:9 有古實王謝拉率領軍兵一百萬,戰車三百輛,出來攻擊猶大人,到了瑪利沙。
14:10 於是亞撒出去與他迎敵,就在瑪利沙的洗法谷彼此擺陣。
14:11 亞撒呼求耶和華─他的上帝說:「耶和華啊,惟有你能幫助軟弱的,勝過強盛的。耶和華─我們的上帝啊,求你幫助我們;因為我們仰賴你,奉你的名來攻擊這大軍。耶和華啊,你是我們的上帝,不要容人勝過你。」
14:12 於是耶和華使古實人敗在亞撒和猶大人面前,古實人就逃跑了;
14:13 亞撒和跟隨他的軍兵追趕他們,直到基拉耳。古實人被殺的甚多,不能再強盛,因為敗在耶和華與他軍兵面前。猶大人就奪了許多財物,
14:14 又打破基拉耳四圍的城邑;耶和華使其中的人都甚恐懼。猶大人又將所有的城擄掠一空,因其中的財物甚多,
14:15 又毀壞了群畜的圈,奪取許多的羊和駱駝,就回耶路撒冷去了。
And Abijah rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. Asa his son succeeded him as king, and in his days the country was at peace for ten years.
2 Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. 3 He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles.[b] 4 He commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands. 5 He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him. 6 He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest.
7 “Let us build up these towns,” he said to Judah, “and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered.
8 Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men.
9 Zerah the Cushite marched out against them with an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. 10 Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.
11 Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.”
12 The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, 13 and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed before the Lord and his forces. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder. 14 They destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for the terror of the Lord had fallen on them. They looted all these villages, since there was much plunder there. 15 They also attacked the camps of the herders and carried off droves of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
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亞比雅敬畏上帝,接續的王亞撒也是敬畏上帝的王,於是國中太平十年,表示沒有外來的敵軍,內部也安定!也因為這樣國家慢慢得著建設,而日漸強甚。在信仰上他也除去邱壇和日像,使人民專心仰望上帝!
所以他宣告說:「我們要建造這些城邑,四圍築牆,蓋樓,安門,做閂;地還屬我們,是因尋求耶和華─我們的上帝;我們既尋求他,他就賜我們四境平安。」
雖然後來有古實王謝拉率領軍兵一百萬,戰車三百輛,出來攻擊猶大人。他也不懼怕,他向上帝禱告:「耶和華啊,惟有你能幫助軟弱的,勝過強盛的。耶和華─我們的上帝啊,求你幫助我們;因為我們仰賴你,奉你的名來攻擊這大軍。耶和華啊,你是我們的上帝,不要容人勝過你。」
也因為這樣,他堅心倚賴上帝,上帝也讓他勝過古實大軍!讓我們看見得勝不在兵強馬壯,而是在於有上帝的同在!
同樣,在我們的人生面對各樣的磨難,也要用這樣的精神來面對,求上帝給我們智慧和勇氣來面對與解決,正如所羅門王的《箴言》所說:「你要專心仰賴耶和華,不可倚靠自己的聰明,在你一切所行的事上都要認定他,他必指引你的路。不要自以為有智慧;要敬畏耶和華,遠離惡事。這便醫治你的肚臍,滋潤你的百骨。你要以財物和一切初熟的土產尊榮耶和華。這樣,你的倉房必充滿有餘;你的酒醡有新酒盈溢。」(3:5-10)
不要為眼前的困境躊躇不前,上帝必定讓你躍過的!正如現今的Covid-19的疫情雖然造成我們壓力,我們只要勇敢面對,倚靠上帝的同在,努力向前,就必然可以度過的!
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