歷代志下31:1-21

 

31:1 這事既都完畢，在那裡的以色列眾人就到猶大的城邑，打碎柱像，砍斷木偶，又在猶大、便雅憫、以法蓮、瑪拿西遍地將邱壇和祭壇拆毀淨盡。於是以色列眾人各回各城，各歸各地。
31:2 希西家派定祭司利未人的班次，各按各職獻燔祭和平安祭，又在耶和華殿（原文是營）門內事奉，稱謝頌讚耶和華。
31:3 王又從自己的產業中定出分來為燔祭，就是早晚的燔祭和安息日、月朔，並節期的燔祭，都是按耶和華律法上所載的；
31:4 又吩咐住耶路撒冷的百姓將祭司、利未人所應得的分給他們，使他們專心遵守耶和華的律法。
31:5 諭旨一出，以色列人就把初熟的五穀、新酒、油、蜜，和田地的出產多多送來，又把各物的十分之一送來的極多。
31:6 住猶大各城的以色列人和猶大人也將牛羊的十分之一，並分別為聖歸耶和華─他們上帝之物，就是十分取一之物，盡都送來，積成堆壘；
31:7 從三月積起，到七月才完。
31:8 希西家和眾首領來，看見堆壘，就稱頌耶和華，又為耶和華的民以色列人祝福。
31:9 希西家向祭司、利未人查問這堆壘。
31:10 撒督家的大祭司亞撒利雅回答說：「自從民將供物送到耶和華殿以來，我們不但吃飽，且剩下的甚多；因為耶和華賜福給他的民，所剩下的才這樣豐盛。」
31:11 希西家吩咐在耶和華殿裡預備倉房，他們就預備了。
31:12 他們誠心將供物和十分取一之物，並分別為聖之物，都搬入倉內。利未人歌楠雅掌管這事，他兄弟示每為副管。
31:13 耶歇、亞撒細雅、拿哈、亞撒黑、耶利末、約撒拔、以列、伊斯瑪基雅、瑪哈、比拿雅都是督理，在歌楠雅和他兄弟示每的手下，是希西家王和管理上帝殿的亞撒利雅所派的。
31:14 守東門的利未人音拿的兒子可利，掌管樂意獻與上帝的禮物，發放獻與耶和華的供物和至聖的物。
31:15 在他手下有伊甸、岷雅岷、耶書亞、示瑪雅、亞瑪利雅、示迦尼雅，在祭司的各城裡供緊要的職任，無論弟兄大小，都按著班次分給他們。
31:16 按家譜，三歲以外的男丁，凡每日進耶和華殿、按班次供職的，也分給他；
31:17 又按宗族家譜分給祭司，按班次職任分給二十歲以外的利未人，
31:18 又按家譜計算，分給他們會中的妻子、兒女；因他們身供要職，自潔成聖。
31:19 按名派定的人要把應得的分給亞倫子孫，住在各城郊野、祭司所有的男丁和一切載入家譜的利未人。
31:20 希西家在猶大遍地這樣辦理，行耶和華─他上帝眼中看為善為正為忠的事。
31:21 凡他所行的，無論是辦上帝殿的事，是遵律法守誡命，是尋求他的上帝，都是盡心去行，無不亨通。

 

 When all this had ended, the Israelites who were there went out to the towns of Judah, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. They destroyed the high places and the altars throughout Judah and Benjamin and in Ephraim and Manasseh. After they had destroyed all of them, the Israelites returned to their own towns and to their own property.

² Hezekiah assigned the priests and Levites to divisions—each of them according to their duties as priests or Levites—to offer burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, to minister, to give thanks and to sing praises at the gates of the Lord’s dwelling. ³ The king contributed from his own possessions for the morning and evening burnt offerings and for the burnt offerings on the Sabbaths, at the New Moons and at the appointed festivals as written in the Law of the Lord. ⁴ He ordered the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion due the priests and Levites so they could devote themselves to the Law of the Lord. ⁵ As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, olive oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything. ⁶ The people of Israel and Judah who lived in the towns of Judah also brought a tithe of their herds and flocks and a tithe of the holy things dedicated to the Lord their God, and they piled them in heaps. ⁷ They began doing this in the third month and finished in the seventh month. ⁸ When Hezekiah and his officials came and saw the heaps, they praised the Lord and blessed his people Israel.

⁹ Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the heaps; ¹⁰ and Azariah the chief priest, from the family of Zadok, answered, “Since the people began to bring their contributions to the temple of the Lord, we have had enough to eat and plenty to spare, because the Lord has blessed his people, and this great amount is left over.”

¹¹ Hezekiah gave orders to prepare storerooms in the temple of the Lord, and this was done. ¹² Then they faithfully brought in the contributions, tithes and dedicated gifts. Konaniah, a Levite, was the overseer in charge of these things, and his brother Shimei was next in rank. ¹³ Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath and Benaiah were assistants of Konaniah and Shimei his brother. All these served by appointment of King Hezekiah and Azariah the official in charge of the temple of God.

¹⁴ Kore son of Imnah the Levite, keeper of the East Gate, was in charge of the freewill offerings given to God, distributing the contributions made to the Lord and also the consecrated gifts. ¹⁵ Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah and Shekaniah assisted him faithfully in the towns of the priests, distributing to their fellow priests according to their divisions, old and young alike.

¹⁶ In addition, they distributed to the males three years old or more whose names were in the genealogical records—all who would enter the temple of the Lord to perform the daily duties of their various tasks, according to their responsibilities and their divisions. ¹⁷ And they distributed to the priests enrolled by their families in the genealogical records and likewise to the Levites twenty years old or more, according to their responsibilities and their divisions. ¹⁸ They included all the little ones, the wives, and the sons and daughters of the whole community listed in these genealogical records. For they were faithful in consecrating themselves.

¹⁹ As for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who lived on the farmlands around their towns or in any other towns, men were designated by name to distribute portions to every male among them and to all who were recorded in the genealogies of the Levites.

²⁰ This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. ²¹ In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.

 

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    守逾越節這是所帶出來的果效，就是信仰上的復興，使以色列和猶大脫離一切假神的崇拜，進而敬拜耶和華上帝。不僅如此，還讓他們遵守十分之一奉獻，看見上帝的賜福。使上帝的缺乏，讓利未人服事之中沒有缺乏！

 

    當然教會不是靠財務的豐盛，可是對於牧養教會的人能得著好好的照顧也是很重要，這對於上帝事工的推動是很有幫助的。因此，教會的十一奉獻若是好好的施行，就會像這裡的敘述，讓人感受到上帝的恩典是何等豐盛！

 

    保羅也曾經這樣提醒加拉太的教會：「在道理上受教的，當把一切需用的供給施教的人。」(加拉太書6:6)

 

    今日我們去補習班都要繳補習費了，而傳道人為教會、為弟兄姊妹勞苦，好完成上帝的呼召，我們更是要用心照顧、供給所需，好讓上帝的名得榮耀，賜福更多在我們中間！