歷代志下15:1-19

 

15:1 上帝的靈感動俄德的兒子亞撒利雅。
15:2 他出來迎接亞撒，對他說：「亞撒和猶大、便雅憫眾人哪，要聽我說：你們若順從耶和華，耶和華必與你們同在；你們若尋求他，就必尋見；你們若離棄他，他必離棄你們。
15:3 以色列人不信真上帝，沒有訓誨的祭司，也沒有律法，已經好久了；
15:4 但他們在急難的時候歸向耶和華─以色列的上帝，尋求他，他就被他們尋見。
15:5 那時，出入的人不得平安，列國的居民都遭大亂；
15:6 這國攻擊那國，這城攻擊那城，互相破壞，因為上帝用各樣災難擾亂他們。
15:7 現在你們要剛強，不要手軟，因你們所行的必得賞賜。」
15:8 亞撒聽見這話和俄德兒子先知亞撒利雅的預言，就壯起膽來，在猶大、便雅憫全地，並以法蓮山地所奪的各城，將可憎之物盡都除掉，又在耶和華殿的廊前重新修築耶和華的壇；
15:9 又招聚猶大、便雅憫的眾人，並他們中間寄居的以法蓮人、瑪拿西人、西緬人。有許多以色列人歸降亞撒，因見耶和華─他的上帝與他同在。
15:10 亞撒十五年三月，他們都聚集在耶路撒冷。
15:11 當日他們從所取的擄物中，將牛七百隻、羊七千隻獻給耶和華。
15:12 他們就立約，要盡心盡性地尋求耶和華─他們列祖的上帝。
15:13 凡不尋求耶和華─以色列上帝的，無論大小、男女，必被治死。
15:14 他們就大聲歡呼，吹號吹角，向耶和華起誓。
15:15 猶大眾人為所起的誓歡喜；因他們是盡心起誓，盡意尋求耶和華，耶和華就被他們尋見，且賜他們四境平安。
15:16 亞撒王貶了他祖母瑪迦太后的位，因她造了可憎的偶像亞舍拉。亞撒砍下她的偶像，搗得粉碎，燒在汲淪溪邊。
15:17 只是邱壇還沒有從以色列中廢去，然而亞撒的心一生誠實。
15:18 亞撒將他父所分別為聖、與自己所分別為聖的金銀和器皿都奉到上帝的殿裡。
15:19 從這時直到亞撒三十五年，都沒有爭戰的事。

 

The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded. ² He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. ³ For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. ⁴ But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them. ⁵ In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. ⁶ One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. ⁷ But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

⁸ When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of^[a] Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the portico of the Lord’s temple.

⁹ Then he assembled all Judah and Benjamin and the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had settled among them, for large numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

¹⁰ They assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. ¹¹ At that time they sacrificed to the Lord seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats from the plunder they had brought back. ¹² They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. ¹³ All who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. ¹⁴ They took an oath to the Lord with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns. ¹⁵ All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.

¹⁶ King Asa also deposed his grandmother Maakah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah. Asa cut it down, broke it up and burned it in the Kidron Valley. ¹⁷ Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life. ¹⁸ He brought into the temple of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.

¹⁹ There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

 

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    讀到亞撒王的事蹟，尤其是他敬畏耶和華，帶給猶大國蒙福，也號召了以色列敬畏上帝的人，大家一同來享受上帝的賜福！而這福份不是一時的，照經文所說：「從這時直到亞撒三十五年，都沒有爭戰的事。」

 

 

    然而在這樣的描述中，也讓我們有淡淡的不安，這樣的黃金歲月可以維持多久呢？因為就人類的歷史來看，太平盛世並不多，許多的時候都是充滿戰火和動盪不安。即使是現在好像世界和平，也是不斷有零星戰火和冷戰的情形。

 

    當然我們不要忘記，真正永恆的平安是在上帝國完全實現的時候，這才是我們可以期盼的，不要一時的平安與安定而忘記了那真正的永恆的平安！當然今日COVID-19疫情肆虐，其實更是激發我們盼望上帝國快快完全實現！