歷代志下15:1-9

 

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。

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 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.

 

**********

 

    “亞撒利雅”這個名字的意義是 "耶和華已幫助"。而他將耶和華給猶大亞撒的信息宣告出來，使得亞撒王受到激勵，正如經文所說：「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；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。」

 

    而亞撒利雅所宣告的話中最有力量的就是：「現在你們要剛強，不要手軟，因你們所行的必得賞賜。」

 

    這段話今日也要激勵我們，只要我們聽從上帝的教導，遵行上帝的道，遠離惡事，上帝必大大賜福，使我們得上帝的賞賜，並且要藉我們榮耀祂的名，領人來歸向祂，正如亞撒王使以色列人看見耶和華─他的上帝與他同在，就來歸降亞撒！